Electric Vehicles

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Tesla Model S electrifies NHTSA, gets best safety rating ever

The Tesla Model S and the carmaker’s owner Elon Musk haven’t needed much publicity lately. The electric sports car and its innovative inventor are at the forefront of the auto industry. But the performance-oriented, expensive car is now getting another accolade. It’s been awarded an extraordinary, five-star overall rating — the highest rating ever determined  — by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Tesla Model S was given an overall 5-star safety rating and the same rating in every subcategory. The independent NHTSA does not publish a star rating above 5, however safety levels better than 5 stars are captured in the overall Vehicle Safety Score (VSS) provided to manufacturers. The Model S achieved a new combined record of 5.4

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Electric car wars heat up, Chevrolet Volt $5,000 less in 2014

The electric and green car wars between Chevrolet and Nissan continue to heat up in the carmakers’ pursuit of a bigger market share in their competition against the dominating Toyota Prius family. The latest move involves Chevrolet reducing the starting price of the 2014 Volt by around $5,000 for its fourth year on the market. The Volt will now have a starting price of $34,995 (*including $810 for destination), but when the 2014 model will be available is unknown. Nissan previously announced it had lowered the starting price of the Leaf by $6,400. The Chevrolet Volt can now potentially cost as little as $27,495 after $7,500 federal tax credit. Two  new colors of the Volt will be offered in 2014,

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2013 Smart Fortwo: Electric, eclectic, fun

Introduced 15 years ago at the Paris Motor Show, the Smart Fortwo, named after its two-seat capacity, is now in its third generation as the smallest full production car available in the United States. The third generation of all electric model was also recently unveiled, and The Weekly Driver drove and filmed the new car at a press launch in San Francisco. Priced respectively at $25,000 (coupe) and $28,000 (cabriolet), the manufacturer is marketing the car as the most affordable full production electric vehicle in the United States. Customers may also be eligible for federal tax credits (totaling as much as $7,500) as well as state and/or local tax credits. During the presentation (and subsequent driving opportunity) of the new

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Mitsubishi i-MIEV: Not-so-electric car best run with cold pizza

The Mitsubishi i-MIEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) arrived in the United States around the same time as the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. The latter two were marketed with huge television campaigns and touted by celebrity spokesmen. The Mitsubishi debuted as if the carmaker for some reason didn’t want anyone to know about it. Nonetheless, it immediately generated curiosity. The i-MIEV exterior design is futuristic and it attracts on-lookers. Its entry-level price (about $22,000) is the lowest among major carmakers offering electric vehicles. And for anyone with even a passing interest in alternative vehicles, there’s the obvious: Just how does the odd little machine actually work? As I found out recently during a full night’s trip from the San Francisco

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2013 Ford C-Max: Prius challenger shines (video review)

A decade after its debut in Europe, Ford unveiled the C-Max in the United States in the fall of 2012 as the carmaker’s hybrid-only line. It’s available as a gas-electric hybrid and the Energi, a plug-in hybrid. It’s not available in a gas-only model. Ford’s goal is simple: It wants to infiltrate the long-standing dominance of the ever-expanding Prius family. And the carmaker is onto something with the Ford C-Max. It’s easy to like because like other hybrids, it has a quiet push-button start and a quiet overall demeanor. But it also performs with the acceleration, steering, braking and overall feel of a non-hybrid. I drove the highest-end Ford C-Max SEL edition for a week and primarily during several weekday

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2013 Lexus LS 600h L: Luxury hybrid satisfying

Maybe you can’t have it all in a full-size, fast, ultra-luxury sedan, but the 2013 Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sure makes it seem like you can. It should satisfy most spoiled—and some hard-to-please—luxury car buyers. Rivals to the LS 600h L are the Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid. The Lexus LS 600h L is no sports sedan, nor is it supposed to be—not when it weighs a hefty 5,115 pounds—or 5,203 pounds with the costly, optional executive seating package that is popular in China. Big shots there like to be driven as they ride in the back, and the longer (205-inch) LS 600h L (compared to the normal 200-inch-length LS 460) gives them limo-style rear seating. However

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Toyota Prius recall worries continue with braking issues

The ever-lingering recall of Toyota vehicles has continued with a voluntary safety recall of  Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h vehicles from 2010 because of potential braking issues. The total of 87,000 vehicles from 2010 models in the two brands being recalled are equipped with a brake pressure accumulator that may develop a fatigue crack on an internal part due to vibration. There have been no report of accidents of injuries via the Toyota Prius recall, but it occurs about two month after one of the largest recalls in the carmaker’s history. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi combined will recall more than three million vehicles dating to 2000 and for an often-repeated, recent-year auto industry woe — defected safety equipment.

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Ford C-Max hybrid, 2013: Can it challenge Toyota Prius clan?

Ford touts the 2013 C-Max as a hybrid that drives and looks like a “real car.” The marketing approach is a direct shot at the Toyota Prius, which despite its immense popularity still has plenty of detractors. The Prius still has a futuristic-looking exterior and it drives like . . . a hybrid. A decade after its debut in Europe, Ford unveiled the C-Max in the United States in the fall of 2012 as the carmaker’s hybrid-only line. It’s available as a gas-electric hybrid and the Energi, a plug-in hybrid. It’s not available in a gas-only model. Ford’s goal is simple: It wants to infiltrate the long-standing dominance of the ever-expanding Prius family. Ford is onto something with the C-Max.

