Green Car News
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Massachusetts is the latest state to incentivize electric-car purchases.
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Will NYC's CitiBike Shared Bicycles Get Add-On Electric Power?ShareRoller is a removable friction-drive motor that could help energize morning commutes.
Stephen Edelstein -
NHTSA Closes Probe Into Tesla Model S Fires: "Defect Not Identified"It looks like Tesla Motors' brief firefight is now over. Not only has the company announced the fitment of new parts designed to deflect road debris, the cause of two fire incidents towards the end of 2013, but the NHTSA has now closed its probe into the fires--absolving the Model S of blame. Last...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Battery Shield, 36-MPG Chrysler, VW e-Up, Ford Slaps Cadillac In Video Ad: Today's Car NewsToday on Green Car Reports: Tesla Motors announces a new three-part battery shield system for its Model S electric car, Ford quietly issues a video response to the polarizing 'Poolside' ad that neatly one-ups Cadillac, and we drive the smallest--and most fun--electric Volkswagen. All this and more...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen e-Up: Driving VW's Smallest Electric Car (Forbidden Fruit)Of the three plug-in VW cars we drove in Berlin this month, the one we liked best is the one we won't get in North America. The Volkswagen e-Up battery-electric minicar is a blast. It's small, rollerskate-agile, and performs well enough that it would be our preferred vehicle in any crowded city...
John Voelcker -
Ford Parodies Divisive Cadillac ELR Ad With 'Upside' C-Max VideoWhy do we work so hard? Because hard work means "anything is possible"--and maybe you'll get a nice pool and a fancy car out of it. At least, that's the answer if Cadillac's "Poolside" ad for its ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe was to be believed. MUST SEE: Tesla Model S To Get Titanium...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Motors announced this morning that it will fit three new underbody components to all Model S electric cars to add further protection against impacts from road debris, which caused a pair of fires in its cars last fall. Those two Model S cars were severely damaged when their battery packs, mounted under the floor, were pierced by road debris and subsequently caught fire. A third Tesla fire occurred in Mexico after a Model S was stolen, run off the road at high speeds, and through a reinforced concrete wall, tearing off wheels and totaling the car. ALSO SEE: First Tesla Model S Fire...
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2015 Chrysler 200: 36 MPG Highway Tops Fusion, CamryWith highway economy of 36 mpg, the 2015 Chrysler 200 isn't the most fuel-efficient vehicle we've written about recently, but it has an important job to do. The old model, despite being widely loathed by anyone forced to rent one at airport desks around the country, sold in large numbers in the...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model X Was Tougher To Design Than Model S, Musk SaysIf the Roadster was Tesla's early gigging days and the Model S the debut release from a hot new band, the Model X crossover could be considered Tesla's 'difficult second album'. Elon Musk has even hinted so himself, suggesting the car presents "a harder design problem than the Model S". According...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Pedal Update, BMW Diesel Drive, China Coal Use: Today's Car NewsToday on Green CarReports: Tesla's doing well on reservations for its next model, Audi offers renewable energy to recharge its first plug-in hybrid (in Germany, anyway), and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are (still) coming soon. All this and more on Green Car Reports. There may be as many as 13,000...
John Voelcker -
2014 BMW 535d xDrive Diesel Sedan: Fuel Economy Drive ReviewFor 2014, BMW offers diesel engines in its three sedan lines, and now we've spent a long weekend with the mid-size 5-Series sedan fitted with the fuel-efficient engine. Given the depth-of-winter test schedule, its xDrive all-wheel-drive system was very welcome--and almost a necessity for our...
John Voelcker -
Audi A3 e-tron Option: Carbon-Free Recharging (In Germany)One advantage to plug-in electric cars is that they can operate with no carbon footprint if the electricity used to recharge them is generated from renewable sources. Burning liquid fuels, on the other hand, will always generate carbon emissions. Now Audi is offering a way for German buyers of its...
