Milestone Mark: 100,000 Plug-in Electric Cars Sold

Milestone Mark: 100,000 Plug-in Electric Cars Sold

The enthusiast group Plug In America noted that, for the first time, U.S. sales of plug-in electric cars (either pure electrics or plug-in hybrids) market will pass a significant milestone this month (May). The 100,000th mark was reached just past two years after their introduction to the market.

May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Battle of the Esses–New S-Class Mercedes vs Tesla Model S

Battle of the Esses–New S-Class Mercedes vs Tesla Model S

Mercedes, the traditional automaker, offers choice to its customers while the upstart Tesla bets on one power source–electricity. The early returns for the year show the newcomer charging ahead, but this is a long race and one being fought on a worldwide stage.

May 19, 2013 | 1 Comment | Read More »

Top 10 2014/2013 AWD & 4WD SUVs/Crossovers with the best MPG

Top 10 2014/2013 AWD & 4WD SUVs/Crossovers with the best MPG

Sport utility vehicles and crossovers (crossovers being sport utility vehicles based on a car rather than truck chassis) are popular even as the general trend toward higher MPG vehicles moves forward. The reason is simple: they are functional. One trip to Costco is enough to convince many families that a Prius won’t cut it. Regular trips up to the mountains in the winter to ski could similarly motivate a car buyer to look for an all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle rather than the front-wheel drive found on …

May 13, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars of 2013 (April)

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars of 2013 (April)

Compared to last year, hybrid sales for the first four months are up 12.3%, almost double the overall market’s gain. Plug-ins are on a tear with 130% growth, but on relatively small numbers. Diesels have taken a dip so far this year, dropping 6.2%, but are expected to rebound when high-volume cars like the Chevy Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, Mazda6 SkyActiv-D, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 hit showrooms later this year. Both the hybrid and plug-in electric segments are also adding models as well.

May 5, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

The Top 10 Electric Cars You Can Buy–Finally!

The Top 10 Electric Cars You Can Buy–Finally!

For all the twists and turns that the auto industry undergoes, it looks like 2013 will be a clear milestone for electric cars. The point here is to look at how far we have come and note the arrival of the electric car industry. It’s no longer a model or two, but a substantial variety of vehicles from major manufacturers that the EV-conscious consumer can choose from.

April 29, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Riding the Specialized Turbo Electric-Assist Bicycle

Riding the Specialized Turbo Electric-Assist Bicycle

I ride this new e-bike past thousands strolling along the San Francisco Bay. Travelers ferry to Tiburon, Sausalito, and Alcatraz. Large catamarans race the wind as they prepare for the America’s Cup. The Golden Gate Bridge majestically displays our gateway to Asia. I am test riding a new Specialized Turbo electric-assist bicycle. For the first time, when I leave bicycle paths and merge into traffic I can maintain the same speed as the cars.

April 25, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in March 2013

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in March 2013

High-mileage cars are off to a great start for the year with sales up 18% in these three categories in for the first three months of the year compared to last year. The monthly sales average continues to creep up so it is conceivable that sales could edge closer to a million units if the trend continues, which would definitely solidify the market for alternatives to conventional gasoline engines. The first quarter indicates it could be a very good year for high-MPG cars.

April 14, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Nissan’s Ghosn Bets On EVs Winning With Emotion

Nissan’s Ghosn Bets On EVs Winning With Emotion

When speaking recently at a “Open Garage” talk at Stanford’s Automotive Innovation Center, Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn pointed with pride that his Alliance has put 70,000 EVs on the road around the world (of the roughly 100,000 pure battery electrics currently out there). He said that in spite of failing to hit his own targets for volume, he believes electric vehicle technology will be the winner as it approaches scale production – and he believes that is inevitable. The secret ingredient, he said, was emotion.

April 7, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Better Fuel Economy Front-and-Center at 2013 NY Auto Show

Better Fuel Economy Front-and-Center at 2013 NY Auto Show

You need look no further than the 2013 New York International Auto Show media preview this last week to see that automakers are aggressively laying out multiple paths to get to the fuel economy goals of the U.S., Europe and Japan. Electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, hybrids, diesels and advanced gasoline engines (as well as other technologies) point to a diverse future.

