Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
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The 2012 Tesla Model S is the most anticipated all-electric car of 2012, but it is also the most enigmatic.
That’s because even though it launched back in late June, access to -- and time...
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GE 'Skypump' Charges Electric Cars With Wind Power
Last year, GE and vertical axis wind turbine company Urban Green Energy announced the launch of the Sanya Skypump, a wind-powered charging station capable of recharging an electric car on wind energy alone. Almost a year later, the two firms have just announced the official unveiling of the first...
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Wheego LiFe Electric Car Granted Safety Exemptions During (or For) 2012
In order to be sold in the U.S., all passenger cars must pass a long list of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Regulations, including advanced airbags and electric stability control. Sometimes, usually in the case of low-volume, low-emission cars, the FMVSSR may grant a temporary exemption to...
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Why Prius Buyers Choose C Over Liftback: Price, Ride, Normality
Toyota’s new 2012 Prius C subcompact launched earlier this year, but it is already winning itself fans among old and new hybrid car drivers alike. Around $5,000 cheaper than the 2012 Prius Liftback, it offers the same 50 mpg combined as its larger sibling, but why are some car buyers choosing...
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Gas Prices And Average MPG Of New Cars Move Together
As we’ve seen in the past, demand for hybrid cars like the 2012 Toyota Prius rises as gas prices increase, but until now, we didn’t know how closely gas prices influenced the gas mileage of new cars. Now we do, courtesy of a study by automotive valuation firm TrueCar. Gas price...
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2013 Range Rover Spy Shots, Will Have Hybrid, Plug-in Version
Jaguar Land Rover like every other automaker in the world, is working hard to make its range of luxury cars greener and more economical to drive. We've already seen some evidence of that, thanks to the Range Rover Range_e prototype plug-in diesel hybrid we spotted in the wild last year and...
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As Canadians will proudly tell you, Canada is really big and really beautiful.
Home to 10 percent of the world’s forests, covering more than 53.8 percent of its total surface area, Canada even...
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Pikes Peak Hill Climb: Toyota, Mitsubishi Place Electric Cars In Top 10
Over the weekend, the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb took place, pushing cars and drivers to the limit on the 12.42-mile course. For years, the event has been dominated by purpose-built gasoline-powered hill climb cars, but at this year’s event two all-electric cars placed in the...
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Toyota Uses Science To Sell Prius V Wagon, But Will It Work?
As scientists have been warning for some time, the U.S. is at risk of losing its leadership in areas like Physics and Chemistry, thanks in part to a lack of public interest in the sciences. So when we found out that Toyota had paired its 2012 Prius V wagon with How Things Work for a web TV series...
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GM CEO: Electric Car With 200-Mile Range Within 4 Years Possible
In the world of plug-in cars, making an affordable car with a range equal to that of a conventional gasoline car is something of a Holy Grail. According to General Motors CEO Dan Akerson talking at a GM employee meeting last night, that dream could become reality in the next two to four years...
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Mitsubishi ‘i’ Electric Car Recalled For Faulty Airbag System
This morning, Mitsubishi North America announced an official recall of certain 2012 Mitsubishi i electric cars after it became apparent that there may be an incompatibility between the air bag sensors and the car’s on-board diagnostics system. According to the official recall notice posted on...
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Honda’s 2016 Civic Will Be Developed, Built In The U.S.
With the yen weak against the dollar, Japanese automakers like Honda, Nissan and Toyota are working hard to relocate production of U.S. market cars to the U.S. Now it seems Honda has chosen the U.S. as its development base for the next-generation Honda Civic, due some time around 2016. The...
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If you’ve got children of a certain age, you’ll know how fond they are of the plastic ride-on electric cars you can buy at any toy store in the U.S.
You’ll also know that as they...
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Mitsubishi Halts Electric-Car Shipments To Peugeot On Low Sales
It seems that Nissan isn’t the only automaker suffering from low electric-car sales figures: Mitsubishi is too. Yesterday, the Japanese automaker announced a temporary halting of shipments of its all-electric i minicar to French automaker Peugeot Citroen. Slightly smaller than the U.S.-spec...
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Google Adds Lexus RX450h To Self-Driving Fleet, Safer Than Drivers
After more than 300,000 miles of testing, Google’s automated self-driving Toyota Priuses have proven that self-driving cars have a future. Now Google is adding another hybrid car to its self-driving fleet: the 2012 Lexus RX450h luxury crossover SUV. “To provide the best experience we...
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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Will Hit 85 MPH In All-Electric Mode
Hybrid car drivers like to do everything possible to ensure their cars spend as much time as possible in all-electric mode. Ford said yesterday that its 2013 C Max Energi can travel on electricity alone at speeds up to 85 mph. We’re sure plug-in hybrid fans around the world are rejoicing Most...
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Nissan’s New London Taxi Cab Could Be Electric Too
They’re as well-known as The Houses of Parliament or Harrods luxury department store, but soon London’s iconic black taxi cabs could be getting an all-electric makeover courtesy of an electric taxi being tested by Nissan. The news was announced at the London launch of the NV200 taxi...
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2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid Gets 47 MPG All-Round EPA Rating
It’s been a while coming, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally approved gas-mileage ratings for the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. As Ford predicted, the $25,995 hybrid has achieved an official rating of 47 MPG City, but its highway rating of 47 mpg improved on Ford’s own...
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You probably know that places like New York City and San Francisco are known for their high numbers of hybrid taxis, but a small taxi firm in Washington state has gone one step further, turning...
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Predicting Electric-Car Battery Life: GE, Ford, U of Michigan Team Up
Because the gasoline car has been in continual production and development for over 100 years, automakers can use past experience to estimate how long cars -- and their engines -- will last. But because the development of the modern electric car is still in its infancy, automakers are still...
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High-Speed Impact, Not Batteries, To Blame In BYD Electric Car Fire
The post-impact electric-car fire which led to the death of three people in Shenzhen, China earlier this year was not caused by the car’s battery pack, crash investigators have concluded. The tragedy happened in May, when a BYD e6 all-electric taxi was hit early one morning by a speeding...
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Green Police? Cops In Florida Go Undercover In Hybrid, Greener Cars
For years, the unmarked police car has helped law enforcement agencies around the world capture speeding drivers, pounce on unsuspecting criminals and provide covert investigative opportunities. Powered by a large, powerful engine capable of high-speed pursist, the traditional unmarked cop car is...
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Nissan Bringing All-Electric Compact SUV Concept To Paris Motor Show
For some time, we’ve known that Nissan’s long-term electric car strategy includes developing several more electric models over the next few years, including commercial vehicles and luxury cars. Now it appears that an all-electric SUV may feature in Nissan’s future, with the news...
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Want More Range, Better Handling in Your Electric Car? Look At Your Tires
What turns an electric car into a great electric car? Ask most people, and they will list features like a powerful electric motor, good range and comfortable seats. But these things are set at the factory, long before you even step inside your car. What about things you can do improve how your car...
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