Green Driving

Lawsuit Threatens to Halt Sales of Toyota Prius

Posted: Sep. 08, 2009 09:09:58 a.m.

Bloomberg reports, "Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest seller of autos powered by a combination of gasoline and electricity, faces a patent-infringement claim that may result in a U.S. import ban on its Prius and other hybrid models." Paice LLC, a small engineering design firm, claims to hold patents on the concept of a hybrid gasoline-electric drivetrain.

The company, Bloomberg notes, "won a jury verdict in 2005 that the Prius and hybrid Highlander and Lexus RX400h sport-utility vehicles ...

Want an Eco-Friendly Car? Buy a BMW!

Posted: Sep. 08, 2009 09:09:50 a.m.

If your carbon footprint is an important consideration to you when you're car shopping, you may picture yourself in a Toyota Prius. Or perhaps, if you pay close attention to the auto industry, you've got your eye on a Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf. These cars aren't likely to win you any stoplight drag races, but their fuel economy ratings make them the greenest rides on the road, right?

Not according to Dow Jones. In their estimation ...

Lexus to Debut New Sporty, Small Hybrid

Posted: Sep. 08, 2009 09:09:29 a.m.

Lexus will unveil a sporty, small hybrid-powered hatchback at the Frankfurt Auto Show later this month. The car is just a concept at this point, but Lexus is known for releasing concept cars that are very close to future production cars - so the LF-Ch concept we see in Frankfurt may prove to be a car you can purchase in the near future.

Autoblog reports, "The hatchback is quite a looker, especially coming from Lexus, whose present lineup is relatively staid ...

Mercedes Builds a Chevy Volt

Posted: Sep. 04, 2009 10:09:32 a.m.

Mercedes-Benz has built its own Chevy Volt.

Wired reports, "Mercedes-Benz is hopping on the extended-range EV bandwagon with a compact that combines European styling with a Chevrolet Volt-like drivetrain good for 62 miles of all-electric motoring." Like other extended-range EVs, Mercedes' BlueZero E-Cell Concept operates on electric power alone until its battery is depleted to a pre-set level, then activates a small gasoline engine to recharge its battery.

The BlueZero, according to Automobile Magazine, uses a 94 kW electric motor ...

Mercedes To Lease Fuel-Cell Cars in 2010

Posted: Sep. 01, 2009 10:09:08 a.m.

While other automakers plunge headlong into the electric car race, Mercedes-Benz is betting on hydrogen. The company plans to begin a small-scale program leasing compact luxury cars that operate off of hydrogen fuel-cells in the United States as early as next year.

Wired reports, "Mercedes-Benz will begin building hydrogen fuel cell cars this fall and offer them to customers next year." The 2011 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell "is built on the company's B-Class compact car platform. It has a 136-horsepower electric ...

Feds Release Final Cash for Clunkers Numbers

Posted: Aug. 27, 2009 12:08:47 p.m.

Uncle Sam chipped in to help 690,114 Americans buy a new car over the 29-day stretch that ended Monday, at a cost of $2.88 billion.

The federal government released final numbers on the Cash for Clunkers trade-in program late yesterday.  The Los Angeles Times reports, "The monthlong program comes in just under its $3-billion budget. California dealers request the biggest share of reimbursements: $326.8 million."  Dealers are still "awaiting millions of dollars in payments," as they were ...

Dealers Reportedly "Price Gouging" on 2010 Toyota Prius

Posted: Aug. 27, 2009 12:08:19 p.m.

The month-long car buying binge triggered by the federal Cash for Clunkers trade-in program has led to a shortage of some fuel-efficient cars.  Now, the shortage is having an ugly consequence.

Daily Tech reports, "Rogue Toyota dealers" have begun "price gouging on [the] scarce 2010 Toyota Prius."  Daily Tech reports, "With the typical sticker price of the Prius coming it at around $26,000, many dealers across the country have been charging $3,000 to $10,000 markups, more than ...

Honda Planning Electric Car by 2015

Posted: Aug. 25, 2009 11:08:04 a.m.

Honda will join the parade of automakers rolling out new electric cars in the U.S., but not until 2015.

Reuters reports, "Honda Motor Co plans to develop an electric car to debut in the U.S. market by around 2015 as tighter environmental regulations push demand for zero-emission vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday."  The proposed electric vehicle "is expected to be around the size of a minicar."

Honda seems somewhat late to join the EV parade.  Edmunds ...

Rumors Claim that Toyota is Planning a Hybrid Yaris

Posted: Aug. 14, 2009 10:08:40 a.m.

Reports are buzzing about an unconfirmed rumor that Toyota plans on releasing an all-new hybrid by 2011. It's expected to be smaller and more fuel-efficient than the Prius.

Autoblog writes, "The new model would be based on the Yaris sub-compact and be priced well below the current cheapest hybrid: the Honda Insight."

The initial story, which broke in the Japanese paper Yomiuri Shimbun, "claims the Yaris hybrid will achieve 94 mpg in the Japanese mileage cycle, narrowly edging out ...

Questions Surround GM's 230 mpg Chevy Volt Claim

Posted: Aug. 12, 2009 11:08:01 a.m.

General Motors jolted the automotive world yesterday, announcing that its upcoming electric-drive Chevy Volt will earn an EPA city mileage rating of 230 mpg. Given a day to digest the news, the automotive press smells something fishy - and even the federal government says it can't explain GM's math.

The Volt is one of several so-called Extended-Range Electric Vehicles, or EREVs, in development. An EREV functions as an electric car until its batteries are depleted to a certain level ...