2009
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One of the earliest electric-car prototype test fleets of the modern day was made up of several hundred MINI E two-seaters, which hit U.S. roads on two-year leases from 2008 through 2010. MINI E drivers who loved driving electric--which is to say, many of them--were offered replacement BMW ActiveE electric cars, and the electric MINIs were taken back by BMW. DON'T MISS: First Drive: Mini E Electric Vehicle Is Far From Ready For Primetime Now, however, a few Delaware residents can have the chance to lease a piece of electric-car history. The University of Delaware is offering a "small number"...
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Recall: 2009-2010 BMW X5 Diesel Crossovers Fuel Heater Issue
BMW has announced the recall of more than 1,500 2009-2010 BMW X5 diesel models to correct a fuel filter heater issue. The xDrive35d models, manufactured from June 13, 2009 through November 9, 2009, could be affected by an issue that causes the filter heater to remain on and overheat. The fuel...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Civic Hybrid: Battery Unreliable, Consumer Reports Says
Automaker Honda used to be the darling of Consumer Reports, with its models perpetually scoring better than average in CR testing. The 2012 Honda Civic dampened the publication’s enthusiasm for the Honda brand; it was the first Honda Civic we can recall that wasn’t recommended by CR...
Kurt Ernst -
After 30 Months In A Mini E Electric Car, BMW ActiveE Coming Up
I took possession of my 2009 Mini E electric car (serial number 250) on June 12, 2009. At the time, I signed up for a one year lease, which is all BMW was offering. It was made perfectly clear that after 12 months, we would have to give the car back and that there would be no exceptions. One...
Tom Moloughney -
2009 BMW X5 Diesel Recalled For Faulty Fuel-Filter Heater
Clean-diesel vehicles, a slowly growing segment of the market, unquestionably return higher fuel economy figures than their gasoline-engined counterparts. But they have their own set of issues, too, including recalls specific to some of the diesel engine components. The NHTSA has issued a recall...
John Voelcker -
Aussie Hypermiling Couple Hit 64mpg In 2011 Chevy Cruze Eco
You might remember a few weeks ago we brought you news of Australian couple John and Helen Taylor. Rather than enjoying the usual trappings of tourism, the Taylors wanted to break their own 48-U.S.-state hypermiling record, previously set in a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI at 67 mpg over 9,505 miles...
Antony Ingram -
A few months after BMW and MINI's electric car study ended in the United States, a similar scheme run in the U.K. has also come to a close, and the results are in... ...and if you've read the results of the American tests, the figures coming from the U.K. will all look very familiar. Basically, all the drivers loved driving the MINI E, as you might expect from a small, fun, 204 horsepower electric hot hatchback. The results are about more than just whether people enjoy driving EVs though, and for BMW the focus is on collecting data for its current and future EV projects, the 2011 BMW ActiveE...
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Smaller, More Efficient: VW Passat With 1.2-Liter 3-Cylinder Engine
How large an engine do you need in a mid-size car? Just a few years ago, the answer would have been a V-6 of 2.8 to 3.5 liters, perhaps with a base model offering a four of 2.4 to 2.8 liters. Then Hyundai announced in late 2009 that it would abandon V-6 engines altogether for its 2010 Sonata...
John Voelcker -
Mini E Driver Study: Some Caveats On Electric-Car Happy News
The recent study of Mini E drivers may need to be taken with a few grains of salt.
John Voelcker -
Should BMW Have Made the Mini E a Production Car? #YouTellUs
BMW can’t be accused of rushing into the electric car market. After nearly two years of BMW Mini E testing and countless hours of feedback sessions from test participants, BMW is just about to start its second round of electric car testing with its 1-series based Active-E. But if you want to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Bill Uses California Traffic To Fuel EVs Instead Of Road Rage
It's ironic that as the world becomes more interconnected, America is trying to become more independent. Nowhere is that more obvious than in our energy policy, where we talk a lot about the dangers of depending on foreign oil and the importance of generating our own energy. A new bill moving...
