Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
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When a potential engineering or safety problem with a new or nearly-new car arises, the task of reassuring concerned owners normally falls to the relevant press departments and middle-management.
But...
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2013 Chevrolet Volt: Already At Dealers (If You’re Lucky)
Sometimes, automakers mark the switch between one model year and the next with some pomp and ceremony, especially if the new model year is significantly better than the outgoing one. Despite the 2013 Chevrolet Volt getting an improved all-electric range, better EPA rating and the addition of a...
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Does Your Utility Offer Electric Car Rates? Only 6 Percent Do
Compared with gasoline cars, electric cars are cheap to refuel, especially when charged at night using specialist electric car rates. Designed to encourage the charging of electric vehicles at night time when grid demand is naturally lower, electric car rates are substantially cheaper per...
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Audi Shows Getting Ready For An Electric Car Is Pretty Simple (Usually)
Although Audi has no production plans as yet for its A3 e-tron electric car, the automaker is still working hard to promote electric cars through its small A3 e-tron test fleet. Last month, Audi released a video in which we met some of its e-Pilots: the lucky few Audi employees chosen to put the A3...
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2013 Ford C-Max Energi Priced at $33,745, Cheaper Than Prius Plug-In
It’s official: not only does the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in hybrid travel further in all-electric mode than the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid, but it will cost less too. As Ford detailed last night, its first plug-in hybrid will retail for $33,750, has a combined gasoline + electric...
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2013 Nissan Leaf: What Would You Change?
The Nissan Leaf may have gone on sale in December 2010, but later this year, production of Nissan’s all-electric hatchback will start for the first time in Smyrna, Tennessee. We’ve been looking forward to the 2013 Nissan Leaf for some time, with hints from Nissan that...
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Last year, worldwide car buyers were pretty refrained in the color choices they made for their cars, with white accounting for 23 percent of global car sales.
But when it comes to cars like the 2012...
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Honda Delivers First Privately-Leased 2013 Fit EV
Honda delivered its first coporately-leased all-electric Fit EV back in December 2010 to the city of Torrence, California, one month after announcing it at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Since then, Honda has continued deliveries of its Fit EV to fleet customers, but at the start of last week...
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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Gets 4-Star NHTSA Safety Rating
A few months after going on sale, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid has been given an official crash-test rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Unlike the 5-star rated, five-door Prius liftback it is based on however, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid only...
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Researchers Improve Electric Car Range: With Better GPS System
Although electric cars are very energy efficient, electric car battery packs can’t store as much energy as a tank full of gasoline, resulting in much shorter driving range between fill-ups than a gas car. At present, engineers around the world are working on the problem, developing everything...
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2013 Ford Escape 1.6-liter EcoBoost Recalled For Potential Engine Fire Risk
Just one month after deliveries of the 2013 Ford Escape started, Ford has made a formal recall of all Ford Escapes fitted with its 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine. The recall is to replace an engine compartment fuel line, which is at risk of splitting and leaking fuel in the engine bay, potentially...
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2013 Honda Civic Hybrid Will Be Made In U.S., Not Japan
Thanks to the spiraling costs associated with building cars in Japan and shipping them to the U.S., Honda has announced that the 2013 Civic Hybrid will be made in the U.S. Currently made in Japan and shipped to customers in North America, the U.S. version of the four-door compact hybrid sedan will...
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One of the reasons people make the switch from a gasoline car to an electric car is to benefit from the reduced running costs.
With some careful planning -- and special time of use tariffs that make...
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Small, High MPG, Hybrids, Plug-in Cars All Gain Sales In 2012
With continued uncertainty about gas prices, more Americans than ever are buying smaller, more efficient cars. According to Automotive News (subscription required), the demand for small, high gas mileage cars has meant that sales of compact cars -- like the Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio and Chevrolet Sonic...
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Nissan's Mark Perry: We're Investigating Arizona's Wilting Leafs
More than two months after a few Nissan Leafs in Arizona began to lose capacity bars in the extreme heat and suffer premature battery aging, Nissan has started formal investigations into the issue. While being interviewed over the telephone by Arizona’s KPHO 5 station in Phoenix, Mark Perry...
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If 63% Of Volt Miles Are Electric, Isn't It An Electric Car?
One of the most common complaints we get at GreenCarReports is that we refer to the 2012 Chevrolet Volt as an electric car. Because it has a range-extending gasoline engine, some say, it is only a plug-in hybrid and therefore not worthy to be classed as an electric car. As we’ve illustrated...
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Nissan, GE, Working To Solve Leaf, WattStation Charging Woes
Plugging an electric car into a charging station might seem like a simple process, but sometimes even the simplest of processes can go wrong. Over the weekend, we heard reports of several cases of Nissan Leaf owners whose Leafs had sustained damage after charging at GE WattStation Level 2 charging...
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2013 Mini Paceman Crossover Coupe Confirmed, More Models Coming
Earlier this month, BMW confirmed that the Mini Paceman two-door coupe concept car we saw at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show would go on sale in the U.S. early next year. But according to Automotive news (subscription required), the new car -- essentially a coupe version of the existing Mini Countryman...
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Americans love the utility and functionality of the mighty pickup truck, but not its gas mileage.
So its no surprise that talk show host Jay Leno thinks that Americans will love the Via Vtrux, a...
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How To Keep Your Nissan Leaf’s Battery Pack Happy In Hot Weather
Just like humans, lithium-ion battery packs don’t like extremes of temperature, which is why automakers often build plug-in cars with liquid-cooled battery packs. Unlike the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Tesla Model S however, the Nissan Leaf doesn't have any liquid cooling for its battery...
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Forget the Toyota Prius: Meet the Pius, An Electric Car You Build Yourself
There was a time when wanting an electric car meant you probably had to build it yourself, either creating a car from scratch or converting an existing gasoline car. With great production electric cars on the market, fewer enthusiasts are building their own electric car, but now a company from...
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GE Charging Stations: Now You Can Pay With PayPal, SmartPhone
If you drive an electric car, you’ll be familiar with the frustration that occurs when you arrive at a charging station to find you can’t use it because you don’t have the correct smart card, key, or dongle. For those without the correct card, some charging providers can unlock a...
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2013 Ford Focus ST Rated By EPA: 32 MPG Highway
Last month, we told you a little about Ford’s first Overboosted EcoBoost engine, designed to make the 2013 Ford Focus ST mean and green. At that time, the $24,495 sports hatch hadn’t received its official EPA ratings, but yesterday Ford was able to announce them to the automotive world...
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Parking, Charging Your Electric Car? Read The Signs First
You know the score: you’re running late for a meeting, dinner date or flight, and need to find somewhere to charge your electric car while you’re gone. So you head to the nearest parking garage where you know there’s free electric car charging, park up, plug in and head off. But...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield