2013
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Nissan's Leaf electric car has become the highest-selling electric car of all time. The company has now sold more than 50,000 examples of the Leaf, sold across Japan, Europe and the U.S. Since the car went on sale in 2010, those 50,000 Leaf owners have racked up over 161 million miles. In reality, that figure is probably even higher--Nissan can only monitor those Leafs equipped with the Carwings telemetry system, and not every owner has registered. Naturally, that's higher than the 100 million electric miles covered by Chevy Volt drivers, whose electric range is smaller--but together, owners...
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Tesla's Elon Musk & NY Times: Disturbing Discrepancies On Model S Range Reporting
Golly. Turns out nothing ignites the Internet quite like a rapid-fire online spat between Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and The New York Times, the Grey Lady of establishment journalism. Like many such controversies, common ground turns out to be easier to find than you might think: It's a fact that...
John Voelcker -
Honda Fit EV Electric-Car Leasing Expands To Northeast
Honda has confirmed the five East Coast locations in which its 2013 Honda Fit EV will be leased, joining the West Coast markets of California and Oregon. The electric Fit will be available at selected locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey later this month. The...
Antony Ingram -
Ignore The NY Times; Does Tesla Model S Own Silicon Valley Already?
Yes, there's a big imbroglio going on right now over an article in The New York Times, followed by some tweets (1, 2, and 3) from Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk contradicting it. We're ignoring that, for the moment. Instead, we're bringing you an idea that made us chuckle. That idea is that the Tesla...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf-Owning Actor: Electricity Good, Nuclear... Not So Much
2011's earthquake and tsunami in Japan brought energy use into sharp focus. Such events frequently cause grids to fail, but it was the inundation and subsequent meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear facility that garnered the most attention, and the disaster has turned the public strongly against...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Leaf Nismo RC Racer: Video Update
The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC race car may have only turned a wheel in anger once outside of demo runs, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. At a glance, you might think it shares very little with the electric car that shares its name. You may even expect there to be a gasoline engine screaming...
Antony Ingram -
The right car can inspire people. Whether it's the poetic beauty of an Italian sports car or the noise of the race track, that inspiration takes many forms. For some, the all-electric Tesla Model S is their inspiration. The sleek electric sedan has certainly attracted attention far beyond that of most electric vehicles, but it's the die-hard fans who are most inspired--and this fan-made commercial is proof. Every second of footage looks professionally produced, as if Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] itself is promoting the car. Filmed on January 3rd, the one-minute commercial follows the Knapp...
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2013 Tesla Model S Ready For Delivery: So Close & Yet So Far
After just about four years of waiting, my 2013 Tesla Model S has arrived. Almost. The call from the Tesla delivery rep came on February 4, the last day of the two-week delivery window promised back in December. My car, with metallic green paint, 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack, black leather...
David Noland -
2013 Nissan Leaf Gets New Energy-Efficient Bose Stereo: Chicago Auto Show
Electric car owners coming out of winter will know just how much of a drain a car's accessories can put on their range. That makes energy-efficient accessories like the Bose Energy Efficient Series audio system available with the 2013 Nissan Leaf an easy option to understand. With no engine roar to...
Antony Ingram -
Tiny Chevy Spark Minicar Lures Younger, Newer Buyers
Who'da thunk it? Young buyers may love Camaros and Mustangs, but when it comes to smaller cars, American brands have traditionally played second best to imports. But the Chevrolet Spark minicar is proving much more successful, bucking all the trends. It's even stealing plenty of buyers off its...
Antony Ingram -
Cheapest Car To Own Over Five Years? Scion iQ, Says KBB
What motivates you to buy a green car? For some, it's the desire to do just a little to help the environment. For others, it might be the technology. Some may simply want to save money. If the latter is a major factor, you may be interested to know that the cheapest car to run over five years is...
Antony Ingram -
Will 2013 Nissan Leaf Price Cut Cause Sales To Soar?
It happens every so often: a spate of media reports with gloom-and-doom headlines about what a dismal failure electric cars are. Take, for instance, this morning's in Reuters--"Electric Cars Head Toward Another Dead End"--or a weekend report in The Detroit News entitled "Electric Vehicle Sales...
