Electric vehicles: Electric car buying guide
How to buy an electric vehicle, plus car reviews from Tribune newspapers and Cars.com.
11:37 AM PST, January 9, 2013
Detroit Auto Show: First official photos of new Lexus IS sedan
Lexus on Wednesday unveiled the first official photos of its all-new IS sedan, ahead of the car's world debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show on Tuesday.
8:33 AM PST, January 9, 2013
Nissan starts making Leaf in U.S., will offer lower-cost model
Nissan said Wednesday that it will offer a lower-priced version of its Leaf electric car this year and that it has begun making the Leaf and its battery pack at the automaker’s giant factory complex in Smyrna, Tenn.
8:55 AM PST, December 27, 2012
Green Wheels: Low Maintenance Electric Cars
One of the big questions I'm asked is, "Should I buy an electric car?" They're asking, essentially, if they're going to get hosed financially, as well as plunged into range anxiety. In truth, these cars aren't for everybody, but at least one parameter is totally in your favor — maintenance.
6:00 AM PST, January 8, 2013
Noise requirements proposed for hybrid and electric vehicles
Electric vehicles and hybrids are quiet — a little too quiet for the U.S. Department of Transportation.
3:50 PM PST, January 4, 2013
Cars.com Expert Reviews
2012 Tesla Model S: Mean green machine
A battery-electric car that accelerates quicker, drives farther and charges faster than any other on the market, the 2012 Tesla Model S is a work in progress whose capacity to evolve is more revolutionary than the fact that it's an electric car.
1:47 PM PST, November 30, 2012
L.A. Auto Show: Are electric vehicle prices about to drop?
Don't be surprised to see a decline in electric car prices over the next several months.
November 30, 2012
Why plug-ins don't charge up buyers
Every weekday, Chevrolet Volt owners jockey to hook up their cars to the two electric-vehicle charging stations in front of General Motors' Renaissance Center headquarters in downtown Detroit.
7:43 AM PST, November 20, 2012
Nissan Leaf: Carmaker drops price, raises range of Japanese model
Nissan is launching a less expensive Leaf electric vehicle in Japan that has a longer driving range than the current model. Analysts expect to see a similar move in the U.S. as the automaker tries to boost tepid sales of the car.
March 27, 2012
Startup announces big breakthrough for electric vehicle batteries
For years, the electric vehicle industry has been eager to build a better electric car battery: one that extends range while having a longer overall life, is affordable, quick-charging and safe.
October 22, 2011
GM to launch Spark electric minicar globally in 2013
General Motors Co. is returning to the pure-electric market for the first time since the EV1's demise 12 years ago, electrifying its tiniest car in an attempt to appeal to urban buyers.
September 8, 2011
2012 electric Coda sedan: Not showy but packed with substance
When electric car maker Coda Automotive Inc. introduces its first model this year, the independent Southern California manufacturer will pioneer a new EV profile: the unassuming four-door five-seater.
April 21, 2011
With B-Class F-Cell, Mercedes rolls out an impressive steppingstone
The only Mercedes hatchback on the U.S. market, the 2011 B-Class F-Cell, wouldn't be recognizable as a Benz if it weren't for its premium badge.
October 21, 2010
Review: Chevy Volt — electrifying
With most cars, idling at the arrival curb of a major metropolitan airport results in an instantaneous visit from the parking police: Whistles blown, arms akimbo, ticket pads drawn.
April 17, 2011
It's a long road before plug-in vehicles reach mainstream
The year 2012 is looking like a huge one for the introduction of electric vehicles. This includes cars that are fully electric, like the Nissan Leaf, and those that are plug-in hybrids, much like the Chevrolet Volt, which operates as a plug-in electric but also has a gasoline engine.
4:00 PM PDT, April 14, 2011
EV sticker shock here for now
GM and Nissan have electrified not only their cars but visions of the automotive future with this year's release of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. But prices of these and other plug-in electric vehicles may give some buyers electric sticker shock. The Leaf starts at nearly $33,000 and the Volt, which has a backup gas engine, tops $40,000, both higher than the average new car price of roughly $29,000. Other, lesser-known plug-ins are even pricier.
April 17, 2011
Can I recharge at the supermarket?
J.D. Power and Associates estimates that there are fewer than 1,000 public recharging stations across the U.S., with more than half of them in California.
April 17, 2011
Plugging in to market
You can count on one hand the number of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles on sale in the U.S.: The Chevrolet Volt, Ford Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster. But more, covering the spectrum from small city to luxury performance cars, will join them in the next few years.
April 17, 2011
Plug ins and prices
By the end of 2012 there will be more than a dozen plug-in electric vehicles on U.S. roads. The starting prices listed here do not include destination charges nor a tax credit of up to $7,500 available on plug-in electrics. A parenthetical denotes the calendar year in which cars not yet on the road will be available.
February 24, 2011
Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Half the car for nearly twice the price
In the hullaballoo surrounding last year's debuts of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf, one new electric vehicle was mostly overlooked: The Smart Fortwo Electric Drive.
3:28 PM PST, December 8, 2010
Nissan Leaf: A revolutionary vehicle that drives like a car
No one loves lofty rhetoric and prosaic hyperbole more than car manufacturers. With a dollar for every time a mundane car was described as "exciting," "revolutionary" or "race-inspired," you could pull an Oprah and buy everyone on your block a Lamborghini.
November 2, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf review
Why go electric? Nissan Leaf makes its case
The Nissan Leaf isn't for everybody. I could say the same of any car I review, yet for some reason it seems necessary to remind consumers of this fact when detailing electric cars like the Leaf and Chevrolet Volt.
3:50 PM PST, January 7, 2011
Kicking Tires
2012 Ford Focus Electric Vehicle at 2011 Detroit Auto Show
December 23, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf SL
Poring over the new Leaf
Although the all-electric Nissan Leaf went on sale in December in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Tennessee, the rest of the country will have to wait until late in 2011 to see how well-suited it is for colder climes.
December 24, 2010
Can Chicago warm up to the Leaf?
The attraction of a battery-powered electric car is that it doesn't consume one drop of gas, drain the planet of petroleum, or produce harmful exhaust people inhale.
12:13 PM PST, November 11, 2010
Tesla's electric dream
Sports cars, true high-end performance machines, are often referred to as dream machines. They wildly exceed everyday expectations, they satisfy fully, and they're unattainable in the real world.
1:30 PM PDT, October 28, 2010
Test Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt
Plug it in: Chevrolet Volt goes from concept to reality
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt doesn't consume a drop of gas or exhale an ounce of exhaust into the air. But not always.
2:35 PM PDT, September 10, 2010
Tesla devotees a breed apart
Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson was skimming the information packet for his Tesla Motors board of directors meeting last year when he hit pay dirt about page 50. Spotting details for the Model S sedan that the electric-car company had on the drawing boards, he knew he had to have one.
July 30, 2010
Test Drive: Mitsubishi i-MiEV
What's it like to drive a silent car?
Cars.com has been testing the Japanese version of Mitsubishi's i-MiEV battery-electric vehicle on Chicago streets.
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