Green Car News
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Henrik Fisker, co-founder and executive chairman of electric car company Fisker Automotive, quit the company today. In a statement sent to Autocar and other outlets, Fisker confirmed his resignation from the company bearing his name, citing disagreements over the company's strategy. The statement confirms, "The main reasons for his resignation are several major disagreements that Henrik Fisker has with the Fisker Automotive executive management on the business strategy." Fisker's resignation comes out of the blue, though troubles have been brewing at the company for some time now. The...
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EV Project Tells Us How Drivers Use Electric CarsJust how do electric car owners use their cars? It's the question everyone is trying to answer, as it could shape how electric cars of the future are developed. Virtually every manufacturer with an electric car runs its own field trials or keeps data on its users' driving habits, but the EV Project...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid Set For New York Auto Show Debut2.5 liters doesn't seem like a lot to move a large luxury crossover like the Infiniti QX60, but teamed with a supercharger and hybrid drive system, the 2014 QX60 Hybrid aims to offer both performance and efficiency. The new car will debut at the impending New York Auto Show, and mark the third...
Antony Ingram -
U.S. Biofuels & Ethanol Mandate: More Vulnerable Than Ever Now?Since 2007, U.S. fuel producers have been required by law to include more and more ethanol and other biofuels in their blends. Now, Pike Research suggests, the biofuels mandate enacted as part of the 2007 U.S. Energy Act may be vulnerable to renewed political pressure. Pike notes that the drawbacks...
John Voelcker -
Snail's Teeth Could Help Develop Future Battery Tech--No, ReallyWe often cover the progress of battery technologies here on Green Car Reports, and while always of interest, few new discoveries are really that surprising. The potential of a biomineral found in the teeth of a marine snail isn't one of those unsurprising discoveries. Studies at the University of...
Antony Ingram -
Air Travel Gets Greener: Biofuel Route Opens Between NYC & NetherlandsAir travel is currently the only realistic way of covering huge distances in very short spaces of time. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly green way of doing so either--airliners use large quantities of fossil fuels and emit plenty of pollutants as they whizz you to a far-flung destination...
Antony Ingram -
Two weeks and 600 miles ago, I took delivery of a 60-kWh 2013 Tesla Model S electric sport sedan. I won't dwell on the ear-flattening acceleration, nor the magic-carpet ride and handling, nor the mesmerizing 17-inch touch screen controls. Those features have been exhaustively analyzed and reported by far more expert authorities than I. I'll just say that I was expecting a world-class cutting-edge luxury sport sedan, and that's just what Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] delivered. But there have also been a few things I didn't expect. Here are some of the little surprises--good and bad--that I've...
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Best Diesel Car Of 2013: Cast Your Vote Now!We don't know that 2013 will be seen as the tipping point for the acceptance of diesel-fueled passenger vehicles in the United States. But we're sure of one thing: that tipping point is now closer than ever before. While the list of diesel vehicles currently available in the United States market...
Kurt Ernst -
Nissan Leaf Electric Car Reports Own Battery-Cell Failure Via CarwingsWouldn't it be nice if your car could tell you not just that something was wrong, but that something might be about to go wrong? A Nissan Leaf in Washington state did just that, and owner Rob Greenlee only found out when he got a call from his local dealership asking him to bring it in for a...
John Voelcker -
2015 Volkswagen Golf For U.S.: Preview Of New York Auto ShowThe latest seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf hatchback was formally launched last fall at the Paris Motor Show. It's now on sale in Germany, but the models to be sold in the U.S. will be unveiled for the first time in two weeks, at the New York Auto Show. They'll go on sale during the first half...
John Voelcker -
BMW i3 Electric Car: ReX Range Extender Not For Daily Use?The upcoming 2014 BMW i3 electric car is generating a lot of quiet excitement--especially for its optional "ReX" range extender, a tiny two-cylinder engine that fits under the rear deck to power a generator. The i3 will be only the third high-volume dedicated battery electric car on the market...
John Voelcker -
Jaguar Joins BMW, Other Luxury Makes, In Adding Start-Stop For Fuel Savings (Video)It's taken a while for carmakers to begin fitting stop/start systems to U.S. vehicles, such systems' benefits not really advertised to consumers in a car's EPA numbers. In the real world though, many manufacturers say the systems can save you significant amounts of fuel--particularly if you...
