• Hybrids
    Honda hybrid minivan, SUV, or pickup coming; dedicated hybrid in 2018 too

    In recent years, Honda has announced that it planned to release advanced-technology green cars in the future—without mentioning even their names, let alone any details or specifications. That’s what happened two years ago with a pair of unnamed battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles that later proved to be two new variants of the Honda Clarity […]

  • Hybrids
    2017 Nissan Rogue Hybrid: gas mileage review

    Last year, Nissan sold almost 330,000 Rogues in the U.S., making it by far the brand’s most popular model. For 2017, the compact crossover utility vehicle has added a new model, a hybrid that competes with the very successful Toyota RAV4 Hybrid—of which 44,000 were delivered last year. We recently spent four days and almost […]

  • Hybrids
    Ford to test plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in London

    Earlier this month, Ford announced a host of new electrified vehicles, including prototype and production hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery-electric models. Before its planned 2019 production launch, one of those vehicles will soon begin testing in London. It’s a plug-in hybrid version of the Ford Transit Custom van, designed for commercial use. DON’T MISS: Ford […]

  • Hybrids
    Hybrid market share peaked in 2013, down since then

    What’s a “green car”? Is it a hybrid? A zero-emission vehicle? One that plugs in? Or just one that uses less fuel than other cars in its segment? It’s a perpetual conundrum, for Green Car Reports among others, but it illustrates one of the longstanding challenges in the field. Will the market for green cars […]

  • Hybrids
    2017 Kia Niro hybrid ‘crossover’ wagon priced from $23,800

    Almost a year after it was unveiled at the 2016 Chicago Auto Show, the 2017 Kia Niro hybrid is finally going on sale. The Niro is Kia’s first dedicated hybrid vehicle, and the Korean carmaker has taken an unusual tack in describing its new model. Kia calls the Niro a crossover, but its relatively low […]

  • Fuel Cell
    Toyota Mirai touted in ad on electric-car charging station

    How do you advertise new and innovative zero-emission vehicles, whether they’re electric or fuel-cell cars? It’s a question that’s bedeviled carmakers and their marketers, who continue to experiment with messaging, different audiences, and programs to get people into the cars. The challenge is likely even greater for hydrogen fuel-cell cars, since the target audience is […]

  • Fuel Cell
    SimpleFuel home hydrogen fuel dispenser wins $1 million DoE prize

    Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded a $1 million prize to a little-known team for what you might call a new garage appliance. The SimpleFuel team—actually a collaboration of three separate companies—won the prize, first offered in November 2014, for its hydrogen home-fueling station. The goal is to let drivers of hydrogen fuel-cell […]

  • Fuel Cell
    World to have 5,000 hydrogen fueling stations by 2032: study

    To achieve mass adoption, fueling infrastructure for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles will have to be hugely expanded. It’s a problem similar to that faced by battery-electric cars, but charging stations are far cheaper and easier to install—and can rely on existing grid infrastructure for their supply of electricity. Hydrogen fueling stations are vastly more expensive, and […]

  • Fuel Cell
    GM, Honda set up joint fuel-cell manufacturing plant, 2020 production goal

    Battery-electric cars are being delivered in volume today, but planned hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles from major automakers are on a more gradual timeframe. This morning, General Motors and Honda jointly announced that the two companies would establish a joint venture to produce hydrogen fuel-cell systems for future products from each carmaker. Located within GM’s existing battery […]