Green Car News

  • MINI Rocketman Concept MkII

    When it debuted at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the original MINI Rocketman Concept was quickly embraced for its very MINI mini-ness. It was also speculated to be on its way to production--a rumor that was quickly shot down by BMW, MINI's parent brand. But a MkII version of the concept revealed ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games has rekindled hope that the Rocketman may yet be built. With a 3+1 seating layout, very compact exterior dimensions (about 10 feet long overall) and characteristically MINI-cute design, the Rocketman MkII updates the original's design with a Union Jack color scheme...

  • Infiniti Emerg-E prototype
    Working Infiniti Emerg-E To Tackle Goodwood Hillclimb Later This Month

    For the U.K. automotive industry, the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed is a not-to-miss annual event, culminating in its world-famous hillclimb event. Last year, we saw Nissan’s Leaf Nismo RC all-electric race car tackle the iconic 1.16-mile course, but this year we’ll see...

  • Tesla presentation slide from June, 2012 outlining 'Gen 3' platform variants
    Tesla To Launch New Sedan And Two Crossovers After Model S

    Tesla’s long-awaited Model S is just days from officially hitting the market, although at least one of the electric sedans has already been delivered to a customer. With development on the Model S finally complete, we can now focus on what’s next in the pipeline for Tesla. We know that...

  • 2013 Ford Escape, launched at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nov 2011
    2013 Ford Escape With EcoBoost: On Its Way To Dealers Now

    Fitted with Ford’s latest green engine technology, the 2013 Ford Escape has started to roll off the production line at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky. Starting at $22,470, the compact crossover SUV has undergone a complete redesign for this year, giving it a strong family...

  • 2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive (European version)
    2013 Smart ForTwo Electric Production Starts, Due Q4, 2012

    Earlier this week, Daimler started production of the 2013 Smart ForTwo electric drive at its Hamback, facility in France. The third-generation all-electric Smart ForTwo, the 2013 model is the first electric Smart that will be sold as well as leased. Unlike previous versions, which we felt were...

  • 2012 Scion IQ Streetview Car
    Forget The Prius: 2012 Scion iQ Takes Google Street View Where Other Cars Can’t

    When computer software giant Google first unleashed its camera-equipped Streetview cars in the U.S. to photograph and map her roads, it chose the humble Toyota Prius as its workhorse. That’s fine for modern-day cities with large, multi-lane roads, but in Europe, Google has discovered the...

  • EPA Beyond Tailpipe Emissions Tool

    If you’re looking to buy an electric car, you’re probably familiar with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Fuel Economy website, which lists the gas mileage of every car on sale today along with the miles per gallon equivalent rating for every plug-in car. Unfortunately, the EPA’s MPGe rating isn’t the best way to work out how green your electric car is, but there is another tool you can use from the EPA that can help you figure it out. Hidden away as part of the “Energy And Environment” tab of the EPA’s vehicle comparison tool is a section...

  • 2012 Honda Civic EX
    2012 Honda Civic Models Recalled For Possible Assembly Error

    Honda is recalling 50,190 model year 2012 Civics to inspect and possibly replace the left driveshaft, which may not have been properly assembled.

  • Renault Fluence ZE charging at Better Place charge point in apartment bldg [photo: Brian of London]
    What's The Real Cost of a Better Place Electric Car in Israel?

    Since buying my Better Place Renault Fluence ZE in Israel, I'm frequently asked about the price. I bought the car because I liked the way it drove and thought it would save me money. I had been looking for a new car, but had no intention of buying a green model as such. I was quickly satisfied that...

  • ECOtality Blink charging stations for electric & plug-in cars
    Syracuse Non-Profit Replaces Blink Charging Stations, Sues Ecotality

    Just as those buying an electric car have a choice of several different models to chose from, there are many different charging stations that individuals, businesses and local government can chose to provide convenient electric car charging. But in Syracuse New York, a non-profit organization is...

  • 2012 Buick Regal with eAssist
    2013 Buick Regal Gets eAssist Mild Hybrid As Base Engine To Boost MPG

    The eAssist system may have entered production less than a year ago, but General Motors is clearly making a big bet on the mild hybrid system to help its Buick brand meet rising fuel economy regulations. First offered on the base 2.4-liter engine in the 2012 Buick Lacrosse, the eAssist system was...

  • 2012 Chevrolet Volt
    2012 Chevrolet Volt Owners Help With Peppy Volt Ad Campaign

    Just how do you advertise a plug-in car like the 2012 Chevrolet Volt? In the two years since advertising for General Motors’ first plug-in hybrid started, GM has tried a whole bunch of different tactics. Sadly, to date, very few have been successful, focusing on why you should want a Chevy...

