Green Car News

Ohio-based AMP Electric vehicles will no-longer convert gasoline cars to electric, it announced yesterday. Instead, the company announced on a conference-call yesterday, it aims to focus on converting medium-sized commercial vehicles to all-electric operation. “People told us how surprised...

There was a time when anyone who drove a hybrid car--especially a Toyota Prius--was viewed with distain by the majority of other road users. They were seen as aloof, over-privileged, and perhaps, thanks to a certain episode of South Park, smug about their car buying decision. But with more hybrids...

If you’ve ever purchased a car, the chances are you’ll be familiar with the concept of trade-ins: giving the dealer your old car-- and the equity contained within it--as a down-payment on a newer model. Now electric automaker Tesla Motors is offering a similar trade-in deal for owners...

There was a time when a turbocharger under the hood meant one thing and one thing only: that the car you were driving was a performance-oriented, sporty beast with that oh-so-addictive turbo whine. Today, the turbocharger has become the biggest thing in green car technology since the hybrid...

It may not be going on sale, but Scion's iQ EV has now arrived in the U.S, following the first production cars leaving the line in September. Toyota killed plans to sell the iQ EV earlier this year, but promised a limited run of the four-seat, 50-mile electric car would still hit U.S. shores...

Clatter, grumble, shudder, belch. Sound familiar? Not if you drive one of the modern breed of diesel-engined cars, which have virtually banished all sign of their clattery, tractor-like forebears. A modern Volkswagen TDI, for example, isn't just efficient and quiet--it even approaches fun, if you...

How many times have you gone car shopping to hear the salesman promise to give you free gas for a few weeks or months as a deal sweetener? In the days of $4-a-gallon gasoline, those kind of deals aren’t as common as they once were, but now Californian electric automaker Coda Automotive has...

Which side are you on? Bigger is better? Or perhaps 'No replacement for displacement'? Or do you think more along the lines of 'small is beautiful' and 'good things come in small packages'? If it's the latter, then you may also be a fan of the smallest cars manufacturers have to offer. And if you...

Electric car charging station provider ECOtality has had a lawsuit against the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) thrown out by a California appeals judge. ECOtality had wanted to stop the Commission funding a charging network set up by eVgo, a subsidiary of energy company NRG. The $102.5...

When compared with traditional gasoline cars, plug-in hybrids, like the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the 2013 Chevrolet Volt are already capable of astonishing gas mileage figures. But how do you make plug-in hybrids even more efficient? One answer is to add a larger traction battery pack...

Few states in the U.S. can match California’s generosity when it comes to clean vehicle rebate programs. In fact, back in September, the California Air Resources Board and the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the state’s 10,000th Clean Vehicle Rebate to a Nissan Leaf owner from...

Color us, oh, not very surprised at all. General Motors confirmed yesterday that it would build the 2014 Cadillac ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant, on the same line that builds the ELR's Chevrolet Volt sibling. While this had long been discussed in the...

The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid is the second best-selling plug-in electric car in the U.S. today. It outsells the Nissan Leaf and is bested only by the Chevrolet Volt. But if you view it as an electric car, it’s an odd duck indeed. The car’s plug-in hybrid powertrain adds a...

Ford has announced it will recall more than 154,000 Ford Fiesta subcompacts to fix a fault with the side air bags. The company has found that in some cases, the side air bag won't inflate to protect passengers in the rear, if the front passenger seat is empty. The Associated Press (via Huffington...

Smart is all about breaking preconceptions. Small cars can't be safe? Not the case. Cheap cars have to be dull? Not a bit of it. Here are a few more: Polo is only played by high society folk on horses, Spring Break is a wild vacation, and electric bikes are just a tool for commuting. Not according...

The 2013 Kia Soul hasn't really registered with those of us concerned about fuel economy and emissions. That's despite the Soul Eco achieving a respectable 36 mpg highway and 32 combined in EPA testing. However, the Soul could get a lot greener in 2014, as Kia has apparently confirmed an electric...

At one time, if you wanted a green, luxury sedan with great gas mileage, you only had a handful of cars to choose from from automakers like Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Now there’s another car to add to your list: the 45 MPG combined, 2013 LIncoln MKZ. Fresh from its official EPA...

After months of planning, the next-generation J1772 electric car charging standard has been approved by the Society of Automotive Engineers. As expected, it is based on the current J1772 Level 2 charging connector found on cars like the 2012 Nissan Leaf and 2013 Chevrolet Volt, but adds direct...

The 2013 Toyota Prius Liftback and 2013 Prius V wagon will cost buyers between $100 and $200 more than comparable 2012 models, Toyota announced yesterday. The pricing increase, which comes into effect immediately, means that those buying the 2013 Prius Liftback will find themselves paying $200 more...

Less than three weeks ago, Fisker Automotive announced it has successfully closed its latest round of funding, netting a total of $100 million more in funds to develop its next plug-in hybrid car, the mid-size Atlantic Sedan. Hopes of driving one any time soon were dashed yesterday, however, when...