Green Car News
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"We have not yet fully accepted the fact that we need a new car. Some call it denial. But we do need one." That's how our friend Gordon Platt began a note asking our advice on what cars he should consider as he sets out to replace the family's aging 2003 Toyota Sienna minivan. "What are your suggestions for a car with a lot of space (need not be a mini van), good mileage (ideally, "greenish") and relatively affordable?" The first step was to ask Gordon a few standard questions about how the family really uses their car, plus any likes or dislikes. Our questions are in bold, his responses are...
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BREAKING: BBC Top Gear Caught Filming Latest Electric Car ‘Stunt’Uh-Ho. Despite being embroiled in a sordid libel court-case with californian electric car maker Tesla Motors for false representation of its $109,000 sexy all-electric sportscar. the BBC’s Top Gear program has just been spied in Lincoln, England - filming its latest electric car escapade. The...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Top Gear: Doing Another Silly, Deceptive Electric-Car Stunt?Uh oh, here we go again. Or not? The crew of the British car show Top Gear have been spotted in the British town of Lincoln, traveling in a pair of electric cars, the 2011 Nissan Leaf and a Peugeot iOn (which will be sold in the States as the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i'). Hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James...
John Voelcker -
Feds To Mandate Up To 62 MPG By 2025; What Does It Mean For You?Two days ago, the NHTSA said that it would require annual gas-mileage improvements of somewhere between 2 and 7 percent each year between 2017 and 2025. Corporate average fuel economy requirements have already been set through 2016, an action facilitated by the Obama Administration soon after...
John Voelcker -
5 Reasons Why You’ll Want the 2011 Nissan Leaf Software UpdateRecalls, whether mandated by law or entered into voluntarily by an automaker are part of modern day car buying. Often car owners ignore the advice of the automaker for non-safety related recalls and updates such as the recent 2011 Nissan Leaf software update to rectify a software fault which could...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Behind The Scenes At Audi e-tron Electric Car Development CenterAs we reportedly recently, the next-generation of super sports cars won’t be nitrous-snorting, quad-turbocharged, gas swilling beasts, but rather they will offer ultra-high mileage and in some cases no emissions whatsoever. Yes, they will still be stupendously fast, but almost all will come...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In the United States we have become comfortable with our large cars, even larger SUVs and we have further assumed that we would always have inexpensive fuel and freeways to speed comfortably between cities. In the last 20 years however, the assumptions of the optimistic 1950's have started to conflict of environmental responsibility, economic reality and increasingly recognized limits on boundless consumption. But not everyone wants to drive in an economical way, promting us to ask what society can do to encourage road users to be more green? Do we use the threat of fines and citations for...
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Sun Shines on GM’s New Solar Panels at Chevy Volt FactoryYou hardly need us to tell you that there’s been an ongoing race to become the king of plug-in vehicles between Nissan and General Motors ever since the two firms launched their 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt. But with both cars battling it out on the forecourt both firms can worry...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Concepts To Make Electric Cars Cool: VW Bulli, Nissan EsflowThe 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March brought a number of new models out of the closet. But for the green car fan, two concepts were the gems of the show: the return of the legendary Volkswagen Microbus, and an electric sports car from Nissan that just might be affordable. Bulli for the Microbus The...
George Parrott -
Bow Tie or Blue Oval: Camaro Out Paces Mustang Sales In 2011When it comes to performance cars there is always competition; you might be thinking the competition is mostly on the street or at the track, but there is another place that competition is ramped. The Office. And by office we mean the sales floor. Neither Chevrolet or Ford would come right out and...
Jonathan McGrew -
Forget The Prius, Renault Cannes Chauffeur Celebrities TooFor most Hollywood A-List celebrities the choice of how to arrive at premieres and film festivals has been almost as big a decision as what to wear. Now Hollywood A-list celebrities have one less thing to worry about courtesy of French automaker Renault, which is providing ten of its all-electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
First Drive Report: Delta Motorsport E-4 Electric CoupeOn Monday we showed you the first pictures of the Delta E-4 Electric Coupe, an all-electric sports car designed and built by Delta Motorsport. Now it’s time to bring you our very own first person report from behind the wheel at the iconic Silverstone racetrack, home to the British Grand Prix...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Cars that consume less fuel have many benefits, including lower gasoline costs. Now it turns out that they also bring significant public-health benefits, reducing health-care costs and premature deaths from cardiopulmonary causes. The challenge is that the costs and benefits aren't equally spread. The American Lung Association released a report on Tuesday that shows significantly cleaner cars could save as many as 400 lives not lost to respiratory-related causes, and eliminate as many as 8,075 asthma attacks per year. Previous reports have suggested a disconnect between political support for...
