Green Car News
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At $19,705 and up, the 2012 Toyota Prius C subcompact is the company's least expensive hybrid. It's also tied with its larger Prius liftback sibling for best gas mileage on the market: 50 mpg combined. And those two qualities seem to be making it a sales hit for Toyota, meaning car buyers seem to like the littlest Prius. But not Consumer Reports. Oh boy, do they ever NOT like the Prius C. The renowned consumer magazine doesn't like its handling, its power, its noise suppression, its interior materials, and the numb feel of its power steering. We disagree somewhat on the handling--it's far...
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Nissan Launches Leaf To Home Electric Car Power System
After the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, Japanese automakers Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi have all been working on technology designed to let electric cars provide emergency backup power. So far, we’ve seen a range of applications for backup electric car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Yaris Hybrid Driven: Why Europeans Won't Get Prius C
The Toyota Yaris Hybrid is as significant a car for Toyota in Europe as the 2012 Toyota Prius C is for the company in the U.S. It's the cheapest hybrid on the market, emits the lowest levels of CO2 of any non plug-in car--vital for European taxation reasons--and returns impressive gas mileage...
Antony Ingram -
Buy Luxury House, Get Low Tesla Model S Reservation Number!
Less than 30 days hence, the first 2012 Tesla Model S sedans will be delivered to paying customers. Now, one Model S buyer who holds a low reservation number for the all-electric luxury car is using it as a lure to sell a million-dollar home in an upscale Illinois suburb. Not only has the home...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler Admits: Electric Fiat 500 Is Compliance Car We Don't Want To Make
Three weeks ago, we listed five upcoming electric cars that we felt were strictly "compliance cars"--or vehicles carmakers offer not because they want to, but because they must do so to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules. Now Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has admitted that his...
John Voelcker -
2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 First Drive Report
Earlier on this year, we asked you if the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 was really green, or not? Now we've had a chance to drive it. Combining a 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo straight-six engine and full-hybrid drivetrain into a 5-series body, the ActiveHybrid 5 looks just like any other premium 5-series on...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Motors has released the first installment in its series of "Inside Tesla" articles, whetting the world's appetite in the run-up to the first 2012 Model S deliveries in only 22 days time. Tesla's George Blankenship shares some insights into the Model S production process, the first aspect of which is stamping. The Model S is one of an increasing number of cars using aluminum to reduce vehicle weight. As we all know, excess weight is detrimental to multiple aspects of a car, and in an electric vehicle it's even more critical, off-setting the extra weight of large battery packs. A large...
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Tiny T25, T27 Three-Seat Minicars Delight To Drive, But Not For U.S.
We've been closely following the progress of Gordon Murray's T25 and T27 minicars for some time now, and like many green vehicles of recent years, they've often seemed so near and yet so far away. However, unlike some of the more recent startups, Gordon Murray has been keeping his cards close to...
Antony Ingram -
Better Place Electric Renault Fluence ZE In Israel: 1st Week
It's been just over a week since I picked up my all-electric Renault Fluence ZE--one of 110 Better Place customers to do so during May, according to the company. I've now put on 430 all-electric miles in nine days of driving. I've charged the car predominantly at home, with a couple of extra...
Brian of London -
Prices Drop For Used High-MPG Cars, June A Good Time To Buy
Like so many Americans, perhaps you've been thinking you really have to replace your old car this year. And maybe you're thinking your next car should get much better gas mileage, to protect against fluctuating gas prices. (They're down this month, but who knows for the future?) Well, looks like...
John Voelcker -
Huge 2012 Chevy Volt Crash Proves Its Safety Credentials
Ever since a battery pack from a 2012 Chevrolet Volt caught fire weeks after it was subjected to tough National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests in a laboratory, critics of General Motor’s plug-in hybrid have been quick to question its safety credentials. But after a Toyota Camry...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Chrysler Ypsilon: All-Italian American Car U.S. Doesn't Get
You'll no doubt be familiar with the term 'platform sharing', a name given to basic automotive architecture that finds itself used on a variety of models in a range, or even across manufacturers. The basic underpinnings of a Volkswagen Golf can also be found under an Audi TT, A3, Volkswagen Jetta...
