Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer

Articles

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  Tesla Keeps Roadster Owner Happy, Rebuilds Car Before Warranty Ends Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 7, 2012

  When you buy any new car, it comes with a warranty which guarantees the automaker will replace or fix any defects in the car for a set period of time.

  Generally, warranty repairs are carried out...

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  Nissan Invitation Concept Is Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta Competitor

  Although Nissan already has a subcompact, fuel efficient hatchback in the U.S. market in the form of the 2012 Versa hatchback, the Japanese automaker has just released details on an inviting new subcompact concept car it plans to unveil at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Called the Nissan Invitation...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 7, 2012
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  2012 Coda Sedan: See It At Stores, Buy It...At Dealers, Says CEO

  When California-based electric automaker Coda Automotive announced it would be opening showrooms in shopping malls, you might have assumed each showroom would have some way of helping customers order its all-electric 2012 Sedan. You’d be wrong. They won’t, according to Coda CEO Phil...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 7, 2012
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  Arizona Considers Charging Electric Cars Tax At 1.43¢ Per Mile

  For many years, Arizona was considered an electric-car friendly state, thanks to California-style tailpipe emissions and mandates which required automakers to sell a certain percentage of zero-emissions cars in order to sell in the state. But less than a month after the Arizona Governor’s...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 6, 2012
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  2014 Tesla Model X: Mysterious “Falcon Doors” May Lift Up, Fold

  Over the past few months, we’ve started to hear more and more about Tesla’s 2014 Model X -- the all-electric crossover SUV that will follow the 2012 Model S into production in year’s time. So far, everything has been positively enigmatic, but now clean tech specialist Theo...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 6, 2012
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  2012 Hyundai Elantra, 2012 Ford Focus SFE Get 40 MPG Real-World, Says Popular Mechanics

  In December last year, a consumer watchdog petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency EPA to re-test the gas mileage of the 2011 Hyundai Elantra amidst complaints from owners that it did not achieve anywhere near its advertised 40 mpg in real life. But can cars listed as getting 40 mpg or...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 6, 2012
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  Video Proves 2012 Nissan Leaf Can Tackle Even Tough Commutes Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 3, 2012

  According to recent research, 95 percent of all trips could be made by electric cars -- but that doesn’t stop the majority of consumers from suffering electric car range anxiety.

  So when...

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  New Video Shows You What’s Inside Your 2012 Chevy Volt

  In today’s gadget-obsessed world it’s not unusual to see brand new computers, cellphones and gadgets taken apart hours after their release on websites like iFixit.com in the interests of education and curiosity. But earlier this week, engineers at Munro & Associates took apart a...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 3, 2012
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  $1 Billion For 100-MPG Mid-Size Gasoline Car? Bill Proposes Federal Cash Prize

  Some Republicans aren't fans of plug-in cars. That much was clear from the official hearing of the House Committee on Oversight & Government Reform into the NHTSA’s conduct during its investigation into Chevrolet Volt battery safety. Now Congressman Dan Lungren (R-CA) has introduced a...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 3, 2012
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  2012 Chevy Volt: Deduction Calculator Shows What You’ll Save

  If you’re in the market for a new electric car, the chances are you already know about the $7,500 credit you can claim against your federal taxes -- but what about incentives in the state and county you live in? With every state -- and even some cities -- having their own electric car...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 2, 2012
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  Woman Wins Suit Against Honda For Low Civic Hybrid Gas Mileage

  If you buy a new car but can’t get anywhere near the gas mileage the automaker says you should, can you sue them for misleading you? For Heather Peters -- former attorney and owner of a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid -- the answer is a resounding yes. At the Torrance Small Claims Court in California...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 2, 2012
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  Nissan Transports 2012 Leafs With Solar-Powered Hybrid Ship

  Toyota might be the world’s largest hybrid automaker, but that isn’t stopping rival Japanese automaker Nissan from trying to become the world leader in hybrid electric car transporter ships. Its latest ship, announced on Tuesday this week, puts it ahead in the race to have the greenest...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 2, 2012
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  Will Electric Cars Become Popular? BP, Exxon Remain Skeptical Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 1, 2012

  President Obama might see a bright future for electric cars in the United States, but not everyone shares his positive outlook.

