2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid – First Drive Review w/ Video [60 Photos]

Ioniq launches for 2017 as the first direct Prius rival in years.  Yes, I hear you — there are dozens of Prius rivals! And you are right: hybrids and EVs have gained traction in midsize sedans, luxury cars and SUVs at a rapid clip recently.  But no car actually tries to out-do Prius in 2017.  Not the cancelled Honda Insight.  And not the plug-in Chevy Volt, or battery-only VW eGolf. The reasons for this are many.  Mostly because Prius has beaten them all.  Ridiculously good mileage – no matter what.  A formula that surprisingly has never been cracked by another …

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2017 Chevrolet VOLT Premier – HD Drive Video + 64 Lakeside Photos

A really fun steer — and one whose urge and handling delighted the sports-car fan in all of us!  We do even make a “Corvette hybrid” reference-slash-joke while flying around the corners of Lake Lanier Island, Georgia.     2017 Chevrolet VOLT Premier – Exterior Gallery 2017 Chevrolet VOLT Premier – Interior Gallery    

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2016 Chevrolet Volt is Quicker, Greener and More Lux + 1000-Mile Tank Range!?

It is no secret that current Chevy Volt owners are fanatical about how great their car is. Most people, however, have not been easily convinced. The new Volt has an all-new and much sleeker design outside, a vastly more luxurious and comfortable cabin, and the win-win of more speed and more efficiency. Overall, the design is a bit cleaner, and far more modern from all sides. Thankfully, the awkward window-line of black plastic is now banished to history. Notably, the Volt with a charged plug-in battery and full tank of fuel is expected to comfortably cruise 1000 miles before needing …

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2016 Toyota Mirai FCV Priced From $58,000 in Cali From October 2015 + 56 New Photos!

  Updated 11.25.14 Toyota just announced that the Mirai will indeed be on sale in the US in Fall 2015 — but only in California initially. Pricing in the US of $58,000 closely matches the Japanese-spec model, which is rumored to already be on the way to their domestic showrooms. Further markets will be added when there is hydrogen recharging infrastructure in place. The other major update is the first look at the interior of the Mirai – as shown below. This brings a fairly revolutionary dash and infotech design interface. Where the Mirai varies from the fourth-gen 2017 Prius …

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Update2 – 2016 Toyota FCV Named ‘Mirai’ – On Sale October 2015!

Updated 11.17.14  Second update today: Toyota just announced that the Mirai will indeed be on sale in the US in Fall 2015 — but only in California initially. Further markets will be added when there is hydrogen recharging infrastructure in place. The other major update is the first look at the interior of the Mirai – as shown below. PREVIOUS Toyota just revealed the official name of its upcoming fuel-cell vehicle: the Mirai. Mirai is pronounced “mi-rye” and means Future in Japanese, as explained by CEO Akio Toyoda in the announcement below. We are very eager for this car’s launch …

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Concept Flashback – 2005 Volvo 3CC Was Ultra-Efficient PHEV That Influenced Volt and VW XL1

A few things come to mind when reviewing the Volvo 3CC concept nearly a decade after its debut in Detroit in 2005 — but the resemblence of the design to the current VW XL1 is the most striking. How similar are these two! Especially in the extreme taper of the rear glasshouse – they could be kissing cousins. Of course, there are huge differences in the VW that materialized five years later: the VW is not a PHEV like the Volvo, nor is it nearly as wide or as practical as a city car. The Volvo shares much of the …

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2016 Toyota FCV On Sale October 2015! Fuel Cells Now Less Vaporware, More EVent H20rizon

Are those typos in the headline? No, just some attempted cleverness. The FCV is an EV and H20 event horizon. VAPORWARE? Fuel cells helped define the term vaporware. Vaporware is now a ubiquitous silicon valley description of long-term possibilities that are always on the distant horizon. Part of the reason fuel cell Hydrogen vehicles have earned and propelled this bit of jargon is that their main byproduct is water vapor by converting hydrogen into electricity for a battery pack. The other reason is that companies have been researching this technology for more and 30 years, with no production models to …

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