Whether you're among the most eco-savvy customers considering the 2010 Toyota Prius or just a smart shopper who'd prefer to buy green, it's likely you haven't thought about this one: Just how green is the dealership itself? An Oregon new-car dealership—one that sells the Prius, of course—is...Read More»
Aftermarket customization is nothing new: for decades, proud car owners have made use of special accessories and paint jobs to distinguish their rides. But thanks to technological developments, it's now become easy to mass produce wraps for vehicles -- and to do so with remarkable consistency...Read More»
The international Convention on Climate Change is making headlines this week, so it's no surprise that EV startup Tesla and its spotlight-friendly CEO, Elon Musk, are taking their show to Copenhagen, offering test drives of the current Tesla Roadster and crowing about the car's eco-friendly...Read More»
Nine automakers sell full lineups in the U.S., and the Environmental Protection Agency has ranked them according to fuel-efficiency. At the top of the EPA's list sits Honda, whose U.S. models average 23.6 miles per gallon; Hyundai (23.4 mpg) and Toyota (23.2 mpg) take home silver and bronze...Read More»
Do you avoid drinking out of clear plastic water bottles, using antiperspirants with aluminum, or cooking in non-stick pans? Use a water purifier and ionizer everywhere you go, always buy organic, mind your cold-water fish list, and have your tap water checked yearly? If so, we've found either a...Read More»
Are dogs worse for the environment than SUVs? You'll find a number of sources trumpeting the widely publicized results from New Zealand researchers, concluding that yes, dogs are worse for the planet than SUVs. But don't kick out the hound quite yet and head for the Hummer dealership; according to...Read More»
Global warming's a hot topic these days (no pun intended), but there's another that's even hotter: geoengineering, or using technology to decrease atmospheric temperatures rather than forcing changes in human behavior. Most geoengineering plans are a little wacky (e.g. floating 16 trillion mirrors...Read More»
Most ordinary gasoline models look like guzzlers next to the hybrids—and a few compact diesel models—that dominate the upper echelon of this year's EPA fuel economy ratings. For instance, according to the EPA's Fuel Economy Guide information released last week, a 2010 Toyota Prius will cost...Read More»
As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, new fuel efficiency and emissions regulations issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation could have a serious impact on gas-guzzling luxury vehicles. If approved as they stand in draft form, the regulations provide very...Read More»
Fill up at almost any pump today and you're likely to see a reminder that what you think of as gasoline can contain up to 10 percent ethanol. The effect of that much ethanol on your car is relatively benign; it's been allowed since 1978 and over more than three decades the ethanol, mostly sourced...Read More»
If you’re the type of buyer who, upon taking delivery of a new car, reads the owner’s manual from cover to cover, you might be a little disappointed to find that these tomes are missing from new 2010 Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep products. Beginning with the 2010 model year, Chrysler will be the...Read More»
Do you have an old tin of car wax, or a bottle of car-wash concentrate that’s more than a few years old? Don’t use it; they likely contain so-called volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are dangerous for health and the environment. They've been tightly regulated by California and have been...Read More»
In The High Cost of Free Parking, Donald Shoup breaks down the real expense of free lots and garages (e.g. the kind at malls) and finds that they frequently run five figures per parking space. Developers may pay for it up front, but the public pays in terms of air quality, a rise in commercial...Read More»
We're all about education here at TCC, and we think programs like the Livable Streets Initiative's "Street Films" project are pretty gosh darned awesome -- especially when they encourage kids to think about transportation, the environment, pollution, and anything else besides MySpace and the...Read More»
With the ink hardly dry on new 35-mpg fuel economy rules, California's already embarking on the next set of guidelines for emissions beyond 2016. Reuters reports that the California Air Resources Board is "immediately getting to work on what the standards should be" beyond 2016, said the board's...Read More»
Ready for a Ford Focus that costs as much as a Fusion--or a more expensive used car? Today's announcement of new fuel-economy regulations by the Obama administration means the price of a new car is going up--and at the same time, used cars might get pricey as well in a one-two punch to consumers...Read More»
America's car and trucks will be subject to a much tougher fuel economy standard, if President Obama's new plan to fuse the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mileage standards to a proposed California mileage rule becomes law. The New York Times reports today that the President will...Read More»
When it comes to fuel economy, the little things matter, sometimes quite a lot, as some of the industry experts I gathered together for a "green car" forum yesterday made clear. The occasion was the public debut of NextCruise, an event for which I am serving as volunteer chairman -...Read More»
2008 Detroit Show: TCC’s Top Picks (1/14/2008) Our favorite cars, concepts and moments from Cobo. 2008 Detroit Auto Show: Getting There by Rex Roy (1/9/2008) Make it easy, make it fun. PREVIEWS 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Preview by TCC Team (12/19/2007) A supercar by any name. 2009 Audi TTS by...Read More»