  • Nissan Leaf: Lost Battery Capacity

    Just under a month ago, we reported a few cases in which owners of 2011 Nissan Leafs had noticed the first of twelve lights on their car’s battery capacity gauge had switched off, indicating a marked deterioration in battery capacity after just one year. Now Nissan has released an official statement about cases in which it affirms its belief that the Leaf’s 24-kilowatt hour battery pack will have a long and useful life. In short it says, there is nothing to worry about. Lost capacity A twelve-bar gauge to the right of the battery charge indicator, the battery capacity gauge is...

  • 2011 Saab PhoeniX Concept
    Chinese-Japanese Group To Turn Saab Into Electric-Car Brand

    Last December Saab fans all around the world received the grim news their beloved brand was filing for bankruptcy, despite the best attempts of its then-owner, Swedish Automobile, to find a buyer interested in paying off all of Saab’s outstanding debts and investing in new products. Since...

  • Eaton technologies test day, Marshall, Michigan, Sept 2010
    Job Training For Returning Vets: Installing Electric-Car Chargers

    Industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation, whose automotive business makes superchargers and many other parts, also supplies electric-car charging stations. Under a recent Federal contract, Eaton will provide those charging stations to various Federal locations--and the company is also working to...

  • 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel, 2012 New York Auto Show
    Raw Diesel Fumes Worse Than Second-Hand Smoke, Says W.H.O.

    Diesel cars might get great gas mileage when compared to their gasoline counterparts, but now the World Health Organization has warned that diesel fumes are now known to prove lung cancer. In fact, the W.H.O. says, diesel fumes are more carcinogenic than secondhand cigarette smoke. So dangerous, it...

  • BMW i3 Concept MkII
    First BMW i Store Opens in London, i3 Concept Gets New Interior

    If you’ve ever visited central London in England and visited its famous Hyde Park, the chances are you’ve also seen one of BMW’s most prestigious showrooms, located along the highly-expensive and exclusive Park Lane. Now, weeks ahead of the BMW-sponsored 2012 London Olympic games...

  • Fuel gauge
    New Car Gas Mileage Falls In May, Lower Gas Prices To Blame

    Carmakers may continue to make their cars more fuel efficient year-on-year, but with those models selling in proportionally small numbers, actual gas mileage is climbing at a much slower rate. In fact, gas mileage in new cars actually fell in May, albeit by only 0.1 percent from April, to an...

  • 2012 Mitsubishi i  -  First Drive, U.S.-spec MiEV

    Mitsubishi’s tiny egg-shaped electric car known as the 2012 Mitsubishi i is currently the cheapest electric car you can buy in the U.S. Starting at $29,125 before incentives, the 2012 Mitsubishi i features seating for four adults, a 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack, and an EPA-approved range of 62 miles per charge. According to Consumer Reports however, the very electric car which has worked hard to cure electriphobia just doesn’t have a large enough range to be a useable electric car. The consumer advice organization reached its conclusion after an extended period of ownership...

  • 2012 Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost
    2012 Ford Focus 3-Cylinder: Quick Drive Report

    Downsizing: The car industry's buzzword for both consumers shopping for smaller cars than their previous model, and carmakers equipping their models with smaller, more efficient engines. Both are linked to lowering the cost of driving, but the latter is most interesting from an efficiency...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf winter test
    Nissan’s CO2 Fund Rewards 2012 Leaf Drivers The More They Drive

    Talk to any electric car owner, and it’s likely they’ll tell you how little money they spend on running their plug-in car. For them, the switch to electric pays dividends in saved gas bills, but in Japan, a new scheme by Nissan takes it one step further, allowing electric car drivers to...

  • 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, El Segundo, CA, Nov 2011
    'Strong Case' For Natural-Gas Car Research, National Lab Says

    A government-funded laboratory that helped pioneer the battery technology behind many electric vehicles, including the Chevy Volt, has recently begun to focus on developing technologies to improve natural gas-powered vehicles, in anticipation of government and industry soon seeking to bring...

  • Rotary engine
    Hydrogen, Rotary Range-Extender For Mazda Electric Cars?

    Rotary engines aren't known for their green credentials, but if Mazda's latest plans come to fruition, they may be granted another lease of life. Most frequently seen in Mazda's sports cars over the years, Wankel rotary engines are associated variously with ultra-smooth power, poor fuel economy...

  • 2013 Ford Focus ST
    2013 Ford Focus ST: Mean, Green, With Overboosted Ecoboost

    Can a sporty car also be a green car? And can you add performance boosts to a green engine without making it a gas-guzzler? For thinks the answer is yes. Enter the 2013 Ford Focus ST, the latest in a long-line of motorsport-inspired performance Ford Focus STs, but the first Focus ST to be sold in...

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