Antony Ingram, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Electric motorsport might seem a bit superficial--defining the future of transportation by something as uncouth as speed and excitement.
The reality couldn't be further from the truth. Speedy and...
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Nissan Slashes Leaf Price To Sell Electric Car In AustraliaNissan should be pleased with its Leaf sales over the first few months of this year--not only is it beating last year's monthly rate, but it's on a level with the previously higher-selling Chevy Volt. Not so in Australia though, where the car is still struggling. In fact, it's struggling enough...
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Renault Zoe Electric Car: First Drive Of Europe's Leaf AlternativeYou might think that Europe, with its congested cities and relatively short distances between cities, would be the perfect environment for electric cars. Whether or not that's the case, the choice of electric cars there isn't nearly as wide as it is in the U.S. But with the Renault Zoe you see...
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2013 Toyota Matrix: Last Model Year In U.S. For Compact HatchbackThe Toyota Matrix will pass silently into the ether next year, just as the new Corolla hatchback takes its place in 2014. That will neither come as a shock nor much of a disappointment for many, as the compact's sales have slid downwards ever since 2009--now accounting for only 0.2 percent of...
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Could The 2015 Toyota Fuel-Cell Vehicle Cost $100,000? Perhaps CloseGood news: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are getting cheaper to develop all the time. Bad news: "Cheap" is a relative term, and when Toyota finally releases a production version of the car previewed by its FCV-R fuel-cell concept, it'll still cost anywhere in the region of $50,000-$100,000 to buy...
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Which Diesel Car Will Sell Best Next Year: Chevy, Jeep, Or VW?Diesel has taken quite some time to catch on in the U.S, but several manufacturers are finally seeing the potential of compression ignition--and the range of available cars is increasing. That's good news for buyers wanting to eke out the most miles to every gallon, particularly on long, steady...
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It was always going to happen: Several states around the U.S. have realized they can charge electric car owners a tax to make up for the fact they don't pay any gas tax.
Unfortunately, several states...
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Electric-Car Startup Coda Automotive Files For BankruptcyCoda Automotive has become the latest casualty of the cut-throat electric car industry, today filing for bankruptcy. The company will dissolve the carmaking business and instead put its efforts into Coda Energy, a stationary battery storage business it started in 2011. According to The Detroit...
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Nissan To Tackle Plug-In Hybrids, Fuel Cells As Well As Electric CarsNissan's Leaf is one of the highest-profile electric cars on the market, but the automaker is working on other alternative-propulsion vehicles, too. According to What Car, Nissan is planning the launch of a plug-in hybrid vehicle within the next two years, and even a hydrogen fuel cell car by 2017...
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Used High-Mileage Hybrids, Yellow Taxi Paint Thrown In For FreeWe've talked about the longevity of hybrid cars on several occasions before, usually when some myth about batteries dying at ridiculously short intervals comes up. But just how much faith would you put in a high-mileage hybrid? Enough to part with your cash for an ex-NYC Ford Escape Hybrid taxi?...
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Hydrogen Aston Martin Rapide Completes First Racing Lap, Many More To FollowAston Martin has achieved its target of completing a racing lap around one of the world's toughest tracks--on hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen-powered Aston Martin Rapide S made its debut at a four-hour ADAC ACAS H&R-Cup VLN series race, at the infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in...
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Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid Proves Popular: Production Doubles In EuropeThere is, at the moment, only one production diesel plug-in hybrid car on sale, and it's currently only sold in Europe. That car is the Volvo V60 Plug-In Hybrid, combining the long-distance touring ability and economy of a diesel powertrain with the short-distance cleanliness and inexpense of...
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Few automakers have built a buzz around their products like Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA].
Like many other electric cars, Roadster and Model S owners and fans are a tight-knit community too, and a two-day...
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Watch A 2013 Nissan Leaf Being Built In Tennessee (Video)We always love seeing how electric cars are made. There's something fascinating about watching a car go right from the metal presses to rolling out of the factory. In recent years we've brought you videos of such a process for several electric cars, and now it's the turn of the 2013 Nissan Leaf at...
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Consumers DO Want High-MPG Vehicles: Not Such A Hard Sell After AllThe 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set for 2025 have caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth from some quarters, but automakers haven't been among them. The automakers have been quite supportive in fact--perhaps knowing all along what a new analysis has discovered: That...
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Selling Electric Cars, Hybrids: Does Saving Green Matter More Than Going Green?Electric cars might have plenty of environmental benefits over their combustion cousins, carmakers are finding that angle a hard one to benefit from. In fact, it's much more likely modern electric cars will be sold on the back of plain, simple cost savings, says Bloomberg. It presents an unusual...
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In-Wheel Motor Electric Ford Fiesta Previews Future Urban VehiclesWhen automakers test prototypes and new technologies, it's often done under the skin of an existing vehicle--partly to save costs, partly to avoid the gaze of prying spy photographers. That's why the Ford Fiesta you see here looks nothing special, save for some basic wheels and its not-for-U.S...
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VW Talks Future Tech: Plug-Ins, Natural Gas, 10-Speed TransmissionsVolkswagen chairman Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn covered virtually every area of green technology in his talk at the recent Vienna Motor Symposium. Plug-in cars, natural gas vehicles, diesels and a new ten-speed dual-clutch transmission were all discussed, pointing to a bright future for...
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Chevrolet's diminutive Spark EV will be the first car in the U.S. to offer the new SAE Combo charger for DC fast charging.
Other electric cars have touted such a system, including the Fiat 500e and...
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Volvo Flywheel Hybrid System (aka KERS) Tests Completed SuccessfullyIf you follow Formula One racing, you'll have heard of KERS, or Kinetic Energy Recovery System. There are several techologies being used, but among them is flywheel KERS, using a spinning flywheel to capture energy which can then be used at a later time. Volvo has been trialing such a system for...
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Build Your Own Metal-Air Battery Car: Now There's A KitMost of us, sadly, can't afford a brand new Tesla Model S electric sedan. Even less so, a Tesla Model S with the latest metal-air battery technology, hinted for use in the company's future products. But fret not, dear reader: There is another way to get your hands on metal-air battery technology...
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Volvo C30 Electric Test Fleet: Latest Update Adds Fast ChargingThe Volvo C30 Electric car might not be on general sale to the public, but that doesn't mean the Swedish automaker isn't serious about its compact electric car. Its test fleet in Sweden allows the company to fully evaluate electric vehicles before it brings one to market in full production guise...
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Biofuel From Bacteria Perfectly Mimics Hydrocarbon Fuel (In The Lab)There are many reasons for wanting to wean ourselves off oil, but environmental issues and measuring out dwindling resources are two fairly significant ones. The trouble is, oil is incredibly convenient. It's energy dense and in cars, we can replenish it in minutes. So how do you take those...
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London Lowers CO2 Limit For Free Entry: Only Plug-Ins ExemptFor several years, England's capital city has charged a fee for vehicles entering a center zone, under the guise of "congestion charging". In reality, it's a tax based on CO2 emissions, all vehicles emitting under 100 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide allowed free passage into the center. Until...
Antony Ingram