Green Car News

  • Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Hall in an ad for the 2012 Nissan Leaf

    The low sales of the Nissan Leaf electric car have been much discussed in the media--just as those of the Chevy Volt were until it began to log respectable sales numbers over the last few months. Nissan is now completing its switch from centralized online reservations for the car to treating it like any other new vehicle, with ready-to-buy Leafs now showing up at Nissan dealerships. To kick-start that change, they're offering remarkably low lease rates on their flagship electric car. You know that it'll be the $289 monthly lease rate for the base Nissan Leaf SV model that'll show up in the...

  • Tesla Roadster final assembly, Menlo Park, California, April 2009
    How To Make Money On Electric Cars: Sell Green Credits (To Other Carmakers)

    Most brand-new auto technologies are, at best, a breakeven proposition in their early years. Toyota is thought to have lost money on every Prius hybrid it sold for several years, until its sales rose enough to gain economies of scale. Makers of plug-in electric cars may be losing money on each one...

  • Tank [Image by Flickr user ahisgett]
    From Army Tanks To Fuel Tanks, Military Helps Raise MPG

    If you took away all the technology developed through motor sport or the military from regular cars, we'd be surprised if you were left with something driveable. Between materials, electronics, safety devices and mechanical components, a great deal of modern automotive technology has been developed...

  • 2012 Tesla Model S
    Want A 2013 Tesla Model S Signature Edition? Too Late, They're All Gone

    If you were hoping to get your name down for one of the exclusive 2013 Tesla Model S Signature Editions, you've now left it a little too late. According to Tesla, the company has sold every one of the initial run of cars, all of which are packed to the roof with equipment, use the larger 85 kWh...

  • Mazda SKYACTIV technologies
    Mazda Goes Racing With Its New SkyActiv-D Efficient Diesel

    Mazda is no stranger to motorsport, with its MX-5 sports car one of the most-raced production cars in the world at grassroots level, and its high-profile victory in the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours. That victory heralded the first--and only--for rotary power, and Mazda is set to innovate again by...

  • 2012 Ford Focus Electric, New York City, April 2012
    Do Tougher Gas-Mileage Rules Hurt Electric-Car Sales? We Think Not

    At the moment, plug-in electric car sales are chugging along between 3,000 and 4,000 a month. So with the upcoming 2012 Tesla Model S added to the mix, it seems likely that 30,000 to 50,000 electrics will be sold in the U.S. this year--more than double last year's sales. But lately, the auto press...

  • Tata Nano Diesel prototype seen on the road in India - spy photo by Indian Autos Blog

    We won't see it here, but diesel fans everywhere are eagerly waiting for the world's smallest, cheapest four-seat diesel passenger car to be launched later this year in India. The Tata Nano Diesel may get as much as 70 miles per gallon or more, making it the most efficient four-seat diesel vehicle on the planet. The Indian new-car market is shifting rapidly to diesel vehicles, as increased taxes on gasoline give more expensive diesels a better payoff. And Tata, which has seen disappointing sales of its Nano minicar, developed to be the world's least expensive car, knows it needs a diesel...

  • Driving hybrids and electrics in Gran Turismo 5
    Tree-Hugger? Nah, This Nissan Leaf Owner Hugs Corners, Beats Gas Cars

    There are some who might say the Nissan Leaf is a bit of a car for wimps. A hippy car. Or even a car for those who don't really think we should be driving cars at all. Tell that to the guys who take their Leafs to autocross events--and even beat those racing on internal combustion. Of course, the...

  • 2012 Toyota TS030 Le Mans Prototype
    Hybrid Toyota TS030 Makes Successful Le Mans Test Debut

    Resplendent in its new 'hybrid-blue' color scheme, Toyota's hybrid entry into this year's Le Mans 24 Hours has made a successful debut in testing. Toyota tested a pair of its TS030 Le Mans Prototypes at the Le Mans circuit. The #7 car of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima completed the...

  • Extracting Lithium Carbonate From Brine
    Brine: Key To Cheaper, Longer-Lasting Electric Car Batteries?

    There may not be a magic bullet for battery technology, but improvements can come from the most unlikely places. One of those is the San Andreas fault in California, where one of battery tech's futures is bubbling out of the ground. As a tectonic fault line, the area is a great source of geothermal...

  • Audi A2 Concept, Frankfurt Motor Show, September 2011
    Audi Cans Electric A2 City Car, A1 E-Tron: Report

    Audi has demonstrated a vote of little confidence in electric cars by revealing it has canceled plans to produce the all-electric Audi A2, and the range-extended A1 e-tron. CAR cites Audi's concerns that the projected 40,000 Euro price tag--just under $50,000--would make the project unviable for...

  • 1980 Comuta-Car for sale on eBay
    Electric Cars Are Not Coming; They're Here (In 1974...)

    We've all heard the stories about how electric cars were set to take over at the turn of the last century (before ironically being killed by the electric starter motor), and at least once over the last four decades too. Now they're really here, and the fact that many major manufacturers are now...

