the Nissan Leaf continues to roll forward with a record month of May 2014 with more than 3,100 sales and a cumulative 50,000 in the U.S. It’s not what they had hoped, but the trend is moving in the right direction. Some of the early
A growing number of communities, regions, and nations are planning to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. A climate action plan for electric cars, smart growth and better transportation can help make their future more secure and less impacted by potential draughts, water scarcity, food scarcity, and other effects of a climate crisis. This scenario shows how the San Francisco Bay Area can reduce on-road transportation emissions 80 percent by 2050, while delivering better transportation and livable communities.
Global wind energy markets are expected to continue their rapid growth, with the world’s wind power capacity increasing by 160% over the coming five years, according to the annual industry forecast presented by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). The two markets leading global wind power expansion will continue to be the U.S. and China, whose markets have exceeded all expectations in recent years. GWEC said that it expects that the global installed wind capacity will reach 409 GW by 2014, up from 158.5 GW at the end of 2009.
Ride sharing has long been a popular way to commute to work; people save money, have some company, and travel faster in high-occupancy lanes. More recently, sharing cars by the hour has allowed hundreds of thousands to free themselves from the $8,000 per year cost of owning a car. Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing provider announced a partnership with Zimride, the world’s leading social online ride sharing community.
Your next car can get great mileage or even be an electric car. As oil prices approach triple the 2009 low of $32 per barrel, people are showing a renewed interest in hybrid and electric cars. This presentation includes the 10 cars sold in the USA with the best mileage and electric cars coming to a freeway near you.
The U.S. wind energy grew in 2009. There are 36 states that have utility-scale wind projects and 14 states are in the “Gigawatt Club” with more than 1,000 MW of installed wind capacity. Texas consolidated its lead in wind capacity and in largest wind farms installed, according to the annual wind industry market report by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
The new Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will be the first luxury hybrid to beat 40 miles per gallon in city driving, topping the current luxury hybrid leader from Lexus. Last week I wrote about my test drive of the Lexus HS 250h which achieves 35 mpg city. The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid uses Ford’s second-generation hybrid technology – the 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 hybrid engine, named one of Ward’s 2010 “10 Best Engines” and electric battery-driven motors to deliver optimal performance and fuel economy. The combined gasoline engine and electric motor provide 191 net horsepower.
Nissan announced U.S. pricing for the 2011 Nissan LEAF electric car, which becomes available for purchase or lease at Nissan dealers in select markets in December and nationwide in 2011. Nissan will begin taking consumer reservations for the Nissan LEAF April 20. Including the $7,500 federal tax credit, the consumer’s after-tax net value of the vehicle will be $25,280. Additionally, there is an array of state and local incentives that may further defray the costs and increase the benefits of owning and charging. Nissan will also offer a monthly lease payment beginning at $349.
Since Toyota and Lexus have been getting some bad press for acceleration and braking problems, I had to discover the truth. I put on my helmut and accelerated the Lexus HS 250h on to the track at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The Lexus hybrid has four modes – Eco, Normal, EV, and Power. If you are into Eco or if you’re Normal, don’t get on a racetrack with thirty other auto journalists loaded with caffeine and pumped with adrenaline. Being not quite normal, I touched the Power button.
By John Addison (updated 3/31/10; original 3/26/10) Summary Luxury car buyers now longer need to sacrifice mileage. The Lexus HS250h gives you the image of … Read more