2014

Until recently, the Chevy Volt was the only range-extended electric car available in the U.S. I've driven a Volt for almost three years now, and it's been a splendid car--quiet, smooth, peppy, and amazingly economical. New REx on the block But now the Volt has a formidable new competitor: the new...

Ask Honda fans what's wrong with the CR-Z hybrid coupe, and they'll give you one of two answers. Those who seek economy will tell you it's not frugal enough. Those after performance will tell you it isn't fast enough. Fixing the former probably requires a little too much work for most, but thanks...

Several manufacturers now offer gas-saving hybrid versions of their vehicles but it's surprisingly rare to find two companies who have gone about it in the same way. The early pioneers, Toyota and Honda, fielded completely different systems at launch--and well over a decade down the line Honda has...

Last month, 41 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive hatchbacks were delivered to their owners, marking the first month of sales for the first battery-electric vehicle from the German luxury maker. The official first buyer, Kim Price, lives south of Los Angeles in Mission Viego; she's been a...

The 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid received very positive reviews when it was launched almost a year ago. Its EPA fuel-efficiency rating of 47 mpg combined approaches that of the 50-mpg Toyota Prius, but the Accord is a more conventional looking mid-size sedan--a plus for many buyers. Yet sales have been...

Saleen used the 2014 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance to unveil its take on the Tesla Model S electric sedan, the FourSixteen. More familiar to fans of high-performance gasoline-fueled road cars, Saleen has gone green with its latest modified vehicle, a car company boss Steve Saleen describes as...

Whatever you think of the diminutive city cars produced by Daimler's Smart brand, the company certainly has a talent for marketing. The latest ad from Smart Canada has the same sort of self-deprecating humor that Volkswagen used for years when advertising its Beetle--another rear-engined small car...

The term "hacker" conjures up images of shady individuals stealing your personal details through loop-holes in your internet security, but in the modern world a professional hacker can actually provide a valuable skill. Tesla Motors, for example, recently attended the Def Con security conference in...

The Tesla Model S is a great car, but if there's one thing the luxury electric sedan is missing it's a bit of Art Deco style. And maybe a hint of World War II fighter aircraft. And some steampunk cool mixed in for good measure. All those aspects somehow come together in the Icon Helios--a...

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car has been around in one form or another for several years now, so there's a lot of information to keep track of. Once simply known as the Mitsubishi 'i', the tiny egg-shaped electric car, with four doors and four seats, has been on sale for several years now U.S...

In 2015, Japanese automaker Toyota will make a fuel-cell vehicle available to the public. It has worked on the project with German firm BMW, itself planning a fuel-cell vehicle--and that vehicle could now be a fuel-cell version of the i3 electric car. According to Motoring, Toyota USA's advanced...

We've finally had a chance to test out the fuel economy of the new and very popular smallest Mercedes-Benz, the 2014 CLA 250 sedan. The company has been struggling to meet global demand for the car, which is both the smallest Mercedes in many years and one of the least expensive. We wanted to see...

BMW has launched a new range of DC fast chargers aimed at providing a convenient charging standard for drivers of its i3 electric cars. Developed in conjunction with Bosch, the BMW i DC fast chargers will allow i3 owners to charge their cars' batteries up to 80 percent in 30 minutes. MUST SEE...

Right-hand drive Tesla Model S electric cars have already begun to trickle out in the United Kingdom, but now they're hitting the Asian markets too. The first Asian right-hand drive Model S have now been delivered to the first eight customers in Hong Kong. MUST SEE: Decoding Toyota's Electric-Car...

Toyota's Prius hybrid has undoubtedly done more to raise awareness of green vehicles and improving fuel efficiency than any other single model on sale today. First launched in the U.S. in 1999 and styled by a design team in California, the Prius name has since been applied to two further...

The Tesla Model S is undoubtedly an excellent car. It's quick, efficient, looks good to most eyes and can compete with most fossil-fueled equivalents on even footing. READ: White House Responds To Tesla Direct-Sales Petition: Sorry, Talk To Congress But it's arguably not Tesla's, nor Silicon...

The 2014 BMW i3 electric car has a unique feature offered by no other vehicle in the world: Buyers can choose to have it as a battery-electric vehicle, or add an optional range-extending engine that roughly doubles its rated electric range of 81 miles. With the i3 on sale now for two months, a mix...

Last month, electric car maker Tesla Motors took the unusual step of opening up its patents to other automakers. Automakers usually guard their patents very closely, ensuring them as much competitive advantage as they can get away with before someone builds something better. Open Tesla's patents...

Automakers love to boast about Nürburgring lap times when selling performance cars. Once one of the most dangerous motor racing circuits in the world, it's now a measuring stick for the capabilities of road-going sports cars, performance sedans and supercars. ALSO READ: White House Responds To...

It's probably fair to say that model names aren't that important in the world of Tesla Motors. That's a good thing of course--the product itself is much more important. But a roadster called Roadster, a sedan called the Model S and a crossover called Model X are not the stuff of naming legend. Any...