Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on the street while other girls her age were more interested in Barbie Dolls. Although she trained as a classical musician she’s now a full-time broadcaster and journalist, covering green fuels and tech. After passing her driving test she’s owned a wide selection of cars, including a 1962 Morris Minor Woodie Hotrod; a single seat electric bubble car; a ’92 Honda Prelude; a ’91 Volvo 240; a ’04 Toyota Prius Plug in Hybrid (which she converted herself); an ’85 VW electric factory built rabbit; and a ’09 Smart ForTwo CDI Nikki specializes in electric vehicles, but also enjoys clandestine gas-guzzling, working on the rule that the larger and noisier the better. She is also loves riding motorcycles, but currently doesn't own one. Nikki also hosts the TransportEvolved podcast. She lives in Bristol UK with her wife, their two daughters and their Border Collie.

Articles

Volkswagen’s New Engine Turns Off Cylinders To Save You Gas Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 9, 2012

You may not know this, but internal combustion engines are only efficient during a tiny part of their total operating range.

And that means when driving at lower speeds when demand on the car’s...
2012 Volvo C30 Electric Winter Testing: What Should We Test?
It’s no secret that electric cars prefer temperate weather in which to operate. That’s why many electric automakers add features to their cars to ensure that battery packs are kept at optimum temperature, regardless of how warm it is outside. But how do electric automakers test their...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 8, 2012

Acura NSX v Infiniti Emerg-E: Green Supercar Faceoff
Thirty years ago, bedrooms all over the world were adorned with pictures of supercars like the Ferrari 288 GTO, Ferrari Testarossa, Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach. At that time, very few of us worried about gas mileage, fuel economy or oil prices. All we wanted was a fast, sexy sportscar...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 8, 2012
Drive An Electric Car? Remember To Exercise Your Car’s Brakes!
If you drive a plug-in car or a hybrid, the chance are you’ll be familiar with the concept of regenerative braking. But although regenerative braking might be the preferred way to slow down a plug-in or hybrid car, it could mean that your car’s traditional friction brakes don’t...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 8, 2012
Nissan Leaf Goes Underground In The Name Of Bluegrass Music
Unless you’re the kind of person who likes spelunking, the chances are you don’t spend much time in caves. For PBS, the underground caves of Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee form the perfect acoustic music venue for the latest season of its Bluegrass Underground show. But how do you get...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 7, 2012
Rinspeed Dock+Go Live Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show
When the automotive world descends on Switzerland for its annual motor show, there’s one thing that we can be certain of: another imaginative automotive creation from Swiss firm Rinspeed. Unlike previous creations, like the world’s first underwater electric car or its...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 7, 2012
Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Live Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 7, 2012

The 2012 Ford Focus is already known for good gas mileage, but now the popular hatchback has a new engine option courtesy of Ford’s latest EcoBoost engine technology.

Unveiled yesterday at the...

2013 Mercedes-Benz A Class Live Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show
For the past 15 years, Mercedes-Benz has offered its entry-level A Class hatchback to parts of Europe, South America, and Asia. The ugly duckling of Mercedes-Benz, the A Class lacked the poise of its siblings, and has become something of a favorite with middle-class soccer moms. At...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 7, 2012
Morgan Plus E Concept Car LIve Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show
Visit this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and you’d be forgiven for passing one very important electric car by without even realizing it. The Morgan Plus E concept car. Complete with the sweeping fenders that morph into elegant running-boards, the Morgan Plus E looks just like the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 7, 2012
Infiniti Emerg-E Plug-In Sports Concept: Live Photos, Geneva Motor Show
Images of Infiniti’s much anticipated Emerg-E range-extended electric sports concept car might have leaked onto the Internet long before its 2012 Geneva Motor Show unveiling -- but now we know the sexy sports car isn’t all looks. Officially unveiled this morning, we’ve learned...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 6, 2012
Nissan Invitation Concept Subcompact Live Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show
Sometimes at an international auto show, a new concept car is unveiled that is truly stunning -- but is unlikely to ever make it to the U.S. We call them Forbidden Fruit. Like most Forbidden Fruit, we feel sad when we can’t take them home. That’s how Nissan’s latest concept...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 6, 2012
Mitsubishi Confirms 2013 Outlander Plug-in Hybrid: Geneva Motor Show
For some time now, it’s been no secret that Mitsubishi has been planning on bringing a plug-in hybrid SUV to market. Now we know it will arrive this year, in the form of the 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid, a car Mitsubishi first promised us back in 2009. The Outlander plug-in hybrid...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 6, 2012

2013 Lexus RX 450h Live Gallery: 2012 Geneva Motor Show Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 6, 2012

This morning at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Lexus unveiled the 2013 RX 450h hybrid SUV, essentially a minor revision to its popular crossover SUV hybrid.

