2010
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Add another entry to the growing list of electric vehicles going on sale in the next year or so. Think North America, maker of the two-seat City electric car, announced that its 2011 Think City had been approved as a zero-emission vehicle by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The approval lets Think sell the 2011 City in California and the 12 other states, plus the District of Columbia, that have adopted California's stricter vehicle emissions regulations. The 2011 City uses a lithium-ion battery pack, with cells from Ener1, that gives it a stated range of up to 100 miles, a...
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Still Dead: Dodge Ram Hybrid Pickup, With Or Without Diesel
It's all very strange. Just last March, Chrysler definitively killed the Ram Hemi Hybrid pickup it had been developing for several years. RIP Hemi Hybrid. Now comes a mysterious post on fan site Allpar.com that proposes that the company's Ram 1500 pickup truck will offer a Cummins 5.0-liter...
John Voelcker -
Ford And GM Duke It Out For Top Muscle Car Sales
The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro have been rivals since their respective introductions—with the Mustang beating most to the punch with the 1964 ½ Ford Mustang debut. GM quick answered the Mustang with the Camaro, but the Camaro wouldn’t stay ahead of the Mustang for most of...
Jonathan McGrew -
2010 LA Auto Show: Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric First Drive Report
One of the great things about auto shows is the chance for journalists to drive prototype cars, especially at the Los Angeles Auto Show, known for its green-car test drives. We got a chance to spend 20 minutes behind the wheel of the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric car, with Volvo's Lennart Stegland in...
John Voelcker -
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: Guide To Electric Vehicles
We took a look a few weeks ago at the five electric cars we reckoned you should do your best to see at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Our list included the 2011 Nissan Leaf, 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Coda Sedan, the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV and the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Our opinion hasn't changed -...
Antony Ingram -
2010 LA Auto Show: 2012 Honda Fit Electric Car, World Debut
This afternoon, Honda unveiled its plans for an all-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback to be launched globally in 2012. The announcement came at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The announcement represented a full circle of sorts, since Los Angeles was the home of many of the 300...
John Voelcker -
At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan has unveiled a concept design that points the way toward some of its next-generation sedan models—even though Nissan swears that its Ellure show car is not “intended as preview of any upcoming production model,” in the words of Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s chief creative officer. Instead, it’s “an expression of [Nissan’s] long-term vision for the next generation of sedans,” and one that has “an emotive, almost hidden ambience that comes to life after dark” despite the sedan’s...
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Update: Volvo To Test All Electric 2012 C30 In California
Earlier this year we were all excited to hear about Volvo’s offering to the world of electric vehicles - the Volvo C30 EV. Debuted at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the S40-based car offered a eight hour recharging time using a 240V, 16A supply, a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mazda Miata Directs Brand With ‘Fun to Drive’ Sensibility
Since its introduction to the U.S. market in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 or Miata, as it is known here in the States, has been one of the all-time best two-seat roadsters in sales. However, you might have noticed that the Mazda Miata doesn’t get a lot of press these days, especially not in the...
Jonathan McGrew -
On Heels of SF Giants Win, CA Prop 23 Notches Another Victory Over Texas
Proposition 23 was defeated last night, putting an end to a much ballyhooed piece of cleantech-stopping legislation that was also causing some qualms in the venture capital community. The proposal would have halted California’s AB 32 law, which requires the state to roll back greenhouse...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Want to Hail An Electric Taxi Cab? Head for San Francisco
Urban taxi service may be the equal of any proving-ground torture test. Taxis are driven hard, up to 20 hours a day, and must handle both bad roads and bad drivers. Those that survive without falling apart should do fine in civilian duty. Which is why Better Place chose Tokyo to test out its...
John Voelcker -
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: Honda Electric Car to Make Debut
Honda will jump into the electric-car and plug-in-hybrid fray at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show with a new EV concept. The automaker also confirmed it will lay out the plans for a new plug-in hybrid platform during the L.A. show, which opens to the media on November 17. Honda's entries into the...
