Transportation & Energy
X Prize Contenders at SEMA 2009 November 4th, 2009
A dozen of the contenders for the Progressive Automotive X Prize were on hand in the “Making Green Cool Zone” at SEMA 2009 in Las Vegas. I’ll keep the text short — you know by...more
Pimp Yer Prius - SEMA 2009 November 3rd, 2009
While the Toyota Prius gets the Aerius treatment at the official Toyota booth, there’s a way cooler, totally pimped version at the other end of the “Making Green Cool Zone” at the 2009 SEMA show...more
Do We Even Need Cars Anymore? October 28th, 2009
It’s no surprise to learn that people are buying fewer cars these days than they have in years. An article in the Sunday New York Times by Micheline Maynard explores why exactly that is, and...more
Meet the Nissan Leaf Electric Car in Person October 27th, 2009
Nissan announced dates for its Nissan LEAF (did you know they capitalize that name? Me neither) Zero Emission Tour in the next few months. No test drives — the car on tour is a left-hand...more
Name the Color, Win a Volt Test Drive! October 26th, 2009
You’ve seen pictures of the Chevy Volt — that thing has been unavoidable for nearly two years now. And it’s always shown in that distinctive space-age silver with a slight greenish sheen. It turns out...more
2010 Kia Forte SX: The Fuel Economy Review October 22nd, 2009
The Kia Forte sedan is zippier than you’d expect from a car that gets 31 mpg on the highway, and it did rate a 7 out of 10 on California’s Global Warming Score (higher is...more
Government in Action: Three-Wheeled EVs and Hydrogen Fuel October 21st, 2009
These are your tax dollars at work, people. (Unless you live outside the U.S. But your tax dollars are doing something equally worthy, I’m sure.) Let’s start with the electric vehicles: After Energy Secretary Steven Chu...more
Automotive X Prize List Gets Shorter October 20th, 2009
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize made its first round of cuts, leaving 43 teams still in the running for the $10 million prize. All these teams have passed round one — design judging. Round...more
2010 EPA Top 10 Fuel Economy Leaders October 19th, 2009
The Environmental Protection Agency published its official gas mileage numbers for the 2010 model year, including the leaders in each segment. Guess who won overall? Yeah, it was no contest, and no surprise: the 2010...more
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: The Fuel Economy Test Drive October 15th, 2009
Let’s start with what you want to know about the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: I drove it for one week on city streets and freeways, in traffic and on clear stretches, and got a combined...more
