Volkswagen’s new electric hybrid Golf is as green as they come, but can VW ever clean up its ruined reputation? After the scandals in sport, food and banking (doping, horse meat, Libor and the rest), only a fool would have bet against the motor industry not cheating the system, too. But no one would have
Electric cars: wave goodbye to the petrolhead
A zero-emissions Renault Zoe gave David Williams’ twins a taste of the future of driving, providing a very different approach to the way we drive Lurching down the road in a series of kangaroo hops after each change of gear as you teach your son or daughter how to drive could soon be a thing
Why is the Domestic Battery so Important?
Earlier this year I saw an all in one inverter and domestic battery unit on display at the Bosch stand at CES. 2 years ago I stayed with my friend Simon Hackett in Adelaide, Australia and saw his line up of domestic batteries in sturdy cabinets outside his home. Simon’s house is covered in solar
VW Golf GTE Driven: Is It Really The GTI’s Hybrid Brother?
Imagine the lovechild of a Golf GTI with the all-electric e-Golf and you would be right on the money. The VW Golf GTE is exactly that car, offering a plug-in hybrid powertrain and the thrills of a GTI combined, at least on theory. What’s what As a true lovechild of its parents, the Golf GTE
Visiting Ecobuild by Nissan Leaf
Having had a try out with a Nissan Leaf, I was ready for a longer journey in one, and the Ecobuild Event in March gave me the perfect opportunity. It was located at the Excel Centre in London’s docklands so was a good distance from home in Northampton, but not far as to make me
2015 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Review
The 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the first affordable full size SUV plug-in hybrid from Mitsubishi and is an ambitious car that moves the game forward in the electric power stakes. In combination with a 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engine that acts primarily as a generator, two electric motors propel the Mitsubishi, mostly in silence
2015 Kia Soul EV Plus review: Little feet
Hamsters, in case you haven’t noticed, have very small feet. So does the 2015 Soul EV. It’s a battery-electric vehicle, not only is it, well, sorta small, it’s carbon footprint—for those who believe—is downright tiny. Not only does it have no “point of use” emissions—where the electricity come from is beyond its control—it’s also into
BMW i8: Reviewing The Car Of Tomorrow
We were promised flying cars, teleportation and hover boards. We don’t have any of that. But now we have this: The BMW i8 and it’s a future that cannot get here soon enough. My body hurt. My mind was numb. I had just spent a week in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show and
BMW i8 vs The Real World
Looks like the sports car of the future but does it actually drive like one? Take two in the BMW i8 The ‘real world’ offering in the rarified league of carbon fibre petrol-electric sports cars, the BMW i8 is no P1, LaFerrari or 918 Spyder in performance terms. Not that anyone who sees it seems
How Much Range Do Electric Cars Need?
Car buyers consider many factors before making a purchase – including comfort, style and efficiency. If they were honest and realistic about how much they drive, a majority of consumers inclined to purchase electric vehicles would choose battery-powered cars that can travel fewer than 100 miles on a full charge, new research finds. And according