Green Car News
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These Cars Go To the Head Of Their Class
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Nissan Announce Leaf Pricing in E.U., Confirm Three More EVsNissan Europe have announced the pricing structure for the European rollout of the 2011 Nissan Leaf. The Leaf car has received a huge number of reservations in the U.S already and will be launched in Europe in three stages. Nissan plans to release just one model of the Leaf in Europe, as oppose...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Ford Fiesta Gets 40 MPG RatingThe 2011 Ford Fiesta is officially the most fuel efficient model in its class, with the EPA announcing today that the ultra-funky hatchback and sedan rates in at 29 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway when equipped with the smooth shifting six-speed PowerShift dual clutch transmission. To put...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2010 Hyundai Accent Cheaper To Own Than A Smart ForTwoSometimes Smaller Doesn’t Mean Cheaper
Jonathan McGrew -
Nissan Leaf About To Say ‘Goodbye’ To Priority ReservationsToday Is the Last Day For Your Priority Reservations To Be Green
Jonathan McGrew -
Snapped on the Street: Fiat 500 Electric Car Visits Palo AltoThe great thing about having your company headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is that you never quite know what you'll see on the street. There are lots of expensive cars like BMWs and Bentleys floating around. There are also a disproportionate number of Tesla Roadsters, since the company is...
John Voelcker -
Land Rovers have long been the definition of gas-guzzling SUVs that environmentalists love to hate--that may all be about to change, however. With the development of a hybrid vehicle, the automaker stands a good chance of becoming one of the greenest companies around. Land Rover’s pledge to become environmentally friendly is starting to result in some interesting developments, with the automaker revealing this week its new Range_e hybrid concept vehicle based on the Range Rover Sport SUV. Building on previous developments like the ERAD (Electric Rear Axle Drive) diesel-hybrid LR2 from 2008...
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Hybrids Are For Soldiers Too, Not Just Elite Effete Eco-WimpsYeah, yeah, we know. The only people who buy hybrids are the ones who want to show off their green credentials. They're effete, elite coastal residents who probably drove Subarus before they got their hybrids. Uh huh. Tell it to the Marines. Or, more accurately, tell it to the Israel Defense...
John Voelcker -
2011 Chevy Cruze Green Oil Filter: Everything Old Is New AgainSometimes a "new" green idea is actually just the way we used to do things, before disposability and convenience became primary consumer values. Consider the "cartridge filter" that GM touts on the Ecotec engines fitted to its new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. Instead of a one-piece metal cannister that's...
John Voelcker -
Lutz Predicts Range-Extended EVs Like Chevy Volt Here To StayWith GM's 2011 Chevrolet Volt now in pre-production and due to launch in November 2010, Former GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz fully supports range-extended electric vehicles but remains doubtful of the near future of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In an interview with GM-Volt.com before his retirement...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
GM Testing Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure In Sunny HawaiiElectric powered vehicles are widely perceived to be the way forward for personal transport. Fuel cell vehicles, which create electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen, offer many advantages over traditional battery-based systems thanks to the relatively energy-dense storage of hydrogen in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Electric-Car Buyers Will Rethink Range Needs If Price Is RightA survey conducted by MBA students at the University of Michigan shows that contrary to popular belief, a large percentage of potential electric vehicle buyers would be willing to trade off vehicle range for price. The survey, released by Norwegian based electric car company Think, appears to have...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Motor Company, the maker of the 2011 Leaf EV, posted today a net loss of $125 million for the first quarter of 2010 and a $45.8 million profit for the full fiscal year ending March 2010 -- a distinct improvement on the $2.9 billion loss for the financial year ending March 2009. With orders for the 2011 Leaf expected to reach 25,000 by the end of 2010 in the U.S. alone, future profits are expected to triple for the future fiscal year. Sales were due in part to a massive increase in sales in China. Nissan will continue targeting Chinese and Indian markets in 2011. Both countries are...
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Musk divorce case could hang over Tesla for up to a yearThis story, written by Camille Ricketts, was originally posted on VentureBeat's GreenBeat, an editorial partner of AllCarsElectric. Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk may have won an initial ruling in the divorce dispute with his now-separated wife, novelist Justine Musk, but the case is far from over...
John Voelcker -
Why Can't 'Flex-Fuel' Clean Diesels Run Entirely On Biodiesel?Our article last week on Ford's doubling of its flex-fuel models included a mention that diesel models of the new 2011 Ford Super Duty pickup trucks will run on either pure diesel fuel or a mix of up to 20 percent biodiesel, known as B20. Reader Suzanne Johnson responded with the following...
John Voelcker -
Nissan, GM Are Right to Quiz Potential Electric-Car BuyersNissan has been criticized by consumers and EV owners alike for the online questionnaire that accompanies the signup process for reserving a 2011 Nissan Leaf. As part of the process, Nissan tries to ascertain if potential customers have a lifestyle compatible with the Leaf's range, recharging...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2010 Nissan Versa: Taking Cheap New Cars To a New LevelSo Inexpensive That Even Frugal Shoppers Might Want An Upgrade
Jonathan McGrew -
Why Can't Toyota's Plug-In Prius Recharge Its Larger Battery?Toyota has come under some fire from electric-vehicle enthusiasts for what some perceive as a grudging, halfhearted approach to building vehicles that plug in. Its first U.S.-market plug-in vehicle--not including a thousand or so RAV4 electric crossovers a decade ago--will be the 2012 Toyota Prius...
John Voelcker -
Everyone has opinions. But if you had to wrap up what's happening in green cars today by naming three trends, what would they be? The ever-eager publicists at auto-classified site AutoTrader.com sent us their list of three changes in the world of eco-friendly vehicles. We've reproduced them below, along with some commentary of our own. "In the past, the selection of eco-friendly cars was limited, forcing consumers to choose from a handful of options," said Shawn Tucker, auto analyst at AutoTrader.com. "Today, manufacturers are catering to everyone, and the definitions of [green] vehicles are...
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Hybrid And Plug-In Hybrid Ford C-MAX Planned For 2013, U.S. Sales LikelyFord has already confirmed that its boxy C-MAX will be arriving in the U.S. late next year and now the Blue Oval has revealed that hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the car are in the pipeline, although only European plans have been announced thus far. But with the U.S. being the world’s...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker bumps up latest funding round to $175 MillionThis story, written by Camille Ricketts, was originally posted on VentureBeat's GreenBeat, an editorial partner of GreenCarReports. Having already banked $100 million Fisker Automotive has raised its sights on a new round of venture capital funding, now seeking $175 million, according to a filing...
John Voelcker -
Prius Plug-In Hybrid: It Won't Compete With the Leaf or VoltWe've been thinking a lot about the prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid since our test drive of a prototype last month. And about the rest of the plug-in cars that will come to market over the next two years. To our surprise, we decided we don't think buyers will directly compare the Prius...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car To Come In 2015, For $50,000Toyota's first production vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell will be a sedan model with the range of a gasoline model, said a company executive last week. It will be priced at roughly $50,000, and go on sale in 2015. That's more expensive than upcoming electric vehicles like the 2011 Nissan...
John Voelcker -
GM Confirms Lithium-Air Battery Research to Revolutionize EVGeneral Motors is quietly conducting research into Lithium-Air batteries, the next Holy Grail of electric vehicle technology, according to a Friday article in The New York Times. GM acknowledges that while the battery technology has some way to go before it is used in commercial electric cars, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield