plug-in cars
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When GM Ventures announced it would invest an unspecified amount of money into startup hybrid truck-maker Bright Automotive, several of us noted that the prototype Bright Idea delivery van used an 2.0-liter engine and transmission from a Dodge Caliber. The announcement two weeks ago from General Motors' venture investing arm immediately prompted the question: Would Bright switch over to using GM powertrains as it developed the prototype into a production model? Not surprisingly, the answer is yes. Bright Automotive executive vice-president of corporate strategy Michael Brylawski confirmed...
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SF Bay Area Soon To Be Home To 5,050 More EV Charging Stations
Infrastructure for electric transportation is heating up. Companies like Coulomb Technologies and Ecotality are already deploying electric vehicle charging stations region by region. And just today, general Motors said it was gearing up to announce a charging partner for its forthcoming Chevrolet...
John Voelcker -
How It Works: The Plug-In Ford That Isn't A Hybrid or An EV
For the Friday files, some cool new technology: How about a car that plugs in, but doesn't use that electricity to power the car? Nope, we're not talking about battery electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Or range-extended EVs like the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Or even conventional hybrids adapted...
John Voelcker -
Electric Car Buying Guide
We've been watching it roll closer for years, and now it's all but here: A new era of electric cars. Just three or four months from now, the first highway-capable electric vehicles sold in volume by global automakers will appear in showrooms in California and other regions. By the end of 2011...
John Voelcker -
We Hit the Big Time: NPR's 'All Things Considered' Calls!
We are mostly humble peasants here at Green Car Reports. We just try to report on green cars fairly, with an occasional bit of acerbity tossed in for flavor. Once in a while, we post a story that hits a chord, including our discussion of why the 2011 Chevrolet Volt may not get either an EV purchase...
John Voelcker -
Senate Energy Bill: $$$ for Natural-Gas Vehicles, EVs Get Less
If there's even a chance for the U.S. Congress to pass an energy bill this year, it's going to be a long and tortuous slog. But the first cut at legislation, introduced yesterday, offers $4 billion for infrastructure and subsidies for natural-gas vehicles (NGVs), but just a tenth of that for the...
John Voelcker -
Now we know: The first two plug-in cars from major manufacturers will go head-to-head on warranties and lease prices: $350 a month for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, $349 for the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Now the choice shifts to other measures, including electric and overall range, as well as the plug-in perks that states like California offer to early adopters to encourage them to opt for electric cars. This is where it gets interesting. While California loves the Nissan Leaf, current regulations deny Chevy Volt buyers two significant perks: a $5,000 rebate, and permission to drive solo in HOV Lanes...
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Mitsubishi i-MiEV Edges Closer To Late-2011 U.S. Rollout
With the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt arriving this fall—if you're so lucky to be one of the top names on the list—the electric vehicle buzz is about migrate from social media platforms and signup lists to real dealership showrooms.
Bengt Halvorson -
No, Electric Vehicles Won't Bring Down the U.S. Power Grid
Last week's heat wave prompted another eruption of that perennial question: Won't electric cars that recharge from grid power overload the nation's electricity system? Or put more bluntly: Will electric vehicles bring down the U.S. power grid? The answer, equally bluntly, is: No. They won't. (And...
John Voelcker -
Why Can't Toyota's Plug-In Prius Recharge Its Larger Battery?
Toyota has come under some fire from electric-vehicle enthusiasts for what some perceive as a grudging, halfhearted approach to building vehicles that plug in. Its first U.S.-market plug-in vehicle--not including a thousand or so RAV4 electric crossovers a decade ago--will be the 2012 Toyota Prius...
John Voelcker -
Prius Plug-In Hybrid: It Won't Compete With the Leaf or Volt
We've been thinking a lot about the prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid since our test drive of a prototype last month. And about the rest of the plug-in cars that will come to market over the next two years. To our surprise, we decided we don't think buyers will directly compare the Prius...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Funds Keep Coming: Delaware Adds To DoE's $529 Million
Last fall, Fisker Automotive was awarded $529 million in low-interest loans by the Department of Energy, and the company has continued to rake in cash since then. In January, for instance, Fisker raised an additional $115 million in private capital. Last week, the DoE and Fisker announced that the...
