Green Car News

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid

    All eyes are on Ford at the moment, following criticism that its hybrid models aren't getting anywhere near official EPA gas mileage. Consumer Reports has confirmed this, with the result of its testing on the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid returning a bittersweet 39 mpg figure. On the one hand, 39 mpg is an excellent result--it makes the Fusion Hybrid the most economical midsized sedan Consumer Reports has ever tested. On the other, that figure is still 8 mpg short of Ford's official 47 mpg claim for the car, which still backs up the magazine's previous tests of Ford hybrids. Thankfully, the car has...

  • Mitsubishi i $69 per month lease deal
    Mitsubishi i In Cheapest Electric Car Lease Yet: $69 Per Month

    If you're eager to get behind the wheel of an electric car, then there are few cheaper ways of doing it than one lease deal from an Illinois Mitsubishi dealer. O'Brien Mitsubishi in Normal, IL, is offering a new Mitsubishi i electric car for lease from just $69 per month over 24 months--far less...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Volt
    Short On Chevy Volt Knowledge? QR Code Sticker Can Help

    New technology is brilliant. Just look at smartphones, for example--the world's information in the palm of your hands, with the ability to talk, text and take photos when the mood takes you. Or the Chevrolet Volt--38 miles of electric range, with the peace of mind of a gasoline engine backing you...

  • BMW i3 Coupe concept
    BMW i3 Electric Car: Motorcycle Engine Range-Extender For 250 Mile Range

    If you're a fan of electric cars, there's a fair chance BMW's i3 urban electric car is one of the vehicles you're most looking forward to in 2013. When it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013, it's set to be one of the most advanced vehicles on the road--not least for its lightweight...

  • Toyota Camry Hybrid NYC Taxi [Photo: Flickr user gomattolson]
    Toyota Doesn't Seek Hybrid Taxi Sales--Cabbies Just Love Them Anyway

    Taken a taxi anywhere recently? Nowadays, there's a pretty good chance that if you have, it's been a hybrid--low running costs and great reliability records are starting to make them popular with drivers, as gas prices creep ever upwards. Toyota's Prius and Camry Hybrids are becoming a familiar...

  • 2010 BMW ActiveE
    What Cars Get Traded In For The Electric BMW ActiveE?

    Much of the discussion around electric cars centers on their cost: high initial purchase price, low per-mile running costs. But electric cars don't just compete against economy cars with high fuel efficiency. As last week's unveiling of the 2014 Cadillac ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe...

  • 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel

    If you're in the market for a luxury or sports car, regular diesels and hybrids like the Volkswagen Jetta or Toyota Prius are unlikely to be on your list. Porsches might, however--and those still wanting to save a few dimes on gas or pump out just a little less emissions into the atmosphere may be interested in the Cayenne Diesel and Hybrid SUVs, or the Panamera Hybrid luxury sedan. 2013 pricing has been announced for each model, and it's the 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel that'll get you better gas mileage for the least money. Starting at $55,750 plus $950 destination charge, the Cayenne...

  • 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid
    2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid: At Some NY And CA Dealers Now

    Honda's two-motor Accord Plug-In Hybrid is now on sale at select New York and Californian Honda dealers. Choice in the plug-in hybrid market is growing all the time, and the Accord offers buyers an alternative to the Ford Fusion Energi--not to mention more established plug-ins like the Chevrolet...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
    VA Governor's Road-Funding Plan: Penalize Hybrids, Electric Cars

    Nobody particularly likes taxes, but as they go, gas tax is at least generally fair in how it's applied. The more gas you use, the more you pay. Use less, or none at all, and you pay less--or nothing. Virginia residents will soon be paying nothing even if they drive gas guzzlers, as Governor Bob...

  • Offshore Oil Rig
    Oil And Energy: Bountiful Or Dwindling? Experts Argue

    Love or hate it, oil is an incredibly useful product. Used to create everything from plastics to pharmaceuticals--and of course, fuel for transportation--its environmental credentials might be low, but it's been an essential substance in creating the world we live in today. So too have other energy...

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR
    2014 Cadillac ELR Video Preview

    Based on the Volt, but dressed in a very sharp new suit, the 2014 Cadillac ELR promises to bring the joys of greener driving to the executive sector. Not that the luxury segment hasn't already been a hotbed of hybrid development in recent years, though initially slow on the uptake. That makes...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Volt  -  Driven, December 2012
    Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Canada: A 2012 Review

    We've covered U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars--which tripled last year. Now, as the puck drops on a new hockey season, readers' thoughts might turn to our northern neighbor--and wonder whether Canadians lead or lag their American cousins when it comes to buying plug-in cars. Canada: One-third...

