Green Car News

The BMW i3 and i8 are both impressive technological exercises, but will anyone actually want to buy them?

Diesel engines and typical American-style commuting conditions are already a great match. Longer daily-driving distances get diesels up to their peak operating temperature—and hopefully out to higher highway speeds, where they return their best fuel economy. In low-speed stop-and-go driving...

This week we dissected Tesla's need for huge amounts of batteries as demand and production of its cars ramps up. Will Tesla run into a battery supply issue? How will the electric-car maker deal with this issue? Also making headlines this week is the possibility of a hybrid Chevrolet Corvette...

Today in car news: Two Honda hybrids, but only one that Americans can buy. Also, Audi feels diesel isn't getting the respect it deserves.

In writing about green, fuel-efficient, and advanced technology cars, it's important to understand who buys them--and why. Volkswagen, for instance, found that diesel and hybrid buyers are separate groups with little crossover. Now Toyota suggests that the supporters of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles...

Audi and corporate parent Volkswagen believe clean diesels are being ignored by government regulations and incentive programs that promote hybrids and pure electric cars.

The official EPA-rated gas mileage figures for the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid are in, and they’re pretty much in line with those released by the automaker back in June. The popular family sedan scores a 50-mpg rating for the city cycle, a 45-mpg rating for the highway and a 47-mpg combined...

Plugging in your electric car to recharge the battery is simple if you have your own garage, carport, or driveway. If you park on the street, it's a little harder; there just aren't that many curbside charging stations yet. So electric-car owners can get very, very resourceful. We said it more than...

Honda's all-new Fit launches today in its home country of Japan, and with it comes the latest version of the Fit Hybrid--with Honda's completely new hybrid drivetrain technology. Where once the Honda Fit Hybrid sold in Japan and Europe used the same mild hybrid Integrated Motor Assist (IMA)...

Sales of the two highest-volume plug-in electric cars soared in August, with both the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf setting all-time monthly sales records. And two Toyota plug-ins set sales records as well. The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid sold more than it has all year, and the low-volume RAV4...

Earlier this year, Tesla Motors founder and CEO announced his intentions for a cross-country Tesla Model S road trip. In the past, such a trip would have been the work of much planning, countless hours charging and multiple stops along the way. But in these days of Model S electric cars and free...

Toyota announced yesterday that it would conduct a voluntary recall of 133,000 Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h crossover utility vehicles. The affected vehicles cover model years 2006 through 2010 for the Highlander, and 2006 through 2008 for the RX. Both vehicles share a platform and use the...

In theory, the silence of electric vehicles makes them perfect for military use. What better for covert operations than a vehicle that generates very little noise? The Canadian military would probably agree. Silent vehicles aren't quite as critical on military bases, but that's where the cost...

What's the best way to persuade people that electric cars are a viable alternative to gasoline cars? Get "butts in seats." And what's one of the largest car-rental markets in the United States? That woud be Orlando, Florida. Now a new initiative, Drive Electric Orlando (DEO), is coordinating rental...

Fans of the Smart Fortwo--and they are out there, if not necessarily in the United States--have been patiently waiting for what seems like an eternity for the next-generation car. But, like an enormous candy bar dangled just out of reach of a child, the company has instead churned out concept after...

The California Legislature has voted to allow drivers of plug-in cars to cruise the state's High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes solo for another six years.

Today's news roundup includes Tesla's new and improved service program, PlugShare's new PlugScore rating system, and some ambitious plans by the UK government.

UK government proposals could extend current tax benefits for electric cars to the end of the decade, with further plans for a full market of ultra-low emission vehicles by 2050. Ministers have suggested the current benefits package could be extended to end the current reluctance of UK drivers to...

Toyota has promised an ever greater range of hybrids over the next few years, to add to its already significant range of 23 hybrid models worldwide. One of those will be the 2015 Lexus NX, a compact crossover showing off the latest in the company's L-finesse design language. This concept, the...

While the quality of gasoline can vary slightly from station to station, you're always pretty sure of the experience you'll get. There's a gas station in most towns, you pump some fuel into your tank, and you're generally there for no more than ten minutes. There's a bit more emphasis on a quality...