Green Car News

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf (Japanese trim)

    If you want a Nissan Leaf then getting one before the start of January could net you a hefty cashback offer right now. Some Nissan dealers are advertising a $9,775 cashback offer direct from Nissan Motor Acceptance Corp (NMAC), Nissan's car finance arm. The offer has been running since the start of December, and ends on January 2, 2013. Details on the offer through the dealer websites are limited, but the offer appears to apply solely to lease customers. The cashback deal should clear Nissan's current stock of Leaf models, before the updated 2013 car is revealed at January's Detroit Auto...

  • GM and PSA Peugeot Citroen alliance
    GM And PSA To Collaborate On Future European Small Car Designs

    General Motors and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen have penned an agreement to merge their future European small car development program, as well as focusing efforts on building a fuel-efficient, high performance small-displacement gasoline engine. The brands have abandoned plans to jointly develop a midsize...

  • Tesla Model S
    Tesla Reveals European Pricing For Model S Electric Sedan

    Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced European pricing for the Model S, set to go on sale there next year. Speaking on the Tesla Blog, Tesla vice president George Blankenship revealed that the company is using a transparent approach to European pricing, making no more profit per car than it does...

  • 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid
    Fusion, Altima Get IIHS Top Safety Pick 'Plus'; Prius V, Camry Fall Short

    Ford and Nissan are celebrating the results of the latest round of Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash testing--but rival Toyota won't be quite so joyful. The 2013 Ford Fusion and 2013 Nissan Altima have earned a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS, a new level above the previous Top Safety...

  • 2014 Nissan GT-R (Japanese spec)
    Hybrid Rumors Persist For Next Nissan GT-R Sports Car

    Once the perserve of the Japanese domestic market and the occasional videogame, the Nissan GT-R has subsequently become a performance icon. In its current iteration, it produces 545-horsepower from a 3.8-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6. 60 mph arrives in around three seconds and de-restricted it'll do...

  • Delphi wireless charging system for EVs
    Wireless Electric Car Charging: Steady Growth Through 2020

    Wireless charging is nothing new--but it could be the next widely-used technology in the world of electric cars. That's according to Pike Research, which suggests wireless charging sales will surpass 280,000 by 2020. The group cites the partnerships of several electric vehicle manufacturers with...

  • Toyota's Everyday Drive website highlights the advantages of the Prius Plug-In

    While purchasing a hybrid vehicle is a relatively easy decision these days, the purchase of a plug-in hybrid can be significantly more difficult to justify, thanks to its greater expense. In terms of the Toyota Prius, a 2013 Prius Two with no options can be configured with a sticker price as low as $24,995, including destination charge. The least expensive Prius Plug-In, meanwhile, would sticker at $32,760, also with the destination charge factored in. While the Prius Plug-In comes as well-equipped as a Prius Three, we’re more interested in comparing the least-expensive variant of each...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - production model
    Sales Of Hybrids & Electric Cars Surge 73% In 2012

    Eco-minded shoppers have seen environmental issues take up more space in the news, and they've known that it was simply a matter of time before those concerns began affecting the sorts of vehicles we drive. Now, mainstream consumers are beginning to see the light. The change hasn't come overnight...

  • Vauxhall Ampera range-extended electric car
    Don't Like Your Vauxhall Ampera (Chevy Volt)? Simply Give It Back!

    With the holiday season in full swing, many will no doubt experience the small disappointment of receiving a gift they neither like, need, or want. It's a mere inconvenience and probably won't distract from the season's high points, but it's a different story if you've gone out to buy something...

  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2012
    Ford Hybrid Sales Go Gangbusters Despite Mileage Concerns

    Ford may yet have to account for discrepancies between real-world mileage and EPA ratings on its hybrids, but any issues certainly aren't harming its sales. The company reports that the C-Max hybrid has become the fastest-selling hybrid ever, with 8,030 units sold in its first two months on sale...

  • Hiriko folding electric city car
    Hiriko Folding Electric Car Now Set For Production

    One of the most novel electric vehicles we've seen in recent years is the Hiriko. The Hiriko is designed for inner city car sharing schemes, initially in Europe but also touted for some U.S. cities. And it has a party piece: The Smart-sized electric vehicle can effectively fold in half to fit tiny...

  • 2012 Mitsubishi i
    Mitsubishi: "We Can Compete On Price With Electric Cars"

    Mitsubishi's sole electric vehicle, the 'i' city car, isn't a vehicle to suit all tastes. The odd styling, limited range and high price will put off many, but don't discount Mitsubishi just yet--as their electric range is set to grow over the next few years. The company remains committed to the...

