Green Car News
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When Chevrolet was engineering the Volt range-extended electric car, it gave the car a battery just big enough for 40-50 miles of electric range. GM did this because it reasoned that this electric range would be most effective for most drivers--covering the average commute on electricity alone. That two thirds of Volt miles are all-electric proves the concept works. Now, another survey has emerged confirming that the average electric car really can meet the needs of the average American consumer--they just don't realize it yet. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has found that 42 percent...
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Mahindra Reva e2o: Living With India's Most Modern Electric CarIn just three years or so, the number of plug-in cars on U.S. roads has gone from just a few thousand to over 160,000 units, with over a dozen different models available to consumers. In India though, electric car sales are much smaller--despite a population of over 1.2 billion. And just one single...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Honda Fit, Envia Collapse, Real-Life Slot Cars: Today's Car NewsClick the links for stories on Honda, Envia, and Tesla.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric-Car Maker Tesla Is The Highest-Trending Car Brand On GoogleFor any new company, creating recognition of its product and its branding is one of the most difficult things to achieve. If internet search terms are to be believed--and as a mark of how much people are trying to find out about something, they're pretty important--Tesla Motors has certainly...
Antony Ingram -
Ad Turns Electric Car Into Slot Car, With The Help Of CGITwo Renault Zoe "slot cars" race through London in a new ad.
Stephen Edelstein -
Collapse of Battery Startup Envia: What Really HappenedThe race to find battery technologies of the future is not one without casualties. The trail left behind Envia, one of the most promising battery startups in recent years, has left something more akin to a warzone--and even huge companies like General Motors have taken shrapnel during their...
Antony Ingram -
The Honda Fit has always been a little different from other small cars. A little more zing, a dash more space inside and a much smarter interior layout than most. The new 2015 model looks set to continue those trends, but we'll know for sure from January as that's when the car will make its U.S. debut, at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. Honda says the new Fit will "showcase significant advancements designed to further extend Fit's status as the benchmark vehicle in the subcompact-car class", which means further refinements to its clever interior and a new powertrain. Touted under Honda's 'Earth...
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Life With Tesla Model S: Battery Upgrade From 60 kWh To 85 kWhA recent 1,200-mile East Coast road trip in my 2013 Tesla Model S electric car proved to be something of a turning point in my view of the car. Fitted with the smaller 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack, my car's EPA range of 208 miles was not quite enough to make it between Superchargers--Tesla's...
David Noland -
Tesla Fire Dispute, Magnesium Cars, VW Tiguan TDI Driven: Today's Car NewsTesla Motors, Subaru, and Mazda make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Gasoline Cars To Remain Dominant In 2040, Energy Agency SaysCars running on gasoline have been with us for almost 140 years, and diesels for almost 80 years. More than 1 billion vehicles on the planet use those fuels today. So the view that liquid hydrocarbon fuels are on their way out requires taking a rather long view. Now we have one estimate of a...
John Voelcker -
Will There Be Another Electric Mini E Within A Few Years?Back in 2009, the MINI E electric car was BMW's very first attempt at building a battery-electric vehicle. The fleet of several hundred electric MINIs was leased out to volunteer test drivers in the U.S., Europe, China, and the U.K. to let the company gather data on how drivers used plug-in cars in...
John Voelcker -
Ohio Car Dealers Sue To Block Tesla From Selling Cars In The StateWith legislation defeated, Ohio car dealers are turning to the courts to block Tesla's company-owned stores.
Stephen Edelstein -
The Toyota Prius was named 'Best New-Car Value" by Consumer Reports.
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Tesla, Irvine Fire Dept Disagree Over Cause Of Garage FireAuthorities are currently investigating the causes of a fire in a garage in Southern California that contained a Tesla Model S. While the actual cause of the fire remains undetermined, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] and the Orange County Fire Authority are publicly disputing possible causes, thought to...
Antony Ingram -
Magnesium The Next Material For Lighter, More Efficient CarsA car's mass affects virtually every aspect of its performance, handling and efficiency, and reducing it has become an all-encompassing pursuit for carmakers aiming to meet tough new fuel economy targets. High-strength steels, aluminum and even carbon fiber are now widely used, but the industry is...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Tiguan TDI: Forbidden Fruit Drive ReportIt seems to be the season for diesel compact crossovers. Since September, we've driven the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK 250 BlueTEC and the new 2014 Audi Q5 TDI. Now we've added some forbidden fruit to that list: the European-market diesel version of the Volkswagen Tiguan, sold in North America only with...
John Voelcker -
Aviation Biofuels, Tesla Production Ramp-Up, Samsung Electric Cars: Today's Car NewsFord, Samsung, and Tesla make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein -
Samsung To Make Electric Cars As Well As Smartphones, Etc.?Recent patent filings from Samsung include important electric-car technologies.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is gearing up for increased production over the next few years with the aid of healthy tax breaks from its home state of California. It'll save the company as much as $34.7 million on the purchase of $415 million of new manufacturing equipment, says SFGate--and would allow Tesla to expand annual production by 35,000 vehicles. ALSO SEE: Life With Tesla Model S East-Coast Road Trip The company is currently on track to build 21,500 Model S sedans this year, so the new equipment would help expand Tesla's limits well beyond its current production capacity. It's worth...
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Will Biofuels Do Better In Aviation Than Anywhere Else?Given how familiar most of us are with cars, it's easy to see them as the be-all and end-all when it comes to cleaning up transportation. Reduce fossil fuels, increase electric propulsion, increase use of biofuels, job done. With over a billion cars on roads around the world improving them is...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan BladeGlider Electric Sports Car Puts Efficiency, Fun FirstNissan is still making all the right noises over one of 2013's most exciting concept vehicles, the BladeGlider electric sports car. Despite looking like nothing else on the roads and very much the sort of car that's often forgotten about once its auto show debut has passed, the company still says...
Antony Ingram -
Ford: Predictive Logic Can Boost Cruise-Control MPG 5 PercentCruise control is an American driving staple. We use it on long road trips to reduce fatigue. And with the advent of adaptive cruise control systems, we're even using it on parts of our commutes, and during traffic-jammed holiday weekend slogs. For the most part, cruise control can save a lot of...
Bengt Halvorson -
2014 Cadillac ELR Luxury Electric Coupe: Now En Route To DealersThe 2014 Cadillac ELR is now shipping to dealers.
Stephen Edelstein -
Jeep Hybrids, Audi R8 e-tron Resurrection, Electric Cars In Winter: Today's Car NewsHybrid Jeeps and electric Audis make headlines today.
Stephen Edelstein