Green Car News

  • 101 Ways to Hide a 2011 Chevy Volt

    Just how do you hide a 2011 Chevrolet Volt? In a Cave? Under a bridge? Switch badges with a Prius? Hide it in an oil refinery? How about the planet Dagobah? These are just some of the tongue-in cheek methods being suggested by Chevrolet Volt owners nationwide to help the 2011 Chevrolet Customer Advisory Board (CAB) members hide their much-loved cars from being taken back as the CAB trail ends. Spearheaded by certain suspicious Californian members of the CAB (who may or may not have been on the initial sales team for GM’s legendary EV1 electric car), pictures have appeared online of...

  • 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
    2011 Smart Electric Drive: Will Fewer Dealers Cut Electric-Car Access?

    Yesterday we heard the news that Mercedes-Benz will take over Smart car distribution in the United States from Penske Automotive Group. The independent dealer network had started distributing the Smart ForTwo in 2008 with a total of 77 dealers nationwide. But with Mercedes-Benz only taking-over...

  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adminstrator Lisa Jackson and President Barack Obama
    Obama Budget Kills Clean-Diesel Retrofit, Fuel-Cell Funding

    The budget that will be submitted to Congress on Monday by President Barack Obama contains cuts for two clean-vehicle programs: retrofits that reduce diesel emissions from heavy trucks and other commercial vehicles, and research funds for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Whether those cuts will survive...

  • 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI
    NHTSA Investigates 2009, 2010 VW, Audi TDI Diesel Fuel Pumps

    Got a 2009 or 2010 Volkswagen Golf or Jetta with the TDI clean diesel engine? Or an Audi A3 TDI? Ever had the engine stall unexpectedly? If so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration might like to hear from you. The NHTSA announced Friday on its website that it is upgrading an...

  • Milan's Tesla Store Opens up
    Tesla Launches New Stores, Pulls Out of Singapore

    It’s no secret that the stereotypical Italian sports car is fast, fiery and molto fortissimo. But fans of fast sports cars now have a new sports car to lust after with the official launch of Tesla Motor’s first Italian store. Situated in the heart of Milan’s upper class fashion...

  • Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid prototype, tested in November 2010
    California To Be Biggest U.S. Market For Plug-In Cars, Says Study

    California is already viewed as one of the most progressive states towards the adoption of mainstream electric cars. Now, a new study has confirmed what may have seemed obvious: It is likely to be the biggest market in the U.S. for a new generation of electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The study...

  • Will Kids' Seats Fit in the 2011 Nissan Leaf?

    For those who don’t know or have forgotten, the name for Nissan’s first mass-produced electric car is an acronym: Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car. But is the 2011 Nissan Leaf really a family-friendly car? When examining a car for suitability for a family there are a fair few prerequisites. As our colleagues over at FamilyCarGuide will tell you, a good family car needs to have the right mix of practicality, flexibility, safety and affordability. School Runs, Grocery Trips Admittedly it only has an EPA rated range of 70 miles between charges, but the 2011...

  • Jens Kratholm's Valentine's day gift
    Does YOUR Valentine's Day Gift Plug In? This Tesla Does

    Okay, let's get the schoolyard jokes about buying your female companion a motorised whirring gift for valentine's day. We know you have a much more sophisticated set of tates than that. But how do you buy your partner an exciting, fast, luxurious gift bound to get her blood pumping without...

  • 2011 Smart ForTwo with 'Heartthrob' Valentine's Day car wrap
    Valentine's Day Idea: Wrap Your Car In Hearts And Love

    Suppose your beloved walked into the garage this morning and found the car covered in pink hearts and declarations of love. That'd be a pretty impressive Valentine's Day gift, right? Well, start your planning for next year, 'cause this one will take more than a last-minute dash to the florist and...

  • 2009 MINI Coupe and Roadster Concepts
    Mini MINIs Spotted Looking Ready For Production

    MINI is always up for something new, especially when it comes to adding more people to the MINI community. Back in 2009 at the Frankfurt Auto Show we saw a coupe and roaster version of the popular MINI Cooper unveiled. At the time there was no confirmation as to whether this shortened Coopers would...

  • 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder
    Porsche Goes Electric with e-Boxster Test Mini Fleet

    Ask most consumers to describe a Porsche and they’ll describe the classic Porsche Boxster: a rear-wheel drive, mid or rear-engined car designed for the driving enthusiast rather than the casual commuter. Large, noisy engines have always been a prerequisite. Until now. We heard last summer...

  • BMW ActiveE
    BMW Releases More Details, Photos Of ActiveE Electric Car

    The BMW ActiveE, first unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, is BMW's second attempt at an all-electric vehicle. It follows the not-very-pleasant Mini E, of which 600 examples were tested in the U.S. and Europe during 2009 and 2010. Ahead of the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, BMW has now released...

