As discussed here, the widening divide between rich and poor has meant that new cars are unaffordable for an ever-increasing segment of the American population. At the risk of sounding like Marie Antoinette with her fatal “let them eat cake” remark, new car ownership isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, I’m among the growing number who (more…)

While car sales of hybrid models have shown a steady increase in the last decade, there is still a perception that the green benefits of going hybrid come at the cost of limited performance. This is largely due to the absence of hybrids from the racing scene, which is the platform where popular cars like the Audi A8 and the Subaru Impreza initially gained their prestige. (more…)

Solar energy company SolarCity and automaker Honda have joined forces to increase access to solar power for their customers. The partnership establishes an investment fund to finance $65 million in solar projects to assist Honda and Acura (Honda’s luxury division) customers with the initial cost of solar power installation. Millions of Honda and Acura customers (more…)

There’s good news for those in the market for a new car who want to buy used and save money on fuel costs over the years. With the popularity of hybrids and electric vehicles increasing, used car shoppers are now able to find fuel-efficient cars at great prices, without having to go through the hassle of buying new. (more…)

According to a new study carried out by the English Centre of Economics and Business, traffic congestion in the United Kingdom, Germany and France cost each year up to 18,327 billion euros (around $24 billion). (more…)

Here’s an interesting graphic that suggests a phenomenon that my colleague Jeff Siegel calls “peak car” – a definitive decline in the number of vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. Granted, there are numerous factors that come together to push a change like this, and there is no guarantee that the trend will continue. (more…)

A lot of people have been waiting to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle since the 1980s. But what was once promised to consumers as an extremely economical way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help conserve the environment turned into another green movement pipe dream. While the talk about electric vehicles was full of hope, (more…)

This proposal involves a simple synergy of government incentives and distributed energy storage applications. But first, I’d like to briefly discuss some of the issues that this solution addresses.

The Issues

Climate Change (more…)

Here’s a piece of idiotic reporting on electric vehicles that I thought I’d share. Apparently, a survey shows that current EV customers are quite happy with their purchase, but a large number of non-EV drivers (the report doesn’t quantify this) don’t like the concept, insofar as it’s expensive and inconvenient. (more…)

In 2010 NASA launched its N+3 initiative which awarded four major airlines extensive funds to research, design and develop more environmentally friendly aircraft. Lockheed Martin, MIT, GE Aviation and Boeing have been charged with the challenge to create a commercial plane that would expend 75% less emissions and consume 70% less fuel. Not a (more…)