Richard Read, Reporter
Articles
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In the U.S., electric-car advocates and green energy fans have been dealt some setbacks during recent weeks. In Europe, however, the push toward electrification remains as strong--and trendy--as...
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New Orleans: Big Easy to make life easier for electric car owners?New Orleans has a hot-and-cold relationship with environmentally friendly technology. Last week, however, the two were definitely on good terms as the city council voted unanimously to make life easier for current and future electric car owners. Crescent City crises Given the New Orleans' tenuous...
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Nissan Unveils New Orleans' First Public Charging Station For Electric Cars (Daiquiris Not Included)Electric cars can be a tough sell, especially in places that lack a publicly accessible charging infrastructure. In New Orleans, Nissan is working to address that problem by unveiling the city's first public charging station at a Rouses supermarket in the heart of the Crescent City. Strategically...
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South Park Doesn't Think Too Highly Of The Tesla Model S (Or Maybe It Does)You can say a lot of things about South Park -- it's crude, it's offensive, it's predictable -- but you can't accuse creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone of being clueless about pop culture. Given the topics that the show covers, the duo are obviously big news junkies. And thanks to South Park's...
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Can Smartphone Apps & Carsharing Really Cut Cars On The Road?Sometimes, change is painful, devastating -- just ask the folks at Blockbuster Video or the residents of any neighborhood that's been split by new freeways. Sometimes, change is wonderful, life-giving -- just ask the folks at Netflix or ambulance drivers who now have faster ways to get from the...
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Toyota Prius Plug-In To Be Driven By 'Eco-Savvy Influencers' In MPG ChallengeIn May, we told you about the first round of Toyota's Prius Plug-In MPG Challenge. If you missed it and don't feel like clicking through to read the magnificently written article, here are the high points: Toyota loaned 2013 Prius Plug-Ins to a handful of nonprofits for 30 days. The nonprofits used...
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By now, you've probably seen it: the new ad for the Toyota Auris Hybrid. But on the off chance you haven't, here's the Cliffs Notes version:
Sometime in the future, a man and woman awake in their... -
Gas-Sippers Fuel Ford's Growth (Well, Partly)Something funny is happening at Ford. Despite very heavy competition from a host of automakers, Ford is gaining market share at a brisk pace -- and it's doing so thanks in part to the success of eco-friendly, tech-heavy cars and crossovers. From January through May of this year, Ford gained nearly...
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Supreme Court Won't Reverse EPA E15 Ethanol RulesThe U.S. Supreme Court has been slow to rule on many of the biggest cases on this year's docket. Maybe that's because some of the justices are prone to procrastination, or maybe, like seasoned TV scriptwriters, they're just playing America like a violin, getting us all worked up for a rousing...
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If College Kids Can Get 1000 MPG, Why Can't You?Many green car enthusiasts love a hypermiling challenge. They'll eagerly drive in the slow lane, forego air-conditioning, and take different routes to and from work to make the most of downhill traffic, just to boost fuel economy by a couple of miles per gallon. But as hard as those folks try...
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Hybrid Repair Costs Drop, Especially In The NortheastWe have good news and bad news for hybrid car owners. First the bad news: basic car repairs are more expensive than they used to be. According to a CarMD survey of repair costs across the U.S., problems associated with the "check engine" light cost $367.84 to repair in 2012. That's 10% higher than...
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GroupCarpool Puts Road-Trippers & Commuters In The Fast LaneOrganizing road trips can be hard. Organizing carpools -- sometimes with complete strangers -- can be even harder. First, there are masses of phone calls, text messages, and emails to sort through. Then, every rider's schedule and personal information has to be entered into a database. Once upon a...
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Technology can be a real drag. CDs killed cassettes. MP3s killed CDs. Video killed the radio star. Bummer.
Now, a new threat looms in the dark pit we call progress: solar power. According to Grist,...
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2013 Toyota Prius Plug-in Challenge Raises Funds For PhilanthropyWhen it comes to social media marketing, Ford showed the auto world how it's done back in 2010. The company's Fiesta Movement recruited perky, camera-ready cool kids to talk about the Fiesta through blog posts, photos, and videos. The campaign was so successful that 60% of Americans knew about the...
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Parking Apps Proliferate, But Can They Solve The Problem Of Traffic Congestion?Yesterday, we received a press release from a company called Pango, which makes an app that allows motorists to pay for on-street parking. (The company's demo video is embedded above.) If you live in a city of any size, this isn't especially newsworthy. Products like Pango have been rolling out for...
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Sharing Savvy: Smart & Ford Discuss Fuel-Efficient Three-Cylinder EnginesIn spy movies, information is used as a form of currency; it's traded for hostages, treasure, and occasionally, more information. But the practice isn't just limited to films. It takes place in the business world, too, and the auto industry is no exception. According to AutoNews, Ford and Daimler...
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CA: Electric Cars Get Carpool-Lane Access Til 2020, Plug-In Hybrids Til 2018?Owners of electric cars and plug-in hybrids enjoy plenty of benefits: tax breaks, lower fuel costs, and the satisfaction that comes from driving a low- or zero-emission vehicle, to name a few. In California, owners also enjoy easier commutes: they can apply for special stickers that allow them to...
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Home Depot To Refund Taxes To Electric-Car Charging Station BuyersMany states offer discounts, rebates, and other incentives for the purchase of infrastructure improvements that encourage electric-car ownership. Washington is one such state, providing tax breaks on charging stations and similar EV-related devices. Unfortunately, Home Depot sales associates...
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Last year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced a new crash test -- and a new rating to accompany it. A total of 13 compact SUVs recently took that test, and the 2014 Subaru...
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Nissan Leaf Wants Apps, Needs Your Data To Make Them WorkHumanity is in an awkward phase -- the gangly, emotional phase between life as we've known it for thousands of years and a life lived largely online. The transition has made many uncomfortable, afraid that we're casting off the familiar trappings of the real world in favor of something new...
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Electric Vehicle Tourism Sparks Washington State: TEDx VideoBack in February, the folks at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington hosted a TEDx conference. One of the event's speakers was Ron Johnston-Rodriguez. Johnstron-Rodriguez founded Plug In North Central Washington. That sounds as if it might be a regional chapter of Plug In America, but its...
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GM Becomes First Automaker To Sign Call For Action On Climate ChangeWhen we think of the companies and organizations concerned with climate change, we don't often think of major automakers. But maybe we should think again. Yesterday, General Motors became the first automaker to sign onto the Climate Declaration, a statement drafted by Ceres and its Business for...
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99 Years Later, Electric Car 'Sociability Run' Honored In DCThis is a momentous year for electric car fans: the 99th anniversary of Washington, D.C.'s historic Electric Sociability Run of 1914. To commemorate that event, enthusiasts are planning a similar rally this Memorial Day weekend. Many, if not most folks in America are familiar with today's electric...
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Michigan Jumps On The 'Tax Electric Cars' Bandwagon, TooElected officials in yet another state have proposed levying taxes on electric cars. And just to make things interesting, this time the debate is happening in Michigan. Similar initiatives have been discussed in states both red and blue, including Arizona, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington...
Richard Read