Apps

Two companies that make apps to let electric-car drivers locate nearby charging stations will merge, they announced today. Recargo and Xatori will combine their communities and unify their apps, creating a single directory of more than 20,000 charging points across the country. Recargo currently...

Life can be confusing for those motivated into greener cars with the aim of saving money. With all the options available to today's buyers--more efficient gasoline, diesel, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electric cars, biofuels and more--it's hard to know what is really best. Throw in the multitude of...

Android and iPhone users can now find any electric vehicle charging station in the country, thanks to a new app from ChargePoint. The ChargePoint EV app doesn't just let drivers locate ChargePoint's own stations, but those from other providers, too. Compatible with all Android and iOS smartphones...

It happens already: Chevy Volt owners compare their lifetime electric miles, how long they've driven without using gasoline, and their lifetime gas mileage. Now Chevrolet is formalizing the competition, with plans to release a mobile phone app that lets owners register and compete with each other...

Owners of the Chevy Volt range-extended electric car are often pretty technically advanced. Many are conversant not only with auto technology but also with apps and software analysis tools. Two weeks ago, the online Volt community erupted when OnStar abruptly shut stopped giving data access to...

Deliveries for the 2012 Tesla Model S have started, and in case you missed editor John Voelcker's first drive of the Model S this past week, one point of note was how calm and quiet the cabin remains even when accelerating. That said, while we've spent more time sitting in the Model S than driving...

One way to drive greener is to use fewer cars more efficiently. The average car sits stationary for 23 hours a day; surely if it were used more, we would need fewer cars overall? That's the idea behind Relay Rides, a startup company that connects private parties who want to rent out their cars for...

Uber, a San Francisco-based startup company that provides on-demand private drivers to customers through its smartphone app, has had an especially bumpy ride since launching in Washington, D.C. in December 2011. But things are looking up now that the D.C. Council voted Tuesday to exempt Uber from...

It's a well-known problem among electric car owners: accumulating the memberships and authorization cards from enough charging networks in your area so you're sure to have the right one when you pull up to a charging station. Now a new company, Liberty Plug-Ins, suggests that maybe all those cards...

Virtually everything we do has an unavoidable impact on the planet in some way, if you trace the line far enough. Even if you're using solar-generated electricity to power your computer to read this article, your computer will still have used energy to produce, and to ship to you, and those solar...

The Buick Fuel Efficiency Games App teaches players about mild hybrid systems, aerodynamics and maximizing fuel economy.

Electric cars might have been killed off a couple of times in the past, but the current wave appears to have hit at just the right time. It's not all to do with concerns over global warming or energy prices though - it's the potential to be more connected to your car than ever before - via...

In advance of the official introduction of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, the automaker has unveiled a new MyFord Mobile app that, Ford says, will be "a key component" in vehicle ownership. The feature, exclusive to Focus Electric owners in North America, will allow owners of the new EV to monitor...

If there's one gadget that seems to go hand in hand with electric cars, it's Apple's iPhone. We've seen apps that allow you to place reservations and even customise your order, apps that allow you to keep track of charging and even switch on your aircon or heater remotely, and earlier in the year...

OnStar is already one of the handiest features you can get in a GM vehicle but for Chevrolet Volt owners the connectivity and security feature will be even more helpful. Earlier this year we reported that OnStar, together with Google, was developing a number of new mobile apps that would allow Volt...

Well, you can't say Ford (NYSE:F) isn't pulling out all the stops to ensure the launch of its subcompact 2011 Ford Fiesta will be a smashing success. The last piece of news to trickle out of the Ford machine is that the 2011 Fiesta four-door sedan and five-door hatchback will be the first Fords to...

Carmakers have dived into the deep end of social media, with iPhone apps, Facebook pages, Twitter streams, and a whole host of other online ways to reach potential buyers and promote their brands. Not surprisingly, given the affluent, environmentally aware nature of its audience, the 2010 Toyota...