Green Car News

  • Better Place battery-swap demonstration

    Given soothsayers' record on end-of-the-world predictions, this probably won't be humanity's last year on Planet Earth. But for the folks at electric car start-up Better Place, 2012 has brought more than its share of doom and gloom. The biggest downer came in October, with the firing of Better Place's founder, Shai Agassi. That was followed by an announcement that the company would cut its workforce in Israel by a staggering 40% due to serious cash-flow problems. Much of this turmoil is due to the company's lackluster sales. At the end of November, Better Place had sold fewer than 500 of its...

  • Lit Motors C-1, electric gyroscopic motorcycle [Image: Lit Motors]
    Lit Motors C-1: Electric Motorcycle That Won't Fall Over

    The trouble with motorcycles, as anyone who has ever suffered road rash will tell you, is that falling off is actually rather painful. You have to try much harder to fall off a car, but those aren't without issues either--they're rather heavy, and that makes them relatively inefficient. The Lit...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
    2014 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra: Better Gas Mileage From More Efficient Engines

    Even big pickup trucks will get significantly higher gas mileage in years to come, and the new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and 2014 GMC Sierra will be no exception. This morning, General Motors [NYSE:GM] unveiled major revisions to its pair of full-size pickups. The many updates and improvements...

  • 1972 BMW 1602 Electric
    BMW Celebrates 40 Years Of Electric Cars, From 1602 To i3

    Think BMW, and your first thoughts may turn to sports sedans, luxury cars and sports cars. None are known for being particularly green, but BMW is set to change that when it launches the i3 electric compact car, and the upcoming i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. In fact, BMW has been developing...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf Spy Shots
    Nissan Builds First Lithium-Ion Cells For 2013 Leaf Electric Car (Video)

    Just two years after the first Nissan Leaf was sold in the U.S., Nissan said today it has opened a plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, to fabricate lithium-ion cells for electric-car batteries. The first cells built at the plant have completed the necessary aging process, and can now be charged for the...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf 4-door HB SL Headlight
    Nissan Leaf Electric Car Owners Cover 100 Million Miles Too

    Two weeks ago, we noted that drivers of the Chevrolet Volt had covered 100 million electric miles. What we neglected to note at the time was that Nissan Leaf drivers are keeping pace, having covered more than 100 million electric miles as well. And it's appropriate to note that total today, just...

  • 2012 Audi R18 e-tron quattro LMP1 race car

    A few more details have leaked out on Audi's future diesel-hybrid supercar, which will transfer elements of its Le Mans-winning R18 diesel hybrid powertrain into a roadgoing car. Still in development and not even named, the unusual through-the-road hybrid would have a combined power output of at least 700 horsepower, according to Auto Express. With an unspecified turbodiesel powering the rear wheels, plus an electric motor on the front axle, it would target a 0-to-60-mph time of less than 3 seconds and a top speed over 200 mph. The carmaker's R18 TDI e-Tron quattro won Audi's 11th Le Mans...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S Already A Future Classic? Auto Library Thinks So

    Put a group of auto enthusiasts in a room, ply them with suitable amounts of alcohol, and soon conversation will turn to 'future classics'. The term refers to a modern car which gains the kind of respect and appeal of a classic vehicle in its lifetime, guaranteeing it a similar status many years in...

  • 2013 Honda CR-Z (European spec)
    2013 Honda Civic & CR-Z: Revisions And Pricing Summary

    2013 sees two significant Honda models subtly improved, the Civic sedan, and the CR-Z hybrid coupe. Both have come under criticism for different reasons, and a host of small updates and specification improvements should go some way to silencing the critics. 2013 Honda CR-Z Honda's small coupe has...

  • 2013 smart fortwo electric drive on the production line
    How Do You Make An Electric Car? Smart Shows You

    If you read our reviews a few months back, you'll be aware that the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is a much better car than its predecessors. In third-generation form, it's quicker and has a greater range, but is now available to buy as well as lease--and it's the cheapest electric car on sale...

  • Audi A1 Quattro snow drifting video
    How To Get Good Gas Mileage On Your Christmas Travels

    'Tis the season to be jolly--and with under two weeks to go before Christmas, drivers across the country will be planning trips to see relatives and friends for the holiday period. Driving in the middle of winter already presents its own unique challenges, but if you're looking to get good gas...