John Voelcker -
While use of coal for generating electricity has started to decline in the U.S., China continues to build coal power plants. With public anger at filthy air bubbling below the surface, and the costs of associated health effects more apparent, the country's government is well aware of the long-term costs. And that's even before factoring in climate change. Two years ago, the Chinese government announced a plan to cap coal consumption through 2015--both to address air pollution and limit its imports of the commodity from Australia and elsewhere. China also raised its target for new solar...
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Toyota i-Road Trials Start In Tokyo: Another Electric Not-Quite-CarToyota is to start real-world consumer trials of its unique i-Road urban electric vehicle in its native Japan. Like its European equivalent, Renault's Twizy, the i-Road aims to combine the comfort and safety of a car with the ease-of-use and convenience of a scooter or motorcycle. While the Twizy...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Tesla Model X Crossover Reservations: 13,000, MaybeFor an electric sedan priced above the reach of many people, sales of the Tesla Model S have been rather impressive so far. That relative popularity should also carry over to the firm's upcoming crossover, the 2015 Tesla Model X. The Tesla Motors Club is tracking Model X reservations, and so far...
Antony Ingram -
Life With Tesla Model S: UPDATE On Pedal Placement ProblemTwo days ago, I described in this article a frightening incident in my Tesla Model S. Approaching a downhill intersection, I inadvertently stepped on both the brake and accelerator pedals simultaneously. The car barely slowed, and it appeared I was headed for a collision with another car...
David Noland -
Nissan Leaf Recall, Tesla Tuner, Honda's Smart Home: Today's Car NewsToday on Green CarReports: A new company wants to be the pre-eminent Tesla tuner, Nissan recalls 29,000 Leaf electric cars to fix an airbag issue, and Honda is in the news not just once, but twice. All this and more on Green Car Reports. France's Renault Zoe electric car won a zero-emission version...
John Voelcker -
2013-2014 Nissan Leaf Electric Cars Recalled For Airbag Sensor IssueNissan Leaf electric cars are being recalled to fix faulty airbag sensor software.
Stephen Edelstein -
The Honda Smart Home represents about 2000 square feet of energy efficient living
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CA's Favorite Cars: Honda Civic For Retail Buyers, Prius Hybrid OverallCalifornia is different from the rest of the United States. And its vehicle mix turns out to be very different too. A simple glance at the state's rainbow of cultures and languages, its record of social and technological innovation, and its varied climates--a five-hour drive takes you from ocean...
John Voelcker -
Lit Motors C1 All-Electric Two-Wheeler Update: Still In Development (Video)Human beings are curious beasts. Tell them something outlandish, even something backed by scientific method, and they'll try and prove it wrong anyway. Non-stick pans? Let's see what I can burn onto it! Unbreakable pen? Yeah, sure. ALSO SEE: Life With Tesla Model S: Is Pedal Placement A Problem?...
Antony Ingram -
Volvo Still Testing Flywheel Energy Capture, Fuel Savings Of 25 PercentWhen hybrid cars first appeared at the end of the 1990s they introduced a new concept to drivers: energy recovery under deceleration and braking. By recuperating a moving car's kinetic energy as it slows down and storing it as electrical energy, it can then be used to help the car speed up again...
Antony Ingram -
Monte Carlo Rally Goes Electric, Renault Zoe Takes VictoryWhether on legs, horses or motor vehicles, mankind has always had an insatiable desire to go quicker than its neighbor. That desire hasn't stopped with the advent of electric vehicles. If anything, it's intensified, given the additional challenge of going further than your competitors on less...
Antony Ingram -
Supercapacitor Sports Car, Electric-Car Roundup, Mazda's Clean Engine: Today's Car NewsToday on Green Car Reports: Lots about electric cars, from a list of all 16 on sale today to a look at how compliance cars are doing. Also, supercapacitors in sports cars, and a Mazda engine that could be as clean as an electric car. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Got a question about...
John Voelcker