It’s easy to slide behind the steering wheel of this Tesla Roadster because the top’s removed for this January day. I don’t mind. It’s 70 degrees here in Palm Springs, California. A perfect day for a test drive. Handling S-curves is smooth and effortless even though this sports car has no power steering. I go over a speed bump at 20 mph. No scraping sounds. No damage. These shocks are worthy of a race track.
Elon Musk discussed the new Model S Sedan and hinted about the Tesla Model X SUV when he keynoted the Clean-tech Investor Summit. He then gave me an interesting answer about Tesla’s future. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and Founder, showed us a video of the Model S test drive. A new generation of lithium batteries is at the heart of the vehicles range of 160 miles with optional packs that provide 230 and 300 miles of range per electric charge.
New Ford Focus owners can tune-up driving skills that maximize their miles per gallon – and they can have a little fun in the process. EcoMode is a handy software application aimed at helping coach customers in the art of eco-driving – and then rewards those that practice more fuel-efficient driving skills with in-car kudos displayed on the instrument cluster. The new Ford Focus Electric is expected to have a range of about 100 miles per charge. EcoMode can greatly help people get better range. Those buying new gasoline powered Focus can save hundreds of dollars at the pump each year.
This excerpt from the book Save Gas, Save the Planet outlines the important relationship between transportation and your finances. Your vehicle is your second biggest expense. In addition to personally saving thousands, you can help the nation save billions. People share tips and stories about how they save by riding smart and riding clean.
Toyota officially expanded the Prius family to four models: 2011 Prius – world’s best selling hybrid, 2012 Prius v –midsized wagon with 40 mpg goes on sale Summer 2011, 2012 Prius c Concept – city car hybrid goes on sale by Summer 2012, 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid – best mileage of any Prius goes on sale by Summer 2012. My test drive of the Prius Plug-in felt just like driving the best selling Prius.
Worldwatch Institute released its report State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, which spotlights successful agricultural innovations and unearths major successes in preventing food waste, building resilience to climate change, and strengthening farming in cities. The report provides a roadmap for increased agricultural investment and more-efficient ways to alleviate global hunger and poverty.
We finally have great fuel economy in roomy 5-seat crossovers with the new Ford C-MAX Hybrid and the breakthrough C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. With its comfortable crossover design and potential lower price, the C-MAX Energi is likely to compete well with plugin hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt. The C-MAX Energi is likely to offer more range than the Toyota Prius Plug-in.
I enjoyed driving the new Ford Focus Electric. It felt just like driving a regular gasoline Focus 4-door sedan, except it was more quiet and accelerated faster due to the torque of the electric motor. The Ford Focus EV has a 23 kWh LG Chem Compact Power lithium-ion tri-metal battery with over 17 kWh available in the charge-discharge cycle. Ford is now taking orders starting at $39,200. Comparison and review with Nissan LEAF.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car picked the perfect place to start renting the Chevrolet Volt. It is right in the middle of Southern California’s hot electric car market at the Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, California. Enterprise is just getting started and plans to leverage its network of more than 6,000 rental locations throughout the United States to connect customers with EV technology.
This excerpt from the book Save Gas, Save the Planet highlights the future of Transportation 2.0. During the next 20 years we will witness a major shift from vehicles that are mostly mechanical to vehicles that are primarily electronic. People share tips and stories about how they save by riding smart, riding less, riding together, and riding clean.