Martin Padgett -
When you think of T-Tops, what comes to mind? Maybe it is the Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason cult classic, Smokey and the Bandit. Or if you were into Cadillacs it could be memories of the power T-Tops in the ‘70s Eldorados. Interestingly enough the T-Top is a concept that has been around for somewhere near half a century. We saw telltale signs of them in the ‘50s concept cars and then the production versions in the ‘70s. Even more interesting, the Chevrolet Camaro may very well be the longest running car model available with T-Tops; the newest generation being the first...
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Quick Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup
Before unveiling the redesigned 2011 Jetta, Volkswagen decided to drop a special treat into the lineup of the 2010 model--a TDI Cup Street Edition. Like the old SCCA Showroom Stock categories, the TDI Cup competitors are recognizably production models with some racing equipment added on. Hoping to...
Tim Healey -
Cars That Drive Themselves: Google Brings It Closer To Reality
For those that live near San Francisco you might have seen a couple of 2010 Toyota Prius vehicles and possibly an Audi TT with an interesting roof top camera attachment. Those familiar with the Google Maps Street View program probably are saying, ‘Silly, that is just a Street View car taking...
Jonathan McGrew -
Hey Ron Howard: So Electric Cars Aren't That 'Gay' After All?
The news came via a Facebook status from another automotive journalist: "Interesting. Phrase 'Electric cars are gay' pulled from Ron Howard movie." To which we could only respond, huh? [UPDATE: Turns out that there's even a Tesla angle too.] Turns out the upcoming movie The Dilemma, starring Vince...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Smart Center Benefits Home Efficiency, Not Just Cars
We've seen Onstar from General Motors. We've heard about iPhone apps that allow you to keep tabs on how your 2011 Nissan Leaf or Smart Electric Drive are charging too, and some energy companies are wanting to develop services that keep you updated on the status of your EV. Smart-Grid technology is...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Recalls 439 Roadster Models Over Potential Fire Risk
Tesla has recalled 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 models due to a low-voltage cable that might be defective. A 12-volt auxiliary cable is the culprit. The cable could lose power, which would affect the headlights, taillights, turn signals/hazard flashers, and airbags. On one vehicle, the cable caused a...
Tim Healey -
The 2010 Paris Auto Show proved there's serious energy going into electric cars, but even EVs with two wheels were well represented at the show--and by major auto brands, at that. The Smart Escooter Electric Bike seem like a logical extension for the teensy ForTwo, which looks like a beast in comparison. The Escooter sports a 6-horsepower hub motor that keeps its speeds under 30 mph, but provides 62 miles of driving range for urban Vespa fans who want to go from simply green to pure blue, in the latest environmental lingo. Also sharing a small part of the Smart stand, the Smart ebike has a...
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2010 Paris Motor Show: MINI Shows Off World Rally Championship Car
Who says MINIs are to small to be big contenders? Certainly not it parent group BMW or the people behind the scenes at MINI that develop the little car for all different types of segments. During the summer we reported on the MINI Takes the States event, which had the cool and clean MINI E, as well...
Jonathan McGrew -
2010 Paris Motor Show: Skoda, SEAT Reveal New EVs
As you might have already gathered, the Volkswagen empire is rather big. Owning Volkswagen (obviously) and Audi and having a large stake in Porsche, they're one of the biggest and most profitable car companies on the planet. Two marques you don't see Stateside though that also play a big part in...
Antony Ingram -
Paris Motor Show: Will Honda Jazz Hybrid Debut Come To U.S.?
For those of you who aren’t aware, the Honda Jazz is the sister car to the U.S. specification Fit. Much like a Acura NSX was a Honda NSX in markets other than the U.S., Honda sells the Fit under the Jazz name in its home market, as well as, other geographies around the world. Recently...
Jonathan McGrew -
UPDATE: 2010 Paris Motor Show: Guide To Electric Vehicles
The 2010 Paris Motor Show is upon us and amongst the supercars and superminis lie a veritable feast of electric vehicles. Whilst we've known about many of the cars due to be shown for a little while now, for many it will be the first opportunity to see the newest EV concepts and production cars up...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Announces Secret Hybrid To Be Produced In France
We love new announcements, especially in the automotive industry. There is something about watching the progression of technology that is very gratifying. However, sometimes we don’t get all the information at the same time. Recently, Left Lane News reported that Toyota would be producing a...
Jonathan McGrew