2011
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Is small the new large? In the next few months we’ll see three different electric vehicles hit the market from automakers keen to break into the city car market. But historically two-seat cars have made up less than 2% of total U.S. car sales. Why would an electric car be any different? We’re not convinced it will be. Taking the 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, 2011 Wheego Whip LiFe and 2011 Think City into account, here’s why we feel two-seat city electric cars will remain something of a niche market. Limited Space Don’t get us wrong. We’re fans of the go-cart...
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First 2011 Nissan Leaf To Be Delivered To Customer on Dec 11Just days after Nissan confirmed that customer deliveries of the 2011 Leaf would commence in Japan on December 20, Nissan USA has confirmed that the very first customer vehicle will be delivered in a few days’ time, on December 11. The delivery will be to an unnamed Northern Californian...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Do GM's Ampera Plans Forecast the Next Generation of Volts?We don't hear much about the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's half-brother, the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, here in the States. But in the U.K., the president of GM Europe laid out that group's plans for future generations of Ampera--and they're significant for what they say about upcoming models in an expanding...
John Voelcker -
2011 Honda CR-Z: Determined or DoomedSports car and hybrid aren’t two words that have been used together a lot in the alternative fuel segment of the automotive industry—unless you are Honda. The 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid is the first vehicle we have seen marketed as a sports hybrid and also one of the few offered with a...
Jonathan McGrew -
2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid Gets...A Tax BreakAll kinds of green cars are eligible for tax breaks, but the 2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid could be one of the most expensive vehicles ever to get the IRS' nod of approval. The Cayenne S Hybrid earns its buyers up to $1,800 in federal tax credits, the automaker says, making it the first Porsche ever...
Martin Padgett -
Who Killed The Chinese Electric Car? BYD Looks Away from EVsThe F3e is officially dead. According to sources cited by China Business News, the battery firm turned electric-car maker has ceased plans for commercial production of its four door electric sedan. There has been little mention of the all-electric sedan since its plug-in hybrid sibling, the F3DM...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
As it gears up to offer electric cars in selected rental fleets across the country, Hertz has dribbled out details of how its Global EV program will actually work. Today we learn that New York City will be the first region to receive the electric and plug-in hybrid rental cars, with rentals to start in Manhattan next Wednesday, December 15. San Francisco and Washington, DC, will follow shortly, with other regions to be added during 2011. At a launch event just south of Times Square in Manhattan this morning, Hertz officials and automaker representatives huddled to stay warm in the biting wind...
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Report: Honda CR-Z Model To Drop Hybrid Motor, Pick Up TurboThe 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid hot-hatch was meant to be the car that showed hybrids could be sporty as well as green, but its paltry 122 horsepower and dismal 0-60 times were never going to excite anyone. And don’t think its fuel economy is anything to write home about; the CR-Z returns 36/38...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Chevrolet Volt Rolls Down The Production Line [Video]We've already taken a behind-the-scenes look at how the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car is produced with a "how it's made" video at the maker's Oppama factory in Japan. Now comes the turn of Chevrolet's Volt, with the release of a short time-lapse video in celebration of the official start to...
Antony Ingram -
GM Doubles Down on Electric Cars, Will Hire 1,000 Engineers For ThemIt doesn't really matter whether GM sells the first Chevrolet Volt electric cars at a loss or not. The company announced yesterday that it plans to hire 1,000 new engineers over the next two years to focus exclusively on developing and expanding its work in electric-drive vehicles, everything from...
John Voelcker -
Forget The Tate Gallery, Artist Turns Tesla Roadster Into Moving ExhibitMany would argue that the 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5 is a work of art, with its smooth lines, low profile and breathtaking performance. But one digital artist has taken the Californian electric sports car to a whole new level - by turning one into a work of art. Created as part of Art Basel...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Europe's First iAd With 2012 Renault Twizy Electric CarIf there's one gadget that seems to go hand in hand with electric cars, it's Apple's iPhone. We've seen apps that allow you to place reservations and even customise your order, apps that allow you to keep track of charging and even switch on your aircon or heater remotely, and earlier in the year...
Antony Ingram -
Just a month ago, we suggested that 40 miles per gallon is the new bragging threshold for subcompact and even compact cars. Now, Hyundai has dropped the gloves (or thrown down the gauntlet) with a clever marketing campaign to contrast it with other makers: It will start breaking out the sales of its models rated at 40 mpg every month, and challenges the other carmakers to do the same. "For us," said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, "leadership isn’t how many low-volume special-edition 40-mpg models we offer, but rather how many 40-mpg vehicles consumers actually...
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GM Confirms, Yes, We're Losing Money on Every Volt We BuildDoug Parks, vehicle line executive for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM's range-extended electric vehicle, confirmed Tuesday that the company loses money on every Volt it sells. This should hardly be a surprise. It's called R&D, folks Every major automaker spends billions of dollars a year on...
John Voelcker -
Try Again: Honda's Big-Car Hybrid System Has Plug-In AbilityIt wasn't even at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, where Honda only showed a video of the new plug-in hybrid platform it only discussed But details of the new powertrain point the way toward a range of future hybrid Honda models. It uses two separate motor-generators, as does Toyota's Hybrid Synergy...
John Voelcker -
Moving Closer To Owning a Leaf: We Get To Choose Our DealerYou may not know it, but our Marty Padgett isn’t the only member of the High Gear Media editorial team to order a 2011 Nissan Leaf. Over 5,000 miles away on the west coast of England, I’ve also been waiting patiently in the queue for an email from Nissan letting me know when my Leaf...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Car Makers Fight To Achieve The Best Sustainability RatingsWhether it is attributable to tightening CAFE or EPA requirements for present and future car models or the need to appeal to consumers that are looking to be more socially responsible, car makers are stepping up their game when it comes to fuel efficiency and sustainable practices. As we reported...
Jonathan McGrew -
Honda Takes The Insight Down A Notch—In PriceHonda has been battling the Toyota Prius popularity pretty much since its introduction and that battle has been an up hill struggle with the Honda Hybrids not gaining much traction in the market. The theory was that was all going to change with the introduction of the all-new Honda Insight for...
Jonathan McGrew -
While the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF have stolen most of the green-car limelight of late, and the Toyota Prius continues to be the go-to vehicle for those seeking reliable yet efficient transportation, Honda's Insight continues to plug along, with new upgrades to standard equipment and a less expensive entry-level model for 2011 aimed at improving its competitiveness. The new base model is called, simply enough, the 2011 Honda Insight. Standard features for the $18,950 (including destination fees) base Insight include remote entry and a basic two-speaker CD audio system with cloth...
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Electric Cars Can’t Handle Cold Weather? Myth BustedWe’re big fans of Mythbusters here at AllCarsElectric and love busting some of our own myths. So we decided to test a myth we hear time and time again: electric cars can’t go very far in the Winter when in-cabin electric heating zaps the power from the battery pack. We put on our...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Chevrolet Auctions “Job2” Production Volt For Charity OnlineThe long wait is over. At least, it soon will be. At an event at General Motors’ Detroit Hamtramck facility which was streamed live on the Internet, everyone from government officials and GM board members down to the factory workers responsible for manufacturing the extended range electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Honda Unveils Brio, Its Smallest Car, For Asian Markets OnlyThe smallest Honda sold in the U.S. market is the 2011 Fit subcompact, its well-reviewed and enormously versatile five-door hatchback. But other markets demand different types of cars, and today at the Thailand Motor Expo, the company unveiled the Honda Brio prototype, a lightly disguised version...
John Voelcker -
New Standard Features Come To the 2011 Honda FitRecently Honda revealed the pricing for the 2011 Honda Fit and for the most part the car hasn’t changed from the versatile and affordable subcompact that we have come to respect. There are, however, some noteworthy changes, some of them speaking directly to driver and passenger safety. Even...
Jonathan McGrew -
Why the 2011 Chevrolet Volt EPA Rating Sends Mixed MessagesIf like us, you were waiting with baited breath for the official EPA rating for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt you’ll have heard that the day before Thanksgiving Chevrolet announced the official figures were back for its first plug-in range-extended electric car. But unlike the 2011 Nissan...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield