Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Yesterday, Fisker Automotive, makers of the super-sexy 2012 Karma plug-in hybrid sports car, announced that it had just signed its 80th independent dealer.
But Fisker’s 80th dealer, Fisker of...
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Tesla Faces Dealer Opposition To Opening New Store In MA
This week has been a pretty good one for Californian automaker Tesla: it has shipped its first two production 2012 Model S sedans, announced a 45-day tour, and even sold out of its 2013 Model S Signature Edition sedans. But in Massachusetts, the luxury car maker faces an uphill struggle to open a...
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2012 Nissan Leaf Becomes A Taxi In Sao Paulo City
It’s the largest city in Brazil, and the world’s seventh largest city by population, but now Sao Paulo can claim another first: it’s one of the few cities in the world where you can hail a Nissan Leaf electric taxi cab. Part of a pilot program between Sao Paul Municipality, the...
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Could You Storm-Chase In A 2012 Chevy Cruze? Yes, But...
Be honest: unless you’re a storm chaser, the chances are you don’t shop for a new car based on its capabilities in heavy storms. But as part of its latest advertising efforts to promote the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze, General Motors wants you to know that the compact sedan can take everything...
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2012 Scion IQ, 2012 Honda CR-Z: Same Gas Mileage, But Very Different
Traditionally, people shopped for cars based on features, size and body style. For example, if you wanted a mid-size sedan, your test-drive list was likely to be nothing but mid-size sedans. But with gas mileage becoming the number one priority for new car buyers, cars you wouldn’t expect to...
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2012 Honda Insight: The Overlooked Subcompact Hybrid Choice?
With four different Prius models and two non-prius hybrids now for sale in the U.S., it’s easy to go straight to a Toyota dealership when you’re looking for a hybrid car. As we’ve pointed out before, however, there are plenty of other great hybrid choices on the market worthy of...
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Back in 2009, we told you about the official National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall of the 2008 Zap Xebra three-wheeled electric motorcycle.
At the time, the NHTSA said the recall was...
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Will Chevy Follow Ford And Offer V-6 Full Size Pickups To Meet MPG Rules?
Just like cars, pickup trucks are under increasing legislative pressure to offer more efficient, higher gas-mileage options to buyers. For Ford, that’s meant offering its popular F150 full-size pickup truck with a V-6 EcoBoost engine to help gas mileage as well as reinstating a standard V-6...
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Tesla Plans 5,000 Model S 'Test Drives' In 45 Days, Starting June 23
This morning we told you about Tesla investor Steve Jurvetson, who, alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk, became the first two official owners of a 2012 Tesla Model S. Up to this point, Tesla has been particularly guarded about giving test-drives of its all-electric sedan, with the only experiences to...
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Green On The Outside? Five Small Cars With Poor Gas Mileage
With many of today’s small cars hitting dealer lots with EPA ratings that rival those of hybrid cars, it’s easy to forget that not all small cars are green. Many small cars win the gas-mileage race, but which small cars should you avoid if you're trying to top out on fuel economy? These...
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Brammo’s New 2012 Empulse R Electric Motorcycle Ad Highlights 2-Up Fun
Electric motorcycles have already proven they’re great for inner-city commutes, dirt-track fun and even drag strip racing, but now Oregon-based Brammo Motorcycles adds something very important to that list: taking a pillion passenger. In the highly-polished ad for its new 2012 Brammo Empulse...
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Need Electric-Car Charging At Work? Here’s How To Get It
You’ve decided to take the plunge and buy an all-electric or plug-in car, and you want to use it as your daily driver to and from work. Although your car gets a full recharge every night, you’d like to convince your boss to let you plug in at work, or perhaps even have a dedicated...
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There's a quiet revolution going on in the auto world, one that isn't as trendy as plug-in cars or hybrids: turbocharged engines.
Cheaper to build and buy than hybrid systems, they offer great gas...
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2012 Chevrolet Volt Gets New Salesman: 13-Year Old Thomas Hundal
When it comes to learning stuff, most kids look towards older siblings, parents and teachers to find out how to do something. But a 13-year old car expert in Ontario, Canada is so enthusiastic and knowledgable about cars that he’s helping his local Chevrolet dealership train its staff to be...
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Green Race Website Helps Electric-Car Drives Plan Range
Like it or not, range anxiety is a real phenomenon that affects a high proportion of first-time electric car drivers, especially when driving unknown routes. But a website we’ve recently discovered -- that has been in development for several years -- helps electric car drivers better predict...
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Nissan Launches Leaf To Home Electric Car Power System
After the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011, Japanese automakers Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi have all been working on technology designed to let electric cars provide emergency backup power. So far, we’ve seen a range of applications for backup electric car...
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2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 First Drive Report
Earlier on this year, we asked you if the 2012 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 was really green, or not? Now we've had a chance to drive it. Combining a 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo straight-six engine and full-hybrid drivetrain into a 5-series body, the ActiveHybrid 5 looks just like any other premium 5-series on...
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Huge 2012 Chevy Volt Crash Proves Its Safety Credentials
Ever since a battery pack from a 2012 Chevrolet Volt caught fire weeks after it was subjected to tough National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tests in a laboratory, critics of General Motor’s plug-in hybrid have been quick to question its safety credentials. But after a Toyota Camry...
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New York or San Francisco? Bagels or Sourdough? East or West?
If you’re from the east or west coasts of the U.S., you’ll know that there’s a (mainly) friendly rivalry between the...
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U.S. Postal Service Reminds You To Check Your Tires With New Stamp
We might be immersed in a digital revolution, but when it comes to sending important messages there are times when only an old-fashioned letter will do. Now a new stamp from the U.S. Postal Service has been released that aims to send an extra message with your mail: to check your tire pressures...
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2013 Nissan Easy Fill Tire Alert System: Helpful, Or Annoying?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the amount of driver-friendly technology being added to cars to make them easier to use. Normally, that includes things like iPod connectivity, satellite navigation and bluetooth hands free, but the 2013 Nissan Altima -- along with all of...
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Toyota Prius Becomes World’s Third Best-Selling Car Line
Green is the new black. At least, when it comes to cars. For just over a decade, those who bought a Toyota Prius hybrid have had to entertain the possibility that the rest of the world would view them as tree-hugging, tofu-eating, hemp-wearing, middle-class hippies In April however, that changed...
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BYD e6 Electric Taxi Burns After 112-MPH Drunk Supercar Driver Crash
Over the weekend we heard the disturbing news that a BYD e6 electric taxi in Shenzhen China had burst into flames and killed three of its occupants after being hit by a speeding drunk driver. According to eyewitness reports, the BYD e6 taxi, one of around 400 e6 electric taxis being used in the...
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Vintage Electric Cars Benefit From New Electric Car Sales Too
If you’re in the market for an electric car, the chances are you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that you’re going to need to spend upwards of $30,000 in order to get a modern, convenient electric car. If that’s too much, you can always go second hand with any number of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield