Green Car News

  • A123 Systems Prismatic Cell

    It's been a rough year for lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems, but the Massachusetts company is forging ahead. This morning, it introduced a new battery technology it calls Nanophosphate EXT, which A123 says can operate at extreme temperatures without requiring the degree of heating or cooling found in today's electric cars to keep the battery pack at the right operating temperature to protect the cells. Most electric and range-extended electric cars today--although not the current Nissan Leaf--have some form of "thermal conditioning," often liquid coolant and radiators, to remove excess...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI
    2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Coupe Pricing Announced

    Volkswagen has announced pricing details for its 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, the only clean diesel vehicle in the compact coupe category. When it goes on sale in August, the Beetle TDI will retail for $23,295 in manual transmission form. With a six-speed DSG twin-clutch automatic, you'll pay $1,100...

  • Abu Dhabi to Dubai electric Superbus
    Superbus Electric 'Sports Bus' Now Road Legal, Ready For UAE

    Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superbus! Buses aren't normally the most exciting method of transport. Though popular in Europe, in the U.S. they're more often regarded as something to be avoided at all costs. Maybe we'd be more keen to ride the bus if it was a Superbus? It looks hugely cool...

  • 2012 Scion iQ, Bear Mountain, NY, May 2012
    Scion iQ Hybrid Possible - Report

    In U.S. trim, the 2012 Scion iQ is capable of delivering fuel economy as high as 36 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. Those numbers are based on the iQ’s 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine, which is the only option for U.S. buyers. European buyers can opt for a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder...

  • 2013 Lexus GS 450h First Drive. [Photos: Antony Ingram]
    2013 Lexus GS 450h: First Drive

    Ever since Lexus launched the RX 400h hybrid SUV in 2005, gasoline-electric hybrids have been an integral part of the Lexus lineup. Cleverly combining performance, luxury and economy, they allow luxury buyers to avoid the compromises that might otherwise be associated with making a luxury vehicle...

  • Eaton CHAdeMO DC quick charging station, Mitsubishi headquarters, Cypress, CA
    Bigger Batteries Key To Better Quick Charging For Electric Cars

    To help make electric cars more palatable for long-distance driving, the 2012 Nissan Leaf SL and 2012 Mitsubishi i can be rapid-charged from empty to 80 percent full in around 30 minutes using specially-designed Chademo rapid charge stations. For those using them, rapid charge stations provide a...

  • 2012 Kia Optima SX Limited

    Thanks to improved designs, lightweight materials, turbochargers, direct injection and even better gearbox design, cars on dealers’ lots today get far better gas mileage than cars made in the past few years. But while buyers are keen to buy the latest generation of green, high-mpg cars, some within the automotive industry are warning that demand of fuel-efficient cars will outstrip supply this summer. According to Automotive News (subscription required), demand for some high-mpg cars is already so high that four automakers are dramatically-increasing production. Interestingly, all are...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt plugged into Coulomb Technologies 240V wall charging unit
    Volt Owners: Here’s Why Your Delayed Charging Failed

    this problem as resulting from high frequency ground currents

  • 2013 Nissan Altima
    2013 Nissan Altima 2.5: First Drive

    The all-new 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 does a surprisingly good job of blending fuel economy, performance, comfort and value in a midsize sedan.

  • TMG EV P0002
    Toyota Enters Electric Car Into Pikes Peak Hill Climb

    This year’s annual Pikes Peak hill climb is shaping up to be something pretty spectacular for electric vehicle fans. After last year’s race, which saw the all-electric Yokohama HER-02 set a new course with a time of 12 minutes and 20 seconds, we’ve seen official entries already...

  • 2011 Audi A2 Concept
    Reports Of Pruned EV Plans At Audi Off The Mark, Says Exec

    Earlier this week a report from the UK’s CAR suggested that Audi had nixed production plans for an electric city car based on its A2 concept. In addition to this, the report went on to claim that plans for a production version of the smaller A1 e-tron concept were also being putting on the...

  • 2013 Nissan Altima
    2013 Nissan Altima: The Most Fuel-Efficient Mid-Size Car You Can Buy

    Featuring some pretty nifty fuel-saving technology, like its redesigned continuously variable transmission and Easy Fill Tire Alert System, the 2013 Nissan Altima has always promised to be a green car. But now it’s official: according to the EPA, the 2013 Nissan Altima is the most...

  • 2012 Fisker Karma during road test, Los Angeles, Feb 2012

    Yesterday, Fisker Automotive, makers of the super-sexy 2012 Karma plug-in hybrid sports car, announced that it had just signed its 80th independent dealer. But Fisker’s 80th dealer, Fisker of Scottsdale, Arizona, isn’t owned by a local independent dealer chain. It’s owned by Penske Automotive. One of the largest and best known auto dealers in the world, Penske Automotive is a Fortune 500 company with approximately 16,000 employees. Around the world, it runs 336 different automotive franchises from 42 different brands, covering everything from everyday car brands like Toyota...

  • Tesla Motors gallery in Houston Galleria, opened October 2011, with Model S on display
    Tesla Faces Dealer Opposition To Opening New Store In MA

    This week has been a pretty good one for Californian automaker Tesla: it has shipped its first two production 2012 Model S sedans, announced a 45-day tour, and even sold out of its 2013 Model S Signature Edition sedans. But in Massachusetts, the luxury car maker faces an uphill struggle to open a...

  • Zipcar Facebook app
    Renting By The Hours: Enterprise Follows Zipcar, Hertz

    Zipcar, it appears, has uncovered a niche that’s no longer ignorable by large rental car firms scrambling for market share and sales growth. Hourly car rentals have grown into an estimated $1.8 billion business in the U.S., which represents nearly six-percent of the $30.5 billion U.S. rental...

  • 2012 Nissan Leaf Taxi in Sao Paulo
    2012 Nissan Leaf Becomes A Taxi In Sao Paulo City

    It’s the largest city in Brazil, and the world’s seventh largest city by population, but now Sao Paulo can claim another first: it’s one of the few cities in the world where you can hail a Nissan Leaf electric taxi cab. Part of a pilot program between Sao Paul Municipality, the...

  • 2012 Chevy Cruze Weather Testing
    Could You Storm-Chase In A 2012 Chevy Cruze? Yes, But...

    Be honest: unless you’re a storm chaser, the chances are you don’t shop for a new car based on its capabilities in heavy storms. But as part of its latest advertising efforts to promote the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors wants you to know that the compact sedan can take everything...

  • 2009 Audi R8 E-Tron Concept
    Audi R8 e-tron Spy Video: All-Electric Supercar On The Road!

    Later this year Audi will start selling its first model to bear an “e-tron” badge, the eagerly anticipated R8 e-tron all-electric supercar. A prototype of the car was recently spotted at the Nürburgring race track in Germany and our sister site Motor Authority has just posted a...

  • 2012 Scion iQ, Bear Mountain, NY, May 2012

    Traditionally, people shopped for cars based on features, size and body style. For example, if you wanted a mid-size sedan, your test-drive list was likely to be nothing but mid-size sedans. But with gas mileage becoming the number one priority for new car buyers, cars you wouldn’t expect to compete with one another start to. Which is why we’ve chosen to pit the 2012 Scion IQ minicar and 2012 Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe against each other. WIth a combined gas mileage of 37 mpg, both cars should cost the same to run, but which is best for you? Read on to find out. The basics The 2012...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Volt
    2013 Chevy Volt Gets 38-Mile Electric Range, Higher 98-MPGe Rating

    It may be hard to imagine, but the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car is about to enter its third model year. The new 2013 Chevrolet Volt will offer a slightly higher all-electric range, up from 35 to 38 miles. Its base price of $39,995 will not change. Next year's Volt will also receive a...

  • 2012 Honda Insight EX with Navigation
    2012 Honda Insight: The Overlooked Subcompact Hybrid Choice?

    With four different Prius models and two non-prius hybrids now for sale in the U.S., it’s easy to go straight to a Toyota dealership when you’re looking for a hybrid car. As we’ve pointed out before, however, there are plenty of other great hybrid choices on the market worthy of...

  • ZAP Xebra Sedan
    2008 Zap Xebra Electric Motorcycle Recalled (Again)

    Back in 2009, we told you about the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall of the 2008 Zap Xebra three-wheeled electric motorcycle. At the time, the NHTSA said the recall was to rectify an excessively long braking distance, which U.S. electric vehicle vendor Zap and the...

  • Aluminum Cubed [Image by Flickr user jpeepz]
    Far-Out Tech Department: Fuel Your Future Car With...Aluminum?

    You can virtually throw a stone these days and hit someone developing a "fuel of the future", but some do appear to show more promise than others. Many options for future transportation have their disadvantages, but Alchemy Research believes there's one option that could solve several of our fuel...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
    Will Chevy Follow Ford And Offer V-6 Full Size Pickups To Meet MPG Rules?

    Just like cars, pickup trucks are under increasing legislative pressure to offer more efficient, higher gas-mileage options to buyers. For Ford, that’s meant offering its popular F150 full-size pickup truck with a V-6 EcoBoost engine to help gas mileage as well as reinstating a standard V-6...

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