Economics

Threat of Rare Earths Shortages to Hybrids and EVs Remains Unclear

According to a recently-released Department of Energy report, several clean energy technologies—including electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles—are at risk due to the “critical risk” posed by short-term supply disruptions in the rare earth elements market.

Does Economic Instability Threaten to Undermine Green Cars?

As recent history has shown, consumers prioritize fuel efficiency much more when it pays immediate and noticeable returns at the pump.

Is the Real Price of Gasoline as High as $15 Per Gallon?

Worldwide gasoline prices range from less than $1 per gallon to more than $10 depending upon where you buy, thanks to subsidies, price controls, geography and other factors. But what's the true price of gasoline? In a new video, the Center for Investigative Journalism attempts to answer that question, placing the total as high as $15 per gallon.

Gas Prices Are Guessing Game, As Summer Driving Season Begins

Gas prices continue to defy logic, as the markets for crude oil and retail gasoline are off to an unpredictable start for the 2011 driving season. There’s no doubt that Memorial Day weekend drivers spent more this year than last year—about $23 per visit at the pump according to government estimates. But it could have been worse. Gasoline prices have backed off their peak of $4, down to about $3.80 as a national average. Yet, Americans returned to work today discovered that oil prices are back up, rising above $103 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Kia Prices Optima Hybrid at $26,500

Kia Motors America announced today that its first hybrid, the 2011 Optima Hybrid, will be priced at $26,500. The Optima Hybrid, with an expected rating of 35 miles per gallon in the city and 40 on the highway, goes on sale in June. The gas-electric Optima shares its hybrid system with the Hyundai Sonata, which surprisingly carries a lower based MSRP of $25,800. Nonetheless, the Optima Hybrid beats the price of Ford Fusion—which offers similar fuel economy at 41/36—by about two grand. It matches the base MSRP of the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which only musters 33 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway.

$4 Gas Is Officially Here Again

On Sunday, the newest Lundberg Survey reported that the national average gas price reached exactly $4 per gallon for the first time since July of 2008. The mark was reached a full three weeks before Memorial Day, the unofficial start of the summer driving season, a period in which gas prices typically reach yearly highs. The more immediate and desperate question on the minds of many consumers and industry watchers alike is, “Will $4 gas last?”

$4 Gas Is Best, And Worst, Time to Buy a New Hybrid

Even with this week's slight dip in oil prices, next week is likely to bring the dreaded return of $4 gas as the official national average at the pumps. (Last week, it hit $3.96.) The knee-jerk reaction from many Americans will be to dump the family gas-guzzler as swiftly as possible, and rush out to purchase a smaller fuel-efficient car or hybrid. But, according to Jeff Bartlett, deputy online automotive editor at Consumer Reports, this might be exactly the worst time to buy a hybrid or other new high-mpg model.

Hot Car for Summer: Used Toyota Prius

The 2011 Toyota Prius has been a big-seller so far this year. Sales are already up 51.5 percent in the first three months of 2011. Rising gas prices will put the quintessential hybrid in even greater demand. The result is a return of waiting lists for the 50-mpg Prius, and car buyers scrambling over to the used lot to see what’s available.

Oil-Rich Middle East Dictators Want...Oil Independence?

In the eyes of fossil fuels giants like Iran and Saudi Arabia, oil is quickly becoming too valuable to waste domestically.

With the Return of $4 Gas, GM Again Looks to Mild Hybrids

Can GM's new wave of eAssist mild hybrids triumph where their predecessors failed?

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