Renault Autonomous cars plug-in cars Massachusetts Renault Zoe self-driving carsThe Renault Zoe electric car isn't sold in the U.S., but it will make an appearance on the streets of one U.S. city very soon. The battery-electric subcompact hatchback will serve as an autonomous-driving test bed for nuTonomy, a startup founded by researchers from MIT. The company recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of. MORE

sales dealers Tesla Motors New car sales plug-in cars dealerships MassachusettsA major challenge for electric-car advocates is finding enthusiastic dealers who are willing to put in the effort to explain and promote them. Given the need to educate different staff on a new type of vehicle, explain the associated incentives, and respond to numerous customer questions, electric cars require dealers to invest more time than. MORE

Only biofuels derived from waste feedstocks will initially be considered to qualify as an advanced biofuel to meet the Massachusetts Biofuels Mandate for diesel and home heating oil, according to the plan unveiled by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), in coordination with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to require biofuel in home heating fuel. MORE

A team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Minnesota, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Delaware has developed a new chemical process to make p-xylene, an important ingredient of common plastics. MORE

A folding electric car first designed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is to go on sale in Europe with prices expected to be in the region of €13,000 ($16,000 US dollars) according to PSFK. Electric cars design electric car Massachusetts Institute of Technology MORE

Developed by scientists at the Massachusetts I[.]. Scientists have developed a new lithium ion battery which could overcome the two major complaints about current generation batteries – price and range. MORE

Massachusetts'' highest court ruled this week that the state dealer association does not have standing to sue Tesla for operating one of its company-owned stores there. In the state-by-state war between Tesla Motors and car-dealer associations, the electric-car maker has now added another victory to its tally. The ruling by the state Supreme MORE

As part of a comprehensive reform plan to simplify the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ transportation system, Governor Deval Patrick is proposing a fuel tax increase of $0.19 That would give Massachusetts the highest gasoline tax in the US, and the fourth highest tax on diesel (behind Hawaii, New York and Connecticut), according to recent figures from the American Petroleum Institute. MORE

There''s more Tesla news today (of course), with the electric-car company winning a court battle to sell cars in Massachusetts but facing a grim prediction by one analyst of its Model 3 price three years now now. Plus the smallest Mercedes is flying out of dealers, and a new French plug-in hybrid offers clues to future Nissans. All this and more on MORE

The electric Fit will be available at selected locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and New Jersey later this month. Honda has confirmed the five East Coast locations in which its 2013 Honda Fit EV will be leased, joining the West Coast markets of California and Oregon. MORE

In most cases--Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina, among others--Tesla has managed to stave off the proposed laws, which are MORE

XL Hybrids announced that the company has been selected by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Operational Services Division (OSD), to be a vendor on the newly released Advanced Vehicle Technology statewide contract VEH102. This multi-year contract allows public fleets nationwide to purchase the XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System as both an upfit and retrofit product through an established public contracting mechanism with competitive volume pricing. MORE

After opening a store in Natick Mall, Massachusetts, Tesla Motors has been embroiled in a battle to let it sell cars from the store. Permission was granted for the store to sell vehicles back in December, and now a judge's dismissal of a dealers' lawsuit against the company has stepped a further direction in Tesla's favor. It all centers on state MORE

New York Infrastructure hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell Connecticut MassachusettsCalifornia is the only U.S. state with substantial hydrogen fueling infrastructure, but now one company is giving the Northeast some attention. Air Liquide plans to open a small network of public hydrogen fueling stations in three Northeastern states by early 2017. The company—which has installed around 75 stations globally—will. MORE

The six years that followed proved enormously painful for the Massachusetts company, however. Ten years ago, lithium-ion cell maker A123 Systems was a hot startup and a much-publicized company. This author, in fact, profiled the company for IEEE Spectrum in the technology magazine's September 2007 issue. DON'T MISS: A123 Systems To Recall. China Batteries lithium-ion battery pack A123 Systems Fisker Automotive Wanxiang Karma Revero MORE

An additional $2 million will be allocated to the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program. The electric vehicle rebate program, administered by the Department of Energy Resources’ (DOER), offers rebates of up to $2,500 to Massachusetts residents who buy or lease electric vehicles. This funding aims to help meet Massachusetts’ goals under the Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector 7.6% MORE

Optimus Ride, a MIT spinoff company developing self-driving technology, recently received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to test highly automated vehicles in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MORE

Lead is still pervasive in the environment despite the slow phasing out of leaded fuels, according to new research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Green credentials atmosphere diesel lead Massachusetts Institute of Technology pollutionLeaded petrol has long been banned in many countries, after it was linked to neurological and cardiovascular illnesses. Now a total of 185 countries have stopped using it, with [.]. MORE

Last Friday, a judge denied a request by the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association for an injunction that would have shut down the Tesla Store in Natick, which opened on September 28. Score one for startup carmakers trying to do things differently. If the dealers' request had been granted, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] would have been MORE

April 2 of this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts vs EPA in which the EPA was forced to regulate carbon emissions. Carbon Footprint emissions laws EPA global warming lawsuit climate change carbon dioxide regulation MassachusettsAnniversaries often provide an opportunity to reflect on important past events, review what has happened since, and reflect upon the future. MORE

The newly formed United States Climate Alliance—which so far has support from more than a dozen states including New York, California, and Massachusetts—says it will. Thirteen states, at least 80 mayors, and more than 100 businesses will task themselves to meet ambitious climate-change goals—with or without federal participation. MORE