  • Gas pump

    It's always good to hear the arguments against electric cars. Some are valid, some are idiotic, and some simply betray a lack of knowledge about how the auto industry really works. Into that last category may go some comments by one William M. Colton, ExxonMobil’s vice president for corporate strategic planning. At least 10 years away In an interview with The New York Times, he commented that electric-car batteries were "not ready for prime time," that a breakthrough to make electric cars practical wouldn't come for at least 10 years, and that gasoline's much greater energy density...

  • Five Axis Lexus CT 200h
    Lexus Appeals To Tuner Scene With Project CT Hybrid Hot Hatch

    Lexus has gone to great lengths to emphasize the sportiness of its upcoming hybrid hatchback, the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h. After previewing an F-Sport endowed concept version of the car at last year’s Sydney Motor Show, Lexus has now used this week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show to present a...

  • 2011 Nissan Juke in New York's Catskill Mountains, January 2011
    Nissan Gives Waiting UK Buyers Loaner Cars, But Not For Leaf

    If you’re one of the many expectant 2011 Nissan Leaf owners around the world what we’re about to tell you may make you feel a little sick. While Nissan obviously struggles to meet consumer demand for its all-electric hatchback, company executives in Europe are offering those waiting for...

  • 2010 Dodge Ram 3500
    Ram Pickup Trucks To Get Natural-Gas Option For V-8 Engines?

    The head of Chrysler's Ram truck brand, Fred Diaz, said at the Chicago Auto Show this week that the company is exploring the addition of natural-gas powered engines to its line of V-8 engined Ram trucks (formerly Dodge Ram). “I'm eager and very interested to see what we can do with CNG in our...

  • 2012 Ford Focus Electric
    Ford Focus Electric: Plug-In To the Most Maintenance-Free Ford Yet

    Anyone that has owned a car knows about maintenance. Some people take their cars in for what the industry calls “regularly scheduled” maintenance and others might wait until something goes wrong—the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it motto. Ford is enticing consumers with...

  • 2012 Ford Focus Electric
    2012 Ford Focus Electric: All The Parts It Doesn't Have...

    A few days ago we told you what you needed to know about Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt servicing. After all, an electric car doesn't have many of the serviceable components you associate with a fossil-fuelled vehicle. Not one to be left out, Ford are now extolling the virtues of simple servicing...

  • Wrecked Toyota Prius owned by Elizabeth James, photo by Ted James, from Houston Press

    Let's recap. After 18 months, recalls totaling 9 million Toyota, Lexus, and Pontiac models, and investigations by Toyota, Congress, NASA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unit ... what have we learned? (1) A few accelerator pedals did stick open, for one of two very different reasons. First, some dealers or owners fitted unapproved floor mats that were too thick, which could prevent the accelerator from returning to its usual position. In the case of the horrifying and highly publicized crash of a Lexus that sped along a...

  • 2012 Ford Focus
    Did Hyundai Elantra Ad Make Ford Stretch Focus Leg-Room Claim?

    We're eagerly looking forward to driving the 2012 Ford Focus. It's won raves in reviews--including the first-drive report on TheCarConnection--and been the subject of downright fawning coverage in Detroit media. It has many unique features and options for a compact car, from Ford's excellent...

  • 03crash_large.jpg
    Could Your Electric Car Insurance Be Higher Than You Expect?

    Arranging insurance for your new car is always a stressful and unpleasant business. Often overlooked, it has a direct impact on your driving habits and your pocket book. But unlike gasoline cars, electric cars are not yet fully known by the insurance industry, causing some potential headaches for...

  • 2011 BMW Vision ConnectedDrive Concept
    BMW Reveals All-Electric Vision ConnectedDrive Concept

    BMW is going to great lengths to show that electric cars can look good as well as just being green, revealing today its new Vision ConnectedDrive zero-emission roadster concept ahead of its world debut next month at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The automaker doesn’t go into detail as to what...

  • Volvo C30 Electric
    2012 Volvo C30 Electric: European Test-Drive

    At six years old, the Volvo C30 has come of age. Popular in Europe as Volvo’s safety-conscious answer to the hot hatchback. With a range of engine options available, the four-seat hatchback represents Volvo’s lightest and smallest car. It comes as no surprise then that it is the model...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf at quick-charging station
    Obama Seeking Rebates Instead Of Tax Credits For Electric Car Buyers

    Currently, buyers of electric cars receive a $7,500 tax credit that they can only realize once they file their taxes, often up to a year after they actually make their purchase. Without a doubt, this has limited the effectiveness of the incentive so it’s not surprising to hear there are many...

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