Clean Fleet Articles

Race to Make 100,000 Vehicles with Lithium Batteries

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As electric and hybrid car competition intensifies, Nissan, GM, Toyota, and Ford are in a race to sell the most vehicles with lithium batteries. I have driven cars from each of these automakers that use lithium batteries. The cars performed beautifully and delivered great fuel economy. Nissan will be the first to sell 100,000 battery electric cars. GM will be the first to sell 100,000 plug-in hybrids. Ford is switching all hybrid models to lithium batteries. Toyota, with 3 million hybrids sold, is bringing out three new cars with lithium batteries.

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid – Good MPG Sedan

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The new 2012 Toyota Camry family of sedans offer improved fuel economy and more for the money. The new Camry Hybrid delivers a combined 41 mpg, soaring past current midsized sedan leader the Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Camry is so popular that 15 million have been sold. It has been America’s best selling car for 9 years. Toyota has sold more than 3 million hybrids; more than all competitors combined. Toyota announces its new seventh-generation Camry family as a bold, sophisticated new design with a more spacious interior, class-leading safety features, improved driving dynamics and quieter ride than before.

Hertz Expands Electric Car Rental in United States and China

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Hertz expands its Global EV initiative to China, making it the first global rental car company to offer electric cars on three continents. Hertz now offers the Nissan LEAF, Chevrolet Volt, Smart ED, Tesla Roadster and other electric cars in U.S. cities including New York, Washington DC, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hertz is expanding the availability of pure electric cars and plug-in hybrids at airports, downtown hotels, university campuses, condos and co-ops and fleets.

Do Oil Companies Pay Their Fair Share?

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$380 billion of wasteful government spending, subsidies, and loopholes is detailed in the new Green Scissors report. http://greenscissors.com/ The amount is for 2012 to 2016. I’m not sure which is most surprising, the common sense distilled to 32-pages or the fact that the report is sponsored by both conservative and environmental groups. Green Scissors 2011 is published by four organizations: progressive environmental group Friends of the Earth, deficit hawk Taxpayers for Common Sense, consumer watchdog Public Citizen and free-market think tank The Heartland Institute.

Ford and Toyota Partnership for Hybrid Trucks and Hybrid SUVs

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Look for Major MPG Gains in Ford F150 and Toyota Tacoma Trucks; Toyota Highlander and Ford Escape SUVs. Ford and Toyota– the world’s two leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles –announced they will equally collaborate on the development of an advanced new hybrid system for light truck and SUVs. Ford and Toyota have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the product development collaboration. Toyota has sold over 3 million hybrids, leading with the Prius, to achieve significant hybrid market share leadership. Ford has taken hybrid market share from Honda with the Ford Fusion Hybrid and achieved impressive SUV mileage with the Ford Escape Hybrid. The new powerful and fuel-efficient trucks and SUVs from this partnership will almost certainly use lithium batteries.

2012 Subaru Impreza the Best Mileage AWD

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The new 2012 Subaru Impreza delivers the best mileage of any all-wheel drive vehicle sold in the U.S. – 27-mpg city and 36-mpg highway. Even the hybrid AWD from Ford and Lexus cannot touch this fuel economy. The AWD handling is designed to get you to your snow board / ski resort in the winter, off-road hike and bike spots in the summer, and get to school and work when snow and ice intimidates other drivers. Remember last winter’s miserable roads and high gas prices. The Impreza addresses both with better mileage in 2012, more rear seat and cargo room, and new options.

Car-Free Vacations – Carefree Commuting

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It was an easy walk from our downtown Madrid hotel to the train station. In less than 3 hours on high-speed rail, we crossed the country to Barcelona. I looked out the window as we traveled at 185 miles per hour leaving the hot plains for the cooler Mediterranean. Traveling car free made the vacation relaxed, talking with locals easy, and neighborhoods a joy to walk. Exciting new last mile transit solutions are used by millions including bicycle sharing, P2P car sharing, personal rapid transit, and pilots of new urban mobility

Cadillac ELR – New GM Electric Car Builds on Success of Chevrolet Volt

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The new Cadillac ELR will combine electric car driving with elegant styling and a luxury interior. GM is moving ahead with the dramatic luxury coupe, shown two years ago as the Cadillac Converj Concept. The Cadillac ELR will use the electric drive system of the popular Chevrolet Volt. Cadillac drivers will now be able to drive 30 to 40 miles on an electric charge from home, work, or charge stations, then go hundreds of added miles when the gasoline engine is engaged.

Ford and SunPower Solar Charging Electric Cars

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Ford and SunPower offer a rooftop solar system that will allow Focus Electric owners and other electric car drivers to “Drive Green for Life” by providing customers with enough clean, renewable energy to offset the electricity used to charge the vehicle. The SunPower rooftop solar system will be compatible with the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle Ford is rolling out in 2012. This pre-configured solution makes solar charging easy for new customers.

Early Owners Love Their Chevrolet Volts

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Jackson Browne told me that he has only used 8 gallons of gasoline for the 2,000 miles that he has driven his Chevrolet Volt. Jackson is famous as a signer, songwriter, and inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When it comes to oil, coal, and nuclear, Jackson knows that we are “Running on Empty.” For over 25 years, he has lived off-grid using solar power and wind energy. Now he rides on sunlight, charging his Chevy Volt with renewable energy. Only on a few long trips, has he needed a little gasoline.

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