Outside, the new RX 450h wears a new set of...
Should Seuss’s Lorax Sell 2013 Mazda CX-5 Crossover To Kids?
Pester power, the advertising practice of using the nagging abilities of children to sell candy and toys is known and feared by most parents worldwide. But what happens when elementary school children are targeted by an automaker in order to pester their parents into taking a test drive? Enter...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 5, 2012
Mercedes Turns Fuel Cell Car Invisible (Almost)
Every automaker goes to great lengths to promote their cars. Sometimes, the resulting publicity stunts are nothing short of genius. Other times they’re cringeworthy. But Mercedes’ latest publicity stunt is so visually stunning you might not see it at all. That’s because Mercedes...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 5, 2012
U.S. DoE Looks Towards Hydrogen Cars, Funds $6 Million Research Project
President Obama might have promised to buy a plug-in Chevrolet Volt when he leaves office, but that doesn’t mean the Obama administration has forgotten about other alternative fuel cars. On Thursday last week, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a $6 million fund which it hopes to use to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 5, 2012
2012 Opel Ampera (Chevy Volt) Wins European Car Of The Year
The 2012 Chevrolet Volt -- along with its European twin -- have just been chosen as 2012 European Car Of The Year. Beating the Volkswagen Up, Toyota Yaris, Fiat Panda, Range Rover Evoque, Ford Focus and Citroën DS5, the plug-in range extended electric vehicle becomes the second plug-in car to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 5, 2012
Toyota Prius Hybrid Demand Rises As Gas Heads Toward $5/Gallon
As gas prices across the U.S. continue an upward march towards $5 per gallon, demand for Toyota Hybrids is now the highest it has been for nearly four years. On Thursday last week, Toyota reported that sales of all Prius brand hybrids -- including the new 2012 Toyota Prius V wagon -- were up 52...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 5, 2012

All-Electric Monotracer, X-Prize Winner, Enters Production Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 2, 2012

Remember the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize -- the $10 million prize to find the next big thing in green transportation?

While the X-Prize -- not to mention many of the companies who took...
Justin Bieber Given Sexy Plug-in Fisker Karma For 18th Birthday
Unless you have children, or religiously follow the cult of celebrity, you might have never heard of a Canadian teen pop sensation by the name of Justin Bieber. Under most circumstances, we’d envy you -- but it turns out hours of listening to tweens enthuse about this particular star have...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 2, 2012
How Much Myth-Busting Will The Chevy Cruze Diesel Need?
Europeans love diesel cars. For them, diesels are robust, get great gas mileage, and in some places, cost less to run. Traditionally, Americans distrust diesel passenger cars. With the exception of the few percent of car buyers who drive around in oil-burning cars from companies like Volkswagen...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 2, 2012
BREAKING: Audi Confirms Plug-in Hybrid A4, Q7 e-tron Models
Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk might have quipped that his 2011 Audi Q7 SUV wasn’t as good as the 2013 Tesla Model X when it came to interior space, but now it turns out the difference between the Model X and the Q7 isn't that large after all. You see, starting in 2014, Audi will offer the Q7 as...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 1, 2012
Honda Civic Hybrid Gas Mileage Class Action OK, Says Attorneys General
When 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters took Honda to Small Claims Court for what she said was misleading and unachievable gas mileage claims, the world looked on with interest. Not everyone thought Peters would win. But when she did -- to the tune of nearly $10,000 in damages --...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 1, 2012
Audi Announces 2012 R18 Hybrid e-tron Quattro, Heads To Le Mans
Over the past few years, Audi has become increasingly interested in developing a range of all-electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars under its e-tron brand name. Earlier this week, we told you that its all-electric A3 e-tron test program had officially launched in the U.S. Now the German...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield March 1, 2012