Green Car News
-
Organizers of the Los Angeles Auto Show have confirmed that Fiat will launch its electric 500 at the show. The 2014 Fiat 500E ditches the regular car's 1.4-liter gasoline engine, in favor of a battery-electric drivetrain. Beyond that, we don't know many details about the 500E. Fiat and Chrysler have never really been happy about launching an electric 500 due to the expense involved. The car is expected to be limited-run only, marking out the 500e as a 'compliance car'--an electric car built solely for the purpose of meeting California's regulations for zero-emission vehicles. The two...
-
Honda Fit Gets A Crossover Twist--But Only In South America
The Honda Fit is very good at a great many things, but off-roading isn't part of its wide pool of talents. That's unlikely to change much even with the Honda Fit Twist, unveiled at the Sao Paulo Motor Show in Brazil--but Honda's intentions are along different lines. As reported by Auto Express...
Antony Ingram -
When Will Electric-Car Charging Stations Exceed Gas Stations?
The topic of public charging stations for electric cars isn't necessarily well understood. The release of Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment, a report by Pike Research on deployment of charging infrastructure, led us to wonder: When will the number of public charging stations for electric cars in...
John Voelcker -
Kepler Hybrid Supercar Does 0-60 MPH in 2.5 Secs (Video)
What does a hybrid car need to be sexy? Speed? Good looks? Impressive gas mileage? Kepler Motors thinks its first supercar, the Motion Hybrid, has it all. Announced back in 2009, Kepler Motors has been quietly working on its super lightweight Motion hybrid for nearly three years. Now the company...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Chevy Volt Software Update Required To Avert Delayed-Charging Glitch
Yesterday, General Motors announced it will be running a ‘customer satisfaction program’ for some 4,000 2013 Chevrolet Volts to fix a software glitch that could cause the car’s electric motor to power down while driving. In other words, GM is asking all 2013 Chevy Volt owners to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Romney Slams Tesla, Fisker Again In Final Presidential Debate
The CEOs of Tesla and Fisker may have thought they were home free--but it was not to be. Both startup electric-car companies were named at the very end of last night's third and final presidential debate. Republican candidate Mitt Romney didn't repeat his charge that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and...
John Voelcker -
Of all the Chevrolet models, the Corvette sports car may be the one least likely to be considered green. Indeed, the world rocked on its axis when the lead engineer said two years ago that, one day, there might be a Corvette Hybrid. But considerably sooner than that, you can have your very own green Corvette, with a diesel engine fueled on vegetable oil. Which makes it both very green and incredibly weird. The picture gets clearer when we learn that the vehicle in question--known as the Cor-Vegge--was built for the notorious 24 Hours of LeMons endurance racing series for cars that cost $500...
-
2012 Chevrolet Volt (Vauxhall Ampera) Drives From U.K. To France, Underground
Last week, the Chevrolet Volt became the first production car to drive from the U.K. to France, using the service tunnel of the Eurotunnel underwater railway line between the two European countries. What’s more, the stunt was orchestrated by Top Gear Magazine, the more measured, printed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: Quick Gas-Mileage Test
Gas mileage in hybrid vehicles can be a tricky thing. Depending on how they're designed--and at what speeds their electric motors kick in--their efficiency can vary considerably. When we tested the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid six weeks ago in Los Angeles, the real-world indicated gas mileage was 37 mpg...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf Long-Term Update: 25,000 Miles, No Woes
Back in March 2011, we took delivery of a U.K. spec Nissan Leaf as our principal family car. Since then, we’ve kept you up-to-date with the car’s long-term progress, including reports after driving 5,000 miles in it, after covering the 11,000 mile mark, and after one year of ownership...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Carbon-Neutral Gasoline Out Of Air? Yes, There's A Caveat
Call it last week's most unexpected headline: the idea that a group of engineers in Britain had managed to create gasoline ("petrol") out of ... thin air? Indeed, it appears to be so--if you add energy (and sodium hydroxide). Here's how it works: The process starts by blowing atmospheric air into a...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S Signature Series: Is It Worth The Premium?
The first 1,000 or so 2012 Tesla Model S electric sport sedans to be delivered to U.S. customers will be fully-loaded, limited-edition "Signature" cars. But as delivery dates slip due to early production snags, some owners of Signature cars--called "Sigs" within the Tesla clan--grumble that they're...
