Green Car News
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All good things must come to an end--and it seems that applies to free DC quick-charging for electric cars along the Northwest's innovative Electric Highway. For the past year or more, the CHAdeMO quick-charging stations in Oregon and Washington states have offered free recharging under the introductory phase of the plan that funded them. MORE: Is There Any Business Model For Public Electric-Car Charging? Plug-In 2013 Report As of April 1, however, electric-car drivers will have to pay to quick-charge their cars at the 12 stations within Washington state, which are used more than 1,000 times...
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2015 Ford Expedition EcoBoost: Giant SUV Gets Smaller EngineThe 2015 Ford Expedition full-size SUV will be offered exclusively with a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW's Toughest Task: Training Its Dealers On i3 Electric CarEarly adopters, ecology-minded citizens and, increasingly, drivers who want very low running costs are now buying plug-in electric cars. That much we know. But many have reported frustrations at the dealership, from a lack of interest to salespeople who actively steer them away from electrics...
John Voelcker -
GM Pickups To Have Aluminum Bodies Too, But Four Years Behind FordIt's long been known that aluminum is an effective way of reducing the weight of vehicles, but Ford's adoption of the metal for its 2015 F-150 truck has finally spurred others into action in the pickup class too. General Motors has recently secured contracts with aluminum suppliers Alcoa and...
Antony Ingram -
What Do Tesla, Cadillac, Hyundai Have In Common? Owner Love!These three disparate brands are the most-loved among U.S. car buyers, a new study says.
Stephen Edelstein -
Better Batteries, Fisker Karma Production, Compressed-Air Hybrids: Today's Car NewsFisker and Peugeot make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Those states that ban electric-car startup Tesla Motors from opening stores and selling cars online--including Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Virginia--turn out to have a bunch of other really dumb laws on their books too.
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India Sets Fuel-Economy Rules; Could They Stem Rise Of SUVs?India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency has proposed increasing fleet-average fuel economy 14 percent in 2016.
Stephen Edelstein -
Rinspeed XchangE Concept: Tarted-Up Automonous Tesla At Geneva Motor ShowOne of the highlights of the annual Geneva Motor Show--whether technologically or simply for amusement value--is seeing what Swiss automaker Rinspeed has chosen to unveil. For decades the firm has churned out all manner of weird and wonderful vehicles, from submarines based on the Lotus Elise to...
Antony Ingram -
Gas Mileage During Dealership Test Drives: Mostly MeaninglessYou've read the reviews, and it's finally time: You're off to the dealer to replace your old car with a new, much more fuel-efficient vehicle. But then you get to the dealer, and during your test drive, you notice that the gas mileage shown on the car's display is nowhere near the EPA rating...
John Voelcker -
New Owner Wants To Restart Fisker Karma Production, ASAPIf all goes according to schedule, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Kevin Gross will rule today on whether the assets from bankrupt Fisker Automotive will be sold to Wanxiang, China's largest auto-parts maker. That company submitted the winning bid of $149 million for the remains of Fisker in an auction that...
John Voelcker -
Compressed-Air Hybrid Tech: Peugeot To Offer In 2016 On SubcompactsLast year French automaker PSA Peugeot-Citroen launched a whole new take on the hybrid system: Hybrid Air. While previous air-powered cars have had little more substance than the air that drives them along, the French carmaker's system is set to appear in actual Peugeot production cars over the...
Antony Ingram -
Three large global companies--Bosch, GS Yuasa, and Mitsubishi--have announced a joint venture to improve development of the next generation of batteries for electric vehicles. The group's aim is to double energy capacity, helping electric cars become truly mass-market in the next decade. Today, electric cars are still held back by existing battery technology to some extent. DON'T MISS: Dumb Laws From States Banning Tesla Sales The majority of EVs currently on sale provide a range of 70 to 100 miles. In reality, that's sufficient for the majority of journeys for most drivers, but it's still...
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Fisker Sold, Tesla And Apple, Diesel Crossovers: Today's Car NewsFisker and Tesla make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Opel's New 3-Cylinder Engine May Preview Volt's Next Range-ExtenderIt's been expected for some time that the next generation Chevrolet Volt could use a smaller, more efficient and likely three-cylinder power unit as its range-extending engine. Now, we may be getting our first glimpse of that engine, in a more conventional installation than last year's Opel Monza...
Antony Ingram -
Did Apple Discuss Buying Tesla With Elon Musk Last Fall?On Wednesday, Tesla will report its full-year financial results for 2013, a year in which it seems to have sold more than 20,000 Model S electric luxury sedans. It's an impressive figure for the startup electric automaker, and enough to make you wonder what Tesla could achieve with one of the...
Antony Ingram -
Are New, Smaller, Higher-Mileage Engines Less Reliable?For the first time in over 15 years, increased engine and transmission problems in 2011 model year cars have contributed to a decline in vehicle dependability in J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study. Ordinarily you might put this down to the luck of the draw--an occasional drop is almost...
Antony Ingram -
World's First Entirely Renewable-Energy Place: Wind-Swept Scottish IslandThe island of Eigg plans to become the first in the world to become self-sufficient on renewable energy.
Stephen Edelstein -
The assets of bankrupt Fisker Automotive were sold to Wanxiang America at the close of an auction in Delaware bankruptcy court that lasted more than two days and lasted 19 rounds. Bloomberg reports that the Chinese company paid a total of $149.2 million for the company, or six times the price of $25 million first offered by unsuccessful bidder Hybrid Tech Holdings, whose opening bid was $55 million as the auction began. MORE: Who's Still Buying Brand-New Fisker Karmas, And Why? Winning bidder Wanxiang is China's largest auto-parts group. It also owns A123 Systems, the lithium-ion cell maker...
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2014 Toyota Corolla Eco, Selling Electric Cars, Nissan Leaf Carbon Footprint: Today's Car NewsNissan and Toyota make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Toyota Corolla Eco LE: Gas Mileage Test DriveThe Toyota Corolla has long been the best-selling compact sedan in the U.S., and the all-new 2014 Corolla is a considerable advance over the aged, grim, unexciting model it replaced. We recently tested the most fuel-efficient model, the Corolla Eco, over our usual test route of about two-thirds...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Electric Car Versus ... Ford Model T? A History LessonWell, give Car and Driver points for high concept: In picking a car to test against a 2013 Tesla Model S luxury electric sedan, the magazine chose...a 1915 Ford Model T. Yep, the most advanced, most talked-about battery-electric vehicle on the planet was pitted against the car that put the world on...
John Voelcker -
New Renault Twingo Previews Next Smart ForTwoCar companies aren't in the habit of persisting with loss-making enterprises, so it's a surprise that Daimler has continued with its Smart city car brand as long as it has. Perhaps the next generation will fare better than previous models, thanks to a tie-up with French automaker Renault. We've now...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Nissan Leaf Has Lowest Lifetime Carbon Footprint: ReportWhich new vehicle sold today has the lowest overall carbon footprint over its lifetime? The answer, according to Automotive Science Group (via InsideEVs), turns out to be the Nissan Leaf battery-electric car. In a study to be released this spring, The Automotive Peformance Index: Redefining Value...
John Voelcker