Prius Plug-in Hybrid
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As if legitimate news outlets didn't have enough trouble covering electric vehicles sensibly, now we get the comedians weighing in. Late-night talk-show host and stereotypical grumpy guy Adam Carolla recently lit into electric cars, in an interview with Gizmodo's Jason Chen in which he was invited to complain. About anything and everything. His grasp of electric car facts isn't that great, but his exaggerations are funny. In that adorable, irascible, not-very-factually-accurate kind of way. He says, for instance: Electric cars have a range of 44 miles. Well, ummm, no. Try 100 miles or more...
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Beijing Motor Show: World's Most Outrageous Plug-In Hybrid?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...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Plans Prius-Fighter Hybrid Hatchback, Lithium Battery
The hybrid wars look like they're heating up, with aggressive challenger Hyundai planning a dedicated hybrid that takes direct aim at the iconic Toyota Prius. The company is "studying" a unique hybrid vehicle, one that shares no body panels with an existing model, according to Miles Johnson...
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 -
Many reviewers lauded the new, third generation 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid when it launched last spring--but wondered why it didn't use a lithium-ion battery, rather than 15-year-old nickel-metal-hydride technology. Now we learn that the 2010 Prius was indeed supposed to have a new, more energy-dense lithium pack. But Toyota, by its own admission, chose the wrong lithium-ion chemistry for the cells, meaning they just couldn't be produced economically. Fallback to tried-and-true Instead, Toyota fell back to the tried-and-true nickel-metal-hydride battery used in the 2004 to 2009 model. It was...
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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 -
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 -
Toyota and GM Get Down To Brass Tacks On EV Technology
Volt or Prius May Be the Big Question in 2010
Jonathan McGrew -
Faceoff: 2011 Chevrolet Volt Vs 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
Toyota and GM are the auto industry's heavyweights. Each has stumbled this year; General Motors collapsed into bankruptcy and Toyota is beset with embarrassing recalls that may dent its reputation for reliability. Each also has a plug-in car coming. The 2011 Chevy Volt will hit dealers in less than...
John Voelcker -
High Gear Media has partnered with Tesla Motors on a new writing contest where YOU can win a tour and road test of the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport. You can submit as many articles as you like and enter multiple times. Enter now! == As a plug-in battle starts to take shape among the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the 2012 Nissan Leaf, and a rechargeable version of Toyota's popular Prius hybrid, Toyota has upped the ante by focusing on its best weapon: affordability. The company announced today that it would put a production version of its Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid on sale to consumers in 2011, likely as...
