Green Car News
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Certainly, TAG Heuer is a pioneer, as is Tesla Motors, and this week, together they launched a 23,000-mile road trip appropriately dubbed the "Odyssey of Pioneers." The Odyssey departs Basel, Switzerland, tomorrow morning, striking out for Zurich, stopping only to charge its batteries at pre-existing charge points, basically any available electrical outlet. The one-of-a-kind 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster will continue on across three continents, stopping in 15 cities and 150 smaller towns along that way, demonstrating how safe, reliable, sleek, and durable the vehicle is. The kick-off of the...
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The Punching Bag Hits Back: Prius Crash Was Driver Error, Toyota SaysFew automotive engineers believe in so-called "sudden acceleration". But until recently, there's been no way to determine what a driver what doing when he (or she) swears that he was pressing the brake pedal with all his strength even as the car accelerated. Now, that's changed. Federal...
John Voelcker -
Ask AAP: Is Sunroof Available on 2010 Prius V Trim Level?Our reader Javier M writes: I'm 99 percent convinced I want a Prius. However, there is one question: Does the "Prius V Model" come with a regular sunroof standard (within the $28,875 price)? I want to purchase the "basic" Prius V, but I do not wish to get any major upgrades (no navigation, etc)...
John Voelcker -
Biodiesel Bamboo Cabs: Philippines Town Turns Taxis GreenIt's not a particularly new story, these days, but hey, it's also Friday. So we thought we'd revisit one of the more unusual attempts at green cars we've seen. This morning, a friend sent us an e-mail with photos of two taxis commissioned by the Philippine town of Tabontabon, in the province of...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Ups Ante With U.K. Factory For 2011 Leaf Electric CarNissan has upped the ante on its bid to become the world's leading electric-car maker, by announcing a third global factory for production of their 2011 Leaf electric car. The small northern U.K. city of Sunderland will become the third site across three continents to be tooled up to build the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
KB Home to Outfit New Houses With EV Charging SystemsMost older homes across the nation are not equipped to deal with the electrical draw of upcoming electric vehicles. Retrofitting an older home to cope with EV charging can be costly. Some estimates predict that the cost of converting an older home to handle the high amperage draw of EVs could cost...
Eric Loveday -
Electric vehicles are likely to see a gradual roll out over the next few years. Most of the first electric vehicles to take to the streets will likely be in the hands of corporations for use as fleet vehicles. We have already witness this trend with many current electric vehicles that are not yet available to the public. AT&T is following the trend with its selection of the Ford Transit Connect, fully electric utility vehicle. AT&T has placed an order for two of Ford's upcoming vans and at this point is the first customer with orders in. AT&T has previously stated that they...
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A Visit To Tesla’s Colorado Dealership: All-Electric a Mile HighTesla’s Become a Normal Sight Among the Boulder Scene
Jonathan McGrew -
Making EVs is Easy; Making GOOD EVs Is Hard, and CostlyWe're now well and truly on the road to plug-in vehicle nirvana, with the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and various other plug-in and electric vehicles due to hit the market within the next couple of years. But there now seem to be hundreds of car companies, enthusiastic business...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Compact Power To Expand Li-Ion Production CapacityAs the lithium-ion battery market continues to expand, it becomes one of the few industries reporting job growth during the economic downturn. recently, Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG Chem, announced plans to hire additional workers as demand has outstripped current supply and is expected to...
Eric Loveday -
Aston Martin Goes Green With Zebra-Skin Baby Swan From ToyotaLast summer, lots of people thought it was a joke when famed British sports car maker Aston Martin said it would offer coachbuilt versions of Toyota's tiny iQ minicar, in the guise of the greenest Aston ever, the Cygnet. (A cygnet is a baby swan, by the way.) Well, it wasn't a joke. And now Aston...
John Voelcker -
St. Patrick's Day Special: The Most Popular Cars Painted GreenWe write a lot about green cars, here at GreenCarReports.com. Surprise, right? Now our partner TrueCar has provided some data about which cars are greenest. That is, which cars are most often ordered in the color green. Consider this our automotive celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Lá Fhéile...
