Improvements in lithium ion (Li-ion) battery technology are helping to accelerate the worldwide market for electric vehicles (EVs). In the last few years, most automakers have shifted from nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries to Li-ion batteries. This shift represents a major endorsement of Li-ion chemistry and its ability to perform consistently in an automotive environment. According
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General Motors has posted a video showing yet another potential advantage offered by the pending 2013 Chevrolet Cruze turbo diesel over the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. At least that’s the hope, because the competitive advantages appear to possibly be mixed with disadvantages as well, such as a starting price higher by $730, and city mpg lower
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As part of an ongoing investigation by the Canada’s Competition Bureau, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Furukawa), a Japanese supplier of motor vehicle components, was fined $5 million by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for its participation in an international bid-rigging conspiracy. This fine is the largest ever ordered by a court in Canada for
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Hybrid cars have had to pass through public scrutiny including justified and not-so-justified criticism, and for the most part many examples exist with solid track records. According to the April 2013 issue of Consumer Reports, its readers say the Honda Civic Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrids are not among them. “The Civic Hybrid, which has
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Honda’s ECO Assist fuel-efficiency coaching technology has been named to Green Car Journal’s Top 10 Green Car Technology List for 2013. Short for “Ecological Drive Assist System,” Honda’s ECO Assist is available on some of the most popular Honda models, including the 2013 Civic, CR-V and Accord. Honda said its ECO Assist technology can help
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The green energy advocacy group, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), has dubbed the Toyota Prius c as the group’s greenest car of 2013. With an EPA-rated 53-mpg city, and 46-mpg highway, ACEEE gave the Prius a score of 58, just one point higher than the electric powertrain Honda Fit. The standard model Prius,
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General Electric is rethinking its plan that was first stated in 2010 to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles. According to a Bloomberg report, GE’s corporate fleet services customers want choices beyond EVs; and with the current price of natural gas at one of the lowest points seen in the last five years, the company is looking
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California’s Air Resources Board has approved the 2014 Honda Plug-In Hybrid Accord as the first car for sale in California to meet ARB’s SULEV20 standard. The 2014 Honda Plug-In Hybrid Accord produces 20 milligrams of combined smog-forming emissions per mile. This makes it the first gasoline-powered car in California to meet what is known as
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City CarShare is adding two new Ford Focus all-electric vehicles to its San Francisco fleet. The car sharing company’s fleet now includes 13 plug-in electric hybrids (PHEVs) and five all-electric vehicles (EVs). Forty-four percent of City CarShare’s fleet is now made up of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In total, City CarShare has 18
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The HybridCars.com monthly sales dashboard is a collaboration of HybridCars.com and Baum & Associates, a Michigan-based market research firm focusing on automotive issues including the hybrid and electric vehicle market. Plug-in vehicles had a strong month. Both the Toyota Prius PHEV and the Chevy Volt turned in their best-ever monthly sales, and the Volt has
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