  Unsurprisingly, oil giants BP and Exxon are among them.

  In a report...

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  Range_e Plug-in Hybrid Prototype: First Drive Report

  At the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover unveiled its first ever plug-in hybrid concept vehicle, the Land Rover Range_e Diesel Plug-in Hybrid. Then in October last year -- purely by chance -- we bumped into one of Land Rover’s five engineering test Range_e prototypes in a shopping mall...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 1, 2012
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  Want To See Revenge Of The Electric Car Free? Go To Hulu, Now!

  Last week we told you that the 2011 sequel to Who Killed The Electric Car? -- Revenge Of The Electric Car -- had finally been released on DVD. At the time, we pointed out that the film would also be available on select cable TV on-demand services, but neglected to point out that it was also...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield February 1, 2012
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  2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid: 95 MPGe. 2012 Chevy Volt: 94 MPGe. Game On?

  Japanese automaker Toyota has fired a warning shot across General Motors’ bow today with a revised set of gas mileage figures for the soon-to-be-launched 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Announced by Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter, official economy figures in...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 31, 2012
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  What Do Consumers Really Think Of Electric Cars? We Find Out

  Depending on which websites you visit and which news channels you watch, electric cars are either portrayed as the poster children of green revolution, or an example of catastrophic government failure. But while it’s relatively easy to find examples of extreme pro- and anti-electric car...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 31, 2012
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  Green Charge Offers 3rd Party Monitoring Of 2012 Volt, Leaf Charging

  In case you hadn’t heard, smartphone apps are the number one accessory for any plug-in car owner. In fact, nearly every mainstream electric car on the market today has its own dedicated iOS, Android and Windows Mobile applications, designed to help you monitor your car’s charge level...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 31, 2012
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  2012 Chevy Sonic Will Debut GM’s EcoLabel, But What Is It? Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 31, 2012

  If you’ve purchased a new car in the U.S. over the past few years, the chances are you’ll be familiar with the gas mileage stickers that automakers are required by law to display in the...

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  Tesla Invites The World To Model X Unveiling, Teases A Picture

  Normally, automakers unveil their latest model in one of two ways: on the main stage of an big automotive show, or at an exclusive, invite-only evening event. Tesla, in keeping with the method preferred by most boutique and luxury automakers, tends to unveil its cars to exclusive audiences at a...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 30, 2012
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  New 2012 Chevy Volts Will Qualify For $1500 CA State Rebate

  A few weeks ago, we told you that all new 2012 Chevrolet Volts manufactured after February 8 and destined for Californian dealers will feature a redesigned exhaust system that will enable them to qualify as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicles (e-AT-PZEVs). As a consequence...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 30, 2012
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  Electric-Car Battery Maker Ener1 Files For Bankruptcy, But Isn't Dead

  Last week, lithium-ion battery specialists Ener1 made an official filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Another firm to take advantage of U.S. Department of Energy loans -- an estimated $55 million to date -- Ener1’s bankruptcy has already become the latest pawn in the (mainly Republican) battle...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 30, 2012
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  Coda: We’ll Start Selling 2012 Sedan In February, Papers Allowing

  Earlier this month at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Californian startup Coda Automotive promised that it would begin sales of its first car -- the all-electric 2012 Coda Sedan -- in February. However, with just a week to go before the end of January and very little news to go on about the impending...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 27, 2012
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  Why Do Buyers Avoid Prius, Electric Cars? It's Styling And Price

  According to the ninth annual Avoider study published yesterday by J.D. Power and Associates, many car-buyers avoid green cars because they’re too small, look strange, or cost too much. As we’ve previously found from other recent surveys, gas mileage proved to be the number one...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield January 27, 2012