Fuel economy is most certainly a contributing factor in the 2013 Honda CR-V’s 145,000-plus sales through June. Honda’s smallest sport utility (crossover, if you prefer, since it rides on a car-based platform) tops the elusive 30-mpg highway barrier, with 23 city/31 highway. The all-wheel drive versions are rated at 22/30.
The final decider between the Focus Electric and Nissan Leaf could be styling. For those who don’t want to show off their environmental leanings, the Focus EV is designed for the generic aisle of the dealership. Its styling is edgy, sporty, decidedly European and its green credentials are incognito. Tough choice, huh? But if you want to drive one of the sharpest-looking cars on the road while smiling to yourself because you have no personal connection to OPEC, the Focus Electric might be the EV for you.
Many automakers consider fuel cell vehicles the most “elegant” solution to the challenge of replacing the internal combustion engine, which is why they’re banding together to make sure they come to market.
May continues the trend of good sales for hybrids, electric cars, plug-in hybrids and clean diesels. Consumers are seeking out these cars and keeping their sales numbers high.
The Fiat 500e is flat-out the most fun of the pack of electric cars that I have driven over the past two decades. It’s got the sportiness of the original EV1 with a hip Italian package.
Toyota’s 2013 RAV4 EV is the automaker’s second go round of converting its small gasoline powered sport utility to an electric vehicle. From 1997 to 2003, 1,484 RAV4 EVs were leased or sold. Of those, Toyota says approximately 449 are still on the road. This time around, rather than develop the electric RAV4 on its own, Toyota joined forces with upstart Silicon Valley electric carmaker Tesla Motors in a collaboration to develop and engineer the latest all-electric RAV4.
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.
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.
Rebuttal of a misleading Wall Street Journal op-ed that trashes clean cars.
The goal is reducing petroleum use. ZeaChem gets California grant to produce ethanol to blend with gasoline from woody biomass and agricultural residue. They have a demonstration plant in Oregon producing ethanol from locally grown poplar trees.