Electric-car range: why Japanese needs differ so radically from the U.S.

2016 Nissan Leaf SL fast-charging at NRG evGo Freedom Station, Hudson Valley, NY, Dec 2015It was one of the new battery-electric vehicles anticipated for this year, a mid-size sedan from a global maker that remains the second highest-volume hybrid maker in the world. Then the news hit earlier this week: the all-electric Honda Clarity EV would have a rated battery range around ... 80 miles. From the justifications they offered, we...

Toyota to launch fuel-cell buses next year for Olympics

Toyota FC Bus hydrogen fuel-cell busIt appears that Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles plans encompass more than just passenger cars. The Japanese automaker plans to begin selling fuel-cell buses in its home country next year, with an eye toward deploying them at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In a press release announcing the buses, Toyota said the Tokyo Metropolitan Government already...

Toyota Prius design, popular in Japan, not a hit in U.S.

2017 Toyota PriusWith the fourth-generation Prius hybrid, Toyota focused not only on improving efficiency, but on making its halo car more appealing to a wider range of consumers. Part of that strategy involved adopting a highly-stylized exterior that differed radically from that of previous models. But could the new styling of the fourth-generation Prius actually...

Toyota Prius design, popular in Japan, not a hit in U.S.

2017 Toyota PriusWith the fourth-generation Prius hybrid, Toyota focused not only on improving efficiency, but on making its halo car more appealing to a wider range of consumers. Part of that strategy involved adopting a highly-stylized exterior that differed radically from that of previous models. But could the new styling of the fourth-generation Prius actually...

Nissan Note hybrid leaked, but not likely for North America

Leaked image of Nissan Note e-Power hybrid (Japanese market version) published on Liveblog siteThe Nissan Versa Note has never been a particularly big seller in North America. Its sedan counterpart is one of the largest and most capacious vehicles in the subcompact segment, but the Note has always been more of a car for European and Asian markets. There, it does fairly well, in part due to a higher-quality interior than the one fitted to...