John Voelcker -
VWs plans for electrifying their lineup of vehicles has been officially announced and will kick off with the introduction of a fleet of battery powered Golfs beginning next year. The VW Touareg Hybrid is a step towards electrifying the VW lineup of vehicles, but its high price tag will keep it from drawing any sizable amount of sales. In order to bring electric and hybrids to market with mass market appeal, VW will focus on some of the company's core offerings. The first electric vehicle to be released will be a small test fleet of 500 battery powered Golfs due out some time next year. In...
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The Strange Saga of Sikes and His Suddenly Accelerating PriusAs we've noted before, so-called sudden acceleration is a confusing, messy, and very uncertain subject. Now a certain San Diego citizen seems to be caught in the cross-hairs of media scrutiny over what is and isn't technically possible in a Toyota Prius--let alone smart to do--if the driver claims...
John Voelcker -
Fuel Efficient Fours Gain Ground on V-6s, V-8s In New CarsAt December's Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai made a big splash by saying it would no longer offer V-6 engines in its Sonata midsize car or its Tucson compact crossover. Instead, it replaced them with higher-performance, more fuel-efficient four-cylinder motors. But Hyundai's just one of many makers...
John Voelcker -
Ford To Rollout 5 New Hybrids and Electrics in EuropeThe U.S. appears to be one of the target countries for hybrid and electric vehicles. Many automakers have focuses hybrid efforts solely on the U.S. Select automakers have chosen to release some of their hybrid offerings in other countries, primarily Japan. Few automakers have viewed Europe as...
Eric Loveday -
Californians: Buy a 2010 Tesla Roadster, Get $12,500 Off!The nice thing about buying advanced-technology cars is that many of them, at one point or another, come with financial incentives meant to encourage fuel efficiency. Even if the car in question is a 2010 Tesla Roadster, the $109,000 two-seat all-electric convertible that blasts from 0 to 60 mph in...
John Voelcker -
Green-Car Tip: Hybrid Vehicles Get Discounts, Incentives TooWhile the auto industry in general offers an average incentive of more than $1,000 off the sticker price of any new vehicle, many buyers somehow assume this doesn't apply to hybrids. Oh, but it does. You can get money off pretty much any hybrid out there at the moment, since gasoline prices are far...
John Voelcker -
The People Want the Nissan Leaf: 56,000 Pre-Orders Say So
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Honda CR-Z Hits 7,000 Orders Since February ReleaseThe New Sporty Hybrid Seems To Be Winning Over Customers In Japan
Jonathan McGrew -
EVs May Be Worthless After Batteries Are DepletedResidual values are perhaps one of the most important aspects of car ownership. Residual values determine monthly payments, lease rates, costs of ownership, and on and on. When new vehicles are released, it is often difficult to accurately determine residual values until several years later...
Eric Loveday -
Bright Automotive Signs Deal to Electrify USPS FleetAs federal government agencies add electric vehicles to their fleet, will consumers notice and follow along? If an agency such as the USPS, who is seen be everyone, employs electric vehicles in daily use will consumers believe that EVs are feasible, reliable means of transportation and follow...
Eric Loveday -
And The Top 3 Finalists For World Green Car Are?The winner of the 2010 World Green Car award will be announced at the opening of the New York Auto Show in April and we will have to wait until then to see which vehicle prevails, but the list has now been narrowed down to only three remaining vehicles. The top three finalists for the World Green...
Eric Loveday -
2010 Toyota Prius Reigns As Japan Sales Champ Despite RecallsUnlike some of its Toyota brethren, the 2010 Prius hybrid was never pulled off sale due to recalls. But U.S. sales fell 6.1% in February anyway, against the previous month, though they rose versus February 2009, when the new 2010 model hadn't yet hit dealers. Currently, the 2010 Prius is the...
John Voelcker