Featured (was)
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Finally, here's our last video in the series we did on the new 2011 Hyundai Elantra. Since we tested that car a few weeks ago, the compact segment has only heated up. There's a new 2012 Honda Civic, an entirely redesigned all-wheel-drive 2012 Subaru Impreza, and the highly competitive 2011 Chevy Cruze that debuted this year along with the Elantra. In the compact segment, where gas mileage is increasingly important and most entries can be ordered with all the amenities that used to be reserved to big cars, any little problems can stand out. And while we liked the new Hyundai Elantra, it wasn't...
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Are You Electric Car Ready? BMW’s New App Helps You DecideYou may recall earlier this year we wrote about an iPhone app designed to help prospective electric car buyers figure out just how big a battery pack their new electric car should have. Allowing full customization of technical parameters such as drag coefficient and vehicle weight, iEV was also a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan Leaf, 520 Miles, 2 Days: Here's HowWe all know electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf were designed to satisfy the daily driving needs of 90% of the population. For most cars, that translates to a life in or near a large metropolis, where daily commutes are between 10 and 40 miles. But with rapid charging capable of fast-charging...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan Leaf Wins World Car of The YearOver the past year we’ve seen the 2011 Nissan Leaf win plenty of awards, including the accolade of European Car of The Year and even GreenCarReports’ Best Car to Buy 2011. But while its main competitor, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, may have more awards to its name than Nissan’s first...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mitsubishi Prices 2012 'i' Electric Car At $27,990 Before Tax BreaksDriving electric just got cheaper, as Mitsubishi announced that its 2012 'i' electric car would be priced at just $27,990 before incentives when deliveries begin in California next January. That makes the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i' the least expensive plug-in car on sale in the U.S. market. It qualifies...
John Voelcker -
Google, DOE Electric Car Charging Station Map Growing RapidlyOne of the challenges facing electric car owners wanting to venture further than the range their electric cars can provide on a single charge is where to find either an outlet or a purpose-built electric vehicle charging station to replenish their car’s battery pack. Until recently there was...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
In the rulebook of product promotion, remembering to not say horrible things about your product has to be number one. It’s a shame BMW North America President and CEO Jim O’Donnell seems to have forgotten that fact while taking part in a public event. Speaking on Monday at an event in Manhattan marking the next phase in BMW’s electric car program due to start this Fall, O’Donnell waxed lyrical about his own opinions of electric vehicles and the U.S. federal tax credits given to help consumers buy them. Sadly, his opinions are hardly new, and sound a little like those...
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2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid With 111-Year-Old Ancestor (VIDEO)Did you hear? Last night, Porsche showed a series hybrid vehicle (analagous to the Chevy Volt) with a radically different design from any of its latest line of hybrids. Its pair of 1.7-liter single-cylinder engines powers a generator that flows electric power to a pair of front wheel motors, each...
John Voelcker -
Earth Day: Coulomb Offers Free Electric Car Charging PassesIf you’re an electric car owner living within the many hundreds of publicly available electric vehicle charging stations installed by Coulomb Technologies then you may be interested in what the infrastructure company has planned to celebrate Earth Day 2011. As part of the celebrations...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want A 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid? Register Online NowIt's been a long time coming, but by June of next year, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale in the U.S. If you're eager to be one of the very first on your block to own the world's most popular hybrid vehicle--but you insist on being able to plug it into grid power--now is your...
John Voelcker -
Is This The 2012 Nissan Versa Hatchback? Photos From ShanghaiAt 10:40 am tomorrow, Nissan will kick off its press conference at the New York Auto Show. We already know it'll display the Leaf Nismo RC Concept electric racer, but that's a sideshow. The real interest will be in the new 2012 Nissan Versa subcompact. Today, at the Auto Shanghai show in China...
John Voelcker -
2011 Hyundai Elantra: Two-Minute Road Test Review (Video)The 2011 New York Auto Show is kicking off this week, with new compact car entries that include the all-wheel-drive 2012 Subaru Impreza, among others. But a strong new contender this year that's already selling fast is the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, which we recently road-tested over our usual route of...
John Voelcker -
It might be just three days away from its official unveiling at the 2011 New York Auto Show, but Nissan just can’t help sharing its latest electric vehicle a little early. Called the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC - that’s Racing Competition - the all-electric race-prepared car looks a little like the mild-mannered 5-seat family car which shares its name, but there the similarities stop. We should also point out that the Nismo RC is not a racing version of the Nissan Esflow concept, which was unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show earlier this year. Rear-wheel drive, high power motor...
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Electric-Car Fire: Flaming Garage Shows Media IgnoranceA garage caught fire, destroying the two cars inside. That's what we know. One of the cars inside was a brand-new 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and the other was a home-converted electric car. But because of that, what we've gotten from various media is inaccurate at best, and potentially quite misleading...
John Voelcker -
Laguna Seca ReFuels Electric Car Racing, Everyone Welcome (Video)There’s something really wonderful about hearing the wind rush past your electric car accompanied by only the whine of an electric motor pushed to its very limit, tires squealing on the blacktop. If you agree with us you’ll be pleased to hear that drivers of everything from production...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Hyundai Elantra Vs 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco (Video)Two of the newest compact cars on the road today are the 2011 Hyundai Elantra and the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. Now we've driven both of them, testing each car with a six-speed manual transmission. In the case of the Chevy, we drove the 2011 Cruze Eco model, which gets the highest EPA gas mileage...
John Voelcker -
Tesla V Top Gear: Top Gear’s Track Record With Electric CarsIt’s been two weeks since Californian electric automaker filed papers against the BBC’s Top Gear for libel in relation to a segment the popular entertainment show did on Tesla’s all-electric Roadster back in 2008. By now you’re probably familiar with the details of the case...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Europe's Ford Focus Econetic 67-MPG Diesel Better Than Hybrids?Oh, the pain. We hear about all those special European models with astoundingly high gas mileage ratings, and we wonder, why can't we have them here? The latest is the 2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic, which goes on sale in Europe later this year. During its debut yesterday at the Amsterdam Auto Show, Ford...
John Voelcker -
Generally accepted as one of the world’s toughest endurance races the 32-year-old Dakar rally is seen by many as the pinnacle of the automotive race calendar. The race, which has claimed the lives of more than 50 competitors and many local residents in its short history is traditionally fueled by large, powerful combustion engines, but that may change with the introduction of the first plug-in electric car to compete. Enter the OSCar e0, a Latvian-built monster SUV which outwardly looks no different from the multitude of ultra-rugged Bowler Wildcats or Hummers that compete every year...
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Why Silicon Valley Won't Be Detroit For Green CarmakersWe don’t hear “death of Detroit” stories as often now as we did a year ago. When GM and Chrysler plunged into bankruptcy and the entire U.S. industry laid off tens of thousands of workers in one year, the effects on an already battered Detroit region were dire. And they led to a...
John Voelcker -
Myth Busting Electric Car Myths: Yes, You Can Use a Car WashWe’ve talked before about how all major electric cars on the market today have to undergo just as rigorous a water testing as their gasoline counterparts. But just like the many people who ask us on a weekly basis what happens when electric cars meet water perhaps there’s a voice...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Would Your Granny Buy A 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid? (Video)It's all about video these days. We do video here at GreenCarReports (discussing whether a 2011 Chevy Volt will save you money, for instance) and so do many other automotive sites. But we have to admit, we never thought about bringing grandmothers into the picture. Which is exactly what Kyle...
John Voelcker -
Consumer Reports: Usually Thoughtful, Not Always AccurateLast week, the Associated Press distributed a video report called "Are Electric Cars Worth the Price?" (It's embedded at the bottom of this article.) The video featured this author as an example of someone who owns both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and it included commentary...
George Parrott -
Plug-In Hybrid MPGs: Is Parallel or Range-Extended Better?These are exciting times to be a car shopper, as the choices in every possible category just keep getting better and more fuel-efficient. The options for ecologically sensitive hybrid buyers have taken a major step forward with the introduction of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and the imminent arrival of...
George Parrott