Toyota has a long history in developing electric drive vehicles. Nobody can dispute its unparalleled success at dominating the gasoline-electric hybrid market with its venerable Prius, or how this success has led to a family of highly-efficient vehicles under a Prius sub-brand. Now the automaker has unveiled its new RAV4 EV that’s been developed in […]
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest ‘Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends’ report, cylinder deactivation is an increasingly popular way to net greater efficiency from a V-6 or V-8 engine. However, the technology is largely bypassing passenger cars. Cylinder deactivation was found in 38 percent of all pickups, 17 percent […]
Our friend Carroll Shelby, who passed away at age 89, will be remembered by many for his racing wins early in his career including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, plus his skillful ability to craft some of the most notable street-legal sports cars ever made. The Shelby Cobra and Shelby Mustangs are top-of-mind among […]
Alternative fuel vehicles are increasingly finding their way to racing as a way of promoting the breed to consumers. Most of these are competition cars. Now, for the first time a compressed natural gas (CNG) car has found its way to a NASCAR race as an official pace car. A Honda Civic Natural Gas sedan […]
Performance has historically been a huge touchstone for the Dodge brand. These days, though, this is defined in ways other than pure power and acceleration, with environmental performance at the top of many lists. The revival of the legacy Dodge Dart nameplate for the 2013 model year aims squarely at this ‘new’ performance. This car […]
The sub-compact BMW X1 premium sport activity vehicle (SAV) combines the utility of an SAV with the driving dynamics of a BMW sports sedan. This combination has already proved popular in markets outside the U.S. Now the X1 is heading to our shores this coming fall. The U.S. version gets some unique updates for American drivers […]
While the 2012 Kia Rio is not EPA rated at 50 mpg, that’s not to say this efficiency can’t be achieved, as the Green Car Journal - FrugalDriver.com team illustrated during a recent Kia fuel economy drive from Miami to Key West in Florida. The goal was to post the highest mpg among a media […]
Audi’s focus on electrified transportation is showcased in its series of e-tron concepts, all very sophisticated approaches to developing future production vehicles for varying classes from city cars to high-performance sports cars. The latest, the A6 L e-tron plug-in hybrid concept, is a foray into the luxury market. This e-tron exercise is based on the […]
I am excited to update you on the recent progress that we’re making at Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) in the compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle market. This technology is here now, and the future is bright! I’m extremely bullish about natural gas as a transportation fuel. […]
Natural gas pickup choices are growing with the addition of a CNG powered pickup from Ram Truck. The dual-fuel Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG pickup, offered exclusively as a Crew Cab 4x4 model on a 169-inch wheelbase, is designed to run on either compressed natural gas or gasoline. The transition from natural gas to gasoline […]
Cars are going ‘green’. So are auto manufacturers. Why not the retailers that sell us our cars? Honda figures that makes perfect sense so it has launched its new Environmental Leadership Awards for designated ‘Green Dealers.’ The program honors independently-owned Honda dealers that have reduced their environmental impact by reaching specified thresholds of decreased water […]
Most electric vehicle owners expect free public charging opportunities. Still, plenty of charging providers aim to sell such services and have built business plans around this. Even as a pay-for-play network of charging stations emerges, we do expect many businesses to offer free charging as a way to attract environmentally-inclined customers. As all this unfolds, […]
The benefits of cruise control systems are well known: automating the often tedious job of maintaining steady driving speeds while delivering the side benefit of better fuel efficiency. However, sustaining optimum speeds is not always easy during times of heavy traffic when cars around you may be traveling at varying speeds, and especially in bumper-to-bumper […]
Car rental giant Hertz will begin offering compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle rentals to customers at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma in early May, serving as a pilot program for the company’s CNG airport rental activities. Initial natural gas rentals will include two GMC Yukons and eight Honda Civics, the latter Green Car Journal’s […]
It should be no secret that electric vehicles are pricey because of the extraordinarily high cost of their advanced lithium batteries. Yet, most folks still wonder why the purchase price of a battery powered vehicle is so high. Here’s a clue: Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally has now shared that the cost of the lithium-ion batteries […]
Hydrogen fuel cell buses and cars can now fill up with this zero-emission fuel at AC Transit’s municipal bus facility in Emeryville, California. The hydrogen fueling systems provided by Linde North America are capable of fueling up to 12 buses and 20 passenger cars per day. A second AC Transit hydrogen fueling station in Oakland […]
How clean are electric vehicles really considering they require electricity generated by powerplants, some cleaner than others? It’s an issue often brought up by those opposed to electric vehicles, and now it’s one addressed by the Union of Concerned Scientists in a new study, ‘State of Charge: Electric Vehicles’ Global Warming Emissions and Fuel Cost […]
What family wouldn’t want a plug-in hybrid minivan? Well, some may opt for more stylish crossover vehicles because they’re generally sportier, but parents who have kids and gear to haul around have often found the sheer functionality of minivans indispensible. That’s why Chrysler’s news that plug-in hybrid electric Town & Country minivans are now being […]