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  • 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, Los Angeles, August 2012

    Every now and then, EPA gas-mileage ratings--and cars that notably fail to achieve them in real-world use--burst into public awareness. Hyundai and Kia had to agree to reduced ratings and send refunds to buyers after admitting to testing-procedure errors following an EPA investigation. But do manufacturers really game the test cycles? An interesting thought piece on Road & Track by ubiquitous writer Steve Abrams touches on the topic. The 4-page article notes the increased level of electronic vehicle-control systems that sit between the driver and the car. They interpret driver requests...

  • Tesla Supercharger fast-charging system for electric cars
    Does Tesla Motors Really Want To Be Chevron, Rather Than Ford?

    It's been a great few months for Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. The company's flagship product attracted a near best-ever rating from Consumer Reports to add to its trophy cabinet. Its DoE federal loans have been paid, and the company made a profit in the first quarter. But is Tesla's greatest potential...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S
    Does The Tesla Model S Electric Car Pollute More Than An SUV?

    Does the supposedly clean, green Tesla Model S really pollute more than a gas-guzzling Jeep Grand Cherokee sport-utility vehicle? That's what one analyst has claimed. In an exhaustive 6,500-word article on the financial website Seeking Alpha, analyst Nathan Weiss lays out a case that the Model S...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S
    Tesla Didn't Make A Profit On Its Cars In Q1: Let's Be Clear

    Tesla Motors has accomplished many remarkable things in its short life as a startup maker of electric cars. But, to clear up a common misperception, its supporters should understand that it has not--yet--made a profit in its core business: designing, building, and selling the Model S all-electric...

  • Better Place visitor center [photo: Brian of London]
    Better Place Electric-Car Service Files For Bankruptcy

    Better Place, the electric-car service that pioneered battery swapping for passenger cars, filed for bankruptcy yesterday in Israel. A statement on the Better Place website said it had applied to a court for an orderly dissolution of the company to protect "the rights of its employees, customers...

  • 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI Convertible first drive
    Summer, Sensibly: Four 2013 Convertibles With Good Gas Mileage

    Many things can signify summer--the weather finally being warm enough to ditch those outer layers of clothing; TV ads taking a distinctly more cheery tone; maybe simply hunting around for your sunshades for the first time in six months. It's now possible to have fun in the sun and get good gas...

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' premiere: Elon Musk arrives in a Tesla Roadster

    Ah, politics. Yesterday, Tesla paid off the balance of its U.S. government loan, using proceeds from its $1 billion-plus offering of stock and warrants last week, as CEO Elon Musk had said Monday it would in a tweet. The amount settled yesterday was $451.8 million, following installments paid by Tesla last year and in the first quarter of this year. Loans to Ford, Nissan, Tesla The company had been granted $465 million in low-interest loans by the U.S. Department of Energy in June 2009, through its advanced technology vehicle manufacturing program. Other carmakers who got loans included...

  • 2012 Audi Q7 quattro 4-door 3.0L TDI Premium Grille
    Audi Startled By Tesla Sales Success? Deleted Press Release Seems To Say So

    It may be that short sellers and naysayers aren't the only ones a bit surprised these days at the positive press received by electric-car maker Tesla. Yesterday, Germany luxury-car maker Audi issued a rather unusual press release in which it pointed out that it sells more cars than Tesla Motors...

  • First 2011 Nissan Leaf delivered to buyer, San Francisco, Dec 2010, photo by Eugene Lee
    100,000th Plug-In Electric Car In U.S. Sold Today (More Or Less)

    Sometime yesterday or today, the 100,000th modern plug-in electric car was delivered to a buyer somewhere in the U.S. The exact buyer and car will likely never be known. But any electric-car buyer taking delivery on either day can be forgiven for claiming a small share of the glory. The first...

  • Tesla owners & supporters gather in Statehouse in Austin to support company [photo: John Griswell]
    North Carolina Wants To Make It Illegal For Tesla To E-Mail Customers

    How far will state car-dealer associations go to prevent Tesla Motors from opening its electric-car showrooms and selling cars over the Internet? A long, long way. In North Carolina, a new law passed by the state Senate would apparently make it illegal for Tesla to e-mail its customers. In other...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S
    Tesla To Issue More Stock, Pay Off Energy Dept With Proceeds

    Since Tesla issued its first-quarter financials last week, its stock has been on a tear. Not only did the company have its first profitable quarter ever, but the many investors who had shorted the stock of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] are now faced with the threat of expensive margin calls. So Tesla is...

  • 2013 Nissan Leaf
    2013 Nissan Leaf Final Ratings Issued: 115 MPGe, 75 Miles Of Range

    It often takes awhile to get gas-mileage ratings onto the EPA's official website, and it's no different with electric-car efficiency numbers. Now we have the final ratings for the 2013 Nissan Leaf compact hatchback: It's rated at 115 MPGe, up from the 99 MPGe for 2011 and 2012 models. MPGe stands...

