plug-in cars

  • Smog in New York City

    We all know that electric cars have zero tailpipe emissions, but the claim that electric cars move the pollution from the tailpipe to the power station chimney has long been a cornerstone of arguments against the electric car. But in an unusually candid moment at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan Executive Vice-President Andy Palmer spoke out against such claims. According to Palmer, the idea that electric cars pollute as much or more than gasoline cars is nothing more than bovine by-product. “I think it’s complete bull$#!%,” Palmer explained. “First of all, if you...

  • Nissan Leaf Inductive Charging Demonstration
    2014 Nissan Leaf Will Cost Less, Go Wireless, Travel Further, Be Smarter

    Last week we told you that Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, would be including wireless inductive charging on the option list for its first electric car. Now Nissan has confirmed that the 2014 Leaf will also be able to wirelessly recharge itself using a suitable inductive charging station...

  • 2012 Chevrolet Volt
    Volt Owners Speak Up, Say It's Safe, Rave About Their Electric Cars

    It's been a tough few weeks of publicity for the Chevrolet Volt, the extended-range electric car that's the green halo vehicle at General Motors. Now, despite sales below GM's announced target and an NHTSA inquiry into fires in the lithium-ion battery pack several weeks after they were involved in...

  • Aptera 2e
    RIP Aptera: Lessons For Startup Electric-Car Companies

    On Friday, Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur sent out an email with the news that the Aptera 2e -- the all-electric, two-seat, ultra-efficient car we’ve awaited for nearly five years -- wouldn’t be making it into production. As the long, drawn-out story that has been Aptera’s existence...

  • Traxxas XO-1 RC car
    New Electric Sports Car Does 0-60 In 2.3 Seconds, But There’s A Catch...

    Earlier on today we caught wind of a brand new electric car hitting the market just in time for the New Year. With classic sports car styling, a 0-60 time of 2.3 seconds and a price tag of $1100, it could make the perfect gift for the electric car fan that has everything. But while the Traxxas XO-1...

  • 2012 Chevrolet Volt
    Today's Volt Update: GM Buyback, Owners Rally, Sales Goal Unmet

    Phew. Yesterday was quite a day indeed in Chevy Volt land. A bevy of news items hit the wires, following Monday's offer of loaner cars to Volt owners who weren't comfortable with their cars' safety until the NHTSA finishes its investigation into battery-pack fires in cars that had been wrecked in...

  • 2012 Fisker Karma

    For as long as we can remember, there’s been an ongoing love-to-hate relationship between the BBC's Top Gear show and electric cars. Until yesterday that is, when Top Gear Magazine caught everyone off guard by announcing that its Luxury Car of The Year was none other than the $95,900 Fisker Karma Plug-in Hybrid. Chosen twice, once as Luxury Car of The Year by Top Gear Magazine editor Charlie Turner, and once by Top Gear presenter James May as his Car of The Year, Fisker couldn’t wait to share the good news with its fans. “We’re big fans of both the Top Gear show and...

  • BMW and Toyota to swap green technology
    BMW, Toyota Release More Information On Green Engine Partnership

    Earlier this week our sister site Motor Authority reported that the European arms of BMW and Toyota had plans to work together on exchanging diesel and hybrid car technology in a mutually beneficial agreement. Now the two firms have outlined the full details of the agreement in a press conference...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt on test in Little Rock, Arkansas, July 2011
    Chevy Volt Electric Car Owners Most Satisfied, Consumer Reports Says

    Despite the NHTSA inquiry into battery-pack fires following severe crash tests of the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, the car's 5,000 or so owners to date seem to be unworried. Comments on Volt owner forums largely dismiss worries about any risk of fire during accidents, and many owners...

  • 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' electric car, special surf woody edition, LA Auto Show, Nov 2011
    2012 Mitsubishi 'i' Electric Car: Woody Trim And Surfboards Too! (Video)

    We look at a lot of concept and production cars during auto shows, but rarely does one make us laugh right out loud. The special version of the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' electric car on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show a couple of weeks ago, however, did just that. Perhaps in honor of southern...

  • 2011 Honda EV-STER Concept
    Honda Unveils EV-STER Electric Sports Convertible Concept: 2011 Tokyo Motor Show

    It’s been nearly three weeks since Honda told us it would be premiering a small sports electric concept car at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. True to its promise, Honda has just unveiled what it calls the EV-STER electric sports concept on the show’s first press day. With an unmistakably...

  • Chevrolet Votls for sale on eBay
    Buying An Electric Car: Pay More Now, Or Wait A Bit?

