Drive Green motoring guide
Nissan builds battery-powered ute
DAVID MCCOWEN Electric Leaf named "Sparky" a one-off experiment.
Renault's fuel-sipping Eolab concept
DAVID MCCOWEN Lightweight concept points to ultra-frugal future for Megane and Clio hatches
BMW's $300k hybrid supercar
DAVID MCCOWEN BMW is betting that green car enthusiasts are willing to spend big money on the new i8, Australia's first hybrid supercar.
Ford reveals solar-powered family car
ANDREW MACLEAN Blue oval promises free fuel by harnessing the sun for new plug-in hybrid technology
Future cars
Solar cars a step closer to the showroom
STEPHEN OTTLEY The latest generation of solar-powered cars are slowly pushing the technology towards production.
Toyota says 2015 Prius Hybrid will be lighter, more economical
Ben Klayman Toyota says the next Prius generation will offer improved fuel economy due to smaller, lighter critical parts that cost less.
BMW X5 eDrive sips just 3.8L/100km
MATT CAMPBELL New plug-in hybrid concept version of the German brand's large SUV sets a new benchmark for its segment.
Dick Smith gazes into his automotive crystal ball
MATT CAMPBELL The Aussie entrepreneur talks electric cars, fuel prices and government incentives.
How green is your car?
David McCowen Drive investigates the real environmental benefits of hybrid and electric cars.
Honda and General Motors team up
Alan Ohnsman Hydrogen fuel cell push as Japanese maker teams with US automotive giant.
Electric Mercedes charges to Nurburgring record
Sam Hall SLS Electric Drive laps German circuit in under 8 minutes, setting record time for a production electric car.
Audi A3 hybrid pricing revealed
Sam Hall German hybrid will attract a hefty premium over petrol and diesel variants, but with some sweeteners.
Claimed fuel efficiency gap widens: report
Barbara Lewis and Charlie Dunmore The disconnect between fuel use figures claimed by car makers and the real-world results seen by drivers is widening.
Pellets for your petrol tank
Amy Wilson Cella Energy may have the solution for car makers trying to win support for hydrogen power.
Renault's electric car plans fizzle
MATT CAMPBELL French brand remains uncertain on whether it will offer EVs to Aussies.
Better Place pulls the plug
Ari Rabinovitch Israeli electric car infrastructure company to wind up global operations.
Ferrari vows never to build an electric car
Andrew Maclean Famous Italian car maker splurges on hybrid development, but a silent supercar is off limits
Tesla talking with Google about 'Autopilot' systems for cars
Alan Ohnsman Electric car maker is considering adding driverless technology to its vehicles and discussing the prospects for such systems with Google.
BMW slams future emission targets
ANDREW MACLEAN German car maker says 2025 European fuel economy figures are impossible to meet without financial assistance
Five myths about electric cars
Chris Paine* The maker of 'Who Killed the Electric Car' defends EVs in the wake of Fisker's financial struggles.
Porsche's Prius-beating Panamera
MATT CAMPBELL High-tech plug-in hybrid uses less fuel than Toyota's environmental hero but is almost as quick as a V8 Commodore.
Electric Defender to roam game parks
TOBY HAGON An ambitious rechargeable Land Rover Defender could soon be put to use in some of the world's harshest terrain.
VW's electric Kombi
Andrew Maclean Flower power makes way for electric power in next-gen VW Transporter
Obama's billion-dollar EV gamble fails
Charles Lane Electric vehicles have missed the mark with consumers, despite a $5 billion investment in the alternative technology by the US Government.
US report finds ethanol may damage fuel pumps
Mark Drajem Oil refiners and car makers claim blended fuel can cause component failures.
Affordable fuel-cell vehicles in five years
Christiaan Hetzner Leading car makers team up to make hydrogen-powered cars a reality.
Poor sales slow electric car
Sam Hall Mitsubishi changes tack on Australia's first mass-produced electric car.
Peugeot plans battery-free hybrid to rival Toyota
Laurence Frost Peugeot builds hybrid without batteries.
Nissan halves charge-time for Leaf
MATT CAMPBELL Updated 2013 model of Nissan's plug-in hatchback to halve its recharge time to about four hours.
Nissan slashes almost $10,000 off Leaf EV
MATT CAMPBELL Sluggish sales prompt price cut for plug-in hatchback.
Nissan improves Leaf EV driving range, cuts price
Nissan, hoping to boost disappointing sales for the Leaf electric car, said it has improved the driving range of its alternative-fuel vehicle by 14 percent and lowered its price tag.
Nissan’s electric vehicle feels the heat
STEVE COLQUHOUN Tests in the US show high temperatures can bite into electric car battery life, reducing driving range.
Smart ForStars concept
Greg Kable Micro car brand Smart is showcasing its next generation look with the radical ForStars sport utility coupe concept car.
E10 fuel a false economy
RICHARD BLACKBURN Promised cost savings don’t necessarily add up with ethanol-based fuels.
Leaf to lift electric range to 250km
STEVE COLQUHOUN Reports indicate that Nissan could be preparing a longer-range Leaf to roll out in 2013.
Oil isn't running out: expert
Matt Campbell Harvard authority on energy claims there could be an oil glut in the next decade.
London cabs debacle
STEVE COLQUHOUN Hydrogen-powered taxis have to be trucked 290km to fill up during Olympics.
Leaf wilting under US heat
BARRY PARK Owners blame hot weather for startling loss of battery capacity.
France to boost clean cars as Peugeot unveils losses
France will boost support for environmentally friendly cars as part of a rescue plan unveiled Wednesday amid growing concern for the country's crisis-hit auto industry and top carmaker Peugeot
Electric version of Holden Commodore
BARRY PARK Taking a ride in a battery-powered version of Holden’s popular family car.
EVs $20K too much: survey
STEVE COLQUHOUN US study says people not prepared to pay more than $25,000 for an electric vehicle.
Tesla’s electric sedan arrives
Silicon Valley upstart to deliver first Model S sedans to customers tomorrow, with first profit predicted to follow.
We need a cheaper EV, admits Nissan
MATT CAMPBELL Brand says it needs a smaller, cheaper version of its groundbreaking Leaf electric car.
Prius family grows
RICHARD BLACKBURN Australia's first hybrid seven-seater is pitched at families with a conscience.
BMW hybrid 7-Series for Oz
STEVE COLQUHOUN Local buyers to get petrol-electric choice, but no tri-turbo diesel.
Lexus takes shot at diesels
MATT CAMPBELL Japanese brand claims its limo is greener than German diesel rivals.
Electric turbo for next WRX?
STEVE COLQUHOUN Subaru’s performance hero could pioneer ground-breaking turbo technology.
China's dream of electric car leadership elusive
Joe McDonald China's leaders are finding it's a lot tougher to create a world-beating electric car industry than they hoped.
How green is my EV?
Paul Stenquist Electric car buyers are realising that two identical electric cars can produce very different results for the environment.
Filling up the car at your own front door? It's a gas!
SIMON JOHANSON Chris White never stops at a petrol station to refuel his old six-cylinder Ford.
A nation of fuel guzzlers
STEPHEN OTTLEY New figures show Australia has some of the thirstiest cars on the planet.
Geneva 2012
Electric cars won't reach sales mandates: Mercedes
Joshua Dowling EVs will be 4 per cent of all new vehicles by 2020 – at best.
