Eco-Friendly Cars to Consider for Earth Day 2024: Go Green with Your Ride

Earth Day invites us to think about our environmental impact, particularly how our vehicle choices affect the planet. Since driving plays a significant role in our carbon footprint, selecting an eco-conscious car is key. So, which models—Toyota, Tesla, or Ford—offer the best eco-friendly options?

Top Eco-Friendly Vehicle Selections

GreenerCars identifies hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and electric vehicles (EVs) as the top choices for reducing environmental impact. Hybrids use a combination of gasoline and electricity, providing limited electric-only travel without the need for frequent recharges. PHEVs allow for an all-electric drive when plugged in but also use gasoline for extended range. In contrast, EVs rely solely on electricity, necessitating regular charging.

2024 Toyota Prius Prime SE

Leading the pack is the 2024 Toyota Prius Prime SE, a prominent PHEV. It features a 2.0-liter engine paired with dual electric motors, delivering a combined output of 220 horsepower. With an estimated electric range of 44 miles per charge, the Prius Prime achieves 53 mpg city and 51 mpg highway when the battery is depleted. It boasts a green score of 71 and has an estimated annual fuel expense of $529, starting at $32,975.

2024 Lexus RZ 330e

The 2024 Lexus RZ 330e stands out as a luxury electric SUV option. It is equipped with a 72.8-kWh battery and a single motor, producing 308 horsepower and 320 lb-ft of torque. This vehicle offers a substantial electric range of up to 266 miles per charge and achieves approximately 137 MPGe city and 112 MPGe highway. With a green score of 67 and an estimated yearly fuel cost of $651, it carries a higher price tag of $55,150.

2024 Mini Cooper SE

Completing our list is the 2024 Mini Cooper SE, a compact and efficient EV. It features a 54.2-kWh battery and a single motor generating 181 horsepower. The Cooper SE provides an estimated range of 114 miles per charge and achieves 119 MPGe city and 100 MPGe highway. With a green score of 67 and a starting MSRP of $30,900, it has an estimated annual fuel cost of $747.

Making the Right Choice

Choosing the right green vehicle involves considering both your driving habits and budget. While hybrids and PHEVs offer flexibility with a combination of gasoline and electric power, EVs provide a fully electric experience with zero emissions. Assess factors like electric range, fuel efficiency, and overall cost to find the best fit for your needs and environmental aspirations. For further details and comparisons, consult our detailed review and buying guide.

Top Bluetooth Car Adapters for Seamless Audio and Connectivity

Hongqi EHS7 electric SUV to unveil at Beijing Auto Show

Last year’s Shanghai Auto Show saw the Hongqi E202 concept unveiled; this year’s Beijing Auto Show will see the production version now called EHS7 unveiled. Ahead of more information later this week we bring you pictures and details.

The EHS7 is the second car in the Hongqi New Energy series following on from the EH7 sedan and in many ways can be seen as an SUV version of this car. Both single and dual-motor versions will be available and we know that the motor setup is exactly the same as in the sedan. This means the rear wheel drive version gets a motor with maximum power of 253 kW while the all-wheel drive adds an additional 202 kW motor to the front. The battery packs are also from CATL and although we don’t know the sizes yet a good guess is that they will be exactly the same meaning that the EHS7 will offer 75, 85 and 111 kWh packs. Maximum speed is 200 km/h.

What’s not apparent from the pictures is just how large an SUV the Hongqi EHS7 is; length is 4925 mm with width and height of 1950 and 1680 mm respectively. At 3000 mm the wheelbase is exactly the same as on the EH7.

The Hongqi EHS7 will come with features including an advanced safety chassis system and 800V architecture giving fast charging. MIIT listing pictures show that some versions will gain Lidar and it is expected that the EHS7 should have a capable intelligent driving system.

Design wise the car is remarkably close to the concept seen last year with largely only changes to the front and back making the EHS7 look more production like. Black side pillars are optional on the production version.

Spy shots of the interior show that it also quite closely resembles that of the concept although in not quite so gawdy colors. The butterfly screen setup seems the same as in the EH7 and so the EHS7 will likely have a 6-inch LCD instrument panel and a 15.5-inch central control screen along with a augmented reality HUD. Presumably powering the car’s system is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip.

Already spotted at the Beijing Auto Show venue is a poster for the launch of the Hongqi EHS7.

Source: Autohome

Young boy unharmed after stealing family SUV, driving into pond

An investigation is under way after a boy, around 10 years-old stole a vehicle and drove into a pond.

It was just before 7:30 a.m. on Monday, April 22, when South Bend Police were called about a stolen vehicle incident in the River Park area.

Officers were advised that a boy has stolen a family member’s SUV.

As officers were responding, officered received several calls about the SUV driving recklessly along Ironwood Drive, including the report of a hit-and-run at Ironwood Drive and Pleasant Street.

The vehicle then traveled outside city limits, and officers received a report of a mailbox that had been struck near Fellows Street and Jackson Road in St. Joseph County.

A South Bend Police Officer tried to stop the vehicle near Johnson Road and Fellows Street. However, the suspect vehicle continued, drove over the grass at St. Jude Catholic Church on Johnson Road, and into a pond on the church’s property.

The juvenile got out of the vehicle on his own and was transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Tesla Drops Full Self-Driving Price From $12,000 To $8,000

The price of the monthly FSD subscription has also been halved and is now $99 per month.

Tesla recently took its Full Self-Driving program out of beta and into what it calls a “Supervised” stage, and now it’s also significantly lowering the price. Previously, it cost $12,000, but now if you want to add the option to a new Tesla, it is listed as costing $8,000 or if you already have Enhanced Autopilot on your car and want to upgrade to FSD, the cost has gone down from $6,000 to $2,000.

The price cut applies to Canada too, where the price has gone down from 16,000CAD to 11,000CAD.

The price fluctuations of Tesla’s FSD

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving option at one point reached $15,000, then the price dropped to $12,000 and now it’s been cut again.

Tesla also recently halved the price of the monthly FSD subscription, which has gone down from $199, which had been its price since the monthly subscription was introduced in July 2021, to $99. With the price cut, Tesla also made the monthly subscription available in Canada, where it costs 99CAD per month, which is equivalent to about $72 at current exchange rates.

It’s worth noting that with the new price cut, FSD is now back to about the same price as when it was originally introduced to a wider pool of drivers in October 2020. Back then, it was only available as a $3,000 option on top of the $5,000 you had to pay for Enhanced Autopilot. If you wanted to add FSD after you ordered the car, the cost of the option was $4,000, and it later went up to $5,000.

screenshot-2024-04-22-at-160720

The highest price point was reached in September 2022, when the cost of FSD peaked at $15,000. Elon Musk said at the time that FSD was an investment and worth the money because once cars became fully autonomous, this would dramatically increase their value. However, FSD development has taken considerably longer than Musk’s initial estimates, and Tesla also came under regulatory scrutiny because of it.

The price of FSD was brought back down to $12,000 in September 2023, falling to its January 2022 level.

Tesla recently introduced the new Supervised stage of FSD, which started with version 12 and is still a kind of beta stage, but with a different name. It shows Tesla considers FSD to have evolved enough to warrant the name change, but as its name implies, it can’t be left unsupervised.

Tesla caught flak for calling its (still) semi-autonomous tech Full Self-Driving, even though it didn’t actually deliver on the name, and calling it Supervised could be a way of addressing that more so than signifying a new stage of its development. It now clearly lists in the feature’s description that it “does not make the vehicle autonomous.”

The Chevrolet Corvette Zora Could Be 1 of the Fastest Cars Ever

The upcoming Chevrolet Corvette Zora will likely incorporate a 5.5L V8 and electric power to outmuscle most cars on the market.

The upcoming Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be the most cutting-edge ‘Vette of its kind. However, the incipient ZR1 isn’t alone in its path to supercar stardom. Instead, the C8 Chevrolet Corvette Zora will likely take the famed nameplate to rarified hypercar air.

Early estimates of the Chevrolet Corvette Zora place its raw speed at hypercar heights

The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will almost certainly upstage the previous generation ZR1 as the most unhinged Corvette of all time. That’s right; General Motors and Chevrolet announced a C8 ZR1 to take the range-topper spot from the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and its 670-horsepower 5.5L LT6 V8. However, the ZR1’s reign won’t be long; early estimates of the appropriately named Chevrolet Corvette Zora put the upcoming ‘Vette at hypercar levels.

For instance, the Chevrolet Corvette Zora will likely produce over 1,000 horsepower, far and away the highest horsepower of any production Corvette to date. According to Car and Driver, the Zora will likely hit 60 mph in around 1.9 seconds. That’s break-neck speed. To give you a point of comparison, the all-electric Tesla Model S Plaid will hit 60 in around the same timeframe– in ideal, prepped conditions.

A 5.5L LT6 V8 engine from the Z06, like the one we expect to be twin-turbocharged in the Chevrolet Corvette Zora.
The 5.5L LT6 engine from the Corvette Z06 | General Motors

Moreover, the Chevrolet Corvette Zora is expected to produce its four-figure horsepower figures with a twin-turbocharged derivation of the Z06’s bloody brilliant flat-plane 5.5L V8. It’ll be similar to the mill we expect to see in the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. However, we expect the Zora to incorporate an electric motor or two to complement the monster LT6 V8.

The result? The Zora will be heavy; we anticipate it to be the first factory Corvette to blow right past the 4,000-lb mark. Still, even with the added girth, the Zora will be the most ballistically quick ‘Vette ever. How? Well, the Chevrolet Corvette Zora will work in all-wheel drive (AWD) for added traction as it launches. And what would you expect? Zora Arkus-Duntov was a visionary in the history of the ‘Vette who conceptualized a mid-engine model long before C8 hit the streets.

