Green Car News
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On Wednesday, we covered the news that Coda Automotive will offer a $45,000 all-electric four-door sedan for sale in California, starting in the autumn of 2010. The car project and the company were formerly part of Miles Automotive, which sells small, slow, plastic neighborhood electric vehicles. This car, however, is their first highway-capable product--and it may also be the first Chinese-made car sold in the US. Yesterday, we had a chance to chat with Coda Automotive CEO Kevin Czinger. Why rename the company Coda Automotive, and what's the model name? Kevin Czinger: We brainstormed a new...
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Production iMiEV UnveiledToday, on World Environment Day, Mitsubishi unveiled their new-generation (production model) i-MiEV, set to go on sale to the public in Japan next April. Notice the hyphen in i-MiEV, used to delineate the advance experiment from the production model. According to Mitsubishi, this vehicle is the...
Jennifer Knightstep -
So What's a Wheego Whip, and Why Would I Want One?
It looks like a 2009 Smart ForTwo, it's made in China, it only goes 40 miles on its batteries, and it has a dopey name. So why should you care about the Wheego Whip? Our colleague Rex Roy has just published his full review of the 2009 Wheego Whip, but we thought a little context would be useful...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Owner Recalls Trip to Yosemite Park, The Never Ending Search for a Charging Outlet
As EVs begin to hit our roads, the questions remain. Will the charging infrastructure be in place to support such a vehicle? Without a charging infrastructure, will owners be willing to make certain sacrifices such as hunting down suitable outlet to receive a charge, or sidetracking from their...
Eric Loveday -
Responses Are In, Detroit Free Press Readers Critical of Negative Review of Insight
Earlier this week, we posted a review by the Detroit Free Press which was as some would say overly critical of the new Honda Insight. We have received several comments regarding the article and the vehicle, most of which were praising the Insight. Owners chimed in stating that their gas mileage...
Eric Loveday -
Subaru To Begin Sales of Electric Stella Next Month, World's First Mass Produced EV For Sale To Public
Subaru has decided to go ahead with their battery electric version of the Stella minicar and swing into full scale production making it the world's first mass produced EV available for purchase by the public. The electric Stella will go on sale in Japan next month. Though Subaru is using an...
Eric Loveday -
The battle between the 2010 Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight continues to rage in Japan, where the 2010 Prius became the best-selling car for the month of May. It wrested the crown away from the 2010 Insight, which had become the first hybrid ever to lead the list when it took the top spot for April. Toyota aggressively cut prices in Japan for the 2010 Prius, which was helped by a government incentives program encouraging the purchase of low-emission vehicles. As a result, the company said it had logged 80,000 orders for the 2010 Toyota Prius by the time the car went on sale May 18...
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Tesla To Open Seven Dealerships This Summer
Tesla Motors has confirmed that they will open seven new regional sales and services centers this summer. The new stores will be located in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Miami, London, Monaco and Munich. The New York, Chicago and London locations will all open within the next few weeks. The electric...
Robert Scardino -
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Why Obama Could Be The Best Thing For Detroit Since Henry Ford
President Barack Obama has come under fire for using taxpayer funds to rescue the auto industry; we beg to differ
John Voelcker -
2009 Toyota Yaris: 41 MPG Without a Hybrid or Hypermiling!
Small, simple, inexpensive cars can return mileage almost as good as a hybrid--and may cost you less overall
John Voelcker -
Prince of Monaco Gets First Drive of Electric Venturi Volage During Monaco Grand Prix Weekend
Monaco, a small country in Europe situated on the Mediterranean coastline, aims to be a world leader in the adoption of electric cars. Their prince has signed agreements with auto companies in the past and now can be seen taking a test drive in the electric Venturi Volage. This drive marks the...
Eric Loveday -
Valence Technology Inc., a battery manufacturer, is eyeing a production facility in the state of Texas to meet the demand of the U.S. hybrid and electric vehicle market. Valence is a leading overseas producer of lithium iron magnesium phosphate batteries, but they are hoping to expand production in the U.S. To that end, they have applied for $225 million in grants from the federal government through the Electric Drive Vehicle Battery and Component Manufacturing Initiative the program we have talked about several times and refer to as DOE funding. They hope to receive the grant and combine...
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Mitsubishi Becomes World's First Automaker to Mass Produce an Electric Car
On Thursday June 4th at its main plant in Okayama Japan, Mitsubishi Motors has become the world's first automaker to begin mass production of an electric car. The vehicle that has begun rolling off the assembly line is the Mitsubishi iMiEV, a pure electric car with 100 miles of driving range and...
Lyle Dennis -
AllSmallCars.com Commentary: The State of the Auto Industry
Dealer Terminations Make Consumers Take A Step Back
Jonathan McGrew -
$45K Coda Electric Sedan Will Beat Volt, Tesla, Etc, To Market
The Chinese-built Coda sedan will arrive in autumn 2010--ahead of the Chevrolet Volt
John Voelcker -
Coda Automotive Unveils New Mainstream All-Electric Sedan
Coda Automotive is a brand new car company that has been formed under the stewardship of Miles Rubin of Miles Automotive. On June 3rd the company unveiled itself as well as a new all-electric car that it plans to introduce to the California market in 2010. The company is headquartered in Santa...
Lyle Dennis -
Toyota to Have 500 Plug-in Priuses In the Hands of Lessees By End of Year
Toyota announced that it plans to begin leasing 500 plug-in Priuses for fleet use by the end of this year. The vehicle would mainly see use in the hands of government and corporate employees as a test for more widespread application of plug-in technologies. The converted Priuses will use a...
Eric Loveday -
BMW plans the launch of two hybrid models late this year. The models include the X6 and the 7-Series hybrid. Recently, spy photos of the 7-Series hybrid were released, confirming BMW is well along in the prototype stages of this model. The 7-Series hybrid designated as the 755iH is based off of the newly redesigned 7-Series Sedan, BMW's flagship vehicle. It will use the twin turbocharged 4.4 liter V8 paired with a 20kW electric motor that is positioned between the engine and the 8 speed automatic transmission and utilizes a lithium-ion battery pack. The hybrid powertrain was developed...
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More Details on Tesla, Daimler EV Collaboration and the Future Roadster
Tesla Motors is collaborating with Daimler AG on two affordable EVs planned for production within the next few years. In an interview with Green Car Advisor Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, confirmed that in addition to the previously publicized Smart EV, the two companies have been working on another...
Robert Scardino -
2011 Chevrolet Viva: GM’s Answer To the Ford Fiesta?
As the Future of GM Hangs In the Balance, So Does the Future of the Aveo
Jonathan McGrew -
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Green Groups Ask EPA To Ban Lead Wheel Weights
Citing the toxic hazard of 3.5 million pounds of lead annually dropped on roads, environmental groups renew a request to ban lead wheel weights
John Voelcker -
According to Recent Survey EV Prices Will Be Too High, Many Buyers Not Interested
According to a survey conducted by Reuters in Japan, most car buyers would willingly consider an electric car if the price was around $15,000. The numbers from the survey are in and the makers of EVs will have a long way to go in terms of price cuts before the average buyer will consider an...
Eric Loveday
