Green Car News
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It's hard to believe, but the current Smart ForTwo has been soldiering on in the U.S. North American market for five years now. Mercedes-Benz offshoot Smart has never enjoyed much popularity in the U.S. The concept makes less sense than it does in its native Europe, where gas is more expensive and cities are more crowded. Smart will be hoping the 2013 ForTwo, now officially unveiled, helps stimulate demand a little before an all-new model appears in a year or two. Most of the changes are cosmetic. We were actually given a strong hint of the new ForTwo's styling back in September, when the...
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KSPG To Test Clever V-Twin Range Extender In Electric Fiat 500
Range extenders, small gasoline engines that produce electricity to run electric cars after their battery packs discharge, will likely see huge innovation in the coming years. While the Chevy Volt and Fisker Karma both use off-the-shelf GM engines as range extenders, many companies are working on...
John Voelcker -
January Electric Car Sales Low: Winter A Factor?
Last year, U.S. car buyers drove home in roughly 17,000 plug-in cars, the bulk of them Nissan Leafs and Chevrolet Volts. As several more plug-in cars enter the market this year, analysts will watch sales carefully to see whether retail and fleet buyers are willing to pay the significant surcharge...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius Vs 2012 Toyota Camry: Economy Or Speed?
If you've been following over the last few weeks, you'll have seen us pitch two cars from particular manufacturers against each other. While there are often clear differences between the models, the exercise highlights what someone in the market at a particular price point can expect, when...
Antony Ingram -
Range_e Plug-in Hybrid Prototype: First Drive Report
At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover unveiled its first ever plug-in hybrid concept vehicle, the Land Rover Range_e Diesel Plug-in Hybrid. Then in October last year -- purely by chance -- we bumped into one of Land Rover’s five engineering test Range_e prototypes in a shopping mall...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Are Diesel Cars Less Relevant Than Ever In The U.S?
Spend time in any European city, and you'll quickly become used to two sounds. One, is the constant buzz from thousands of mopeds, by far the quickest way of navigating the tight streets. The other is the subdued rattle of diesel engines. While Europe has wholeheartedly embraced diesels, they've...
Antony Ingram -
Last week we told you that the 2011 sequel to Who Killed The Electric Car? -- Revenge Of The Electric Car -- had finally been released on DVD. At the time, we pointed out that the film would also be available on select cable TV on-demand services, but neglected to point out that it was also available for a limited period online, courtesy of over-the-top Internet streaming service Hulu. As part of a one-week exclusive deal between the film’s production company and Hulu, anyone in the U.S. with a broadband Internet connection can watch the film for free by visiting the Hulu website before...
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Variations On Cheaper Hybrid Tech To Help MPG, Efficiency
The market for gasoline-electric hybrids and electric cars is expected to grow over the next few years, but they aren't the only energy-efficient vehicles expected to become more popular. Also looking at an increase in popularity are micro-hybrids and mild hybrids, according to a Lux Research...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid: 95 MPGe. 2012 Chevy Volt: 94 MPGe. Game On?
Japanese automaker Toyota has fired a warning shot across General Motors’ bow today with a revised set of gas mileage figures for the soon-to-be-launched 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Announced by Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter, official economy figures in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
What Do Consumers Really Think Of Electric Cars? We Find Out
Depending on which websites you visit and which news channels you watch, electric cars are either portrayed as the poster children of green revolution, or an example of catastrophic government failure. But while it’s relatively easy to find examples of extreme pro- and anti-electric car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius V: Hybrid Wagon Drive Report
When you drive a wagon, you usually need the space. And so it was with the 2012 Toyota Prius V, in which we hauled holiday gifts, heavy sagging boxes of old car magazines, furniture, and other life impedimentia over a 10-day, 650-mile test drive that spanned late December and early January. It's a...
John Voelcker -
2012 Tesla Model S Electric Sedan: New Teaser Video
Teaser videos are many things - enlightening, inspiring, exciting... but perhaps most of all, frustrating. Being drip-fed portions of one of 2012's most exciting upcoming cars, the 2012 Tesla Model S, just makes us want to drive it even more. And, like everyone else, we just have to wait, and be...