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Electric carmaker Coda pulls plug after one year, 100 sales

Coda, which joined the green car fraternity and introduced its vehicles to California consumers about one year ago, has filed for bankruptcy protection after selling only about 100 of its all-electric sedans. The five-passenger Coda E.V., imported from China, had a range of 125 miles on a single charge. But the $37,250 vehicle was criticized for its no-frills styling. Its brief tenure also included a recall for faulty air bags. According to Reuters, the bankruptcy filing with the federal Bankruptcy Court in Delaware will allow the Los Angeles company to leave the auto industry and refocus on energy storage. Coda uses the same technology it used in cars to build systems for utilities and building operators to store power. A

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2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid: New competitor for dominant Toyota Prius

The all-new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is designed to outgun the popular Prius V model, the largest Prius hybrid model. That’s a big job because the Prius is the darling in its various forms of the hybrid-car crowd. However, the front-drive C-Max appears to be a fairly well proven vehicle in that Ford says more than 100,000 have been sold in Europe since it was launched in late 2010. The Prius V is rather boring to drive, but the five-passenger C-Max is based on the sporty Ford Focus, which Ford proclaims was the world’s top-selling passenger car in 2012. Ford calls the C-Max Hybrid “the right car for the time as it combines the dynamics and quality of a traditional

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Five top gas mileage, wallet-friendly cars for 2013

Once limited to niche brands, odd designs and ill-conceived marketing, carmakers in recent years have integrated hybrid, alternative fuel vehicles into the automotive mainstream lineup. Now, nearly every major manufacturer offers at least one hybrid and another alternative fuel car in its fleet. Combined with higher mileage gas-engine cars, the auto industry flush with improved fuel efficiency. Hybrid anxiety is passé. Alternative fuel cars formerly designed and operated as if related to moon vehicles or military craft now largely look and drive the same as their gas-only siblings. The “greening” of the automotive industry occurred primarily for three specific reasons: increased influence from the environmental movement, pending federal regulation for improved gas mileage and wishful collective public desire for less

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Hyundai, Kia recalling nearly 2 million cars dating to 2007 via faulty brakes, air bags

Despite experiencing record sales and infiltrating many car-buying segments with innovation and value, Hyundai and Kia are facing major growing pains with a massive recall of nearly two million cars. The switch recall covers almost 1.7 million vehicles — most of the automakers’ model lineups from the 2007 through 2011 model years — to fix problems with air bags a brake light switches. In addition, Hyundai is recalling about 194,000 Elantra compacts from 2011 to 2013 to fix an air bag problem. A faulty switch can stop the brake lights from illuminating when drivers press on the pedal, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported its website. The cruise control also may not turn off when a driver

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2013 Kia Optima gets performance, cargo area, efficiency upgrades

In its short tenure, the Kia Optima Hybrid has received its share of accolades. Now it’s likely to receive more.  Kia has announced the updated 2013 Kia Optima Hybrid. It features a more performance-driven and fuel-efficient powertrain as well as more cargo space and premium features. Value continues to be a strong selling point Kia, with the Hybrid with LX starting at an MSRP of $25,900 and the fully loaded EX at an MSRP of $31,9501. For 2013, the Optima Hybrid features numerous powertrain refinements for smoothness and drivability, including a more robust 47 HP electric traction motor, a stronger Hybrid Starter Generator (HSG) and a more powerful 47 kW Lithium Polymer battery.  With a combined 199 horsepower and 235

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2013 Chevrolet Volt: Slick, practical, fuel-stingy engineering marvel

The electric-gas 2013 Chevrolet Volt’s electric-only operating range has been extended three miles to an EPA-estimated 38 miles, depending on terrain, driving techniques and temperature. Many drivers can’t control terrain or temperature, but driving techniques must be altered, which may not be easy for many Volt owners. No, they’re “not in Kansas anymore.” Total Volt range with the help of a small range-extending 84-horsepower gas engine is an estimated 382 miles under good conditions. The twin-overhead-camshaft engine calls for premium fuel and has a 9.3-gallon tank capacity. The Volt’s propulsion system combines pure electric drive and the sophisticated gas engine. Its long-life battery consists of a lithium-ion battery pack that supplies energy to an electric drive unit to propel the

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Sacramento woman ‘electrifying’ in her kiwi green ZAP car

Five years ago, Pennie and Howard Taylor of Sacramento, concerned about the environment and energy use, bought a 2006 ZAP! electric car from a dealership in Davis, California. It’s been an attention-grabber, gas-station avoider and an efficient little “kiwi” since. A local educator, Pennie Taylor commuted 20 miles in the ZAP! car until recent changes in her teaching career. But she still drives the car a lot and is pleased with her energy efficiency. She’s equally enthused to teach students about energy consumption or to share the car’s simplicity with anyone who asks. “People always interact with me; they take pictures and stare and kids point at it,” Taylor said. “We bought it for $8,500 and it’s just a wonderful

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Volkswagen Beetle, 2013: New Turbo diesel has sports car tendencies

The slogan for the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle is “Still turns heads. Just Faster.” Automaker slogans often don’t mean much. But in the instance of the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI, which debuted this year, the words work. The Beetle TDI’s 2.0-liter turbodiesel delivers 140 horsepower, 236 lb-ft of torque and is offered with either a six-speed manual or Tiptronic automatic transmission. Those are foreign numbers when compared to the specs of the original introduced in 1938, and they should be. And yet, after 75 years, the VW Beetle in many ways is still a Bug. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As arguably the most easily recognized car in the world, and particularly in my week with a bright yellow turbo diesel

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