Antony Ingram, Contributing Writer
Articles
-
Volkswagen is on a plug-in car push right now, releasing several plug-in vehicles over the course of this year and the next.
It's keen to invest in related technology too, hinting that wireless...
-
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid Supercar DrivenHybrid technology is no longer the preserve of fuel-sipping family cars. In recent years, we've seen it used on SUVs and large luxury sedans too. And more recently still, the latest breed of supercars has driven down the hybrid route. One such supercar is Porsche's 918 Spyder, driven by Motor...
Antony Ingram -
Plug-In Electric Car Sales Cross 400,000 Globally In Three YearsIn global terms, plug-in car sales are still a drop in the ocean. That's to be expected--we've only had volume production models for the last three or four years. Disruptive products always take a little while to get going. But global plug-in electric car sales have now topped 400,000 units--a...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Audi A3: Small Luxury Sedan With TDI Diesel OptionA decade ago, the concept of a sporting or luxurious sedan with a diesel engine was virtually unthinkable in the U.S. They had neither the refinement, nor the performance to be a viable alternative to a larger, multi-cylinder gasoline engine. All that is changing. And one of the ones helping to...
Antony Ingram -
New Range-Extended Electric London Cab A 'Masterpiece,' Says Mayor After Test DriveLondon has some of the worst inner-city pollution of any city in Europe, but legislators and automakers are now working hard to correct that. Among them is Metrocab, a company that purpose-builds taxis for the city--and its latest product, a range-extended electric cab, is drawing praise from...
Antony Ingram -
Landfill Power For Toyota Plant Cuts Carbon Emissions 90 PercentSeveral automakers have realized that being truly green involves much more than just building cars that don't use much fuel. The latest is Toyota, which is simultaneously powering its plant and cutting local emissions in Georgetown, Kentucky, by capturing waste gas from a local landfill site...
Antony Ingram -
Modern vehicles are derided in some circles for their complexity, but in reality cars are more reliable today than they've ever been.
Sure, stuff still goes wrong--but it usually does so with such...
-
Daimler Plans 3-Cylinder Engines For Future Compact HybridsThree-cylinder engines were popular with Japanese automakers back in the 1980s and 1990s, as a way of reducing weight and fuel consumption in smaller vehicles. Now, they're making a resurgence, as low weight and improved efficiency are once again at the forefront of automakers' development tasks...
Antony Ingram -
Replace Side Mirrors With Video Cameras? Tesla, Carmaker Group Ask Feds For OKUsing cameras for side mirrors isn't a new concept--manufacturers have been fitting them to concept vehicles for decades. But when it comes to road use, laws all around the world require proper mirrors, with no loopholes available for camera and screen-based systems. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] is...
Antony Ingram -
Shock, Surprise: Startup Detroit Electric Won't Build In Detroit After AllIn the world of startup electric car automakers, things don't always go to plan. With the best will in the world, release dates get pushed back, prices go up and initial promises fade away as if they were never made. It may not come as much of a surprise then to learn that Detroit Electric, a small...
Antony Ingram -
NHTSA Closes Probe Into Tesla Model S Fires: "Defect Not Identified"It looks like Tesla Motors' brief firefight is now over. Not only has the company announced the fitment of new parts designed to deflect road debris, the cause of two fire incidents towards the end of 2013, but the NHTSA has now closed its probe into the fires--absolving the Model S of blame. Last...
Antony Ingram -
Ford Parodies Divisive Cadillac ELR Ad With 'Upside' C-Max VideoWhy do we work so hard? Because hard work means "anything is possible"--and maybe you'll get a nice pool and a fancy car out of it. At least, that's the answer if Cadillac's "Poolside" ad for its ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe was to be believed. MUST SEE: Tesla Model S To Get Titanium...
Antony Ingram -
With highway economy of 36 mpg, the 2015 Chrysler 200 isn't the most fuel-efficient vehicle we've written about recently, but it has an important job to do.
The old model, despite being widely...
-
Tesla Model X Was Tougher To Design Than Model S, Musk SaysIf the Roadster was Tesla's early gigging days and the Model S the debut release from a hot new band, the Model X crossover could be considered Tesla's 'difficult second album'. Elon Musk has even hinted so himself, suggesting the car presents "a harder design problem than the Model S". According...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota i-Road Trials Start In Tokyo: Another Electric Not-Quite-CarToyota is to start real-world consumer trials of its unique i-Road urban electric vehicle in its native Japan. Like its European equivalent, Renault's Twizy, the i-Road aims to combine the comfort and safety of a car with the ease-of-use and convenience of a scooter or motorcycle. While the Twizy...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Tesla Model X Crossover Reservations: 13,000, MaybeFor an electric sedan priced above the reach of many people, sales of the Tesla Model S have been rather impressive so far. That relative popularity should also carry over to the firm's upcoming crossover, the 2015 Tesla Model X. The Tesla Motors Club is tracking Model X reservations, and so far...
Antony Ingram -
Lit Motors C1 All-Electric Two-Wheeler Update: Still In Development (Video)Human beings are curious beasts. Tell them something outlandish, even something backed by scientific method, and they'll try and prove it wrong anyway. Non-stick pans? Let's see what I can burn onto it! Unbreakable pen? Yeah, sure. ALSO SEE: Life With Tesla Model S: Is Pedal Placement A Problem?...
Antony Ingram -
Volvo Still Testing Flywheel Energy Capture, Fuel Savings Of 25 PercentWhen hybrid cars first appeared at the end of the 1990s they introduced a new concept to drivers: energy recovery under deceleration and braking. By recuperating a moving car's kinetic energy as it slows down and storing it as electrical energy, it can then be used to help the car speed up again...
Antony Ingram -
Whether on legs, horses or motor vehicles, mankind has always had an insatiable desire to go quicker than its neighbor.
That desire hasn't stopped with the advent of electric vehicles. If anything,...
-
Joint Toyota-BMW Hybrid Sports Car To Use Supercapacitors From Le Mans ProgramBMW has announced more details of the hybrid sports car project it's developing in conjunction with Toyota, confirmed last year. While the two vehicles will be very different in terms of styling and execution, BMW will rely on hybrid technology developed by Toyota for the vehicle--specifically...
Antony Ingram -
Electric-Car Batteries, Graphite, And Pollution In ChinaThe modern car is just about unrecognizable against its counterpart of a few decades ago. Not in terms of shape or performance, but emissions. The whole industry, pushed hard by legislation, has drastically reduced exhaust pollutants. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric cars do their bit to...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Honda Hybrid Cars: Ultimate GuideJapanese automaker Honda has been in the hybrid game from the very start, releasing the quirky, two-seat Insight back in 1999. Since then, the company has sold a variety of other hybrid models, and currently offers four to U.S. consumers. We've compiled reviews and articles for each Honda hybrid to...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Golf GTE Plug-In Hybrid: First Drive Of PrototypeVolkswagen is on an electric-vehicle model offensive right now. Not only is the e-Up electric minicar on sale in Europe, dominating Germany's electric sales charts, but the automaker has now launched the e-Golf, an electric version of its popular compact--a car that will make its way to U.S...
Antony Ingram -
Ohio State University Team Readies Electric Motorcycle For TT ZeroElectric vehicle technology is finding its way into various motorsport disciplines, but few are more exciting than the world of electric motorcycling. Not only did an electric motorcycle win the two-wheeled class at last year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, each year one race at the world's...
Antony Ingram