It’s not every day that I am afforded the opportunity to have a car dropped off at the airport terminal for me to just get in and drive for several days. When that opportunity comes up, there is no question what the answer is – yes! Recently, on my travels to Atlanta, a 2013 Kia Soul! was delivered to me outside the terminal at Hartsfield International Airport. Given the (more…)

The Hummer. It is unmistakable on the roadway, and it is probably the closest a civilian will ever get to driving a tank. That’s not surprising, since the Hummer is essentially a military vehicle that was re-purposed for civilian use. It looks a lot like the army’s Humvee because it essentially has the same chassis. The Hummer is heavy, can cross extremely rough terrain, (more…)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week issued a fuel economy rating of 119 MPGe to the Chevrolet Spark EV, making it one of the most efficient cars in the United States. The all-electric subcompact goes on sale this summer in California and Oregon. The news begs this question: What is that little “e” doing at the end of MPGe? (more…)

New cars are getting more fuel-efficient every year. Engineers are deploying all kinds of whiz-bang technology to achieve these gains. But the no-brainer most effective and immediate way to reduce our fuel use is, drum roll, to drive less.

And that’s exactly what is happening on a per-capita (more…)

There once was a time when hybrid cars were unique in technology and looks compared to their traditional counterparts. The Toyota Prius was one of those cars. That car screamed “look at me, I am eco-friendly”. Nowadays, hybrid cars are more main stream and help manufacturers meet ever increasing fuel economy standards. The Kia Optima Hybrid does not scream (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…)

In a recently released report, the Annual Energy Outlook 2013 (AEO2013), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected the US energy markets through 2040. Their projections only take into account the effects of policies that have already been implemented in law or final regulations. The EIA found that the growth in energy production has (more…)

Believe it or not, the holidays are quickly approaching and winter driving is not far behind. So, it’s time to think about how the changing seasons will impact road conditions. For many drivers, the solution for getting out of town (and off the beaten path) is a super-safe all-wheel drive vehicle. But traditionally, putting power to all four wheels has meant a big hit on fuel economy. (more…)

Not long ago, the Obama Administration raised the federal fuel efficiency standards, known as CAFE, to an average 35.5 mpg by 2016. Yesterday, they announced the CAFE were being raised again to historically high levels. For model year 2025, the average fuel economy for cars and light-duty trucks will be set at 54.5 mpg. This will mean a nearly doubling of fuel (more…)

High fuel prices are back and are slowing our economy’s growth, eating into businesses’ profit margins and sapping household discretionary budgets. Today, consumers have a range of options for buying hybrid or even electric vehicles to help reduce their fuel costs. But businesses are far behind consumers in their adoption rate of hybrid vehicles. However, high (more…)