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2012 Ford Focus Electric Edges Closer To Production With New MicrositeThe 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt had better watch out. The Blue Oval’s contender in the zero-emissions segment, the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus Electric, is edging closer to production. This week it gained a new microsite on the official Ford website. We already had a look at the car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2012 Honda Civic: Two-Minute Video Review Of New SedanWith gas prices topping $4 a gallon and a slew of brand-new models on the market, the compact car class has never been more competitive. For several years, the highest-selling model to actual retail buyers (after you take out rental cars and other fleets) has been the well-known and much-loved...
John Voelcker -
Electric Cars Tested in Antarctica For Ultimate Cold Weather TestIt’s a well-known fact that just like humans, electric cars work best in temperate climates. But what is the coldest temperature an electric car needs to be operational in? And just how do you test that? While we’ve proven that cars like the 2011 Tesla Roadster can more than adequately...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Saving Gas By Driving Slower: What You Need To KnowAs well as the "What kind of car should I buy?" questions, we're suddenly getting a lot of questions about driving techniques to save gas. Shouldn't be surprising; the average cost of a gallon of gasoline passed $4 this week. But one of the most confusing areas of gas saving turns out to be speed...
John Voelcker -
Porsche Boxster E: Dipping a Toe In the Electric Sports Car ArenaWhen we look towards the future what do we see? Well, it might not be the flying cars of the “Jetson’s” or “Back to the Future II,” but it certainly does seem to have the presence of the electric vehicle (EV). We figure ten years from now range anxiety is going to mean...
Jonathan McGrew -
Saab's new deal with a fledgling Chinese automaker doesn't just mean a lifeline for the struggling Swedish automaker; it could over the longer term become a much-needed powertrain supplier—especially in the area of clean diesels. Through the deal that's almost finalized, Hawtai Motor Group (which has been building vehicles, mostly off older Hyundai designs, for less than a decade) will purchase a nearly 30-percent share in Saab for about 150 million euros, or about $215 million. Victor Muller, CEO of Saab's owner, Spyker Cars, says that the two brands are quite close in size and can...
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2011 Kia Optima Hybrid To Cost $26,500, Less Than Camry, Fusion HybridsKia has announced that its 2011 Optima Hybrid midsize sedan will carry a starting price of $26,500 when it arrives at dealers in June. (That price does not include a mandatory $750 destination fee.) The car is the first-ever hybrid electric vehicle from the Korean carmaker, which is owned by...
John Voelcker -
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid: Multi-Day Drive ReviewThe 2012 Honda Civic range, launched at last month's New York Auto Show, includes two models devoted to wringing out as many miles as possible from every last drop of gasoline. The one with the highest gas mileage is the 2012 Civic Hybrid, rated by the EPA at 44 mpg on all three test cycles: city...
John Voelcker -
Ford Steps Closer to 2012 Focus Electric Launch With New WebsiteIt might seem a long while since Ford unveiled its 2012 all-electric Ford Focus at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, but in reality we’ve only known about Ford’s five seat electric hatchback for four months. But with the car due to launch some time before the end...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Will Japanese Power Problems Mean Fewer 2011 Toyota Prius Cars?World supplies of the highly popular Toyota Prius hybrid could be further threatened by new electric power problems in Japan. The Japanese government requested on Friday, May 6, that the Hamaoka nuclear power plant system shut down all of its reactors, which supply to the central Japanese power...
George Parrott -
San Francisco Will Juice Your Electric Car For FreeThe city of San Francisco, California, will install electric vehicle charging stations in publicly-owned garages and at San Francisco International Airport by the end of the year that drivers can use for free until 2013. The plan involves dropping around 90 charging stations across the city in the...
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