Hybrid Cars

In his 1962 book Diffusion of Innovations, Everett M. Rodgers defined five groups of individuals responsible for the adoption and eventual market penetration of a new idea or technology: the innovators, the early adopters, the early majority, the late majority, and the laggards. And as with any market-based technology, the electric vehicle’s …

Lexus CT200h If you’re into the relentless pursuit of fuel efficiency—but you can’t take the doorstop style of the Toyota Prius—the Lexus CT200h may be what you seek. Utilizing the same hybrid-powertrain technology as the Prius, the Lexus CT200h offers excellent fuel economy (we saw 36 mpg in our testing) and …

The last several months have been busy in the electric vehicles revolution. Governments have been announcing their phase out plans for petrol vehicles and automakers have committed billions of dollars to electrification programs. At this point automakers are practically falling over each other racing to get out their announcements. How many electric vehicles …

A3 e-tron gives you Audi cachet and power, a pleasing blend of hybrid and hatchback, plus an EPA-rated 83–86 MPGe. In fairness, in our test, we saw just 40 MPGe, but by most every performance measure the A3 e-tron still beats the BMW i3, the Chevrolet Volt, and the Ford …

Electric Truck by Cummins, Beats Tesla showing off a prototype by just days. Cummins revealed an electric truck from its historic technical center in Columbus, Indiana, a fully electric truck class 7 demonstration Urban Hauler Tractor as a step in its earlier announced electrification movement. The vehicle is equipped with a 140 …

THS-R: development starts Although the Toyota Prius had been on sale since 1997, the earliest indication that Toyota’s proprietary hybrid technologies could be adapted for racing came on 12 May 2005, when Toyota Motor Corporation determined that it would “consider the race activity that uses a hybrid system.” At that …

Kia’s hybrid utility vehicle could be a breakout hit. Called an “un-hybrid,” the Niro combines a hybrid powertrain with a subcompact crossover for the best of both worlds. The interior is roomy, with an elevated seating position for easy entry/exit and a clear view of the road ahead. A gas …

Plug-in Prime is a better Prius, but at what cost? THE GOOD   The Toyota Prius Prime’s plug-in hybrid power train is more flexible and efficient than the standard model. It boasts 25 miles of electric range per charge and up to 133 mpge. THE BAD   The Prime’s batteries add noticeable …

Pounds and pounds and pounds of Porsche. The 2017 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid Platinum Edition plug-in hybrid thumped up onto Car and Driver’s California scales and punished them to the tune of 5373 pounds. That’s 54 pounds less than we recorded for the slightly less lavish non–Platinum Edition version during …

The first Chevrolet Volt came to outrun the Toyota Prius. The new one hopes to kill it. A tale of two plug-in hybrids. Electric vehicles are maturing through their adolescence, and just like in middle school, some members of the class are developing faster. Tesla and Chevrolet now have electric …