carscoop: Ecology

Showing posts with label Ecology. Show all posts

1967 Ford XR Falcon ZERO'D with 600hp V8 Diesel is Even Greener Than it Looks

Joining the local introductions and even some world premieres like the Lexus LF-LC II at the 2012 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney this October will be a unique muscle car build from the Land Down Under.

Australia is known for its love of muscle cars and has a long tradition in the category with vehicles such as the classic 1970s Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III, Holden Monaro and Torana V8s, and Valliant Charger R/Ts (Chrysler Group), as well as the contemporary offerings from Holden's HSV and Ford's FPV performance divisions.

Now, an Australian has come up with a green muscle car build – and we're not referring to its beautiful, rich exterior shade.

Greenpeace Attacks the New VW Golf Once Again, Stages Protest During Official Launch

One of the most important models that will debut at the upcoming Paris Auto Show is the seventh-generation VW Golf, which was unveiled in Berlin last Tuesday, September 4.

Even though the brand-new Golf’s basic version posts an official average fuel consumption of 4.9 lt/100 km (48 mpg US), Greenpeace staged a protest outside the New National Gallery, where the event was taking place.

London Urges Drivers to Turn Off their Idling Engines or Face a Fine

Fuel saving systems like auto start/stop are becoming increasingly common in all kinds of new models, from minis to supercars. The thing is that these technologies have only recently been widely adopted by car companies. Thus, most vehicles out there are still polluting even when they are standing still.

Transport for London, the local government body that oversees Greater London’s transport system, released a study showing that if all drivers in the center of the city turned off their engines for one minute when stationary instead of letting them idle, CO2 emissions would be reduced by 100 million kg (220 million pounds) each year.

BMW Presents New C Evolution Electric Scooter Prototype at London Olympics [w/Video]

Not to be outshone by the BMW car brand and its upcoming "i" series of pure-electric models, BMW Motorrad, which is the German company's motorcycle division, is also gearing up for the presentation of its first zero emissions model.

Following the original E-Scooter concept at the BMW Motorrad Innovation Day 2011 and the Concept e at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has now introduced a near-production prototype of the electric scooter named the C Evolution.

The electric-powered scooter was presented in the U.K. capital today with BMW to allow selected London Olympics visitors to drive the prototypes during the games.

The C Evolution features a hybrid composite structure upon which it fits an electric motor producing a continuous output of 11kW (15hp) and a peak output of 35kW (47hp) allowing for an electronically limited top speed of 120km/h (75mph).

Consumer Watchdog Files Lawsuit Against Hyundai for Misleading Consumers with 40mpg Elantra Ads

Hyundai is being sued in a Sacramento Superior Court for misleading consumers about the gas mileage of its 2011 and 2012 Elantra compact model.

This is the next chapter of a story that began in December of 2011 when the non-profit organization Consumer Watchdog slammed Hyundai for misleading consumers in ads for the new Elantra.

The lawsuit, which has been filed by Consumer Watchdog and the Washington, DC, law firm, Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP, alleges that Hyundai touted "The 40 Mile Per Gallon Elantra" in high-impact television, Internet, and print advertisements, without disclosing that it was referring to highway and not combined fuel economy numbers.

BMW Rep Says Toyota's Sports Car will Have a Unique Design, Insider Hints at 6-Series-Based Supra

The recent deal signed between the BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corp that includes the joint development of platform architecture and components for a future sports car, has spurred speculation and rumors about the type of model that could come out of the partnership.

The Japanese company's president Akio Toyoda opened up a bag of clues during his speech in Germany by saying that he is "looking forward to a sports car that is environment-friendly and truly excites car fans around the world."

2013 Honda Fit EV Receives Highest Ever EPA Rating for Electric Cars at 118 MPGe

Good news for Honda as its 2013 Fit EV has scored a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, which the company says is the "highest fuel-efficiency rating ever given by the EPA".

But wait, doesn't the EV part of the new Fit's name stand for 'Electric Vehicle'? Yes, it does, so saying it has the "highest fuel-efficiency" is not entirely true. What Honda has achieved is to create a vehicle with a low consumption rating of 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles.

CR Finds that Fuel Efficient Versions of Focus, Cruze and Civic May Not be Worth the Extra Cash

When is it worth paying extra money for a more fuel-efficient version of the same model? The answer to that question depends on the price of gas, how much more fuel-efficient is said car and how long it will take to recoup the added cost.

Consumer Reports (CR) set out to see if buyers would benefit in the long run by choosing the fuel-economy variants of the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Honda Civic. While each of these models returns better mileage than their standard counterparts, they also cost between $500 and $800 more.

The following calculations were based on driving 12,000 miles (~19,300 kilometers) annually with an average gas price of $4 per gallon (€0.85/lt).

Starting with the Ford Focus, CR found that the $495 SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, which adds flush hubcaps, a rear spoiler, and low rolling resistance tires, provides a 3-mpg improvement in overall and city fuel economy, to 31 and 21mpg, respectively.

Toyota Introduces Production Version of RAV4 EV, Prices Start at $49,800

Toyota chose the second day of the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles to present the world premiere of the production RAV4 EV featuring a pure-electric driveline developed by Tesla Motors.

While based on the current RAV4, the Japanese automaker is commanding almost twice the price of the popular SUV's top trim-level (Limited: $25,530) for the electric model that will begin arriving in select showrooms this summer with an MSRP of $49,800 before any state and federal incentives.