  • 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel, 2012 New York Auto Show

    It's an exciting time for diesel fans in the U.S, with automakers finally waking up to that section of the market that longs for great highway MPG and lots of torque. Most people already know the benefits of modern diesels, but there are a few general things that people may have missed. So in the spirit of eight important things you should know about electric cars, here are six important things you should know about diesels. (1) They're at their most efficient on the highway Hybrid cars and diesels are both known for fuel efficiency, but both go about it in very different ways. If you've ever...

  • Polar Charging Post and Nissan Leaf
    Electric Cars: Eight Important Things Everyone Should Know (But May Not)

    Sometime in the next few weeks, the 100,000th plug-in electric car will be sold in the U.S. But they're still mostly a mystery to the average new-car buyer, and there are a few key principles that get shared over and over again. Here they are, boiled down for easy consumption: eight things you need...

  • Tesla Model S with DISRUPT license plate, March 2013 [photo: Sam Villella]
    Should Apple Buy Tesla? Or Would Ford Be A Better Buyer?

    Electric-car maker Tesla is on a roll--its first quarter was profitable, its stock price is soaring, and Consumer Reports gave its Model S a rave review. That has led many writers to compare the company to Apple Inc. [NSDQ:AAPL]. Now one analyst has taken it further: In a Bloomberg column, Chamath...

  • Google's Self-Driving Toyota Prius
    Self-Driving Tesla Electric Cars Coming, Courtesy Of Google?

    Love or hate Tesla Motors (NSDQ:TSLA) and its CEO Elon Musk, it's hard to deny that he's ahead of the curve when it comes to developing new cars. So when Musk says self-driving or autonomous technology is the next logical step in the evolution of the car, you take notice. According to Bloomberg...

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR
    Buyer's Guide: 2014 Plug-In Hybrids From Toyota, Ford, Honda & More

    Not all plug-in electric cars rely on battery power alone; some also have gasoline engines as backups, for longer range or more power. Last year, we identified six plug-in hybrid vehicles on sale during 2013. This year, the list gains three new entries (from BMW, Cadillac, and Mitsubishi) and loses...

  • Traffic in Atlanta, Georgia during rush hour (via Wikimedia)
    Are Hybrids, Electrics The Car's Future--Or Should Cars Be Shunned Like Cigarettes?

    Many people who frequent this website with any regularity probably own a hybrid or electric vehicle. Many of those probably think they're already driving the future--or an approximation of it at least. But just how big a part do cars of any sort play in the future of transportation? Some would have...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S

    The 2013 Tesla Model S electric car wouldn't be defined as a supercar--which is, more or less by custom, a two-seat sports car, not a large sedan. But to take the luxury plug-in sedan "into supercar handling territory," Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced a new "Performance Plus" suspension and handling option. The package upgrades the shock absorbers, stabilizer bars, suspension bushings and fits new Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires on 21-inch wheels. Per Tesla's description, the new rear tires are not only 0.8 inches (20 mm) wider, they're slightly staggered to improve acceleration on...

  • 2013 Chevrolet Volt  -  Driven, December 2012
    Next Chevy Volt $10,000 Cheaper To Build, Profitable For GM?

    Here and there, a few little tidbits about the next-generation Chevrolet Volt electric car are starting to leak out. The latest comes from GM CEO Dan Akerson, who told the audience at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference Tuesday that the next Volt would cost "$7,000 to $10,000" less than today's...

  • Elon Musk signs new 2013 Tesla Model S at Tesla Store opening, Austin, Texas [photo: John Griswell]
    What Are The Best Plug-In Electric Cars For Very Tall People?

    We recently got a question from reader John Meurer that we'd never considered: Which plug-in electric car is best for tall people? "I'm 6'2" & wear a 44 Long suit," Meurer wrote. "I need an electric car I can afford and I can fit comfortably in." So we reached out to High Gear Media colleague...

  • 2012 Coda Sedan
    Electric-Car Startup Coda Automotive Files For Bankruptcy

    Coda Automotive has become the latest casualty of the cut-throat electric car industry, today filing for bankruptcy. The company will dissolve the carmaking business and instead put its efforts into Coda Energy, a stationary battery storage business it started in 2011. According to The Detroit...

  • Nissan Leaf 'polar bear' ad
    Selling Electric Cars, Hybrids: Does Saving Green Matter More Than Going Green?

    Electric cars might have plenty of environmental benefits over their combustion cousins, carmakers are finding that angle a hard one to benefit from. In fact, it's much more likely modern electric cars will be sold on the back of plain, simple cost savings, says Bloomberg. It presents an unusual...

  • Barack Obama
    Obama Administration To Add 10,000 Hybrids To Government Fleet

    President Barack Obama may not achieve his goal of 1 million plug-in electric cars on U.S. roads by the end of 2015. But his administration continues to try to green the U.S. vehicle fleet. The latest salvo: The government's General Services Agency plans to add an additional 10,000 hybrid vehicles...

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