Electric cars can be inexpensive to run, quiet to operate, but they do tend to cost more, do require a higher commitment, and if you need to go on a long trip, what do you do? A variety of options have already been suggested or implemented by EV adapters, and a more recent solution offered
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Fiat is turning the spotlights on its electric 500 during Oscar week. The Fiat 500e “Into the Green” program, which was launched this past November with the objective to build awareness for the first fully electric Fiat 500, is ready to take the stage in 2013 during the week leading to “The Oscars.” The Fiat
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General Motors released early buyer data for the Chevrolet Spark. Interestingly, the data shows that 29 percent of buyers are under age 35, more than half are coming from non-General Motors’ brands, and both fuel consumption and price are important considerations. GM revealed early Spark owners indicate their most important reasons for purchasing a Spark
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Hertz’s car sharing program, Hertz On Demand, added a Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle to the University of Connecticut’s car sharing program. “As Hertz On Demand continues to expand globally, we are also expanding our rental car options,” said Mark P. Frissora, chairman and chief executive officer, The Hertz Corporation. “College students are the most tech
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the Fiat 500e’s highway-cycle performance at 108 MPGe. The Fiat 500e has a 116-MPGe combined rating; its city rating is 122 MPGe. EPA testing also has indicated that, when fully charged, the Fiat 500e will travel about 87 miles. In addition, the EPA estimates the annual cost
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Looking at slower than hoped for EV sales, companies (like A123 Systems) on the rocks, or going out of business, or saying they’re not ready for prime time (like Toyota), there have been some observers ready to write the obituary on the only recently revived electric car. But as Mark Twain, who was credited with
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Fiat thinks it has the answer to what it describes as the “blocky, bulky, busy, ugly … and worst of all, goofy” current crop of environmentally friendly automobiles on the market. During the Fiat press conference at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Sshow, Fiat’s worldwide brand chief, Olivier Francois, primed the crowd for the unveiling
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This week Chrysler Group and General Motors are announcing fleet-oriented pickup trucks that can run on natural gas, with Ford appearing like it may also follow. Ford is still on the sidelines from offering a ready-built CNG truck, but has CNG-options already, and says it can when market demand indicates it needs to. As for
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General Motors has entered an agreement with natural gas engine manufacturer, Westport, to co-develop small compressed natural gas engines that could find their way into future GM models. Executive Micky Bly told Reuters last week that the company doesn’t plan to be left behind on CNG development, saying that CEO Dan Akerson “has made it
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Any green car advocate visiting Europe can’t help but feel a pang of envy for the sporty fuel-efficient models found across the pond, but not here. What’s up with that? Well, Europeans drive diesel, drive small, and are coming to terms with vice-grip legislation on carbon emissions—while we maintain our love for all things supersized.
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