    As demand for electric and plug-in cars continues to remain high, many dealers and some private individuals are offering cars like the 2012 Chevrolet Volt on auction sites like eBay. With “Buy-It-Now” prices well above the starting sticker price of $39,995, these Volts pose an...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf, Electric Avenue, 2010 Detroit Auto Show

    It might have an official EPA-approved range of just 73 miles, but the Nissan Leaf, Nissan’s first production electric car, is quickly becoming the primary car in multi-car households where a Leaf is owned. According to Nissan North America, many early adopters purchased the Leaf intending it to be the second family car for short trips, but in reality most owners are now using the Leaf as their primary family vehicle. Using data obtained from the Leaf’s onboard Carwings telematics system, Nissan has been able to analyze the daily driving of many of its customers. Added to...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, production model
    Where Do Hybrid, Electric Cars Sell Best? We Find Out

    While hybrid and electric cars are becoming more popular throughout the U.S., it isn’t a secret that buyers in some areas are more keen to buy a hybrid or electric car than others. Now NPR has published an interactive map detailing just where electric and hybrid cars have proved popular this...

  • 2012 Cadillac SRX
    Cadillac Seriously Considers Producing Clean Diesel Engines, Possibly For U.S.

    When it comes to large luxury sedans and SUVs, many car buyers are now choosing to swap high-capacity gasoline engines for the latest generation of high-mileage, clean-diesel engines from German automakers like BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. Now Cadillac, General Motor’s luxury brand, has...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius V station wagon, Half Moon Bay, CA, May 2011
    2012 Toyota Prius: GreenCarReports' Best Car To Buy 2012

    The late-night arguments are over, the statistical comparisons and product specs are put away, and we've made our choice. The GreenCarReports Best Car To Buy Award for 2012 goes to a pair of cars: the 2012 Toyota Prius V wagon and the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. The two new 2012 entries...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and pre-production 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    GM Exec Confirms 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Plug-In Hybrid Model

    The Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan is an important car for General Motors. It's hugely outselling its lackluster predecessor, the Chevy Cobalt, and the EPA rates the special Cruze Eco model at 42 mpg in the highway cycle, giving it gas-mileage bragging rights. Plug-in hybrid to join diesel model But...

  • 2012 Toyota Prius V station wagon, Half Moon Bay, CA, May 2011
    2012 Toyota Prius V & Plug-In: Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2012 Nominees

    Ask pretty much any car buyer about green cars or hybrids and, chances are, that person will likely mention the Toyota Prius sooner or later. Until this year, though, the Prius has been a single model: a subcompact four-door sedan from 2000 through 2003, and then two generations of mid-size...

  • 2012 Mitsubishi i  -  First Drive, U.S.-spec MiEV

    Last year, the only volume battery electric car on sale in the U.S. was the Nissan Leaf. But for 2012, there's a new electric vehicle in town: the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i'. The egg-shaped minicar is Mitsubishi's first plug-in offering, but it's actually been around longer than the Leaf, with tens of thousands sold in Asia and Europe under the name "i-MiEV". Initial U.S. sales markets are California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Though it's remarkably small, the 2012 'i' seats four full-sized adults comfortably. Its 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack (one-third smaller than the Leaf's)...

  • Kids buckled up in the back seat
    Long Drive Today? Try Our Thanksgiving Recipe For Green-Car Spotting Games

    If you’re a parent preparing for that long-distance Thanksgiving trip with your kids, you’re probably dreading the fights, arguments and general boredom that accompanies a road trip. But while you’re probably packing enough electronic gadgetry and Disney films into your car to...

  • 2012 Chevrolet Volt
    Chevy Volt Electric Car Buyers Unfazed By Fire Reports

    While a handful of Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric cars have been destroyed in fires, potential Volt buyers are not deterred by sensationalist media reports around the blazes, says trade journal Automotive News.

  • Traffic
    How Much Would A Greener Car Save You Over Thanksgiving Weekend?

    Over the coming days, millions of Americans will hit the roads of the U.S. as they make the yearly pilgrimage to be home with their loved ones for Thanksgiving. In total, Americans are expected to spend around $553 million at the gas station over the coming days to fuel their Thanksgiving trips...

  • Nissan LEAFs arrive in the U.K.
    Nissan Leaf Electric Car Was Top Priority For CEO After Japanese Earthquake

    The devastating earthquakes that hit Japan earlier this year may have severely affected the production of cars worldwide, but according to Nissan Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, his primary concern was to get production of the Nissan Leaf back on track. According to an article published in The New York...

  • 2012 Chevrolet Volt
    Will Electric Cars Lose Value Quickly? Some Say Yes, We Disagree

    For over 80 years, the Kelley Blue Book has been valuing new and used cars for the benefit of the auto industry. Used by automakers, car dealers and consumers alike, it has become the ultimate go-to guide for realistic valuations on virtually any age or condition of car. But although the Kelley...

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