John Voelcker -
We go to a lot of auto shows, but we didn't make it to the Beijing Motor Show, which opened a couple of days ago. Which is a shame, because not only is China on track to become the world's largest single car market, but they have some truly outrageous concept cars. Our favorite is the Geely Emgrand GT, from the company that is in the process of buying stolid Swedish carmaker Volvo from Ford. Our friends over at Autoblog Green have a full slideshow of the car, from which we've borrowed this single image. According to ABG, Emgrand is a new sub-brand from Geely and the GT is a plug-in hybrid...
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Surprise! Yes, Fuel Efficiency (Still) Matters to Car Buyers
What a shock! Who'd ever have thought it? Will wonders never cease? Yes, yet another survey shows that fuel efficiency matters to car and truck buyers. And that more than half say their next vehicle will get better gas mileage than their current ride. Fuel efficiency: It matters Capital One Auto...
John Voelcker -
2011 Fisker Karma Countdown: Visits to Dealers, Not Reviewers
The 2011 Fisker Karma will be the world's first plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan. At a price of $87,400 before tax credits, it's not surprising that the company wants to get the car exactly right before exposing it to the glare of publicity. But Fisker is taking an unusual tack: They're touring...
John Voelcker -
Preview: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
While the Toyota Prius is the world's most popular hybrid vehicle--with well over 1.5 million sold globally since 1997--it's become almost an accepted part of the automotive landscape. And with plug-in vehicles seen as the next big thing, will the Prius fade away? Not if Toyota has anything to say...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Drive Report: The Invisible Plug-In?
One of the nice things about being part of a larger network is access to other sites' content. In this case, we're pleased to be able to point ACE readers toward a drive report of a prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid from our sister site GreenCarReports.com. The 2012 Prius Plug-In will be...
John Voelcker -
Making EVs is Easy; Making GOOD EVs Is Hard, and Costly
We're now well and truly on the road to plug-in vehicle nirvana, with the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and various other plug-in and electric vehicles due to hit the market within the next couple of years. But there now seem to be hundreds of car companies, enthusiastic business...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Despite remaining all but invisible to the automotive press, startup carmaker Fisker Automotive is moving steadily toward a late-fall launch for its 2011 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan. The latest news item is that chief marketing officer Marti Eulberg has hired advertising agency Lambesis, of Carlsbad, California, to create global ads for the launch of the Karma. Its first project will be to relaunch the company's website this fall. Last month, we caught up with Fisker's Russell Datz at the Detroit Auto Show. We asked why the company was keeping the car so hidden, with only...
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Five Questions: Nancy Gioia, Ford global electrification director
Ford was the first U.S. automaker to offer a hybrid, introducing the Ford Escape Hybrid crossover in 2004. It recently expanded its portfolio with the well-received 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. More recently, the company has announced plans for limited numbers of plug-in hybrids, as well as electric...
John Voelcker -
To Boost Gas-Free Car Sales, Make $7,500 Tax Credit a Rebate
Speakers throughout today's Electric Drive Transportation Association conference agree: Plug-in electric cars that use little or no gasoline are coming. It's no longer an "if", it's now a "when." To help boost early adoption of cars that run mostly or entirely on grid power, the Federal government...
John Voelcker -
2010 Detroit Auto Show: Lutz Lays Out (Some) GM Plug-In Plans
Cleaning up a few odds and ends from last week's 2010 Detroit Auto Show brings us to General Motors' future product plans for plug-in hybrids. In the crush of reporters asking questions (known as the "scrum") after a GM announcement, a few more nuggets came to light. GM showed its striking and...
John Voelcker -
Early EVs Won't Need Many Public Charge Points, Says NYC
New York City often startles people, and it stayed true to form in a recent analysis done by McKinsey & Company for the city's PlaNYC planning group, "Exploring Electric Vehicle Adoption in New York City." In particular, one of the report's conclusions may come as a shock to many...
John Voelcker -
Hybrid Owners Howl As California HOV-Lane Access Ends in December
All good things must come to an end, and it's the same with the wildwood weed ... err, with California's HOV-Lane access perk for owners of three hybrids: the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, and Honda Insight. They are set to expire on December 31 of this year. Originally passed in 2005, the law...
John Voelcker