Antony Ingram, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Not everyone can afford a new hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric car, but those who still wish to drive such a vehicle can still take the conversion route.
Electric car conversions have been around...
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Electric Mini MINIs Help Out At London Olympic GamesThe 2012 Olympic Games might be based in London this year, but the official car sponsor is distinctly German, with BMW supplying all the official games vehicles. Still, Brits can take some solace that a selection of MINIs make up part of the fleet, adding a traditional touch to the games. Forty of...
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Baja 1000 Goes Electric With New Solar-Powered CategoryThe Sun Cup Challenge sounds like something you might find in a Mario Kart video game, next to the Mushroom Cup and Star Cup, but the reality is much more significant. This year, the Sun Cup Challenge is a competition within the mighty Baja 1000 race, where competitors tackle a thousand miles of...
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Production Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In Hybrid Supercar: Naked At Last (Video)One of the most exciting hybrid vehicles appearing in the future is coming from quite an unusual source. A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable for Stuttgart sports car maker Porsche to release a hybrid, but the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid supercar is joining a much-changed range, full of SUVs...
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Renting Electric, Hybrid And Green Cars: What Are Your Options?If you drive an electric car, hybrid, diesel or other green vehicle day-to-day, you might like to know that you can rent similar when you go abroad, or even when you fly across country to visit relatives. Luckily, many rental and car-sharing firms offer green vehicles on their fleets, and some even...
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ECOtality Offering Free Electric Car Charging Stations: Is Your City Included?Wherever you charge your electric car, it's nice to have access to the latest equipment and a good network of charging sites. That's the aim of ECOtality, as it offers Blink chargers at an increasingly wide range of sites, with Philadelphia, Chicago and Atlanta the latest cities joining the list...
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You might have noticed, driving through the summer months, that you're filling up the car a little less often than you would over winter.
It's not your mind playing tricks on you, but a fairly common...
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Want A Tesla Roadster? Buy George Clooney's Old CarThe Tesla Roadster is no longer on sale, and with attention on the recently-launched Model S, the upcoming Model X crossover and a rumored BMW 3-Series-sized Tesla sedan, it may be some time before the company produces another sports car. That means you're limited to used vehicles, and what better...
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Fancy A 9-Speed Gearbox For Better Gas Mileage? Chrysler DoesTo those who remember "three on the tree" or "four on the floor", today's seven and eight-speed automatic transmissions seem to offer a bewildering amount of gears to choose from. Chrysler will go one better in 2013 with a nine-speed automatic transmission, as the maker looks towards improving...
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BMW i3, i8 Will Be First BMWs To Sell OnlineIf you're selling a futuristic vehicle, why not sell it using futuristic means? That's the strategy BMW is looking to take with its i3 and i8 plug-in cars, when both go on sale in Europe in a few years time. The German automaker may well have just opened a specialised showroom for the cars in...
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Is This Your Future Hybrid And Electric Car Motor?General Electric scientists have developed a prototype electric motor designed to improve the performance and efficiency of hybrid and electric vehicles. The Interior Permanent Magnet traction motor improves on existing designs in several key areas, and would result in hybrids and electric vehicles...
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Are CVTs The Fuel-Efficient Transmission Of The Future?If you've driven a Toyota, Lexus or Honda hybrid, or any recent Nissan automatic, you'll be familiar with continuously-variable transmissions (CVT). You'll be familiar with the smoothness, the quiet running at low speeds, and the way the revs soar when you ask for a bit more power. But with CVT...
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What aspects of modern motoring would you be prepared to give up to achieve 125 mpg fuel efficiency?
Carmakers have made huge strides in recent years to improve fuel efficiency, but they've had to...
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Five Electric Supercars We Want In Our GarageFor some, cars are much more than merely a method of transport. Much of the stereotypical gearhead backlash against electric and hybrid vehicles is to do with the perception that the vehicles are transportation for tree huggers, hippies and people who believe that people shouldn't have fun. It's...
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Smaller Vehicles Getting More Popular, JD Power Survey SaysWill your next car be smaller than your current one? If you answered yes, then you're in good company, as a recent JD Power survey shows that 27 percent of new car buyers have downsized in the last year. The 2012 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study, showed that only 13...
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Chrysler To Feds: Support Natural-Gas Cars As Well As Plug-InGovernment incentives are a popular (if controversial) way of getting more buyers behind the wheel of electric cars. Bring down the price, and buyers will follow. Whatever you think of the politics behind the incentives, others are simply concerned that they aren't getting the same treatment. One...
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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: Quick Drive ReportIn the spectrum of alternative fuel vehicles, there's something on sale to suit almost every taste. Whether you're buying an all-electric vehicle or simply want a mild hybrid to save a little on gas, there's a lot of choice in between. The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In sits virtually in the center of...
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2012 Mitsubishi i Gets 'Making Of' Program On Discovery ChannelThere's something fascinating about "how it's made"-style programs. Even the most mundane items can seem interesting as they whirr down a production line gaining attributes as they go. When the object is already interesting, like an electric car, that's even more reason to watch. To that end, keep...
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BMW has announced a strategic investment in Coulomb Technologies, the company behind the ChargePoint charging network.
ChargePoint is the largest online global charging network, operating in 14...
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2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Pricing And Details AnnouncedLincoln has announed pricing levels and more details for its sleek 2013 MKZ sedan, and for the 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Continuing a trend started by Lincoln with the last MKZ, the hybrid sedan will cost no more than the regular gasoline version, with both starting at $35,925, excluding the $875...
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Mazda Diesel To Come First In Mazda6 Sedan Or CX-5 Crossover?Drivers in Europe have been reaping the benefits of a wide selection of diesel cars for years, but with the fuel set to become more popular in the U.S. too, many carmakers are expanding their range of diesel vehicles. Mazda is one of those carmakers, with the next generation Mazda6 and the 2013...
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How To Quick-Charge Your Electric Car: Helpful VideoIf there's one thing to be said for the relatively steady uptake on electric cars, it's that there's a friendly, tight-knit community of electric car owners ever-ready to hand out advice. Whatever you want to know about owning or driving an EV, it's never difficult to find someone who can help out...
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Electric Car Batteries Could Get Lighter Thanks To New MaterialMan-made carbon dioxide might be something we're trying to reduce, but on its own, carbon is an abundant and rather useful element. It's also been central to two of the most important scientific materials discoveries of recent years--graphene, and carbon nanotubes. The latter involves rolling the...
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2014 Volkswagen Golf: Will U.S. Finally Get GTD Diesel Hot Hatch?Volkswagen is often credited with inventing the "hot hatchback", when the original Golf GTI emerged in the mid-1970s. The company could also lay reasonable claim to inventing the first diesel hot hatchback, as powerful TDI models of the car have been sold in Europe for well over a decade. Now, U.S...
Antony Ingram