  • Prototype of range-extended electric delivery van by Revolve Technologies & Intelligent Energy, UK

    Hope springs eternal, as Alexander Pope notably said, and so it is in the world of plug-in hybrid vehicles. A new British partnership has unveiled two drivable prototypes of a lightweight plug-in electric urban delivery van with a small diesel range extender. The two companies, Intelligent Energy (IE) and Revolve Technologies (Revolve), hope to sell the extended-range electric van to fleet operators in the U.K. and elsewhere, including the U.S. The pair spent 18 months on the concept, development, engineering, and testing of the van, which uses an aluminum chassis and space frame with...

  • Brammo Empulse R electric motorcycle
    Brammo’s New 2012 Empulse R Electric Motorcycle Ad Highlights 2-Up Fun

    Electric motorcycles have already proven they’re great for inner-city commutes, dirt-track fun and even drag strip racing, but now Oregon-based Brammo Motorcycles adds something very important to that list: taking a pillion passenger. In the highly-polished ad for its new 2012 Brammo Empulse...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf
    May Electric-Car Sales: Leaf Recovers, Volt And Prius Steady

    The May sales figures for plug-in electric cars continued steady, with the Chevrolet Volt leading the pack at 1,680 deliveries--15 percent up on the April figure of 1,462, but below its all-time March high of 2,289. The Nissan Leaf logged sales of just 510 units in May, barely starting a recovery...

  • Star Wars droids C3PO and R2D2 advertise the Prius plug-in in Japan
    Beep Bloop Beep: Star Wars' R2D2, C3PO Sell Prius Plug-In (Video)

    A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... In fact, not that long ago, and right here on earth, a rebel alliance of green-minded folk were attracted to the force of hybrid vehicles. Using less fuel and producing less pollution, the oil empire has never been quite the same since. We're not sure...

  • DriveLite carbon offsetting app
    For The Truly Green Driver: Buy Carbon Offsets At The Gas Pump

    Virtually everything we do has an unavoidable impact on the planet in some way, if you trace the line far enough. Even if you're using solar-generated electricity to power your computer to read this article, your computer will still have used energy to produce, and to ship to you, and those solar...

  • Portland CHAdeMO quick-charging station (publicly accessible)
    Need Electric-Car Charging At Work? Here’s How To Get It

    You’ve decided to take the plunge and buy an all-electric or plug-in car, and you want to use it as your daily driver to and from work. Although your car gets a full recharge every night, you’d like to convince your boss to let you plug in at work, or perhaps even have a dedicated...

  • Turbocharger

    There's a quiet revolution going on in the auto world, one that isn't as trendy as plug-in cars or hybrids: turbocharged engines. Cheaper to build and buy than hybrid systems, they offer great gas mileage and great performance. In some cases, such as the 3-cylinder 2014 Ford Focus 1.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost, which is rumored to launch in the U.S. next year, the resulting gas mileage may equal or even beat those of a hybrid car, while retaining the power and performance of a much bigger engine. Because smaller, turbocharged engines are also cheaper to build and develop than full-blown...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco
    Spend More On High-MPG Compact Models? Consumer Reports Says 'Meh'

    With several manufacturers offering increased-economy versions of their regular vehicles these days, you might be tempted to buy them as a way of saving some money on gas. Improved aerodynamic fittings, low rolling-resistance tires and altered gear ratios are all used to eke out a few extra MPG...

  • Thomas Hundal: 12-year Old Chevy Volt Salesman
    2012 Chevrolet Volt Gets New Salesman: 13-Year Old Thomas Hundal

    When it comes to learning stuff, most kids look towards older siblings, parents and teachers to find out how to do something. But a 13-year old car expert in Ontario, Canada is so enthusiastic and knowledgable about cars that he’s helping his local Chevrolet dealership train its staff to be...

  • 2011 Ford Fiesta
    2013 Ford Fiesta: Ideal First Green Car For New Drivers?

    If you're looking to buy your son or daughter a first car, the choice on offer might seem a little overwhelming at first. With gas prices on the increase, you may be tempted to get them something with good gas mileage, without spending too much money to buy it. The good news is, cars like the 2013...

  • Green Race Electric Car Route Planning Website
    Green Race Website Helps Electric-Car Drives Plan Range

    Like it or not, range anxiety is a real phenomenon that affects a high proportion of first-time electric car drivers, especially when driving unknown routes. But a website we’ve recently discovered -- that has been in development for several years -- helps electric car drivers better predict...

  • 2013 Lexus ES 300h
    2013 Lexus ES 300h: First Drive

    When Lexus rolled out its HS 250h hybrid sedan a few years ago, there was a lot of head-scratching. The HS 250h was rather cramped inside, had a powertrain that was way too noisy for a Lexus, and was rated at just 35 mpg city, 34 highway—barely better than the Camry Hybrid of the time, which...

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