David Noland -
Ten years ago, even in green-car-loving California, the Toyota Prius hybrid was a rare sight on the roads. By the start of 2012, the Toyota Prius was far from rare, recording impressive sales figures in both March and May, to become the world’s third best-selling car line. Now, Toyota’s family of Prius hybrids have become California’s best-selling car for 2012, beating vehicles like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and the Ford F-Series pickup. According to the California Auto Outlook (via Automotive News), combined sales of the four 2012 Toyota Prius models--the Liftback...
-
Tesla Free Supercharger Network Now Officially Open, Ready To Use
Just under a month ago, Tesla Motors held a gala event at its Hawthorne, California design studio to mark the switching on of its proprietary Supercharger rapid charging network. On Friday, Tesla held official ribbon cutting ceremonies at four of its six initial Supercharger locations, making them...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf-To-Home Power Station: Will It Make It To U.S.?
Eighteen months after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan, electric cars are viewed there in a whole new light—as portable sources of emergency energy. Now Nissan has taken that usage to a new level, with the Leaf-To-Home energy station that it announced in May and put...
John Voelcker -
Infiniti JX Hybrid: What Do Suburban Moms Want In A Hybrid Crossover?
Every carmaker will soon have at least a handful of hybrid models, and Nissan is no exception. The company’s luxury brand, Infiniti, let reporters drive a prototype version of the Infiniti JX Hybrid it’s expected to launch in the U.S. market within a year or two. The 2013 Infiniti JX...
John Voelcker -
Fastest Electric Cars: 'Green Monster' Vs. 'White Zombie'
Once a speed freak, always a speed freak: That's the tale behind Mate Rimac, creator of the Rimac Concept_One electric supercar. The striking supercar appeared from nowhere to us, but Rimac himself had prior experience with fast EVs--a BMW 3-Series known as 'Green Monster' (via Gizmag). The 'Green'...
Antony Ingram -
Infiniti’s New Compact Won’t Be Outsourced To Magna Styr
Luxury automaker Infiniti desperately needs a compact offering to counter cars like the Mercedes-Benz A Class, the Audi A3 and the BMW 1-Series. Its 2011 concept, the Etherea, even showed the direction Infiniti was going with its take on compact luxury. Last May, Nissan announced that it was...
Kurt Ernst -
Lamborghini doesn’t get much coverage on this website, and with its lineup of supercars being some of the worst offenders when it comes to gas mileage that’s easy to see why. However, Lamborghini is taking major steps to change its reputation, with some of its more recent actions previously being unheard of in the supercar segment. We are, of course, talking about Lamborghini’s decision to add engine stop-start and cylinder deactivation to its range-topping Aventador LP 700-4, boosting its mileage by about 7 percent. While this may seem trivial on a car that the EPA rates at...
-
Sierra Club Weighs In On Plug-In Cars, With Humor
Here at Green Car Reports, we aim to give you a comprehensive run-down of what each car is like to drive, how far it can realistically travel per charge, and the ins and outs of purchasing it. But what does each plug-in car say about you as a person? The Sierra Club, most famous for its grassroots...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Having Your Gas Car Serviced? Here, Borrow A Nissan Leaf
These days, most mainstream dealers and garages give you a courtesy , or loaner car while your own vehicle is being worked on. If you’re lucky, you’ll be given a reasonably new demo car, or perhaps even a car comparable with your own. More often than not, you'll end up with the garage's...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Hybrid Battery Inventor Stanford Ovshinsky Dies At 89
Unless you’re deeply into the history of electric and hybrid electric vehicle technology, the chances are you might not recognize the name of Stanford Ovshinsky. But if you’ve ever driven a Toyota Prius Hybrid, or any number of all-electric cars with nickel-metal hydride battery packs...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Forget Range Anxiety, Chevy Volt Owners Have Gas Anxiety
When General Motors launched the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid back in 2010, it chose to emphasize how it differed from electric cars by highlighting how its gasoline engine meant folks didn’t suffer from range anxiety. Now, almost two years after the Volt launched, charging data by a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
'Green Tires' Popularity Increasing, Grip Improving Too
If you drive a hybrid or plug-in vehicle, chances are you're already familiar with 'green tires'. Also known as low rolling resistance tires, they're becoming an increasingly popular way of improving the fuel efficiency of cars, both in dedicated green vehicles and even regular cars. That...
Antony Ingram