Antony Ingram -
The Renault Zoe is quietly winding its way toward French electric car-enthusiasts, and Renault has launched a new video that shows off some the pint-sized ride's high-tech features.
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Forget Freon: VW Will Use CO2 As Air-Conditioning RefrigerantOne of the prices we pay for discovering new, daily life-enhancing technologies, is occasionally inventing something that turns out to be less than ideal from an environmental perspective. That was true of air conditioning, the refrigerants contained chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Often known under...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model X Electric Crossover Pushed Back A Year To Late 2014Now that Tesla appears to be delivering hundreds of its Model S electric sport sedan each week, public attention inevitably turns to its future. Specifically, the next vehicle it plans to launch, the Model X all-electric crossover utility vehicle--which will offer optional all-wheel drive. But...
John Voelcker -
Toyota i-Road Electric Urban Minicar Swarms The Roads (Video)There's a lot to like about auto shows. Seeing new production models can be truly exciting, and chatting with industry insiders offers new perspectives on the automotive world. But for many folks, the best part of any auto show is the abundance of concept cars. Like haute couture clothing, concept...
Richard Read -
2015 Ford Mustang: Same Power, Fewer Cylinders, Better MPG?A turbocharged four-cylinder version of the next generation of the Ford Mustang, due for the 2015 model year, has been widely reported around the web--but it had been assumed it would be for non-U.S. consumption. That has changed. In fact, it appears that the U.S. may very well get the engine, if a...
Nelson Ireson -
Nissan Replaces Electric-Car Unit Executive To Boost SalesIt's no secret that Nissan hasn't sold as many battery electric cars over the last two years as it had planned. The company just sold its 50,000th Nissan Leaf last month, but it had hoped to sell up to twice that number between the start of production in late 2010 and the end of last year. Now the...
John Voelcker -
Automaker Honda used to be the darling of Consumer Reports, with its models perpetually scoring better than average in CR testing. The 2012 Honda Civic dampened the publication’s enthusiasm for the Honda brand; it was the first Honda Civic we can recall that wasn’t recommended by CR, thanks largely to a redesign rushed to market to cut costs. Now comes word from Consumer Reports that earlier Honda Civic Hybrid models, previously deemed reliable, may suffer from premature high-voltage battery pack failures. As Autoguide explains, the April issue of Consumer Reports contains a look...
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Tesla Wins One In Minnesota: Bill To Ban Its Stores DefeatedLike a lot of news from Tesla, this came in the form of a tweet by CEO Elon Musk on Friday morning. It read, in its entirety, "Minnesota auto dealers tried to pass legislation to block Tesla stores. Bill was just defeated in Senate. Thanks MN!" And indeed, a Minnesota Senate committee voted down...
John Voelcker -
Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz Ponder Tiny Luxury CrossoversOne of the next major growth areas for automakers in the premium arena is the subcompact crossover segment, which currently has only a few players and is experiencing strong growth. The segment is especially popular in emerging markets where buyers enjoy the benefits of traditional SUVs, such as...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
It Took Time To Build Gas Stations Too, Says 97-Year-Old Driver (Video)"I love to drive," says the 97-year-old driver. "And that's, to me, part of my longevity." But Charlie Yaeger is old enough to remember when gas stations were so sparse that drivers had to memorize where every one was located. In a new video issued by Nissan, he draws parallels between that...
John Voelcker -
Diesel Road Trip: Agency Rocks SxSW With 1979 Oldsmobile CoupeNothing like a lime green 34-year-old diesel car to wake you up the morning after you spring forward, is there? Two weeks ago, we wrote about the near-pristine 54,000-mile 1979 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe that popped up for sale on the delightful and quirky Bring A Trailer site. Now, BaT has published an...
John Voelcker -
Despite Pollution, China Still Isn't Committed To Electric CarsThe images have made for grim viewing even if you don't live within the frame: Pictures and details emerging from China earlier this year showed smog on levels not previously recorded. Streets were choked and people were strongly advised to stay indoors, and avoid any sort of activity that might...
Antony Ingram