Antony Ingram, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Mid-size car buyers now have another option if they want to reduce their gas consumption--the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Eco.
Joining the Sonata 2.0T and the 2.4-liter model in the range, the Sonata Eco...
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2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-Tron Plug-In Hybrid On Sale This Winter--In Germany
Audi has promised plug-in models for some time, and towards the end of this year its first production plug-in will finally arrive. The 2015 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron will hit European roads in winter 2014, priced at 37,900 Euros. That's around $51,500 at current exchange rates, or similarly priced...
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Toyota Aygo Minicar Driven: Much-Improved Scion iQ Alternative U.S. Won't Get
The Scion iQ has not been a success story for Toyota's youth-orientated brand. In 2013, just 4,406 iQs found homes in the U.S. That's half as many as were sold in 2012, hardly a stellar year itself. By contrast, Toyota's other small car had a bumper year in 2013. The Aygo minicar moved nearly...
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Why Lithium-Ion Batteries Degrade With Repeated Charging
As anyone with a smartphone, laptop or indeed a whole electric car will know, lithium-ion batteries degrade over time. Each time you charge and discharge the batteries, they lose a little capacity. Day to day you don't really notice, but over a year, or two, it means being able to use your phone...
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Toyota Researches Solid-State Batteries As Mid-Term Option To Lithium-Air
Lithium-air batteries, with high energy density, low weight and useful stability, are a major candidate for future electric car batteries. However, commercialization may not happen for another fifteen years or more given current limitations, so improvements in the meantime must be found elsewhere...
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2015 Kia Soul EV Electric Car Enters Production
Kia's Soul hamsters haven't just got fitter with the latest generation car--they've gone green, too. The Korean company has now begun volume production of the Soul EV, an electric version of the popular hatchback and the first such car to be exported worldwide. At the heart of the Kia Soul EV is a...
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"Green is a tough sell if it doesn't actually save money."
Those are the words of Echo Automotive chairman Jason Plotke, whose company aims to make bolt-on hybrid solutions for existing commercial...
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Are Vanadium Flow Batteries The Solution To 'Too Much' Solar Power?
It's a statement of the obvious, but solar panels do their best work during the day, specifically noon and early afternoon when the sun is at its strongest. The trouble is, this rarely tallies with when energy use is at its highest--typically in the evening, when everyone gets home from work. The...
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2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel: Ultimate Guide
Joining the Chevrolet Cruze Eco in the carmaker's greener, less consumptive vehicle lineup, the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel has been one of Chevy's most eagerly-awaited models. The car has featured several times before on Green Car Reports, so below you can find all our previous coverage on the...
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Nissan Leaf Fleet Joins London's Electric Taxi Ranks
Electric cars make a lot of sense for use as taxis. Taxis are typically driven in cities, where air pollution is often a problem. They tend to do frequent short runs punctuated by stops. And passengers tend to like a smoother, quieter taxi ride. London taxi firm eConnect Cars has realized all these...
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Nissan Leaf Electric Car Becomes Futuristic Attack Vehicle On Japanese TV Show (Video)
Want to guarantee your car immortality? Get it featured on a TV show or in a movie. Nobody has to ask twice what a DeLorean looks like, and most people probably know what car Starsky and Hutch drove. And Herbie is a no-brainer. ALSO SEE: Would You Ride This Tiny Folding Electric Scooter To Work?...
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Small Set Of 2014 Nissan Leaf Electric Cars Recalled For Inverter Replacement
Nissan is recalling a small number of 2014 Nissan Leaf electric cars to replace the car's inverter assembly. Just 196 cars are affected, all build during a ten-day period in April. Nissan puts the recall down to an out-of-specification control circuit board being fitted during this time. ALSO SEE...
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Unless you're a Tesla owner with access to free Supercharger fast charging stations, there's no better place to charge your electric car than at home.
Pick the right electricity tariff, and charging...
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Japan's Government Clamps Down On Tiny Kei Cars, Fearing Irrelevance
Japan does small cars like no other country on earth--mainly because they have to. The nation's Kei-jidosha car class was set up to make a class of car that was cheaper to run, easier to own and small enough to ease parking and minimize congestion. Now, reports The New York Times, these distinctive...
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Ford, Samsung's Twin Battery For Braking Regeneration, Stop-Start
Electrification is becoming an increasingly important factor in improving the fuel efficiency of vehicles. Cars like the Toyota Prius hybrid made it mainstream, but there are varying degrees to which batteries can be used for saving fuel. MUST SEE: Elio 84-MPG Three-Wheel Prototype: Driven In...
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Toyota To Start Fuel Cell Vehicle Production In December
Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will go into production ahead of schedule, with production planned for mid-December 2014. Sales will also begin "by the end of the year" reports Japan Times (via Autoblog), ahead of Toyota's original on-sale date some time in 2015. No reason has been given for...
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RHD Tesla Model S Electric Cars Delivered To First U.K. Buyers
Tesla Motors has some busy years ahead of it. There's the continued roll-out of the Model S in global markets, such as China and Europe. There are two new models on the horizon. And there's the enormous battery gigafactory. To that long list, Tesla has added U.K. sales--as the first cars made their...
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Tesla Updates, Buying A Mirage, Elio Driven: The Week In Reverse
In our new feature, The Week In Reverse, we take a look back at the most significant story we published each day of the previous week--collating them all in a single article for you to review, ogle, ponder, or simply catch up on any you may have missed. From electric cars to diesels and more, these...
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Think of supercars, and your thoughts might turn to Ferraris, Lamborghinis, McLarens or Vipers.
A South Korean vehicle with a Dutch electric drivetrain probably doesn't spring to mind. Though that's...
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This Electric Motorcycle Lap At TT Zero 2014 Is Insane: Video
TT Zero is a relatively new addition to the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy road race meeting that takes place each June. Despite its novelty, it's also raising more than a few eyebrows. None more so than this year, when experienced racer John McGuinness rode the lap you see above. That's because over...
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Want To Cut Heat In The City? Paint The Roads White
It's fair to say we don't give roads much thought unless they're doing something wrong. You certainly notice them when you run over a pothole, for example. But what about when they're radiating heat on a hot summer's day? The effect of all those roads is estimated to increase city center...
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Elio 84-MPG Three-Wheel Prototype: Driven In Parking Lot (Video)
It's not uncommon for small cars to get 40 mpg these days, or hybrids to hit 50 mpg. But vehicles doing more than that are conspicuous by their absence. Elio Motors claims its three-wheeled car does 84 mpg on the highway, far exceeding that of any car on sale. ALSO SEE: Why Tesla's Elon Musk Must...
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Will There Be Enough Batteries In The World For Electric Cars?
As demand for electric cars grows, supply of batteries must grow to meet it. That much is obvious. But just how much is battery demand expected to grow by over the coming years? According to an Electric Vehicle Batteries report by Navigant Research, existing capacity for lithium-ion battery...
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2015 MINI Cooper 5 Door Revealed In Official Images
MINIs aren't really Mini any more, but modern safety, comfort and equipment standards mean we'll never have a car quite as small as the original Mini ever again. That, and relentless niche-filling from parent company BMW means the car must be hugely profitable--something the classic car never...
Antony Ingram