Robert Scardino, Author
Articles
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Just when you thought the Nissan LEAF mania was beginning to subside, the Green Car Advisor team posted this video of a test drive of the LEAF's powertrain. The drive took place at the automaker's...
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eVaro Plug-In Hybrid Points NorthA lot has changed since a group of forward thinking Canadians set up shop at SEMA in 2006 to raise money for the electric super car of the future. First off, their company's former moniker, Fuel Vapor Technologies, has been appropriately revised to Future Vehicle Technologies. Secondly, the...
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VIDEO: Zero Motorcycles Launches Dual Sport Electric BikeZero Motorcycles has unveiled their new "dual sport" bike designed to take on dirt trails and smooth pavement. Marketed as a zero-emissions motorcycle that can go anywhere, the so-called Zero DS features an aircraft grade aluminum frame and a lithium-ion battery back to store power. "The Zero DS is...
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Honda Insight Gets LowThe Japanese tuners at "Exclusive Zeus" may have unlocked some hidden potential in the Honda Insight. Just when you thought the new Toyota Prius had delivered the knockout blow to Honda's poorly selling hybrid, someone got the wild idea to turn the Insight into the world's first hybrid low-rider...
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Hybrid Sighting: BMW X6If there was an award for the "Most Badass Hybrid Debut In 2010," the new BMW X6 ActiveHybrid would win. BMW won't call it a sport utility vehicle, and for good reason. There's not much utility left in it. Oh, but there's plenty of sport. The so-called "sports activity coupe," was spotted near the...
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Prius Earns Four Stars in Motor Trend's 2010-2011 New Cars EditionThough not quite as premature as Christmas decorations in stores on Labor Day, Motor Trend's September 2009 issue hit the shelves just in time for August. The new edition includes capsule reviews of 168 cars for sale in 2010 and 2011. The Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight, the Fisker Karma and the...
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If your vehicle requires a plug and you find yourself near Boston, you might consider staying at the Element Lexington hotel. The hotel's parent company, Starwood, has partnered with CarbonDay...
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Fisker Karma To Take Laps At Monterey Historic Automobile RacesIt's one thing to put a car on display. Fisker has been there and done that. Now, they'll put their prototype to the test on the racetrack. As part of the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, the Fisker Karma will complete two laps around the 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Karma will...
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Will The Next Acura NSX Be A Hybrid?Just over a year ago, Acura was building a V10 for the next generation NSX supercar, despite concerns about gas prices. Five months later, the project was put on hold as vehicle sales plummeted and the global economy fell apart. Now, the folks at 7Tune.com are reporting that the NSX project is back...
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Prius Driver Charged With Evading The Scene Of An AccidentLess than a week ago, we told you that hybrid drivers are more likely to get into accidents than non-hybrid drivers. Today, one Connecticut woman has become a mildly amusing example of this puzzling statistic. State police have identified the driver of a Toyota Prius who ran into a utility pole in...
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Honda Hip To (More) HybridsHonda can never be accused of producing gas guzzlers. There's not an engine bigger than a 3.7 liter six cylinder in their stables. Japan's number two automaker had recently considered building a V8 for their luxury Acura division to compete with the likes of Lexus, Infiniti, and every other luxury...
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MSNBC Calls EV Drivers "Lunatic Fringe""In the next year or so, after only a century or so of trying, the electric car may break free of the lunatic fringe and become a mainstream transportation option for everyday drivers." Those are the words of msnbc.com contributor, Dan Carney, in an article published yesterday about the imminent...
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Less than a week after it was first reported, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its intentions to build an electric version of the SLS AMG Supercar. The all-wheel-drive green dream machine will pack 526...
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Ontario To Give Cash To Electric Car BuyersThe government of Ontario expects to put a charge into electric car sales by offering incentives to buyers. Starting on July 1, 2010, drivers who purchase plug-in hybrids or pure electric vehicles will qualify for between $4,000 and $10,000 in incentives. The program is part of the government's...
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Volvo To Use Ener1 Li-ion Batteries in Plug-In Hybrid Demonstration CarsIn a press release issued earlier today, American lithium-ion battery maker, Ener1, announced that their products would be tested in two Volvo V70 plug-in hybrid wagons this fall in Europe. The tests are in preparation for Volvo's plans to launch a production plug-in vehicle in 2012. Volvo is...
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Toyota Takes 1,500 Pre-orders For Lexus HS Hybrid In JapanThe people of Japan love their hybrids and the Lexus HS 250h is no exception. The Nikkei reports that Toyota has already taken 1,500 pre-orders in Japan for its upcoming luxury hybrid. This exceeds the automaker's expectations three times over. Not to be outdone, the overwhelmingly popular third...
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Supercar Going Electric (Without Tesla)The Mercedes-Benz AMG division has historically been about ungodly power and torque, space shuttle-like acceleration and street legal race car performance. Each AMG engine is hand built by one engineer from start to finish. With so much emphasis on making cars fast and exclusive, fuel economy has...
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Peugeot HYmotion Hybrid Motorcycle Goes On Sale in 2010It looks like something out of the new Transformers movie and it gets 117 miles per gallon. Interested? It's the Peugeot HYmotion 3 Motorcycle, but this is no ordinary bike. It's a three-wheeled (two in front, one in back) scooter, powered by a 125cc gas engine and two electric motors - one for...
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Last month Nissan received $1.6 billion in subsidized loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to prepare their plant in Smyrna, Tennessee for the production of electric vehicles and lithium-ion...
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Japan Post To Test More Than 40 Electric VehiclesJapan Post Service Co., (the part of Japan Post Group responsible for mail delivery) is expected to start 5-year lease terms on 40 electric vehicles by the end of July. The company will utilize 20 Mitsubishi MiEVs and 20 Subaru Stellas primarily in Kanagawa Prefecture where some charging...
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Finance Your Tesla Roadster With Bank of AmericaTesla Motors announced today that they're partnering with Bank of America to offer financing on their Roadster. This begs the following question: If you need to finance the Roadster, should you be buying one? Tesla has always been very protective of their customers' identities, but we know at least...
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Toyota To Produce Up To 30,000 Plug-In Hybrids In 2012The Nikkei Business Daily has reported that Toyota plans to produce between 20,000 and 30,000 plug-in hybrids in 2012. The Japanese automaker has already committed to leasing 500 plug-ins for government and corporate use by the end of this year. The plan is hardly a surprise. While traditional...
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North Carolina McDonald's To Offer Charging Station For Plug-In Hybrids and EVsRic Richards is the independent owner of a McDonald's restaurant in Cary, North Carolina. He's about to be the first McDonald's owner to offer a dedicated parking space to charge plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. In that way, he's an environmental pioneer. In addition to the ChargePoint...
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Japan Considers Adding Noise To Hybrid VehiclesOne of the knocks on hybrid vehicles comes from the vision-impaired community. Many hybrids disengage their internal combustion engines at slow speeds. When a driver slows to a stop or accelerates from a controlled intersection, the vehicle often uses only battery power. If you can't see it, and...
Robert Scardino