These days, unless you’re an ardent fan of hybrid or electric cars, it can be pretty hard to tell them apart from their gasoline equivalents. For the average motorist it isn’t an issue, but for first responders attending the scene of an accident, it’s important to know what a crashed car is powered by. Which is why the state of MORE

Using smartphone technology could help drivers cut fuel consumption by more than 20 per cent, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) say. Green credentials Massachusetts Institute of Technology smartphone traffic flow traffic lightsBack in July, the Institute and Princeton University proposed the idea of using a network of smartphones to collect information about traffic signals to be able to tell the driver when [.]. MORE

Yesterday, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology described a nascent research project--a real one--involving a battery that could Just two months ago, we published an April Fool's piece about a fictional new BP cell research project that would allow battery packs to be refilled at fuel station pumps. Truth is stranger than fiction, truly. MORE

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has selected the nonprofit, California-based Center for Sustainable Energy to administer a new incentive program aimed at increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles commonwealth residents own. The Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program will provide up to $2,500 for the purchase or lease of plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles (EVs). Currently, Massachusetts residents drive more than 3,600 EVs. MORE

The other seven states—Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont—account for more than 135,000 vehicles. Zero-emission vehicles are vital to Massachusetts’ efforts to cut air pollution from the transportation sector and stimulate growth in the clean energy economy. Over the past year, Massachusetts has seen a 132 percent increase in electric vehicle registration and a huge hike in EV charging-station infrastructure installations. MORE

Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles has set the statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limit for 2020 required by the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 at 25% below 1990 levels, the maximum authorized by the Act, saying that measures already in place will get Massachusetts much of the way toward that goal. Massachusetts already has. Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan. MORE

Nissan is entering into an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to promote the development of an electric-vehicle charging network and policies to support widespread adoptions of electric cars. As part of the agreement, Nissan and the State of Massachusetts will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for electric cars that encourages home and workplace charging, as well as a public charging infrastructure. MORE

After more than an hour of discussion last night, the town selectmen of Natick, Massachusetts, voted 4-1 to grant a license to sell cars to Tesla Motors Massachusetts. The local company, which the Selectmen concluded was legally separate from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], will operate out of a property on West Central Street in the town. Tesla has MORE

It laid off about 120 employees at a variety of locations in MIchigan, Massachusetts, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Well, that's not particularly good news: Azure Dynamics, the company that converted a handful of Ford Transit Connect small commercial vans to electric power, filed for bankruptcy on Monday. The 2011 Transit Connect Electric was MORE

In December, the Patrick Administration awarded grants and announced new investments in three programs to support alternative fuel vehicles and related infrastructure across Massachusetts, including the launch of an electric school bus pilot. The grant program, available to public and private fleets, will be administered by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and funded with $11.7 MORE

The Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles has outlined an ambitious state wide greenhouse gas emissions limit for 2020. Global warming Green cars Latest news emission goals emission standards greenhouse gas emissions Massachusetts transportation emissionsAccording to the Global Warming Solutions Act, emissions must be 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. MORE

Electric cars electric car germany Hiroko Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyThe Hiriko electric folding car is to take part in a car sharing project in Berlin. MORE

Civil engineers at the Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) used computer modelling to show how the use of stiffer road surfaces could reduce vehicle fuel consumption by as much as 3 per cent-a saving that could add [.]. Latest news car fuel economy Massachusetts Institute of Technology road studyHarder road surfaces could be a secret to boosting the fuel economy of cars, according to a new study. MORE

New York California California Air Resources Board CARB plug-in cars Zero Emission Vehicle Connecticut MassachusettsThe sparsity of cars with plugs has been one of the biggest frustrations for Northeastern electric-car shoppers and advocates. While California buyers can choose among roughly two dozen different battery-electric and plug-in hybrid offerings, just a handful are available outside the state. And that's despite nine Northeastern states having adopted. MORE

Massachusetts is about to give its residents a reason to plug in. A rebate program for electric-car purchases was announced last week by Governor Deval Patrick, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette (via the Sierra Club). The program will provide state residents who buy or lease a new plug-in car with a rebate of up to $2,500 at the MORE

maker of the long-lasting, fast-charging Sonata Li-ion battery for laptops, is planning to build a 455,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Auburn, Massachusetts that would complement its existing China-based operations. Boston-Power, Inc., MORE

Many companies may dismiss electric vehicles (EVs) as being too pricey but a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests that many businesses could quickly recoup the initial extra outlay in an EV’s reduced running costs. Green credentials cost electric vehicle Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA MORE

California, Massachusetts and Oregon have been named the top-rated states for energy efficiency, while New York, Vermont, Washington, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Maine rounded out the top ten. That's according to the annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a MORE

A spin-off company from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, WiTricity has developed a safe way to transfer electrical ch[.]. MORE

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) in Massachusetts has purchased three 40' Proterra Catalyst FC buses, two fast chargers and one depot charger. Serving 24 member communities that rely upon its fleet of 186 mass transit buses, PVTA is the largest regional transit authority in Massachusetts. PVTA is the second Massachusetts transit agency to acquire Proterra buses. MORE

It's been a rough year for lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems, but the Massachusetts company is forging ahead. This morning, it introduced a new battery technology it calls Nanophosphate EXT, which A123 says can operate at extreme temperatures without requiring the degree of heating or cooling found in today's electric cars to keep the battery MORE

Improvements in the fuel economy of cars is being hindered by the increasing weight and power of cars according to new research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Latest news emissions gasoline heavy Massachusetts Institute of Technology research weightContrary to common perception, automakers have actually made huge leaps in the fuel efficiency of cars in recent decades through advancements in technology, the Institute reports. [.]. MORE