  • 2012 Coda Sedan
    Coda In Trouble? Electric-Car Maker Lays Off 15% Of Staff

    If you're a couple of years late launching your car, and it gets only tepid reviews, and then its frontal crash safety is rated at just two stars out of five, it might be safe to say your company has a few challenges. That's the situation for Coda Automotive, which yesterday confirmed that it had...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf SL

    You might not know it from general media coverage, but plug-in electric-car sales are actually doing pretty well. Still, people get impatient, and electric-car and environmental advocates want more, faster. So what are the best ways to boost adoption of plug-in cars? Education and awareness are the two key factors, said Brian Wynne, president of the Electric Drive Trade Association, on a conference call today. And it turns out the best way to make people aware that electric cars are now a viable option is to let them get in the cars and drive them. That's what the industry sometimes calls...

  • Honda's Urban SUV Concept teaser - image: Honda
    Detroit Auto Show Preview: Honda 'Urban SUV' Concept

    Honda has teased the first image of a new concept car, due at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The 'Urban SUV Concept' will make its debut at Detroit in January, hinting at the look of a small SUV designed for city driving. Honda says it combines "a sporty and dynamic SUV profile with a spacious...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Model S Depositors: You Can't Sell Your Reservation, Legally

    There's lots of interest in the award-winning Tesla Model S electric luxury sport sedan about now. With production slowly ramping up, even the wealthiest electric-car fans have to wait as Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] works through its 14,000 reservations. So, perhaps the impatient among them may turn...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    EPA To Dig Into Ford Fusion Hybrid, C-Max Hybrid Mileage

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to look into claims that two Ford hybrids don't meet their official fuel economy ratings in real world driving. We reported back in November that the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Hybrid struggled to attain their official ratings, even driven with...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf Software Update
    Think You'll Work On Your Electric Car Yourself? Think Twice, Please

    Electric cars, as you might have gathered, are quite different from their gasoline or diesel-fueled counterparts. Sure, they might look similar on the outside--for the most part--but under the skin that alternative source of propulsion brings with it a host of new challenges. That continues to...

  • 2010 Jaguar C-X75 Concept, released at 2010 Paris Motor Show
    Jaguar's Hybrid C-X75 Hypercar Cancelled: Report

    British luxury automaker Jaguar has cancelled plans to build a hybrid supercar, the company said today. The C-X75 plug-in hybrid supercar was originally set for launch in late 2013, following on from a concept car which used jet turbines as a range-extending powerplant. According to Autocar, those...

  • Tesla Store  -  Portland OR

    After more than an hour of discussion last night, the town selectmen of Natick, Massachusetts, voted 4-1 to grant a license to sell cars to Tesla Motors Massachusetts. The local company, which the Selectmen concluded was legally separate from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], will operate out of a property on West Central Street in the town. Tesla has operated a showroom or "gallery" at the Natick Mall since September, but is not allowed to sell its electric cars there. The Massachusetts Auto Dealers Association had sued the company over its store, saying that, among other things, Tesla's service...

  • A123 Systems Prismatic Cell
    Bankrupt Battery Maker A123 Systems Bought By Wanxiang

    A123 Systems, the bankrupt battery maker which supplies Fisker Automotive and others, has finally found a buyer. Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group Corp. fought off a joint bid from U.S. parts company Johnson Controls Inc. and Japan's NEC Corp, with a bid of $256.6 million. Reuters reports...

  • Rinspeed microMAX concept car
    Rinspeed MicroMAX Concept: 6 Upright Seats In MINI-Sized Van

    Every year at the Geneva Motor Show, Swiss carmaker Rinspeed shows off its latest confusing concept to the assembled crowds. In 2012, it displayed the Dock+Go--a lightly disguised Smart Electric Drive with a docking system to accept a larger battery pack. In 2011, it was the Bamboo, a beach-buggy...

  • 2012 Coda Sedan
    Coda Electric Sedan: Only 2 Stars In NHTSA Frontal Crash Tests

    As part of standard procedure, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash-tests an example of each vehicle on sale, and assigns a rating based on how it performs. Most are expected to get four or five stars out of five these days--while all cars meet basic minimum safety...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S
    2013 Tesla Model S: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2013

    Two years ago, our first-ever Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy award went to the first modern battery-electric car sold in the U.S. How far we've come. This year, our third annual winner is the 2013 Tesla Model S, a car that takes the all-electric vehicle to a new and far more elevated level. But...

  • Tesla Model S owner David Metcalf after covering more than 400 miles [photo: Gene Kruckemyer]
    How Far Will A Tesla Model S Go? One Owner Did 405 Miles

    Back in May, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] released range estimates for the 2012 Model S. While the company predicted that 250-300 miles would be typical for the largest, 85 kilowatt-hour battery, and the EPA confirmed this with an official 265 miles, insiders at Tesla had a sneaky feeling that 400...

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