Details emerge on cash for guzzlers--and some of it's ugly! It's a bad, bad week for TomTom. Our hybrid car tech Prizefight divides the CNET car community. And a ride in the best fun car you can get less than $30,000.
SHOW NOTES• The full details of the guzzlers program (PDF)
• CNET Prizefight: Insight vs. Prius
• First look at the real version of the Acura ZDX
A huge week of electric car announcements; the new Jaguar XJ reaches for the title of Top Tech Car; GM's out of BK; Dodge saves the Viper; and we take you for a ride in the hottest green car on the planet.
Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES• New Jaguar XJ launched, dripping with tech
• Best Buy moves hard into electric vehicles
The 2010 Toyota Prius is out, and CNET News reporter Martin LaMonica is one of the few Americans to own one. He shares his experiences so far--in particular his quest to reach the advertised 50-plus miles per gallon.
Listen now: Download today's podcastToday's stories:
Americans see science as lagging here
Flat panel revenue growth forecast as anemic
Nascar gives Ask.com time for a few more laps
FAQ: What the smart grid means to you
Chasing the Toyota Prius' 50-mpg nirvana
Schmidt plans talks with Apple over board role
At this point, I don't feel like I need to burnish my eco-credentials, given that I write for CNET's Green Tech blog every day. But when it came to buying a car, I got the iconic, even cliched, 2010 Toyota Prius.
Having driven almost 2,500 miles on it so far, I like it, although I have not yet been able to get the advertised 50-plus miles per gallon when I go around town, which is the bulk of my driving. But it's early still, I tell myself, so maybe the Prius can show me the way. (… Read more
After a week of driving the 2010 Toyota Prius, we got into it one morning to find the gas gauge only showing one little digital bar. But a quick check of the range showed we could go another 45 miles, which is what the Prius is all about. At a consistent 50 mpg in real-world driving, this car sips gas. Toyota made a few improvements to the cabin tech, as well, but we were left wanting more, as other companies have raised the bar quite high.
Toyota Motor plans to start mass-producing plug-in hybrid cars in 2012, according a report.
The Japanese business newspaper Nikkei said on Saturday that the first year's production is expected to be about 20,000 to 30,000 cars.
Toyota earlier last year said that it plans to start testing 500 plug-in hybrid Priuses in 2010 for fleet owners.
Current Priuses use nickel metal hydride batteries, but for its plug-in vehicles Toyota plans to use lithium ion batteries developed and made through a joint venture with Panasonic.
The plug-in hybrid cars from Toyota will be able to go between 12 … Read more
Has the U.S. auto industry finally hit bottom? U.S. will get a new small SUV from BMW--and perhaps a new mini Miata. Plus, we take you for a ride in a really nice car that could be so much better.
Listen now: Download today's podcast SHOW NOTES• How Toyota's geared CVT works -- see an animation
• Fiat's 500 will come to the U.S., but not stablemates
• See BMW's new fuel, weather and stocks screen
• Diesel cars that have been yanked from production
• BMW 7 Series will come in xDrive and M flavored versions… Read more
It's always funny when middle-class suburbanites rap. Always. And that's what makes Casual Mafia's video, In My Prius, work. Well, that and all the lyrics about the positive attributes of the Toyota Prius. Favorite line: "mad room for my knees."
On today's show, we have a lot to apologize for, but don't hold your breath because it ain't happening. (It's all just a desperate plea for more voicemail.) The short version is this: Kindle DX is ludicrously expensive, Blu-Ray is catching on but totally shouldn't be, and Craigslist is officially a pimp.
Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 968Kindle DX unveiled: 9.7-inch screen (2x area), $489, summer ‘09 delivery, integrated PDF, textbook emphasis, Times, Globe, and Post all “testing” it http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10234355-93.html http://bit.ly/iyLfo
What to … Read more
A common argument against electric vehicles is that they'll increase demand for carbon-producing electricity and cause brownouts during peak times. But what if plug-ins could actually prevent these outages by sending electricity from their batteries back to the grid?
It's an interesting concept dreamed up by engineers at the University of Technology Sydney. Combining their research on plug-in hybrids and electrical grids, they've developed "Switch," a plug-in Toyota Prius that acts as a sort of an energy reservoir that can give back to the grid whenever needed.
The Switch uses a 4.1 kWh lithium ion battery stored in the trunk to store extra electricity that is theoretically purchased during cheaper off-peak times. The extra battery also helps power the Prius' existing NiMH battery pack and raises fuel economy to 118 mpg. … Read more
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