Because common sense is more common than you might think, sales of hybrid cars are down now that gas prices have fallen as well. That makes sense. Yet there are some circumstances where it makes sense to buy a hybrid car, even when fuel costs are low. How do you know if that includes your situation? The government is here to help. [More]
hybrid cars
Low Gas Prices Make People Less Interested In Hybrid Cars
By 5.14.15
It should come as no surprise to people with any common sense that fuel-conserving hybrid cars were very popular when gas prices were high last decade, but aren’t as popular now that gas prices are closer to $2 per gallon than $4. The premium that customers must pay for a hybrid vehicle offsets the fuel savings nicely when gas prices are high, but takes longer to recoup when they fall. [More]
GM Recalls Chevrolet Volts That Can Silently Emit Carbon Monoxide
By 3.13.15
It’s possible for a car engine to be too quiet. Two people so far have suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning when their Chevrolet Volt cars switched imperceptibly to their gasoline engines. When this happens, the engine remains so quiet that it’s possible to forget that the car is running, and the combustion engine gives off the silent gas that can be deadly in an enclosed space. Like a garage. [More]
EPA Revises Fuel Mileage Numbers For Ford C-Max In Wake Of Consumer Reports Test
By 8.15.13 — Updated: 8.16.13
Back in December, our pals at the not-so-secret above-ground Consumer Reports auto-testing facility called into question the 47 miles per gallon (highway and city combined) number touted by Ford for its C-Max Hybrid, saying their tests showed a still-respectable but lower-than-advertised 37 mpg. Now, only a mere eight months later, the EPA is also saying that number should be lower. [More]
Why Should I Care About New Fuel Economy Standards? Because Money Is Nice To Have
By 6.14.13
Don’t you just loooove watching the dollars and cents tick up as the gallons slowly glug into your car’s gas tank? No you don’t, because no one likes spending large chunks of change to fuel their vehicles. And maybe hybrids or electric cars don’t have all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect. What’s a discerning, wallet-conscious consumer to do? [More]
North Carolina Drivers Could Face Additional Fee For Going Green
By 5.29.13
Driving the verdant, rolling hills of North Carolina could become just a bit more expensive for drivers in that state who use hybrid or electric cars. State legislators have proposed a bill in the Senate that would charge those drivers additional fees of $50 and $100, respectively, for registering their vehicles. But why would a state want to penalize drivers who go green? [More]
Study Says Hybrid Owners Probably Won't Be Back For Another Car
By 4.10.12
Hybrid cars have earned some admirers, but it turns out once customers buy an electric-gas model, they’re unlikely to come back for another one when it’s time to purchase a new car, according to a new study. [More]
California To End Carpool Lane Benefit For Hybrid Owners
By 5.17.11
From 2005 through 2007, the state of California made a pretty tempting offer to get drivers behind the wheels of hybrid cars: Buy one and you’ll get a sticker that allows you to cruise in the carpool lane without having to have that annoying other passenger (or mannequin) next to you. It was like a VIP pass on the highway. But those halcyon days are about to end. [More]
Going Green Doesn't Always Mean Plugging In When It Comes To Cars
By 2.16.11
You don’t have to buy a car that plugs into an outlet to be green or run on batteries, says a new scorecard of the most eco-friendly vehicles on the road. [More]
