Test Driving Volkswagen’s First Hybrid Vehicle: The 2011 Touareg
Photo via MotorTrend
VW’s 2011 Touareg Hybrid
The 2010 Geneva Motor Show was filled with so many splashy auto announcements–Porsche’s first ever plug-in hybrid, a new Aud…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Long Wait for the Bus? Budget Cuts Could Be the Reason
Image credit: Good
Times are tough for everyone—including municipal governments. One are that has suffered from diminished budgets is public transport. Across the country, transit workers are losing their jobs, making it that much harder to maintain the systems and schedules. Though there are some signs of economic recovery, more public transit jobs are expected to be lost before things get better….Read the full story on TreeHugger
The Port of NY/NJ Will Replace Dirty Old Diesel Trucks to Slash Air Pollution
Photo: Public domain
Other Truck Fleets, Pay Attention
Did you know that replacing a pre-1994 diesel truck (or at least the engine) with a 2004-2006 model could cut soot pollution by about 2/3, and reduce smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by more than half? Post 2007 diesel trucks are even better, with a reduction of soot particles by about 95% and NOx by at least 3/4. That’s a pretty big difference (though it doesn’t solve CO2 emissions), and it esp…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Gary Lauder on the Social and Environmental Impact of Stop Signs and Roundabouts (Video)
<embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pl…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Woot! Bike There Feature Added to Google Maps! (Video)
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It’s about time! Google Maps has finally added a Bike There feature. They’ve been plugging away for awhile now on ways to get directions for cyclists that avoids hills, excessive traffic, and points you in the best directions for pedaling to your destination. After a long time of lobbying by grassroots groups (it was all the way back in <a href="http://www.tre…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Stefan Jacoby, CEO of Volkswagen America, on VW’s Electric Car Strategy (Part I)
Photo via USA Today
Volkswagen has recently announced some pretty ambitious goals: it’s looking to have 300,000 of the cars it sells yearly–3% of global deliveries–be electric by 2018. It’s seeking to surpass Toyota as the world’s largest automaker by the same time. Recently, while covering the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, I had the opportunity to sit down w…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Bluecar EV to be Launched in the Fall of 2010
Photo: Pininfarina
A Proving Ground for Lithium-Metal-Polymer Batteries?
After some delays and problems, it looks like the Bluecar EV by Pininfarina and Bolloré is going to launch in the fall of 2010 if crash tests are successful and the car meets safety regulations. the fall target is for rental only, though. The Bluecar will go on sale at a later, yet unknown date….Read the full story on TreeHugger
8 Electric Concept Cars Shaking Up the Auto Industry Right Now
Image via Porsche
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Most of the excitement at Geneva this year didn’t come from the announcement of new production model cars. No, the task of riling up the auto press was left to the hyper-fuel ef…Read the full story on TreeHugger
Nissan Claims to Have 56,000 Preorders for LEAF Electric Car [Updated]
Photo: Nissan
Correction: It looks like BusinessWeek was wrong. A representative from Nissan contacted us 56,000 is not the number of pre-orders, but rather the number of people who have signed up on their website for more information about the LEAF once it is released. Incidentally, that number is now 71,000, and while it is a good sign for Nissan, it means a lot less for the future commercial success of the LEAF than actual pre-orders would.
And That’s Just for the United States…
Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Nissan and Renault, isn’t the kind of guy who just dips his …Read the full story on TreeHugger
Kia Unveils the Venga Electric Concept Car (It Looks Production-Ready!)
Photo: Kia
South-Korean Automakers Could Help Make EVs More Affordable
I have a love/hate relationship with concept cars. It’s always fun to see what automotive engineers can come up with, and they have a lot more freedom to innovate with concept cars than with production models, but a lot of the time, the results can be impractical and/or silly, and you just know that they’ll never make a production version. That’s why I’m happy to see that Kia’s electric car concept is based on a production model. Read on for the technical specs….Read the full story on TreeHugger