Antony Ingram -
New York or San Francisco? Bagels or Sourdough? East or West? If you’re from the east or west coasts of the U.S., you’ll know that there’s a (mainly) friendly rivalry between the two when it comes to culture, food, sports and even politics. Now we can add electric cars to the list, specifically how many electric miles are driven, courtesy of BMW ActiveE ‘electronauts’, and electric car advocate and BMW ActiveE driver Michael Thwaite. Using the appropriately named website wotnogas.com, Thwaite has aggregated the total miles driven by participating ActiveE drivers...
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U.S. Postal Service Reminds You To Check Your Tires With New Stamp
We might be immersed in a digital revolution, but when it comes to sending important messages there are times when only an old-fashioned letter will do. Now a new stamp from the U.S. Postal Service has been released that aims to send an extra message with your mail: to check your tire pressures...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Year-Old Nissan Leaf Electric Car: Worth 70 Or 95 Percent Of New Price?
There's lot of discussion about how the value of electric cars will hold up over time, depending on how long their expensive lithium-ion battery packs last and how quickly they may lose capacity. But now the folks who estimate used-car prices for a living, the NADA Guide, have weighed in with their...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Easy Fill Tire Alert System: Helpful, Or Annoying?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of driver-friendly technology being added to cars to make them easier to use. Normally, that includes things like iPod connectivity, satellite navigation and bluetooth hands free, but the 2013 Nissan Altima -- along with all of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ecotality Sues To Stop Proposed NRG Charging-Station Deal With CA
Seven weeks ago, we told you about the March deal reached among NRG Energy, the state of California, and the state's Public Utility Commission that would install $100 million of electric-car charging stations in the state. At the time, we noted reservations from insiders who questioned certain...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Becomes World’s Third Best-Selling Car Line
Green is the new black. At least, when it comes to cars. For just over a decade, those who bought a Toyota Prius hybrid have had to entertain the possibility that the rest of the world would view them as tree-hugging, tofu-eating, hemp-wearing, middle-class hippies In April however, that changed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Over the weekend we heard the disturbing news that a BYD e6 electric taxi in Shenzhen China had burst into flames and killed three of its occupants after being hit by a speeding drunk driver. According to eyewitness reports, the BYD e6 taxi, one of around 400 e6 electric taxis being used in the area, was hit at around 3am on a popular downtown route by a Nissan GT-R driven by a drunk driver traveling at 112 mph or more. The impact was so great that the e6 was sent slamming into a tree, whereupon it burst into flames. ChinaAutoWeb says local television stations report its occupants, two women...
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Why Can't U.S. Buyers Get Hybrid Toyota Yaris & Honda Fit?
Both Toyota and Honda are hybrid pioneers. Both companies sell subcompact gasoline models (the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit) and separate subcompact hybrid models (the Toyota Prius C and Honda Insight). What most U.S. buyers don't know is that those companies also sell hybrid versions of the...
John Voelcker -
First 2012 Ford Focus Electric Delivered To Retail Buyer, Very Quietly
If reader response is any guide, there's a lot of interest in the 2012 Ford Focus Electric--which logged 12 sales last December and January but hasn't been heard from since. Now, it appears that the first retail customer has taken delivery of Ford's new all-electric compact hatchback. Very, very...
John Voelcker -
Sun-Powered Boat Completes Round-The-World Trip
While solar has its place in the electric car world, it's not yet suitable for powering an electric car directly. A Prius or Leaf may come with a small solar panel mounted in the roof, but that's just to power accessories. And if you want to run your car on solar electricity, your best bet is...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Nissan Altima: 31-MPG Combined Rating For Mid-Size Sedan
Today's the day when we can talk about the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima, the latest generation of Nissan's remarkably successful mid-size sedan. And its anticipated combined EPA rating of 31 mpg puts it at the top of its competitive set, bettering the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Ford...
John Voelcker -
Artist Paints Fluorescent Chevy Volt With RC Cars As Brushes
Turning on an electric car is a strange, ethereal experience. After years of turning the key on regular cars and feeling them burst noisily into life, the glow of instruments and occasional musical jingle of an EV feels soothing and futuristic. Turn on an ultra violet light over artist Ian Cook's...
Antony Ingram