Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
-
Forty years ago, in the midst of fuel crisis after fuel crisis, automakers large and small around the world came up with concept and limited-run electric cars that would, it was hoped, revolutionize...
-
Gas Pumps Go Naked As Vapor-Recovery Requirement EndsUnless you drive a car powered by electricity or some form of home-brew biofuel, the chances are you visit a gas-station with some form of regularity. In fact, it’s probably become so mundane that you don’t even pay attention to that little metal hose any more. But on Thursday, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mazda CX-5 Stops Loving Truffula Trees, Starts Hating Electric-CarsAutomakers love to take automotive journalists somewhere exotic for the official launch of a new car, usually somewhere hot and sunny. So when Mazda announced its European launch of the 2013 CX-5 compact crossover SUV would take place in the rugged, rural landscape of Highland Scotland, we assumed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Virginia’s Hybrid HOV Lane Perks: Anything But EasyFor years, we’ve covered California’s High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane access perks for drivers of ultra-low or zero-emissions cars. Reasonably simple to understand, with a few exceptions, California’s HOV lane rules allows drivers of qualifying vehicles fitted with official HOV...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Renault Twizy: Meet The Zagato Volpe, The New TinyEarlier this week, Antony Ingram asked if the open-air Renault Twizy electric car would threaten the new Smart ForTwo. A little larger than most motorcycles, the two-seat French city runabout has found itself a surprising number of fans, thanks in part to its minimalistic, yet funky design. But...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Better Place Electric-Car Battery Swapping: Live ReportElectric-car infrastructure firm Better Place has spent the past few years creating some serious waves in the electric car world with grandiose claims that it can make electric cars as convenient to use as gasoline ones. Alongside its fully integrated smart-grid network of charging stations...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
What makes a new car a success? Is it the awards it wins, initial sales figures, how many people order it, or the average amount of time it stays on a dealer lot before being sold?
Together, all of...
-
German Consortium, Including BMW, Daimler, Siemens, Design A Better Electric CarBMW and Daimler have traditionally been rivals in the automotive world, but last week we learned that engineers from the two rival German companies have been working together on a joint project to design and test a safer, more affordable, more efficient electric car. The Visio.M project, funded to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Official: 2013 Kia Rio Will Come With Optional Stop-Start SystemMore often than most automakers would care to admit, that new car that you see debuted at a major auto show will undergo some minor -- and sometimes major -- alterations before it hits the dealer forecourt. Take the 2012 Kia Rio, for example. Officially launched at the 2011 New York Auto Show, Kia...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Converting A Car To Electric? How About A ’39 Pontiac Silver Streak?For as long as electric cars have existed, enterprising individuals around the U.S. have sought to convert gasoline cars to electric power. Over the years, we’ve seen everything from classic British sportscars through to SUVs and pickup trucks converted to run on electric power, with...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BMW ActiveE: Extended Drive Report (Video)BMW’s 1,000-strong fleet of ActiveE electric cars are stationed around the world, with the largest number of test cars concentrated in the U.S. Earlier this year, we got the chance to step behind the wheel of the very first BMW ActiveE to be delivered in the U.S., but earlier this week, we...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Stick-Shifts Are Back, But Automatics Give Best Gas MileageEver since the early 1950s, Americans have loved the easy-to-drive charms of the automatic gearbox so much, that most Americans today don’t know how -- or want -- to drive a manual stick-shift car. Historically, those who want to drive manuals have been sports car fans eager for the extra...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Like many premium automakers, Porsche has been working on hybrid and plug-in hybrid technology for some time now.
But at the recent Vienna Motor Symposium, Porsche Executive Wolfgang Hatz reiterated...
-
Could Diesel Engines Give Gas Cars Better Gas Mileage?
For years, spark plugs have been used to ignite the compressed fuel-air mix inside the cylinders of a gasoline engine to produce power. Now a new prototype engine is promising a future in which a gasoline engine behaves like a diesel engine, self-igniting the fuel as it is injected into the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Electric-Car Battery Swapping: What Do You Want To Ask Better Place?If you’ve followed electric cars for a while, you’ll probably be familiar with the concept of swapping out a depleted battery pack with a freshly-charged one in the same amount of time it takes to fill a car with gasoline. Better Place, the first company to try and commercialize that...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Ford Focus Electric: Here’s What Dealers Have To Do To Sell ItIn order to become an official automaker-approved dealer, dealers often undergo a lengthy process to prove they meet with sales and service requirements before the automaker will allow them to sell its cars. For prestige, luxury or specialist cars like high-performance sports cars or plug-in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Polite Reminder: Roof Racks Will Kill Your Electric-Car RangeWe’ve passed spring break, the weather is getting warmer and you’ve turned your weekend attentions to camping trips, DIY projects and outdoor sports. For many Americans, that means digging roof racks out of their winter storage and securing them on top of the family car for the season...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Ford Escape Gets Official EPA Gas Mileage RatingsWhen Ford decided to kill its hybrid variant of the 2012 Ford Escape, there was much gnashing of teeth and wailing here at GreenCarReports. Giving an impressive 34 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, the first -- and maybe best -- hybrid crossover from Ford set a tough act to follow. But now we know...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Back in January, we told you about IBM’s quest to build a rechargeable lithium-air battery that could theoretically let an electric car travel 500 miles on a single charge.
Since then, more...
-
2012 Nissan Leaf Proves A Big Hit In Norway: Here’s WhyCalifornia and the Pacific Northwest may be the undisputed capital of electric cars in the U.S., but in Europe, that accolade is currently held by Norway. Last week, Nissan Europe announced it had sold 1,000 of its Leaf electric cars in just six months in the nation. In February, Leaf sales...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Is the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid The Invisible Plug-In Car?For the past few years, every time an automaker has launched a new plug-in hybrid or electric car, it’s been to a fanfare of sorts. But while Nissan, General Motors and Fisker have attracted the spotlight as more and more customers step up for their new cars, Press coverage of Toyota’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want To Drive Your Green Car In CA HOV Lanes? Here’s HowIf you live in California, you’ll know that buying a green car can come with impressive perks, including purchase rebates of up to $2,500 and access to the state's High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. But you can't just start driving in the HOV lanes if you own a qualifying electric, hydrogen...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Five Best Used Green Cars To Buy: 2004-2009 Toyota PriusYesterday, we introduced a five-part series taking an in-depth look into some of the best used green cars you can buy today. Ranging from the humble hatchback to a mighty sport-utility vehicle, we’ve selected five cars we think deserve your attention when shopping for your next used car...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Going Away? Make Sure Your Electric Car Stays Happy Without YouElectric cars, just like every other device or machine that relies on rechargeable batteries, slowly discharge over time. Leave them in low state of charge for too long, and their traction battery packs are destroyed. Which is why automakers like Nissan and Chevrolet recommend owners follow...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield