George Parrott, Contributor
Articles
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The impact of fuel costs on family budgets is a big topic of national discussion right now.
A front-page article in my local paper said that an average family paid more than $4,000 per year for...
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Are The BMW i3 And i8 Electric Cars A Mission Impossible?
At the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW introduced its press conference with a preview of the next installment of the Tom Cruise Mission Impossible movie series. BMW features prominently in this production, with its plug-in hybrid supercar i8 as one of the team’s advanced tools. The movie's...
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2012 Mitsubishi 'i': Taking The Electric Car On The Road
Mitsubishi is showing U.S. specification, but pre-final production “i” cars in a touring roadshow
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National Plug-In Car Day: Promoting Electric Cars, Educating Future Buyers
Cities around the US will host special events on Sunday, October 16, 2011, to promote and educate the public about the growing number of plug-in cars and how they work in real-world driving.
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2012 Chevrolet Volt: Subtle Changes Surface, Keyless Entry Included
The 2012 model year has brought some subtle changes to the 2012 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, despite "decontenting" that makes a comparably equipped 2012 Volt cost more than the 2011 model.
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World Solar Challenge: 1,900 Miles, Much Sun, No Air Conditioning
The World Solar Challenge pits the cutting edge of aerodynamics and solar power systems against the great outback of the land down under.
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After more than 11,000 miles driving solely on electric power in our 2011 Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, we now find our Volt in the body shop.
So for longer trips, our "extended-range vehicle" is a...
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Nissan Turns Us On With ESFlow In TV Ad; Will They Build It?
Has Nissan subtly told us that the ESFlow is just over the horizon for actual production?
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2011 Chevrolet Volt's Extra 'Free' Electric Miles In Gas Mode
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt adds hidden fuel-free miles to the Volt’s total range
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DC Quick-Charging Stations: Why Does California Lag, Not Lead?
There are now more than 4,000 Nissan Leaf electric cars on the road in the United States, and the 2012 Mitsubishi “i” is poised to arrive at dealers late this year. Each car offers a DC quick-charge port using the Japanese CHAdeMO standard, for which most 2011 Nissan Leaf owners paid...
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2011 Chevrolet Volt: Air Dam, Display Issues Fixed By Dealers
Two early customer satisfaction issues on the 2011 Chevy Volt are being addressed by dealers: a front air dam that's too low, and intermittent blank displays on the instrument cluster.
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2011 Nissan Leaf Generates Constant Buzz: Musicians Beware!
The Leaf generates massively more and constant high frequency sound feedback
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Almost every Tesla Roadster owner is probably a car enthusiast, but Mike Koenigs is also a true clean-power activist.
First, he set up a “Life with Tesla” website when he got his car.
Now...
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Want To Educate About Electric Cars In Your Area? Here's How
early adopters can be the best promoters of new technology
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2011 Chevrolet Volt Vs 2011 Nissan Leaf: 7,000 Miles Later
After several months of using a 2011 Chevy Volt and a 2011 Nissan Leaf as our sole family transport, we have a better understanding of both cars than we did in March, when I first wrote about how they compared. First to arrive at our West Sacramento home was a beautiful crystal red 2011 Volt. We...
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Aptera Struggles Toward Production Of 3-Wheel Electric Car, Maybe
One of the most remarkable--and most delayed--of the promised new generation of electric cars is the three-wheeled Aptera 2e. The unusual, highly aerodynamic vehicle was designed by a startup automaker in Southern California. The resin-bodied car was a finalist at last year’s Auto X-Prize...
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U.S. Carmakers To Japan: Don't Need Your Stinkin' Fast-Charge
So you bought a 2011 Nissan Leaf, and paid for the optional $700 quick-charge connector. Now you're able to get an 80-percent battery recharge in just 30 minutes, albeit from very few places right now. Promising, right? Not so fast, sonny. It appears that U.S. makers of electric cars are likely to...
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Could Psychology Offer a New Way to Encourage Green Driving?
In the United States we have become comfortable with our large cars, even larger SUVs and we have further assumed that we would always have inexpensive fuel and freeways to speed comfortably between cities. In the last 20 years however, the assumptions of the optimistic 1950's have started to...
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The 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March brought a number of new models out of the closet.
But for the green car fan, two concepts were the gems of the show: the return of the legendary Volkswagen...
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Cleaner Cars Save You Gas, Also Save Lives, Cut Health Costs
Cars that consume less fuel have many benefits, including lower gasoline costs. Now it turns out that they also bring significant public-health benefits, reducing health-care costs and premature deaths from cardiopulmonary causes. The challenge is that the costs and benefits aren't equally spread...
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Will Japanese Power Problems Mean Fewer 2011 Toyota Prius Cars?
World supplies of the highly popular Toyota Prius hybrid could be further threatened by new electric power problems in Japan. The Japanese government requested on Friday, May 6, that the Hamaoka nuclear power plant system shut down all of its reactors, which supply to the central Japanese power...
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Earth Day: Eager Electric-Car Advocates Meet Unaware Public
Three weeks ago, in a suburban park in Roseville, California--just outside the state capital, Sacramento--a community celebration of Earth Day served as a gathering of the greenest cars now available. Both participants and random park-goers were drawn to the cars, providing a chance for eager...
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What Good Is Fast-Charging For Electric Cars If It's Closed?
Vacaville, California, has the distinction of the very first public Level 3 or DC quick charging station for electric cars to be installed in the United States. It was first activated in late May 2010, and was used very soon after for a small fleet of Mitsubishi i-MIEV models to make a trip from...
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2011 Nissan Leaf Software Update: Easy, But Slow (4 Hours?)
Nissan's new electric car, the 2011 Leaf, is rolling out slowly. Recently, it came to light that early-delivery vehicles are failing to start after the air conditioning has been used under certain circumstances. Nissan has developed a software update to fix the problem, and will install it in all...
George Parrott