Kristen Hall-Geisler

X Prize Contenders at SEMA 2009 Nov 4, 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 now that this is a... more

Pimp Yer Prius - SEMA 2009 Nov 3, 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 in Las Vegas. Like all... more

Do We Even Need Cars Anymore? Oct 28, 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 it’s pretty encouraging. While the... more

Meet the Nissan Leaf Electric Car in Person Oct 27, 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 drive Japanese prototype — but... more

Name the Color, Win a Volt Test Drive! Oct 26, 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 that paint color is nameless,... more

2010 Kia Forte SX: The Fuel Economy Review Oct 22, 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 better). But calling it “green”... more

Government in Action: Three-Wheeled EVs and Hydrogen Fuel Oct 21, 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 eliminated funding for hydrogen fuel... more

Automotive X Prize List Gets Shorter Oct 20, 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 two, which will examine the... more

2010 EPA Top 10 Fuel Economy Leaders Oct 19, 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 Toyota Prius, with its 51... more

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid: The Fuel Economy Test Drive Oct 15, 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 37 mpg. There are two things... more