Archive for the ‘EVs’ Category

In any normal vehicle, a slight drain on the battery is no big deal. But if you have a hybrid—or, for that matter, if you have a finicky old British roadster in the garage that needs to be hooked up to a trickle charger all the time—you want to minimize what's tapping into your power. That's why LoJack has announced a new self-powered stolen-vehicle recovery system, aimed at hybrid vehicles, collector vehicles, and future electric models.

Though it's not yet clear what the energy source will be for the "self-powered" system, LoJack says that this next-generation system—set to become available late next year—will allow more flexibility in...

The 2010 Toyota Prius is again the most fuel-efficient performer in the U.S. market, at 50 mpg Combined, while runners-up include the 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg), Honda Insight (41), Ford Fusion Hybrid (39), and Mercury Milan Hybrid (39).

That's the official word from the 2010 EPA Fuel Economy Guide information, which was released this past week.

The published guide, which has been produced annually since 1975 and was admittedly much more important in the days before instantly available fuel-efficiency information from sites like TheCarConnection.com and the federal government's fueleconomy.gov, hosts ratings for every U.S. passenger...

As the editors of TheCarConnection.com have experienced time and time again, an unsatisfying sound or some stray creaks and rattles can ruin an otherwise perfectly good new-car driving impression.

Likewise, sometimes a vehicle that is very capable and sporty just doesn't feel the part because you don't hear the right performance sounds above the ones you shouldn't.

Then there are the new questions of how should plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, and extended-range EVs really sound? And can they be made more satisfying by carefully modeling how they sound?

To help answer all of these issues, Volvo Cars opened a new acoustic laboratory...