Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Over the past few years, we’ve seen lots of innovative ways designed to help electric car owners travel beyond the range of a single charge without waiting for hours to refuel.
For example,...
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Incentives Good For Chevy, Volt Customers, And Dealers, Says Industry Reporter
Last month, Chevrolet sold a record-breaking 2,831 of its Volt plug-in hybrids, making it the top-selling plug-in car in the U.S. to date. No doubt helped by its recent ‘Happy Owner’ online ad campaign, as well as deals offering prices as low as $249 per month or less for a 24-month...
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BMW Experimenting With Infrared Heating For Electric Cars
Just how do you keep occupants of an electric car warm? That’s the question that automakers have been tackling for many years, as they bring mass-produced plug-in cars to market. Now BMW thinks it has the solution to keeping occupants warm in the middle of winter: infrared heating. The use of...
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CA Will Lead U.S. Electric Car Sales Until 2020, Report Predicts
Home to automakers like Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, California has been at the heart of every launch of every major plug-in car to go on sale to date. That’s because of the state’s generous incentives and support of plug-in cars, combined with tough air quality legislation...
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2013 Dodge Dart Aero Gets 41 MPG Highway, 32 MPG Combined Rating
If you’re in the market for a compact sedan with a low running costs and a highway gas mileage over 40 mpg, you’ll know there are an increasingly large number of non-hybrid cars to choose from. Now, it’s time to add the 2013 Dodge Dart Aero to that list. Promised earlier this...
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ZipCar Adds 2013 Honda Fit EV To San Francisco Car-Share Fleet
If you live in a busy city and don’t use a car on a daily basis, making use of a car-sharing service like ZipCar is certainly one of the greener ways to get behind the wheel of a car when you need to. It’s no surprise then, that ZipCar’s fleet already includes some of the greenest...
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Have Nissan Leafs in hot states suffered premature battery aging, or is the apparent loss in capacity down to a malfunction in the Leaf’s dashboard display?
That’s been the question on...
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2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid Gets EPA-Approved 47MPG All-Round
After taking part in a rather unusual fuel-economy test for its non-hybrid 2013 Fusion EcoBoost, Ford has announced its 2013 Fusion Hybrid has just been awarded its official gas mileage ratings by the EPA. Just like the 2013 C-Max Hybrid, the 2013 Fusion Hybrid has been rated at 47 mpg highway, 47...
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Making The Transition To A Hybrid Car? Here’s What To Expect
Over the past decade, hybrid electric cars have gone from being niche market vehicles for movie stars and green thinkers to everyday vehicles that can save you big money on your gas bill. In fact, with more hybrid cars to choose from than ever before, there’s never a better time to make the...
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Legendary Rally Racer "Monster" Tajima Wants A 2012 Tesla Model S
When legendary hillclimb champion and 40-year motorsport veteran Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima entered into the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, it was the first time he had raced in an all-electric car. Sadly, Monster was forced to retire from the event, but last week, he got to...
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Nissan Leaf To Get Better Battery, No News On Capacity Loss
When it launched back in 2010, the Nissan Leaf electric hatchback was criticized for its high sticker price, due in part to its expensive battery pack. Now Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has confirmed what had been widely rumored: Future models of the Nissan Leaf electric car will get an improved, cheaper...
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2013 Ford Fusion EcoBoost: Yes, You Can Hit 47 mpg, But...
With more new-car buyers than ever wanting higher gas mileage in their next car, automakers are keen to show just how efficient their latest models can be. Which is probably why Ford took to its oval test track in Dearborn, Michigan, with four NASCAR stars to prove that its 2013 Fusion with...
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As one of the most highly anticipated new electric cars of 2012, the Toyota RAV4 EV combines the practicality of an SUV with an all-electric, Tesla-engineered drivetrain for impressive performance.
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U.S. Military To Order 1500 Electric Cars, Chevy Volts Included
It’s a well-known fact that President Obama is a fan of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. In fact, Obama has pledged to buy his own Chevrolet Volt when he leaves office, whenever that takes place. As Commander in Chief however, Obama will be pleased to see that the U.S. military isn’t...
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Ford: Customers Will Pay More For Gas-Saving Cars. Do You Agree?
At the start of September, gas prices hit an all-time Labor Day average high of $3.80 per gallon. So it’s no surprise that a recent study commissioned by Ford says that 82 percent of Americans would be happy to pay a higher sticker price on cars that save them money in the long term. The...
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Need An Electric Car Charging Station At Work? Here’s One For Free
If you drive an electric or plug-in car and drive to work every day in it, you’ve probably given the topic of workplace charging stations some thought. Convincing your boss to shell out company cash for a charging station might not be that easy, but now charging station provider ChargePoint...
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Nissan To Debut Terra Fuel Cell SUV Concept At Paris Motor Show
The Renault Nissan alliance might be known for all-electric cars like the 2012 Nissan Leaf, 2012 Renault Fluence Z.E. and quirky Renault Twizy, but that doesn’t mean the two automakers aren’t interested in other forms of zero emissions cars. At this year’s Paris Motor Show, Nissan...
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Will 2014 VW Golf Electric, Hybrid, Share Carbon GTi's Lightweight Construction?
Thanks to several hundred pounds of additional weight from a battery pack, pure electric and plug-in hybrids often weigh more than their gasoline counterparts. But according to AutoCar, Volkswagen’s upcoming all-electric and hybrid variants of the seventh-generation Golf hatchback will...
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There’s nothing better than a scientific test to prove or disprove a theory.
So when Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer described the recent reports of battery capacity loss in its...
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2012 Tesla Model S Servicing: When, Where, How Much
How much does it cost to service a 2012 Tesla Model S, and where do you take your car to have it serviced? We find out.
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Planning A Trip? EPA's Fuel Calculator Predicts Your Gas Bill
These days, taking a road-trip isn’t as simple as throwing your luggage and a few snacks into the car, turning up the radio and hitting the freeway. With gas prices on the ever-upward rise, even a relatively short trip over state lines could leave your credit card heaving. Help is now at...
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Official: 2012 Tesla Model S To Be Given Creep Option
To creep or not to creep? That is the question. As many hardened electric car fans will tell you, unlike gasoline cars with automatic gearboxes, not all electric cars move forward -- or creep -- when you release the foot brake. When Tesla launched the 2012 Model S, it, like unlike the two-seat...
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2012 Zero DS, S: Electric Motorcycle Quick Ride Report
Shortly after we took to the roads of Scotts Valley, California to test-ride the 2011 Zero DS and 2011 Zero S the Californian all-electric motorcycle maker announced its all-new 2012 range. With all-new motors, battery pack and control circuitry, the 2012 Zero DS and 2012 Zero S motorcycles...
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Can You Buy A Used Toyota Prius Hybrid For Under $5,000?
There was a time when buying a hybrid car meant that you had to shell out big bucks for the privilege of better gas mileage. But with the first Toyota Prius hybrids now over 10 years old, can you buy a used Toyota Prius hybrid for $5,000 or less? We hit popular Internet auction site eBay to find...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield