Here is documented evidence I should never be let near any car pointing the business end of a wrench. Tom and Ray, don't hire me to do anything mechanical--not even if you're desperate. I can only write about cars, not work on them.
Deep thoughts from the floor of LA's greenest auto conclave: fast charging is important, startups have visibility problems, flashy isn't always best, we're finally saving gas, letter grades for 39 cars, and LA swimming pools can be cold in November.
A new Consumer Reports poll of American car owners show they are increasingly friendly toward electric and hybrid cars, but don't want to pay more for them. That's a problem, because high battery costs means they are indeed more expensive. A small compact EV? $30,000.
What is life without a few good-natured practical jokes? Here's a few from the Car Talk collection, all of them involving automobiles. Note that the best ones go back 60 years or more. A good joke never dies, it just gets played on someone else.
The F-Cell is the end result of $2 billion and 15 years of hydrogen research from Mercedes-Benz. The car I piloted around woodsy New Jersey (yes, it's green!) is nearing production.
Car sharing is growing rapidly in the U.S. and Europe, where it began. The next step is sharing personal cars, which sit idle more than 90 percent of the time. And California just made personal car sharing easier by taking away the insurance barriers.
Electric vehicles will change the way we shop for and buy cars, especially for the small start-up companies that need work-arounds the traditional dealer network. Are you ready to buy a car at a mall? At a big-box store?
Jay Leno has more than 100 cars in his garage, including vintage electrics. He likes EVs, especially the ones that ace the gas cars with good performance and a cure for "range anxiety."
Nobody's buying cars in Iceland, where the auto sector fell 80 to 90 percent this year. But despite that the country is moving forward to have the first all-electric transportation sector in the world.
You've seen the original Highway to Hell: Well, here are more unbelievable tales from our overflowing in box. Stay tuned for the second installment.
I will be the proud recipient of a long-term test fuel-cell Toyota, just one in a fleet of 10 coming to Connecticut as part of an ambitious effort to build a "hydrogen highway" from Maine to Florida.
We've all got regrets, and some of them involve the cars we didn't buy. They seemed expensive at the time, or weren't running, or our parents said no. And they're all worth kazillions now. Send me your sob stories, too.
A team of troubled high school kids and their mentors have built a competitive electric commuter car. And it's real life, not a movie.
The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are two mainstream electric vehicles, with some similarities but also significant differences. If it's highway driving you're after, the Volt is for you. The Leaf will be a great commuter car, but you may need something else for backup.
The Progressive Auto X Prize is down to a dozen contenders with 15 cars. And some of the remaining contestants give new meaning to the concept of automotive innovation. Car Talk takes a closer look at the field.
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