March 31, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Ford Expands Energi Lineup of Part-time Electric Cars

Ford Expands Energi Lineup of Part-time Electric Cars

Ford is making a concerted push towards electrification, a key part of its strategy to boost fuel economy across its lineup. The Ford Fusion Energi, which Clean Fleet Report recently had the opportunity to sample for a brief test drive, is the centerpiece of a five-vehicle electrified fleet.

March 22, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Top 10 2014/2013 AWD & 4WD SUVs/Crossovers with the best MPG

Top 10 2014/2013 AWD & 4WD SUVs/Crossovers with the best MPG

Sport utility vehicles and crossovers (crossovers being sport utility vehicles based on a car rather than truck chassis) are popular even as the general trend toward higher MPG vehicles moves forward. The reason is simple: they are functional. One trip to Costco is enough to convince many families that a Prius won’t cut it. Regular trips up to the mountains in the winter to ski could similarly motivate a car buyer to look for an all-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive vehicle rather than the front-wheel drive found on …

May 13, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars of 2013 (April)

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars of 2013 (April)

Compared to last year, hybrid sales for the first four months are up 12.3%, almost double the overall market’s gain. Plug-ins are on a tear with 130% growth, but on relatively small numbers. Diesels have taken a dip so far this year, dropping 6.2%, but are expected to rebound when high-volume cars like the Chevy Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel, Mazda6 SkyActiv-D, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500 hit showrooms later this year. Both the hybrid and plug-in electric segments are also adding models as well.

May 5, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

The Top 10 Electric Cars You Can Buy–Finally!

The Top 10 Electric Cars You Can Buy–Finally!

For all the twists and turns that the auto industry undergoes, it looks like 2013 will be a clear milestone for electric cars. The point here is to look at how far we have come and note the arrival of the electric car industry. It’s no longer a model or two, but a substantial variety of vehicles from major manufacturers that the EV-conscious consumer can choose from.

April 29, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in March 2013

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in March 2013

High-mileage cars are off to a great start for the year with sales up 18% in these three categories in for the first three months of the year compared to last year. The monthly sales average continues to creep up so it is conceivable that sales could edge closer to a million units if the trend continues, which would definitely solidify the market for alternatives to conventional gasoline engines. The first quarter indicates it could be a very good year for high-MPG cars.

April 14, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in February 2013

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in February 2013

MPG is still on consumers’ minds as car and truck sales of hybrids, plug-in cars and clean diesels continued to outpace the overall market in February 2012. High mileage hybrids, plug-ins and diesels had their second good month to begin the year, bettering the high bar set by the overall market. Hybrids continued to be above 3 percent of the market and both hybrids and diesels accelerated sales beyond a strong overall market (up 16.1% and 23.3% respectively compared to the overall market rise of 14.3%).

March 8, 2013 | 2 Comments | Read More »

Top 10 Worst Traffic Cities; They Need Congestion-Pricing/Zero Emission Travel

Top 10 Worst Traffic Cities; They Need Congestion-Pricing/Zero Emission Travel

Vehicle congestion in the 10 large cities in the U.S. is costing drivers and the economy money and increasing greenhouse gas emissions. It doesn’t look much better in medium size cities and predictions are it won’t get any better as the economy improves. In Top 10 most congested cities it is likely that plug-in vehicles will get special privileges and access to reduce CO2 while other vehicles are charged.

February 24, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in January 2013

Top 10 Best-Selling High-MPG Cars in January 2013

High mileage hybrids, plug-ins and diesels like the Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt and Passat TDI, had a good month to begin the year, bettering the high bar set by the overall market. Hybrids pushed past 3 percent of the total market.

February 16, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »

10 Best Selling 40+ MPG Cars of 2012

10 Best Selling 40+ MPG Cars of 2012

You can mark 2012 down on the automotive history calendar. For the first time in almost hundred years, consumers have a real choice in cars. We’re not talking about the usual body style, color and equipment choices, but the substantial choice of what kind of powertrain you want under the hood if your focus is on getting the best fuel economy. The choices are proliferating and consumers in increasing numbers took advantage of the better than 40-mile-per-gallon vehicles available (which is our cut-off point for this list). …

January 14, 2013 | Leave a comment | Read More »