Fit EV brings little excitement to plug-in world. A few new details about the Fit EV Well, I guess if you had to sum up the new Honda Fit electric in a marketing phrase, it would go something like this. ‘Charge the Honda Fit electric car in just 3 hours using a 240-Watt outlet!’ Certainly, that’s an improvement …

Can great resale value get Honda's hybrid cars back on track? 2 out 3 just ain’t good enough Today, Honda doesn’t just offer the cheapest hybrid, but also the hybrid with the greatest resale value for 2012, yet Honda sales still got slammed last month. Some of this lag in sales was caused by the launch of the 2012 Honda Civic hybrid as well as supply shortages caused by the Japanese…

Can great resale value get Honda's hybrid cars back on track? 2 out 3 just ain’t good enough Today, Honda doesn’t just offer the cheapest hybrid, but also the hybrid with the greatest resale value for 2012, yet Honda sales still got slammed last month. Some of this lag in sales was caused by the launch of the 2012 Honda Civic hybrid as well as supply shortages caused by the Japanese earthquake this Spring. Nevertheless…

Try selling an off-the-wall concept every once in a while Have major automakers colluded against out-of-the-box-thinking? Today is the first day of press days at the LA Auto Show, which is supposed to be the green auto show. Yet, there aren’t really that many buzzworthy green debuts expected. Automakers seem too big and stodgy to …

Volt hype drives Cruze sales Is the battery revolution still just too far into the future? Who killed the electric car? The 50 mpg flex fuel Chevy Cruze, or at least it would, if such an ICE-based vehicle existed, and some day soon, it will. In fact, the technologies for such vehicles …

Will the Prius C be cheap enough? Can Toyota take its hybrids to the next level? The 2011 hybrid story will mostly end up being about lost sales. Sure a significant chunk of the sale’s decline was caused by the Japanese earthquake/tsunami earlier this year, but even in recent months, the bleeding is still ongoing although tempered. But a few new Toyota hybrid cars could turn that around next year. While the Toyota Prius…

The most cost-effective and boring plug-in. It’s all about cost effectiveness Today, a plug-in vehicle just doesn’t work for me. Unfortunately, I live in an old North East Los Angeles neighborhood where many old homes were built before cars were common. Consequently, many houses have garages built for buggies, if any garage at all. And if you don’…

Fire worries no reason not to buy a Volt. According to multiple preliminary reports The Chevy Volt has been associated with several fires, but the evidence suggests more and more that the Volt is not the problem. Yes, lithium-ion batteries in vehicles like the Volt are combustible, but so too are gasoline engines. And, while the National Highway…

Almost a 1/4 of all car consumers ready to buy a Prius. Good intentions, little action Almost every American — 93 percent — supports higher fuel economy requirements and 81 percent are even willing to pay a premium for a more fuel efficient vehicle according a recent Consumer Reports study. Even better, 56 percent are ready to buy…

A Chevy Volt battery pack. Neither Volt nor EVs more dangerous than conventional vehicles – NHTSA Three weeks after undergoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests, a Chevy Volt lithium-ion battery pack started a fire at a NHTSA facility. Consequently, the NHTSA is going to conduct some additional tests on the Volt and its battery pack, while reviewing battery protocols from all EV manufacturers. Nevertheless…

If it's all about dollars, then its all about the Insight hybrid. Honda keeps its focus on cost-effective fuel economy These days, if you think fuel efficient automaker, you might think Toyota. Because of some recent plug-in launches, you might even think GM or Nissan. But it has…

Local govs expected to keep charging infrastructure moving forward. Congressional Deficit Super Committee looks for cuts Tax credits for the buyers of plug-in vehicles appear safe for now, according to the NYTimes, but tax credits for the installation of plug-in chargers — set to expire at the end of the year — probably will not be extended. In order to extend the credits, the Congressional Deficit Super Committee would have to cut…