Now that we're into a new month, it's time to check out the best deals on green cars—this time for the month of June. As always, Cars Direct has compiled its monthly list of the most budget friendly options for buyers looking to go green. It should be noted there's now a separate category for "Best fuel efficient SUV," since small passenger... Best deals on hybrid, electric, fuel-efficient cars for June 2017
Now that we're into a new month, it's time to check out the best deals on green cars—this time for the month of June. As always, Cars Direct has compiled its monthly list of the most budget friendly options for buyers looking to go green. It should be noted there's now a separate category for "Best fuel efficient SUV," since small passenger...
In March, we spent most of a day with the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the first of three variants of the Clarity mid-size sedan to go on sale in the U.S. Leases of the hydrogen-powered Clarity will be limited for the foreseeable future to residents of those areas of California near to hydrogen fueling stations, but two more versions are on their way...
Electric cars have promised to revolutionize transportation for years now. As more manufacturers offer electrified vehicles and prices continue to drop for battery technology, the easy correlation would be to assume that consumer interest has spiked. Actually, it remains pretty darn low, according to extensive research from J.D. Power. DON'T MISS...
Toyota quietly unloaded the rest of its Tesla shares near the end of last year. In the process, the Japanese automaker confirmed its partnership to develop electric vehicles and related technologies had been ended. Toyota has by far shown the most restraint in developing battery electric vehicles—an intriguing move from the company that...
Hyundai has already taken its first step into the realm of electric cars with the Ioniq Electric. In fact, a plug-in hybrid and dedicated hybrid round out three alternative propulsion choices from Hyundai, but a Hyundai Kona electric car is slated to join the Korean brand's portfolio. The Kona will be Hyundai's subcompact crossover, comparable in...
As certain as LeBron James reaching the NBA Finals, the Chevy Volt led the Canadian plug-in electric vehicle market in May. Barring a sales collapse in June, it will have led the category for a remarkable two-thirds of the months (48 of 72) in which electric vehicles from major carmakers have been available in Canada. Chevy sold 404 Volts in...
Electric cars have no tailpipe emissions when running. But unless they're charged entirely on renewable energy—still statistically unlikely today—there are emissions associated with generating the electricity used to charge their batteries. For several years now, rigorous "wells-to-wheels" analyses of the carbon-dioxide emissions...
It's never a good day to learn one's insurance rates are rising, but AAA has decided the Tesla Model S and Model X warrant 30 percent increases. AAA combed through its own data and found Model S and Model X owners had abnormally high claim rates. The claim rates were also much costlier than competing vehicles in the Model S and Model X's respected...
The 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In will be a rare beast in the U.S.; fewer than 1,000 are likely to be sold each year. In many ways, that's a shame. This version of the CT6 large sedan is a worthy competitor among plug-in hybrid luxury cars, the rest of which will come from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. Its rated electric range of 31 miles is roughly...
German automakers are beginning to play catch-up with electric vehicles, as Tesla continues to corner the market. Audi has once again reconfirmed its plans to bring three battery-powered electric vehicles to production by the year 2020. The German luxury brand reiterated the plan at the annual general meeting in Neckarsulm, Germany, and said it...
The 2017 Nissan Leaf might well be the hottest electric car deal on the market right now, with a slew of potential discounts. Nissan is working with numerous partners to provide $10,000 off a 2017 Leaf lease, which adds to the $7,500 federal income-tax credit, giving a total of $17,500 in incentives. Among the partners offering the $10,000...
All sorts of vehicles have been pressed into service to carry Popes, from simple Fiats to giant Mercedes-Benz luxury landaulets. Francis, the current Pope, has a preference for small, simple, environmentally friendly cars—and largely does without the bulletproof glass enclosures found in some previous "Popemobiles." His latest vehicle is...
A Canadian company by the name of Havelaar has tossed its hat into the electric pickup-truck ring with the reveal of its purpose-built Bison pickup. The launch underscores the potential many companies are trying to tap as the market for electric vehicles of various types continues to grow, slowly but surely. Havelaar's founder, 28-year-old Tony...
With the second-generation Nissan Leaf electric car due to break cover sometime in the next few months, one open question concerns the source of its battery cells. To date, Automotive Electric Supply Corporation—a joint venture between Nissan and Japanese electronics giant NEC—has supplied lithium-ion cells for every Nissan Leaf built...
One owner has now run his 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric's battery down all the way to "empty" so other owners know what to expect. The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 124 miles of range from the 28-kwh battery pack that powers an 88-kilowatt (118-horsepower) electric motor. The driver in the video tells viewers that his car has been returning 137...
Sales of three high-volume plug-in electric cars rose last month, with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV 238-mile battery-electric hatchback logging its highest monthly total since sales began in December. Chevrolet delivered 1,566 Bolt EVs, bringing this year's five-month total to 5,950 (another 579 were sold in December 2016). The Bolt EV is continuing...
Swedish auto brand Saab may never return, but the company NEVS has officially debuted its electric cars adapted from Saab assets it acquired following the brand's fall from grace. NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden) is, in fact, a Swedish company, though it's backed by Chinese investors. And the new 9-3 series is NEVS' first major production...
A few years ago, before the Tesla Model X electric SUV went into production, company CEO Elon Musk said he thought it could outsell the older Model S hatchback luxury sedan. That hasn't happened. In the first three months of this year, Tesla said it delivered 11,550 Model Xes—but 13,450 Model Ses. DON'T MISS: 2016 Tesla Model X first drive...
Looking back from the 2020s or 2030s, it's entirely likely that the unexpected arrival of Tesla Motors was a major force—along with legislation, perhaps the major force—in getting legacy automakers to produce electric cars. Competition has always spurred innovation, and German makers in particular were caught entirely unprepared for...
When it launched in 2013, the BMW i3 electric car was arguably the most futuristic automobile in mass production anywhere in the world. Its all-electric powertrain could be ordered with an optional range-extending engine, and it rode on an aluminum chassis topped with a strong but lightweight body shell made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. It...