  • Facelifted 2013 Renault Fluence electric sedan

    The Better Place battery swapping saga continues, as partner Renault has delayed the roll-out off its electric Fluence sedan. Renault Australia announced the indefinite postponement, as it waits for Better Place to establish a broader and more practically viable network of swapping stations. Car Advice reports that Australia's battery-swapping service was set to roll out during 2012, but hold-ups in the company's home markets of Israel and Denmark have backed up the Australian introduction. That could mean delays of another six to 12 months down under. Spokeswoman Felicity Glennie-Holmes...

  • Hybrid New York Taxi by Flickr user Yodel Anecdotal
    U.S. Taxis Get Greener; Hybrid & Electric Cabs Increasing

    For decades, the stalwart of the taxi ranks has been the full-size sedan. Sturdy, simple and cheap to buy, cars like Ford's Crown Victoria have become part of the landscape in cities like New York. But with rising gas prices and concerns over emissions, things are really changing. While not yet a...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Opens Distribution & Assembly Center In The Netherlands

    As the first cars are set to arrive in European dealers next year, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced its new European distribution center in Tilburg, Netherlands. The facility will serve as a final assembly point for European vehicles, as well as acting as Tesla's distribution hub and regional...

  • Teaser for 2014 Cadillac ELR
    2014 Cadillac ELR Electric Car: Teaser Image Of Voltec Coupe Released

    We know the official release of the 2014 Cadillac ELR electric car will be on Monday, January 15, at the Detroit Auto Show. Now Cadillac has released a teaser image of the range-extended electric coupe, which is based on a modified version of the Voltec powertrain used in the Chevrolet Volt...

  • 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
    Official: GM Quietly Drops Hybrid Pickups; Are SUVs Next?

    GM's full-size hybrid pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid and GMC Sierra Hybrid, for much of the time they've been on sale, have offered the highest gas mileage of any full-size truck on the U.S. market. Yet these hybrid pickups, which were introduced for the 2009 model year, have been...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
    Nissan Leaf Electric-Car Buyers Really ARE Different, Says Dealer

    So who buys a Nissan Leaf? Not, as you may be unsurprised to learn, the sort of person who doesn't really care what they buy, says one Nissan dealer. As Nashville Business Journal reports, Leaf customers are already pretty sure they want a Leaf when they walk onto the lot. "It's typically a very...

  • Nissan Leaf Nismo RC Concept

    Race cars aren't known for their gas-sipping qualities. The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC is a little different. Not only is it one of a handful of race cars in the world that emits no more pollution than its road car equivalent, but it's rather more silent than the production Leaf too. And quicker, of course. That's what Leaf owners found out during passenger laps at Nissan's Oppama test track. The laps were in honor of the Leaf's second birthday celebrations, which took place recently. Leaf owners were happy to mingle at the event, but we suspect most were excited for the opportunity to ride in the...

  • 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
    Hyundai And Kia Detail MPG Reimbursement Plans

    Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia have revealed details on reimbursement for the owners of 1.1 million vehicles affected by overstated EPA mileage. The EPA found the quoted gas mileage of 13 Hyundai and Kia vehicles to be greater than official testing could achieve. Hyundai models affected included...

  • 2013 Renault Zoe electric car (European model) at 2012 Paris Auto Show
    First Renault Zoe Electric Car Delivered In France

    Just over two years since the first Nissan Leaf was delivered to its Californian owner, one driver has the keys to the French equivalent. The Renault Zoe electric car is a class size smaller than the Leaf, but like the Nissan it represents the first major push from Renault to sell a dedicated...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Volt
    Electric Cars Lose Value Quicker Than Others, But Not By Much

    If you bought a new electric car today, how much would you expect it to be worth after five years? Concerns about demand further down the line, and further concerns about battery life, initially led some commentators to suggest that electric vehicles would be nearly worthless a few years after...

  • 2011 Toyota Matrix
    2013 Toyota Matrix Compact Hatchback To Be Last Of The Line?

    The 2013 Toyota Matrix five-door compact hatchback has always been the Toyota that gets ignored. Now comes word that it may, in fact, leave the market altogether when the current Corolla on which it's based is redesigned for 2014. From assumptions that it had gone out of production in 2009--it...

  • Lithium-ion battery pack of 2011 Nissan Leaf, showing cells assembled into modules
    Battery Tech Limitation Discovered, Improvements On The Way?

    There are three main paths to improving batteries for future electric vehicles. One is the development of entirely new technology replacing today's batteries entirely with something lighter, more powerful and more energy dense. The next is the greening of batteries--reducing their environmental...

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