plug-in cars

When it launched back in 2010, the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback was criticized for its high sticker price, due in part to its expensive battery pack. Now Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed what had been widely rumored: Future models of the Nissan Leaf electric car will get an improved, cheaper...

The 2012 Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is now in a race with time. The first production Model S was delivered in June, and Tesla has cautiously been ramping up production numbers while trying to keep initial quality high. But the company has said repeatedly it will sell 5,000 of its new...

For those of you who like fast, expensive, all-electric sports cars, next year will be big. The Audi R8 e-tron will launch first, but it will soon be followed by the Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell, the all-electric conversion of its expensive gull-wing sports coupe. Now, Motor Authority has some spy...

As one of the most highly anticipated new electric cars of 2012, the Toyota RAV4 EV combines the practicality of an SUV with an all-electric, Tesla-engineered drivetrain for impressive performance. When we drove the 2012 RAV4 EV back in August, we already knew Toyota was planning on selling it in...

There's no question that the Chevy Volt has been through more than its share of travails. But with last month's Volt sales at an all-time high--though it's not clear they will continue at that rate--things have been looking up for the Volt. Now Ryan Turner, a Volt owner and regular reader of this...

If you drive an electric or plug-in car and drive to work every day in it, you’ve probably given the topic of workplace charging stations some thought. Convincing your boss to shell out company cash for a charging station might not be that easy, but now charging station provider ChargePoint...

It's been a long time coming, but the 2012 Coda Sedan is now on sale at a handful of dealers in California. Six months after the very first Coda compact electric cars were delivered to buyers, the company is gearing up a major publicity push to sell the electric sedan--which we've now driven. Our...

Thanks to several hundred pounds of additional weight from a battery pack, pure electric and plug-in hybrids often weigh more than their gasoline counterparts. But according to AutoCar, Volkswagen’s upcoming all-electric and hybrid variants of the seventh-generation Golf hatchback will...

There’s nothing better than a scientific test to prove or disprove a theory. So when Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer described the recent reports of battery capacity loss in its Leaf electric car as nothing more than a ‘faulty battery level display’ earlier this month...

How much does it cost to service a 2012 Tesla Model S, and where do you take your car to have it serviced? We find out.

To creep or not to creep? That is the question. As many hardened electric car fans will tell you, unlike gasoline cars with automatic gearboxes, not all electric cars move forward -- or creep -- when you release the foot brake. When Tesla launched the 2012 Model S, it, like unlike the two-seat...

Last week, Honda released the specs and photos for its 2014 Accord Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid. Now, we can talk about what it's like on the road. The short answer? Like the Ford C-Max Hybrid, it offers new and strong competition for a model of the well-established Toyota Prius--in this case, the...

The MotorTrend editorial team must have spent more time behind the wheel of the 2012 Tesla Model S than any other automotive journalists to date. Not only did MotorTrend get to borrow the personal 2012 Tesla Model S Signature Sport belonging to Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a few days to test the...

Last month, more Chevrolet Volts were sold than in any month since the range-extended electric car went on sale in December 2010. The total of 2,831 handily surpassed the 2,289 sold in March, the previous best-selling month for the Volt. But Chevy may not be able to keep up that pace indefinitely...

At last, my number's been called. As the holder of reservation number P 717 for a 2012 Tesla Model S, I've waited more than three years after putting down a $5,000 deposit on the sleek, all-electric sport sedan. Since then, Tesla has kept my interest percolating with e-mail updates and promotional...

Researching a new car can be hard work, especially with niche market vehicles like electric cars and plug-in hybrids. With test-drives, news reports and general information, we provide buyers with a nationwide view of plug-in and green cars, but now a new website is offering car buyers in the San...

Gasoline and diesel fuel today power almost every one of the 1 billion vehicles on the planet. But what would it be like to live in a town with no gas-powered cars at all? The little Swiss skiing village of Zermatt may be one of the few places in the world where it's possible to experience such a...

Honda was the second carmaker in the world to launch a line of hybrid vehicles, though its compact and subcompact mild hybrids have long been overshadowed by Toyota's dominant Prius models. That may be about to change. Early next year, a new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid--and equally significant, a 2014...

Now we’ve entered the start of September, it’s officially no-longer summer. For many Americans that means no more road-trips, balmy summer evenings or family camping trips. So while you prepare for falling leaves, finding your winter sweaters and working through until Thanksgiving, we...

While car sales often lag during August, when family vacations take priority, the Chevrolet Volt proved an exception to the rule last month. During August, 2,831 of Chevy's range-extended electric car found buyers--along with 685 Nissan Leaf battery electric cars. The third high-volume plug-in car...