On the fence with a Leaf purchase? Rent one for a few days. Largest plug-in car fleet in California Many years ago, when the Toyota Prius was just in its second generation, many potential Prius consumers just weren’t sure what they thought about hybrids. Back in those days I often used to recommend renting a Prius, or another hybrid, for a few days to test the vehicle out. Fortunately, …

What's the sale's problem? Over-promised, under-delivered? Over the past few months, GM has insisted it will meet its 2011 Chevy Volt sale’s targets despite ongoing sluggish sales. But with only 2 months left in the year, GM has only sold 5003 Volts, which means GM needs to sell 5000 Volts in the next two months to reach its goals. But what if they don’t? To be honest, I think GM will hit their…

RX-8 leaving the rotary engine behind And the rotary engine The Wankel rotary engine, made famous by Mazda, will be mothballed next summer with the launch of the new RX-8, but it probably won’t be decommissioned for long. While the rotary engine might again make its way into conventional ICE vehicles, its real future might be the hybrid space. According to Mazda, a range …

Musk can even teach the master a less on or two No one can accuse Tesla’s Musk of a small ego Last week Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk gave kudos to GM for building the Chevy Volt because it helped legitimize plug-in vehicles in the mainstream auto industry. However, he also stated that the Volt wasn’t “particularly inspiring.” Similarly, regarding the Chevy Spark EV, Musk…

Leaf drivers providing interesting EV data Nissan Leaf user data begs some important questions Initial data from Nissan Leaf drivers is opening up a real world perspective into plug-in electric vehicle issues that suggest the government might not have a very good understanding of its role in pushing the US auto industry forward. Most interesting, Nissan’s Leaf data demonstrates that either EV charging infrastructure really isn’t a …

Plug-in hybrids: All about the Benjamins All about driving needs and tax credits As the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid heads to market and the Chevy Volt continues to ramp up production, these two plug-in hybrids will begin to face ever greater competition. But is one of these plug-in hybrids obviously better than the other? More…

Why isn't a 60 mpg hybrid worth a tax credit Or is it just better than nothing? At first sound 54.5 mpg by 2025 isn’t a bad tune. But this is CAFE. That means 54.5 mpg is actually more like 39 mpg according to EPA stickers. Then add in the periodic reviews written into this potential legislation that could at anytime squash these new CAFE requirements — especially as …

Volt production and sales still have a long way to go Still just 723 sold in September Will the Chevy Volt be a major success? It’ll probably be many years before we know the answer to that question, but after several months of subdued sales thanks to a production upgrade, the Volt finally seems to be getting back…

The beginning of the modern 'halo effect' Or was it the Toyota supply shortage? Something else? Don’t laugh. Just because GM, for instance, has only sold a few thousand Chevy Volts after almost a year on the market doesn’t mean anything. Sometimes perception is more important than reality. The Volt, in many respects, is about direction, not sales. At least for now. More important, however…

The only plug-in that matters if its all about EV range A singular solution to US energy independence is decades away, minimally My plug-in gets more EV range than yours! Seriously? That’s what some in the battery-advocating community have devolved to, really? Has it all come down to patting ourselves on the back — typically with the help of significant government subsidies — when it comes to the idea of foreign…

Only for those making $150,000 per year? Range anxiety versus costs and mainstreaming Range anxiety? It’s a red herring according to many advocates of pure electrics. Other plug-in advocates disagree and claim that range anxiety is probably the key problem to overcome to mainstream adoption of plug-ins — hence, plug-in hybrids . Unfortunately, having a battery and an engine can increase costs, the …

Will Prius and hybrid supplies finally normalize in September? Forget about the hybrid slowdown story, it’s nonsense A few days ago AutoObserver published a story regarding the slowdown in advanced powertrain auto sales. Since then I’ve seen several stories referencing this angle. Really? A slowdown? You mean an earthquake/tsunami that crushed Toyota Prius , Honda Insight and most other hybrid supplies impacted hybrid sales? No way. And it hasn’t been…