John Voelcker -
The Tesla Model S Performance looks great on paper. Not only does the 85 kWh Model S have an impressive 265-mile EPA-rated range, but it'll do the benchmark 0-60 mph sprint in only 4.4 seconds. That means the all-electric luxury sport sedan from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is at least as fast as V-8 German super sedans like the BMW M5. But how do you quantify that sort of speed in the real world? If you're Drag Times, you put it on the strip, preferably head to head against an American legend like the Dodge Viper SRT10. And then you beat it. Yup, the near-silent Tesla made a mockery of the shiny...
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Tesla Now Delivering 60-kWh Versions Of Model S Electric Car
It's now clear: Volume deliveries of the second version of the 2013 Tesla Model S began this month. That would be the version fitted with the middle of three battery-pack sizes, with a stated energy capacity of 60 kilowatt-hours. The news does not come from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], a company that...
John Voelcker -
Ford: Fusion Hybrid Buyers Are Younger Than Toyota's
It isn't easy bringing a new hybrid to market against the might and experience of Toyota--but Ford is certainly managing. The 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid is setting record hybrid sales numbers for the company, and even beating down Toyota's share of the hybrid segment. The striking styling of the...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Chevrolet Spark: Gas Mileage Test
We tend to like small cars, as a personal preference. But the very smallest of cars often don't get the best gas mileage, and they can feel subjectively unsafe in some driving conditions. So how did our 2013 Chevrolet Spark minicar do on gas mileage? We've concluded that--depending how you use...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S: Glitches, Quirks, and Peccadilloes Roundup
To put it mildly, the Tesla Model S has been a resounding success. The New York Times has called the all-electric luxury sport sedan a game-changer, comparable to the Model T Ford. It's won virtually every 2012 "Car of the Year" honor, including the only unanimous Motor Trend award in the...
David Noland -
Nissan Leaf Nismo Confirmed For Production, But Only In Japan
Usable, practical and competent the Nissan Leaf may be, but few would describe it as an exciting vehicle. Perhaps NISMO, Nissan's Japanese tuning arm and creator of hot versions of the firm's many performance cars, will change that when a tweaked version begins production in the summer. Sadly, U.S...
Antony Ingram -
We've clearly not seen the back of tempting electric car leasing deals. One Mitsubishi dealer is offering the "i" electric car for as little as $69 per month for example, and Ford is now offering hefty discounts on its Focus Electric. Lease buyers can get up to $10,750 off the cost of a three-year lease deal for buyers taking retail delivery by April 1, reports The Detroit News. Customers can get a 36-month lease with 10,500 miles per year for $285 per month, and $930 down at signing. Ford says not all Focus EVs will qualify. The lease includes the value of the full $7,500 electric vehicle...
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2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid: 39 MPG In Consumer Reports Test
All eyes are on Ford at the moment, following criticism that its hybrid models aren't getting anywhere near official EPA gas mileage. Consumer Reports has confirmed this, with the result of its testing on the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid returning a bittersweet 39 mpg figure. On the one hand, 39 mpg is...
Antony Ingram -
Short On Chevy Volt Knowledge? QR Code Sticker Can Help
New technology is brilliant. Just look at smartphones, for example--the world's information in the palm of your hands, with the ability to talk, text and take photos when the mood takes you. Or the Chevrolet Volt--38 miles of electric range, with the peace of mind of a gasoline engine backing you...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Ford Fusion Energi: 21 Miles Of Electric Range From Plug-In Hybrid
The guessing is over, as Ford has revealed full EPA mileage figures for its 2013 Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, after teasing its 108 MPGe highway rating a few weeks back. Joining the C-Max Energi in Ford's plug-in hybrid lineup, the Fusion Energi touts a combined 100 MPGe in blended electric mode...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Nissan Leaf Prices To Start At $28,800 For Electric Car
We know the specifications and details of the 2013 Nissan Leaf, which has now gone into production in Smyrna, Tennessee. But the missing piece of information has always been: What will the battery electric car cost now that it's built in North America? During an electric vehicle roundtable today at...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Leaf: Longer Range, Faster Charging, Leather Seats, And More: All The Upgrades
In its third year on the market, the updated 2013 Nissan Leaf will have a slightly longer range, a new and lower-priced base model, faster charging, and a more efficient cabin heater. The battery electric car goes into production at Nissan's assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, this week. While the...
John Voelcker