Antony Ingram -
In case you hadn’t heard, smartphone apps are the number one accessory for any plug-in car owner. In fact, nearly every mainstream electric car on the market today has its own dedicated iOS, Android and Windows Mobile applications, designed to help you monitor your car’s charge level, remotely start cabin preconditioning, and even plan your next journey. Now an independent software company has developed a third-party application for Apple’s iOS which gives owners of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt a new way of keeping track of their car’s state of charge, driving...
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2012 Chevy Sonic Will Debut GM’s EcoLabel, But What Is It?
If you’ve purchased a new car in the U.S. over the past few years, the chances are you’ll be familiar with the gas mileage stickers that automakers are required by law to display in the window of each new car. But visit a Chevrolet dealer this year, and you’ll see 2012 Chevrolet...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Swiss Catecar Gives Up On Compressed-Air Car, Goes Electric
You may recall that a few years ago, there was a flurry of interest in compressed-air cars. In the end, it didn't pan out. Compressed air just isn't a dense enough form of energy storage to make it practical for vehicle use--even in very lightweight cars--and no such passenger car is sold anywhere...
John Voelcker -
Can Condos Coexist With Electric Cars? Volt Owner To Be Cut Off
Ask any automaker, and they'll tell you they believe most early electric cars will be charged at night, in garages attached to private houses. That would seem to cut out residents of multiple dwellings, from rental apartments to condominium complexes. But electric car owners are resourceful;...
John Voelcker -
Buick eAssist Smartphone App Makes A Game Out Of Saving Fuel
The Buick Fuel Efficiency Games App teaches players about mild hybrid systems, aerodynamics and maximizing fuel economy.
Kurt Ernst -
Tesla Invites The World To Model X Unveiling, Teases A Picture
Normally, automakers unveil their latest model in one of two ways: on the main stage of an big automotive show, or at an exclusive, invite-only evening event. Tesla, in keeping with the method preferred by most boutique and luxury automakers, tends to unveil its cars to exclusive audiences at a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
A few weeks ago, we told you that all new 2012 Chevrolet Volts manufactured after February 8 and destined for Californian dealers will feature a redesigned exhaust system that will enable them to qualify as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicles (e-AT-PZEVs). As a consequence, Californian owners of new 2012 Chevy Volts will be eligible to apply for a yellow green bumper sticker for their car which will give them unlimited access to the state’s High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, regardless of how many passengers are in the vehicle. But there’s more: The...
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After The Tesla Roadster, Can Other Electric Cars Fill The Void?
With the last Tesla Roadsters making their way towards owners in Europe, Asia and Australia, the world of electric cars will soon be lacking a sports car figurehead. Since 2008 the Roadster has been pivotal in changing the image of electric cars, but while Tesla Motors readies the 2012 Tesla Model...
Antony Ingram -
Ford's 1.0-Liter EcoBoost: Focus For Europe, Fiesta For U.S.
Ford launched the latest engine in its expanding EcoBoost family at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, back in September. At only one-liter in capacity, it's the smallest EcoBoost yet, and continues the downsizing trend seen with the other EcoBoost units. Ford of Europe has now confirmed that the engine...
Antony Ingram -
Electric-Car Battery Maker Ener1 Files For Bankruptcy, But Isn't Dead
Last week, lithium-ion battery specialists Ener1 made an official filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Another firm to take advantage of U.S. Department of Energy loans -- an estimated $55 million to date -- Ener1’s bankruptcy has already become the latest pawn in the (mainly Republican) battle...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Variable Supercharger Blends Fuel Economy, Performance: Video
A new prototype supercharger from Rotrak uses a CVT drive to vary compressor speed, optimizing boost across all throttle positions.
Kurt Ernst -
Coda: We’ll Start Selling 2012 Sedan In February, Papers Allowing
Earlier this month at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Californian startup Coda Automotive promised that it would begin sales of its first car -- the all-electric 2012 Coda Sedan -- in February. However, with just a week to go before the end of January and very little news to go on about the impending...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield