2011

We often get asked by readers just how much it will cost to run an EV. And while we’re able to say that an EV costs less to run once purchased than a gasoline car we’ve had to guess refer them to their local utility company for exact pricing. So what if you could enter into a monthly...

By all accounts, the initial public offering of General Motors stock yesterday was a huge success. Demand for the shares was five times the initial allocation, prompting the company both to raise the amount it sold and raise the price. At the end of the day, GM stock [NYSE:GM] closed higher than...

There's a lot we don't know about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV that Japan's largest automaker is prototyping with Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors. That includes the battery pack size, traction motor power, and stated range--although 100 miles is the goal, according to Jim Lentz, president of Toyota...

The past couple weeks, heck the past couple of hours, have been full of automotive news with the press soaking all of the information in from the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. A lot of the news revolves around the hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) segment. Specifically, we have seen the 2011 Chevrolet...

You’ve read the reports, drooled over the spy shots and saved your pennies for an all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric car. But do you know how you’re going to charge your new car at home, the office or at your parents’ place? There are many different chargers available now or...

Building any car is tough. Building an electric car is tougher. Automakers must devote time, skill, technology and financial investment to designing, engineering, and cutting costs for what is still far from a mainstream drivetrain. Even Nissan, whose Leaf won GreenCarReports’ Best Car To Buy...

For those that are automotive enthusiasts it will be no surprise to you that both Motor Trend and Automobile have vehicle of the year awards. Motor Trend calls theirs the “Car of the Year” award and Automobile calls theirs the “Automobile of the Year.” This year both...

Who killed the electric car? Chances are that if you've watched the film that poses this question, you'll have some idea of how the electric car fizzled out and died before its 21st-Century re-birth. 2011 will bring a sequel to the original documentary titled "Revenge Of The Electric Car". As with...

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt has gotten all the attention lately, including a narrow second-place finish in our GreenCarReports 2011 Best Car To Buy award, but General Motors also has a significant hybrid-electric vehicle program. While its full-size Two-Mode Hybrid trucks have had mixed success, the...

It’s been a long time coming. More than 80 years, in fact, since viable electric cars were offered to U.S. car buyers. Now, finally, at long last, it’s happened. The 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first practical, five-seat electric car—a full plug-in, running solely off grid...

Really, asking how a 533 HP 2011 Honda CR-Z sounds is a bit of a trick question because before you can answer you have to ask if it is going for economy or speed. Bisimoto’s 2011 Honda CR-Z rocked the SEMA show this year by proving that high horsepower and performance can still have a green...

A year ago, the Electrification Coalition, a group dedicated to reducing the dependence of the U.S. on oil, growing an electric vehicle infrastructure and uptake in the process released the Electrification Roadmap. Intended as a policy framework to assist the adoption of electric vehicles by...

The 2011 Nissan Leaf looks like a conventional compact hatchback with unconventionally sinuous styling. It seats five, has all the usual safety features, and we particularly like the way the navigation system is integrated into the rest of the car’s information systems. But the significance...

Can there ever be such a thing as too much honesty when it comes to frank discussions about your company policy? Normally we’d say no, but when you start to sow the seeds of doubt about the thing you’re trying to sell we’d say otherwise. Especially in the case of Christian...

It's the nominee we know the least about, and in some ways the one we're most curious about. The 2011 Lexus CT 200h is a non-traditional car for Lexus, which has never before offered a compact hatchback. And after the underwhelming HS 250h sedan, it's one we didn't have high hopes for. That was...

As Nissan gets ready to launch it’s zero-emissions all-electric LEAF next month, the company isn’t taking any chances on the service they provide their early adopting customers. According to news our of Astugi, Japan, Nissan is setting up a rapid-reaction task force in the United States...

If you're familiar with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended EV, then you're already familar with the Opel Ampera, since it's essentially the same car. The Ampera will be sold under General Motors' other brands, the Germany-based Opel and in the U.K. as the Vauxhall Ampera. It's not uncommon for...

For its first-ever hybrid-electric vehicle, Hyundai has blazed a new path. Not only does the 2011 Sonata Hybrid carry gas-mileage ratings better than its competition, but it neatly splits the difference between the indistinguishable-from-standard styling of the Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion hybrids...

The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid already has a lot going for it--as evidenced by Marty Padgett's take on the car in our first drive report and John Voelcker's inclusion of the car in GreenCarReport's 2011 Best Car To Buy nominees. But the deal just got even sweeter: the battery pack in the Sonata...

Both Nissan and Chevrolet have a lot riding on delivering their first electric cars before the end of December, meaning during calendar 2011. Now it looks like Nissan may squeak by with just a few early production cars delivered to a handful of dealerships, because the company has significantly...