2011

It’s no secret that the stereotypical Italian sports car is fast, fiery and molto fortissimo. But fans of fast sports cars now have a new sports car to lust after with the official launch of Tesla Motor’s first Italian store. Situated in the heart of Milan’s upper class fashion...

California is already viewed as one of the most progressive states towards the adoption of mainstream electric cars. Now, a new study has confirmed what may have seemed obvious: It is likely to be the biggest market in the U.S. for a new generation of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The study...

For those who don’t know or have forgotten, the name for Nissan’s first mass-produced electric car is an acronym: Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car. But is the 2011 Nissan Leaf really a family-friendly car? When examining a car for suitability for a family there are...

Okay, let's get the schoolyard jokes about buying your female companion a motorised whirring gift for valentine's day. We know you have a much more sophisticated set of tates than that. But how do you buy your partner an exciting, fast, luxurious gift bound to get her blood pumping without...

Suppose your beloved walked into the garage this morning and found the car covered in pink hearts and declarations of love. That'd be a pretty impressive Valentine's Day gift, right? Well, start your planning for next year, 'cause this one will take more than a last-minute dash to the florist and...

It's always good to hear the arguments against electric cars. Some are valid, some are idiotic, and some simply betray a lack of knowledge about how the auto industry really works. Into that last category may go some comments by one William M. Colton, ExxonMobil’s vice president for corporate...

Lexus has gone to great lengths to emphasize the sportiness of its upcoming hybrid hatchback, the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h. After previewing an F-Sport endowed concept version of the car at last year’s Sydney Motor Show, Lexus has now used this week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show to present a...

If you’re one of the many expectant 2011 Nissan Leaf owners around the world what we’re about to tell you may make you feel a little sick. While Nissan obviously struggles to meet consumer demand for its all-electric hatchback, company executives in Europe are offering those waiting for...

Arranging insurance for your new car is always a stressful and unpleasant business. Often overlooked, it has a direct impact on your driving habits and your pocket book. But unlike gasoline cars, electric cars are not yet fully known by the insurance industry, causing some potential headaches for...

Just weeks ahead of the 2011 Nissan Motor Show, Nissan has released pictures and videos of its latest all-electric car: The 2011 ESFLOW concept, something we’d heard was in development a while ago. Built from the ground up from scratch, the all-electric two-seat sport coupe concept car...

Anyone who's stored a car in a rural area has heard stories of the chaos wreaked by nesting squirrels. Engine compartments stuffed with leaves, twigs, nuts, and even entire furry families can cause overheating and sometimes fires. But now a new peril has come to light against which electric-car...

Electric car development is quickly proving to be a worldwide effort, with companies and research institutes from across the globe and in varying industries and fields forming partnerships and alliances in order to accelerate the roll out of zero-emission electric cars. The latest is BMW and its...

Like many customers in the U.S., our own Marty Padgett got to reserve his 2011 Nissan LEAF in April last year. And now, like so many of the expectant 20,000 who have signed up for a place in the queue to buy NIssan’s first mass-produced electric car, he’s been saddled with an...

The word "propaganda" can mean many things to many people. Today, we're using it in the sense of "a form of communication aimed at influencing the attitude of a community," as Wikipedia neatly puts it. The busy public-relations team at General Motors is now putting out roughly a video every week on...

A few months ago we asked the question, what exactly do you have to service on a 2011 Nissan LEAF? After all, the LEAF doesn't even contain many of the items that require regular attention on a regular car, such as oil changes, spark plugs, filters, transmission fluid and muffler parts. Brakes...

Some watch the Super Bowl for the game, some watch it for the ads and other take in both. Super Bowl XLV is no different—that is except that the companies that bought the ad spots this year are a little different. One of those companies that have stepped up into prime Super Bowl positioning...

Here’s a task for you. Think of the most unusual thing you’re likely to see in a Tesla dealership. Whichever strange and bizarre places your imagination took you, (no, we don’t want to know) we’re pretty sure it didn’t take you to the Munich Tesla Showroom earlier this...

During the first half of 2010, nearly 13,000 U.S. taxpayers wrongly claimed a staggering $33 million under the electric tax credit incentive scheme, a Treasury Department inspector general report has revealed. The credits, designed to encourage the uptake of plug-in hybrid and electric-only...

We've all heard the stories about people who hang onto their cars for decades. Irv Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800 is one; he's got more than 2.6 million miles on it now, after buying it new for $4,150. Then there's Rachel Veitch, who at 91 has logged 562,000 miles--and had no fewer than 18 batteries and...

As electric cars start to trickle into the market and public charging infrastructure grows, their drivers will need to know the best times to charge, the best places to charge on longer journeys, and the exact amount they will pay for the electricity they use. That will require automakers, utility...