Richard Read -
Horrifying Web Advice & Why Prius Batteries Aren't That Mysterious
Don't believe everything you read on the web. From the Department of Dangerously Wrong Information comes a horrifying piece on Yahoo's open content network, entitled "What New Prius Batteries Cost and How You Can Save Thousands." It looks like one of many articles that respond to consumer worries...
John Voelcker -
Earlier this week we heard from Sergio Marchionne, the demanding CEO of Fiat-Chrysler, that a hybrid version of the new 2011 Chrysler 300 sedan would arrive sometime in 2013. Now, at Chrysler’s Windsor plant in Canada, Marchionne has revealed that the hybrid 300 will be joined in 2013 by a new hybrid minivan model. Marchionne was on hand at the Windsor plant to celebrate the production launch of the new 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, the latter being the most likely recipient for Chrysler’s latest hybrid technology. That brings us to another point...
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Tesla Fan Drives Epic Electric Car Trip To Prove BBC Wrong
The British Broadcasting Corporation, considered to be the center-pin of television and radio in the U.K., has always had a cautious view of the benefits of electric vehicles, often choosing to illustrate the limited range of electric cars in articles rather than the positive benefits. In typical...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Counting Down To 2011: Top ASC Article for August 2010
As people on the other side of the globe ring in their New Year, we continue to roll towards our own celebrations here in the States. In just under seven hours the eastern seaboard will ring in the New Year, so we better get a move on for the second half of our count down to 2011—the best of...
Jonathan McGrew -
Counting Down To 2011: Top ASC Article for July 2010
July is a good time in the U.S. Generally it is warm as summer is in full swing and it bring the celebration of our Independence Day. In fact, on July 4th we ran an article on the 2011 Honda CR-Z, Honda’s first sports hybrid. Other headlines that posted during the month included the start of...
Jonathan McGrew -
Revisiting the 2009 Nissan Cube After a Year of Service
The 2009 Nissan Cube made quite a statement when it came on the auto scene. It was a car that pushed the comfort zone of some consumers with its odd shape, Jacuzzi inspired interior, picture frame windows and square of shag carpeting on the dash. In fact, it still does. However, time has passed...
Jonathan McGrew -
Toyota To Service, Not Recall, Hybrid Cooling-Pump Components
Toyota plans to service approximately 650,000 of the more than 2 million Prius hybrids it has built to date, to correct a potential flaw in a cooling pump that could cause overheating. About 390,000 of the affected models are in the U.S. While the company hasn't yet released details on what it...
John Voelcker -
Did you notice? Us either. Nonetheless, last week, the first commercial hydrogen filling station in the country was opened in Wallingford, Connecticut, by startup firm SunHydro. The company generates hydrogen onsite using electricity from an array of photovoltaic solar cells that splits apart water molecules to yield hydrogen and oxygen. There are roughly 70 hydrogen filling stations nationwide, most of them in California, but this claims to be the very first one to be open to the public at large. So if you happen to be one of the very, very few people driving a hydrogen fueled car--whether...
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2009 Toyota Corolla Makes Top 10 Most Stolen Cars
Finding out that your car has been stolen is probably one of the worst feelings you can have as a car owner, especially if it gets stolen while you our out and about. The good news is that some cars just aren’t popular cars to steal. The bad news is that the cars that are popular to steal...
Jonathan McGrew -
Tesla Fined $275,000 Over Emissions Regulations
With electricity not always generated through renewable methods, it can be hard to claim that an EV is truly zero-emissions. It's generally accepted that you aren't pumping any gasses out the back as you drive along, though. Well, the car shouldn't be anyway... Despite this, electric vehicle...
Antony Ingram -
Smart Car Ownership Looking Like a Fad In the U.S.
Research Shows Urban Dwellers In the U.S. Won’t Be Return Buyers
Jonathan McGrew -
DRIVEN: MINI E On An Autocross Course At MTTS2010 (Video)
MINI May Have Cornered the Market On Affordable and Fun EVs
Jonathan McGrew -
GM Confirms Return Of Mild Hybrid Models In 2011
With the demise of Saturn, GM was left with only one model featuring its mild hybrid system, the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid sedan, but sadly even that green vehicle was dropped from the automaker’s lineup this year. GM is planning to bring back its mild hybrid models, however, and according to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran