One Of These Isn’t Like the Others: Euro Spec Honda CR-Z

February 8th, 2010 We first reported on the Honda CR-Z conceptĀ back in AprilĀ of last year and we posted the question: The future of sports cars? Our opinion at the time was that Honda might be ahead of the curve with this potential hybrid sports car option—and apparently they agreed. With the CR-Z's first U.S. debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January it looks like...


More Than 30 MPG Highway: The New Benchmark For Green Cars?

February 8th, 2010 So what exactly IS a "green car"? At both the Los Angeles Auto Show and Detroit Auto Show, you could find the word "green" all over the place. LA has been pitching itself for years as the greenest auto show, with fewer muscle cars and more hybrids, clean diesels, and so forth than any other U.S. show. Judging from the signs, it appears that...


CalCars Felix Kramer Says National Academy of Sciences Report on EVs and Plug-Ins is Flawed

February 8th, 2010 The annual Electric Drive Transportation Association meeting held in conjunction with the Washington Auto Show is one of the largest events on American soil for electric vehicles. The EDTA conference is a place where automakers, battery developers, suppliers, industry experts, and journalists converge to discuss electric vehicles. The event...

Want A Micro-Turbine Plug-In Hybrid Supercar? Call Velozzi

February 7th, 2010 One of our favorite cars from the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show was the CMT-380 supercar concept from Capstone Turbine. To show off potential automotive uses for its C30 micro-turbine, it built an extended-range electric car using the turbine to add up to 500 miles to the 80-mile range of its lithium-ion battery pack by powering an onboard generator...


Japanese Transportation Ministry Orders Investigation Into Toyota Prius Braking Issue

February 7th, 2010 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The Toyota recalls have made headline stories for at least a week now. The company is working feverishly to fix the problems and rebuild a possibly tarnished image. Just when things could not possibly get any worst for Toyota, they just did. According to the New York Times, the Japanese government has ordered the...

Honda and Scion Struggle Seeking Small-Hybrid Sweet Spot

February 6th, 2010 Before either car launched, the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight were viewed as natural rivals. Would the third generation of Toyota's definitive hybrid be threatened by Honda's "least expensive hybrid", which too offered five doors and good gas mileage? What a difference a year makes. Prius romps, Insight craters The 2010 Prius was a...


BMW Discusses Owners’ Reactions to Mini E Lease Program, Drivers Delighted With Vehicle

February 6th, 2010 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } The lease of the prototype Mini E has been a success. BMW discussed some of their results from the field testing program of the Mini E and opened their press conference with the headline, "Mini E Drivers Delighted with Electric Vehicle Experience." The Mini E lease program has been ongoing and is still a work in...

Striking BMW EfficientDynamics Hybrid Concept Will Be Built

February 5th, 2010 The striking BMW Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid concept was unquestionably the star concept of September's Frankfurt Motor Show. It proved, once again, that when German carmakers turn their minds toward a new goal--in this case, a sports car with breathtaking fuel efficiency--they can produce audaciously good concepts that often end up as...


New Hybrid Braking Issue: First Prius, Now Ford Fusion Hybrid

February 5th, 2010 Another day, another hybrid braking problem. Only this time, it's not Toyota. It's Ford. Late yesterday, Ford announced a "customer satisfaction program" that will ask that owners of 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid models built before October 17 to bring the cars to their dealer for a free software upgrade. The fix is meant...


First Drive: 2010 Hyundai Tucson

February 4th, 2010 One way for car companies to become more "green" is to reduce cylinder counts while doing everything possible not to sacrifice power. Hyundai has gone that route with its redesigned 2010 Hyundai Tucson, eliminating the V-6 engine option and leaving a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that makes 176 horsepower--three more than the 2009 V-6's 173--as the only...