Green Car News

We've had a ride in a prototype 2012 Tesla Model S electric luxury sport sedan, and it was impressive. The car was smooth, quiet, and relatively fast at speeds up to 95 mph on the test track surrounding Tesla's assembly plant in Fremont, Cailfornia. Intrepid test driver (and Lotus racer) Joe Nuxoll...

You may not know this, but internal combustion engines are only efficient during a tiny part of their total operating range. And that means when driving at lower speeds when demand on the car’s engine isn’t large, your car might not get the gas mileage you’d expect. But...

First off, just to be clear, the photo above is NOT a dead Fisker. It shows the 2012 Fisker Karma we road-tested three weeks ago parked at a Tesla Motors dealer in Los Angeles. But while our Fisker was running fine that day, Consumer Reports was not so lucky this week. The magazine bought a Fisker...

It’s no secret that electric cars prefer temperate weather in which to operate. That’s why many electric automakers add features to their cars to ensure that battery packs are kept at optimum temperature, regardless of how warm it is outside. But how do electric automakers test their...

Audi's next A3 will offer buyers a wider range of drivetrain options, at least in Europe.

Thirty years ago, bedrooms all over the world were adorned with pictures of supercars like the Ferrari 288 GTO, Ferrari Testarossa, Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach. At that time, very few of us worried about gas mileage, fuel economy or oil prices. All we wanted was a fast, sexy sportscar...

Continuing his efforts to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil, President Barack Obama yesterday proposed expanding tax credits now offered to buyers of plug-in cars to those who buy natural-gas vehicles as well. Given the ugly politics around electric cars and the presidential election season...

If the Chevy Volt is a sales failure, you'd never know it from the guy who runs General Motors. At a meeting of Volt owners in San Francisco yesterday, GM's CEO Dan Akerson said unequivocally that the company was standing behind its halo plug-in electric car. "We are not backing away from this...

If you drive a plug-in car or a hybrid, the chance are you’ll be familiar with the concept of regenerative braking. But although regenerative braking might be the preferred way to slow down a plug-in or hybrid car, it could mean that your car’s traditional friction brakes don’t...

Aside from its 'i' electric car, Mitsubishi still attempts to cover the smaller sectors of the regular car market. Its new 2013 Outlander crossover, launched this week at the Geneva Motor Show, is one of its main volume models in global markets including the U.S. The all-new Outlander is the first...

There are many types of plug-in cars; some makers go for battery electrics, others for plug-in hybrids or range-extended electric vehicles. At the Geneva Motor Show yesterday, Hyundai unveiled a concept coupe showing how it might package an electric car offering a 75-mile range with a...

When the automotive world descends on Switzerland for its annual motor show, there’s one thing that we can be certain of: another imaginative automotive creation from Swiss firm Rinspeed. Unlike previous creations, like the world’s first underwater electric car or its...

Sitting in hall 1 of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, was a vehicle so low that--if it wasn't the oddest-looking thing you'd ever seen--you'd have tripped over it. Actually, that's a lie. Every time we passed it, the car had gathered quite a crowd, so you couldn't miss it. It's the work of Finnish...

Small vans are big business in Europe. In cities with tight streets and for businesses with only lightweight cargo to carry, the small van is the convenient and importantly, tax-friendly answer. It's no surprise that MINI is interested in entering the market then. It's expected to do so with a...

French carmaker Renault chose the Geneva Motor Show to launch the ZOE, the final model in its four-car Z.E. electric vehicle range. Joining the Fluence sedan, Kangoo van and Twizy city car, the ZOE is a B-segment electric car, similar in size to a Ford Fiesta. Unlike the Fluence and Kangoo which...

Retail car buyers have to juggle a lot of factors in choosing a car, including image, family approval, and maybe-one-day-I'll-drive-across-the-country dreams. That may preclude a battery electric vehicle like a Nissan Leaf, with its 73-mile range. Commercial fleet buyers, on the other hand, look at...

For the past 15 years, Mercedes-Benz has offered its entry-level A Class hatchback to parts of Europe, South America, and Asia. The ugly duckling of Mercedes-Benz, the A Class lacked the poise of its siblings, and has become something of a favorite with middle-class soccer moms. At...

Visit this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and you’d be forgiven for passing one very important electric car by without even realizing it. The Morgan Plus E concept car. Complete with the sweeping fenders that morph into elegant running-boards, the Morgan Plus E looks just like the...

In addition to tailpipe emissions and greenhouse gases, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also regulates other materials in cars that may emit substances harmful to humans. And so it is that the 2013 Cadillac XTS large luxury sedan will become the first U.S. vehicle to use a new refrigerant...

Images of Infiniti’s much anticipated Emerg-E range-extended electric sports concept car might have leaked onto the Internet long before its 2012 Geneva Motor Show unveiling -- but now we know the sexy sports car isn’t all looks. Officially unveiled this morning, we’ve learned...