Antony Ingram, Contributing Writer
Articles
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Drivers of hybrid and electric vehicles will be used to the feel of regenerative braking.
As you brake, or even lift off the accelerator pedal in some electric vehicles, kinetic energy from the... -
Electric Car Prices Drop In Europe, Will U.S. Follow?When Renault launched its Zoe electric car at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show with a starting price of little over $21,000 (after the U.K's plug-in car grant), more than a few jaws hit the floor. After all, that's easily the cheapest proper electric car on sale in Europe, and even looks good in the U.S...
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2012 Honda CR-Z Vs. 2012 Hyundai Veloster: Gas-Saver CoupesCarmakers are beginning to realise that saving gas and reducing emissions, and making a fun car to drive aren't mutually exclusive. At the top of the market there are now plenty of high-performance hybrids to choose from, but what if your budget is a little lower - nearer the $20,000 mark? That's...
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Plug-In Hybrid Porsche Panamera To Appear In 2014?The past decade or so has been a tough one for Porsche purists to take. From a range that comprised just the enduring 911 and the Boxster, we've since seen dubiously-styled off-roaders and sedans, diesel engines (in Europe) and hybrid versions. Not surprisingly, Porsche is also more profitable than...
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Volkswagen up!: Forbidden Fruit First DriveWe've been following the progress of Volkswagen's up! for quite some time. First, we saw the up! Lite concept. Then the up!, a rear-engined minicar. VW then teased some electric up! taxis, before we finally saw the production version - and several more concepts - at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show...
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Long-Distance Electric-Car Trip: Two French Guys, One i-MiEV"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard" So said President John F. Kennedy in 1962, and only seven years later humankind had set foot on the moon. It's a metaphor for human progress, and...
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Carbon footprints are a big talking point at the moment - they're your personal contribution to greenhouse gases, usually in terms of carbon dioxide, or CO2 emissions.
The latest research out of... -
Pininfarina May Build Cambiano Plug-In Hybrid From GenevaYou know the story with concept vehicles: Shown among the glitz and glamor of auto show stands, they gradually become watered-down until a significantly less exciting production car hits the dealership floor. Only in the rarefied world of tiny-volume supercars, anything goes - which is why design...
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BMW ActiveHybrid 7 Updated For 2013, Better MPG ExpectedThere are two different approaches to take when developing a hybrid. You can use the technology to make large improvements to the efficiency of a particular vehicle, or you can use it to improve the performance of a vehicle without making huge sacrifices in economy. The 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 can...
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Was The 2012 Fisker Karma Released Before It Was Ready?Fisker Automotive has had a torrid time in the months following the launch of the 2012 Fisker Karma. Facing recalls, software upgrades and the news that a car died in the hands of Consumer Reports, an ex-employee of a Fisker retailer has now claimed that Fisker pushed the Karma to the market before...
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Kelley Blue Book Lists Gas-Savers With Sub-$30k 5-Year CostYesterday, as we were publishing our own basic guide to some of the costs you can expect from gasoline, diesel, electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, vehicle information resource Kelly Blue Book (KBB) released a similar list. Rather than comparing energy types, the KBB list shows you all...
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Cross-Country On 2 Gallons Of Gas? Sorta, But Not ReallyIf we told you someone had driven across the U.S. on only two gallons of gas, you'd probably be quite impressed. Cliff Ricketts did just this. After around 2,582 miles and with a support team, he used only 2.15 gallons of gasoline. That doesn't tell the whole story though, because Cliff used other...
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Weight, we're told, is the enemy of the car.
The more of it you have, the more of it you need to overcome. Efficiency takes a turn for the worse, performance suffers, handling becomes less... -
As Gas Prices Rise, So Do Fuel-Efficient Car SalesIt sounds like simple economics, because it is: If the cost of running your car increases, you're going to either use it less--not an option for some--or find a cheaper option. February vehicle sales rose by 15.7 percent last month, and many of those were for more compact and fuel-efficient...
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Rolls-Royce Electric Phantom Canned, Plug-In Hybrid Due?Potential Rolls-Royce customers know what they like, and know what they don't. Let's face it, they wouldn't be in the market for a Rolls-Royce if they'd not made plenty of "I like it" and "I don't like it" decisions in their lives. So when customers tell Rolls-Royce that the charging time and the...
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Jaguar C-X75 Plug-In Supercar: Turbines For Track OnlyYou may recognize the Jaguar C-X75 supercar from the 2010 Paris Auto Show, where it wowed the critics and public alike. You may also remember that the car was destined to be a plug-in, range-extended vehicle, the electric motors supplemented not by a regular gasoline engine, but by a series of...
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Gas, Hybrid, Diesel, Electric: What Do They Cost Over 5 Yrs?So you're in the market for a new car. Fantastic. You've done the research--looking at list prices, EPA fuel ratings, and all manner of other factors--and you know you want something fuel-efficient and easy on the environment. But what will that car really cost over, say, five years of ownership?...
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Best-Selling Electric Cars: The Toy Model RundownNot everyone can afford to put the latest electric car on their driveway, but for only a few dollars you can get die-cast models of all the biggest electric car hits of the last few years. Whether for your kids or just the big kid inside you, show your support for the electric car cause by getting...
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If you stop and think about it, electric drivetrains are actually very well suited to the rarified world of supercars.
Some of the EV's normal negative points - expense, lack of range - are less of... -
Lexus RX 450h Drive To Geneva: What (MPG)'ll She Do, Mister?Before we were handed the keys to the 2012 Lexus RX 450h AWD, we were advised that although the luxury SUV would be a comfortable companion, freeway driving isn't the best test for a hybrid vehicle. Or is it? After all, we already know that hybrids work best in city driving, but low tailpipe...
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So Maybe $4/Gallon Gasoline Isn't That Big A Deal After All?Gas prices are rising. This we know, and it's something we can do very little about. The increased cost of accessing crude oil, and political instability in oil-controlling nations putting a squeeze on supply, means the consumer has to foot the bill. But as gas prices climb towards the $4 per...
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Crazy Electric Car Concept From Fisker Karma-Builders ValmetSitting in hall 1 of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, was a vehicle so low that--if it wasn't the oddest-looking thing you'd ever seen--you'd have tripped over it. Actually, that's a lie. Every time we passed it, the car had gathered quite a crowd, so you couldn't miss it. It's the work of Finnish...
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MINI Clubvan Concept Live Photos: 2012 Geneva Motor ShowSmall vans are big business in Europe. In cities with tight streets and for businesses with only lightweight cargo to carry, the small van is the convenient and importantly, tax-friendly answer. It's no surprise that MINI is interested in entering the market then. It's expected to do so with a...
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Renault ZOE Electric Car Debuts At Geneva: Live PhotosFrench carmaker Renault chose the Geneva Motor Show to launch the ZOE, the final model in its four-car Z.E. electric vehicle range. Joining the Fluence sedan, Kangoo van and Twizy city car, the ZOE is a B-segment electric car, similar in size to a Ford Fiesta. Unlike the Fluence and Kangoo which...
Antony Ingram