Here are the top-ranked electric and hybrid vehicles of 2024

Electric car sales have been making significant strides since 2020.

Last year alone, sales of electric cars shot up 60% year-over-year, according to MarketWatch data.

And as more companies fulfill the demand for eco-friendly vehicles, some electric and hybrid cars are standing out among the rest.

U.S. News & World Report — a recognized authority in rankings and consumer advice — came out with its list of best hybrid and electric vehicles for 2024.

For the third year in a row, the 2024 Lucid Air took the top spot for best luxury electric car.

Best electric car that isn’t a luxury vehicle went to the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6.

Hyundai led with the most awards, also winning best electric SUV, with the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5, and best hybrid SUV with the 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

The best hybrid car went to the 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid was crowned best luxury hybrid.

Notably absent from the winners list was Tesla, which is interesting given its popularity in the U.S.

Tesla made up more than half of the electric vehicle market share in the U.S. between January and October of last year, with 56.3%, according to MarketWatch. Hyundai, on the other hand, only made up 4.8% of the electric vehicle market share.

For its rankings, U.S. News evaluated 96 luxury and affordable electric and hybrid cars, trucks and SUVs for quality, efficiency and value.

Top-ranked electric and hybrid vehicles:

Best Luxury Electric Car: 2024 Lucid Air

Best Luxury Electric SUV: 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge

Best Electric SUV: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Best Electric Car: 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Best Electric Truck: 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning

Best Luxury Plug-In Hybrid: 2024 Volvo S60 Recharge

Best Plug-In Hybrid: 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid

Best Hybrid Car: 2024 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Best Hybrid SUV: 2024 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

Best Luxury Hybrid: 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid

Bicyclist Airlifted to Hospital After SUV Collision on Route C

A serious accident occurred on Route C in Cole County when an SUV collided with a bicyclist. The incident took place around 9:40 AM on Sunday near Vintage Court, as detailed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Detra Y Thomas Randall, 56, from Jefferson City, was driving a Buick Enclave westbound when the collision happened.

Christopher Phillips, 50, also of Jefferson City, was riding his bicycle when the SUV hit him. Emergency services promptly airlifted Phillips to University Hospital due to the severity of his injuries, underscoring the urgent need for improved road safety and vigilance for both motorists and cyclists.

Elderly Woman’s Medical Emergency Leads to SUV Crashing into Lauderhill Home, Sparking Fire

A woman driving in Lauderhill, Florida, experienced a dire emergency behind the wheel yesterday evening that concluded with her SUV plowing into a local home, causing a fire. According to NBC6, the driver, an elderly woman, faced a medical emergency while operating her vehicle. This incident led to loss of control and the subsequent collision into the residence around 6 p.m. on NW 16th Street.

Immediately following the accident, the homeowner, Mary Jackson, was confronted with the sudden horror as the vehicle invaded her living space and became engulfed in flames. “We ran outside to see what was going on, and it was a car in front of the house on fire,” Jackson told NBC6. She promptly called 911 and first responders were able to extract the woman, who appeared to have suffered severe injuries as suggested by Jackson’s observation that “her head went through the windshield because she was bleeding very bad.”

Lauderhill Police and Fire Rescue worked to extinguish the flames and prevent them from endangering Jackson’s residence further. As reported by WSVN, the driver was transported to Broward Health Medical Center with alerts of trauma, although her status remains undisclosed. The house, which has been a staple for the homeowner for fifty years, took significant damage in the incident.

Miraculously, despite the violence of the crash and the fire that ensued, no additional injuries were reported within the home. Jackson’s account highlights the destructive impact, stating that “Everything came flying, all the cement,” as the SUV penetrated her bedroom closet. The investigation into the precise nature of the driver’s medical emergency is ongoing.

Heroic Rescue: Good Samaritans Save Driver from Flaming Car in St. Paul

Recently released footage captures the courage of several Good Samaritans as they rescued a driver from a flaming vehicle in St. Paul. Last week, Kadir Tolla happened to encounter the distressing incident while driving into the city, capturing it all on his dashcam. “This was the most terrifying moment of my life,” Tolla recounted. “I noticed the engulfed car and thought immediately there must be someone trapped inside.”

State reports confirm that the mishap occurred when a Honda veered off eastbound Interstate 94, hitting a light pole before smashing into a guardrail. The video vividly depicts the frantic efforts of passersby as they desperately worked to open the vehicle’s doors against the escalating flames. The ordeal ended successfully with the aid of a Minnesota Department of Transportation employee who managed to shatter the driver’s window, facilitating the dramatic rescue. The driver was promptly taken to Regions Hospital, and remarkably, sustained no critical injuries.