John Voelcker, Contributing Editor
Articles
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So what's the least expensive plug-in car in the U.S.?
That ought to be pretty simple to figure out, right? Just compare the base price for every electric car, add in mandatory delivery fees, and see...
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Audi Urban Future Initiative: Smaller, Smarter, Autonomous, Linked CarsPut a group of urban planners, architects, and sociologists on a panel to discuss transportation in the cities of the future, and you may find they don’t spend much time talking about cars. Instead, you get statements like, “The megacity of the future desires to be a generous knowledge...
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German Electric Car Battle: Audi A2 v BMW i3 v Benz B-Class E-Cell v VW Golf Blue eMotionWith the dust settling on press days at the Frankfurt Auto Show, we can take a breath, think about what we saw, and start to sort out our impressions. One very clear message: German carmakers are taking electric cars seriously. Finally. Both Audi and BMW unveiled electric-car concepts that are...
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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: Projecting Pricing Based On EuropeToyota has just launched the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at the Green Drive Expo held in Richmond, California. Toyota will most likely launch the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, to be held in mid-November. Just this...
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2012 Chevrolet Sonic Hits Magic Mark: 40-MPG Highway RatingIt's not always true that the smallest cars get the best gas mileage. In many cases, compact cars get mileage equal to or better mileage than their shorter, stubbier subcompact brethren. The new 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact has managed to crack the magic 40-mpg highway mark, though. Estimates...
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Fisker Karma Customer Deliveries: Maybe October, Or November?Startup carmaker Fisker Automotive has probably learned a lot of lessons about the timing of auto launches. Although the car went into production in March, it still hasn't been approved for sale by various U.S. regulatory bodies--including the Environmental Protection Agency--as of this month...
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The 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show officially opens to the press tomorrow, but already the private parties and launch events have started.
Sunday night, Audi officially unveiled its pair of two-seat...
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Toyota's Green Autumn: 2012 Yaris, New Camry Hybrid, Prius V WagonWhile Toyota is still struggling to get itself entirely back to normal after the devastating March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami, the company has a number of new green cars coming along this autumn. It is pulling forward the launch for the redesigned 2012 version of its best-selling Camry...
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2012 Mitsubishi 'i' Electric Car Gets Pre-Sale Price BoostPrice increases on electric cars seem to be the rule these days. First the 2012 Nissan Leaf got a $2,420 increase (for more standard equipment), then the 2012 Chevrolet Volt got a price reduction that actually proved to be an increase in disguise (comparing similarly equipped models). Not wanting...
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3 Best-Selling Hybrids: Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, Sonata HybridFor a few years now, hybrid sales have been stalled at 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. market. But for the first seven months of this year, the total is at the low end of the scale: Hybrids represented 2.06 percent of sales from January through August, and just 1.98 percent of sales in August alone. The...
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For Your Consideration: A Handful Of Energy Facts To PonderIt's pretty clear that the United States has absolutely no energy policy at the moment. Attempts at long-term planning to reduce energy use are largely stalled in the toxic atmosphere of no-holds-barred politics, with the exception of tougher gas-mileage rules for 2017-2025 vehicles that were...
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Jaguar C-X16 Sports Coupe Concept: 'Push-To-Pass' Hybrid (Video)Innumerable design studies for a successor to the legendary E-Type Jaguar may finally have reached their conclusion: Jaguar's C-X16 concept sports coupe seems very likely to be built within a few years as the Jaguar XE. But the "production concept" to be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show next...
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It's been the official policy of the Chinese government-industrial complex for a while now that the country wants to dominate the electric-car business.
While only a handful of highway-capable...
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Hippie Alert: Mother Nature Wants To Drive Your Prius Hybrid TooThe Toyota Prius is not only the quintessential hybrid-electric vehicle, but the automaker's third best-selling car line in the United States. Last year, the redesigned 2010 Prius launched with the ad tagline, "Harmony between man, nature, and machine." Tell that to the McCarthy family of Homewood...
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GM's European Arm, Opel, Shows Two-Seat Electric Urban ConceptWith the Frankfurt Motor Show launching in less than a week, the concept cars are starting to come thick and fast. The latest is a small two-seat electric urban car from Opel, the premiere European brand operated by General Motors. It's one of several tiny urban electric concepts, joining the Audi...
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2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid: Drive ReviewOver a varied road test of more than 600 miles, including Manhattan traffic and upstate New York two-lane roads, we were surprised and pleased to get more than 27 mpg in our 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid sport-utility vehicle. It's fast, handles superbly, and is a pleasant place to spend...
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Fisker Surf Concept: Preview Of Plug-In Karma Shooting BrakeWith Fisker just starting to deliver its first Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedans--no, still not a single road test by any journalist--attention now turns toward the Frankfurt Motor Show. Next week, the company will pull the covers off a concept for what it says will be the next model in the Fisker...
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Infographic: What's Behind The Gas Prices You Pay At The Pump?We've said it before, and we'll likely say it again: We love a good infographic (here, here, and here, for instance). Today's example covers what makes up the price of each gallon of gasoline that you buy. Not surprisingly, it includes the cost of the actual refined hydrocarbon that originated as...
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Owners of 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrids may soon be getting a recall notice in the mail.
If, that is, their car is one of roughly 5,600 of the hybrid sports coupes fitted with the six-speed manual...
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Fisker To Use BMW Engines In Midsize 'Nina' Plug-In HybridFisker Automotive may still be waiting for final certification from the EPA and other regulatory bodies for its 2012 Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan, but that's not stopping it from moving forward with its next car line. The startup automaker announced today that it would source the...
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GM Riles CA Electric-Car World (Again) Over AB475 'Charger Sharing' BanCalifornia's electric-car advocates are often "true believers," and they can be single-minded in the pursuit of what they believe is right. But the nuts-and-bolts experience they've gained during the state's 15 years of electric-car use can be invaluable--which is why policy-makers and car...
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2012 Honda Insight: Higher MPGs, New Grille, Nicer InteriorFor 2012, Honda is planning to revise the Insight hatchback to address several of the criticisms levied against its smallest four-seat hybrid. Now, it's released a few details of the revised 2012 Insight before it officially unveils the updated model at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens...
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2009 BMW X5 Diesel Recalled For Faulty Fuel-Filter HeaterClean-diesel vehicles, a slowly growing segment of the market, unquestionably return higher fuel economy figures than their gasoline-engined counterparts. But they have their own set of issues, too, including recalls specific to some of the diesel engine components. The NHTSA has issued a recall...
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Aug Electric-Car Sales: Nissan Leaf Rises, Chevy Volt Creeps BackNew-car sales overall weren't great in August. The economy continues to be shaky, consumer confidence is down, and Hurricane Irene kept buyers away from dealerships. But electric-car sales last month improved on July's numbers, although they were far from their spring heights due to continued...
John Voelcker