  • 2013 Ford Fiesta ST

    Read between the lines, and it isn't surprising that large carmakers are starting to get more involved with car sharing schemes and similar. They're essentially preparing for a future where upcoming generations of drivers simply aren't as interested, or willing, to take the plunge into car ownership. Car-sharing will try and fill that gap. The young drivers that are interested in cars are now more excited about green concerns and connectivity, says The Detroit News. A recent study from management consultants McKinsey & Co suggests a car is now less of a status symbol than it was 20 or 30...

  • Ford Atlas Concept revealed at 2013 Detroit Auto Show
    Next Ford F-150: Advanced Materials Likely, Hybrid Powertrain Possible

    The new Atlas Concept that Ford Motor Co. [NYSE: F] unveiled at Detroit this past week revealed several interesting technologies that altogether could save fuel (active grille shutters, active wheel shutters, a drop-down air dam, and power running boards) and be useful to serious truck users...

  • Section of 1933 photo of E10 ethanol fueling station from Nebraska State Historical Society
    Ethanol Is Nothing New; E10 Gasoline Was Sold In 1930s

    Back in the 1930s, the United States produced the vast bulk of the oil it burned. It wasn't until the 1973 oil crisis that things like OPEC and fuel efficiency entered the U.S. consciousness. And it took a while longer for the phrase "energy security" to come along. That's what led to the concept...

  • Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car
    Yep, Car Buyers Rate Fuel Economy Number One, But...

    There's good news and bad news for green car fans in the latest J.D. Power and Associates Avoider Study. For a decade, that study has interviewed recent car buyers, asking detailed questions about their purchase decisions. As you might guess from the title of the survey, Power focuses not only on...

  • Qoros GQ3 sedan launches at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show
    Qoros Chinese Sedan Debuts At Geneva, Hybrid Included

    China's car brands are often looked upon with disdain by those in the west, based on reputations for flimsy build, poor styling and worrying crash test results. New brand Qoros hopes to change that when it launches at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March, with the debut of the GQ3 compact sedan...

  • McDonalds sign
    McDonald's Trucks Travel Greener On Recycled Frier Oil

    The United Arab Emirates isn't known for its aversion to fossil fuels. The country has made its money from the stuff, and rapidly expanded in the last four decades into the vastly wealthy, oil-rich nation it is today. Yet as of December last year, McDonalds delivery trucks in the country have...

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR revealed at 2013 Detroit Auto Show

    Well, duh. The day after it unveiled the 2014 Cadillac ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe, GM's North America chief Mark Reuss told attendees at a trade event that "the electric car is not dead." “That’s despite what you might hear, and despite what you might read about Americans not being ready for it," Reuss continued, "or about it being ‘under attack’ by local governments retracting incentives for it.” Why did Reuss feel the need to say what should be obvious--from sales data if nothing else? Largely because much of the media has confused underachieving...

  • Honda Gear Concept Study Model
    Honda Gear Concept: The Original Civic, Reincarnated?

    With the North American International Auto Show diverting much of the motoring press to Detroit, Honda has surprised us all by launching a new concept car at the Montreal International Auto Show instead. The Gear Concept Study Model is a subcompact hatchback, with more than a hint of some of...

  • U.S. Capitol at dusk
    Reminder: Tax Credit For Electric-Car Charging Station Is Back

    As part of the recent fiscal cliff deal passed by Congress, many green energy programs saw renewed focus and deadline extensions, allowing people to benefit from them for a little longer. Included in these programs is the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property credit. This allows eligible...

  • Lotus Evora 414E extended-range electric car prototype
    Fake 'Shifting' For Electric Cars: Dumbest Idea Of The Year

    Gosh, those crazy electric cars. They're so different and confusing, eh? We've now come across a new and thus-far unparalleled example of just how far people will go to avoid dealing with the realities of electric cars. Which are, of course, smooth, quiet, and torquey, meaning they're fast off the...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Energi
    2013 Ford Fusion Energi: 21 Miles Of Electric Range From Plug-In Hybrid

    The guessing is over, as Ford has revealed full EPA mileage figures for its 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, after teasing its 108 MPGe highway rating a few weeks back. Joining the C-Max Energi in Ford's plug-in hybrid lineup, the Fusion Energi touts a combined 100 MPGe in blended electric mode...

  • VW logo and sign at opening of Volkswagen engine plant in Silao, Mexico
    For Greener Cars, Don't Count The Gasoline Engine Out Yet

    Plug-in electric cars get a lot of press, perhaps more than their current sales might warrant. It's clear to industry analysts that the proportion of plug-ins among new cars produced will grow, slowly, over the coming years and decades. But don't count the gasoline engine out just yet. The rate of...

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