2010 Lexus Is 250 Sport Low Mileage on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: 1M Lexus hybrids, Best Buy Geekmobile goes Prius

Cummins is developing a plug-in hybrid system for heavy trucks. Its plug-in system for Class 6 trucks (those with a gross vehicle weight between 19,000 and 26,000 pounds) is expected to improve fuel economy by 50 percent. Funded in part by a $4.5-million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE), the system will use a battery pack and some form of range extending internal combustion engine. The system will employ various drive cycles in order to help commercial fleets save fuel based on their needs. Read more at Gas2. German automaker Borgward, LG Chem, Bosch, and software firm SAP have joined forces to form an electric mobility partnership. Borgward recently revived its brand with a new model, the BX7. Borgward has also announced that two other models, the BX5 and BX6, will be available as plug-in hybrids. SAP will provide software services, and LG Chem will supply battery technology to Borgward. Bosch will supply and help develop a number of components for Borgward cars. Read more at Inside EVs. Lexus has sold its millionth hybrid. The luxury automaker began selling hybrids with the electrified RX in 2005, and the millionth hybrid was a NX 300h sold to a customer in Milan, Italy. "This is my first Lexus," says the customer of that vehicle in a Lexus release, Aldo Pirronello. "... and I am honored to celebrate this important milestone with Lexus!" Lexus currently sells 10 hybrid models worldwide. Read more from Lexus. Best Buy's Geek Squad is switching from Volkswagen Beetle Geekmobiles to the Toyota Prius C. As part of an update to the home electronics chain's house call service, the Geeks will be driving more eco-friendly cars with a refreshed logo. More than 1,000 Prius C Geekmobiles are being deployed nationwide. With the Geek Squad answering more than 5 million house calls a year, the fuel savings from switching to a more efficient hybrid cars means reduced emissions over the 12.6 million miles they'll drive per year. Read more in the press release below. Vehicle of Choice for Geeks? Toyota Prius c An armada of agents is about to roll out in Toyota Prius c. Their mission: to help people across America get the most from their technology. Starting today, Best Buy's Geek Squad will dispatch more than 1,000 of the vehicles – fully decked out as the new Geekmobile – nationwide.

Lexus IS 250 to get new turbo four?

"All show, no go." That's how I described the 2014 Lexus IS 250 F Sport that you see above, when I reviewed it back in November. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot to like about the new IS, but the 204-horsepower, 2.5-liter V6 in the IS 250 is not on that list. In my review, I suggested that Lexus ought to get on the bandwagon of offering a small-displacement, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine in its base IS (like its rivals), and now the folks at Motor Trend are furthering that discussion.
Lexus pulled the wraps off its new NX 200t crossover at the Beijing show recently, and it'll be the first vehicle in the company's lineup to use a brand-new - you guessed it - 2.0-liter turbo-four. With 238 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque on tap, that represents a healthy increase over the 204 hp and anemic 185 lb-ft currently being offered with the 2.5-liter V6, and we imagine the fuel economy gains will be rather significant, too. For comparison, the Lexus' four-pot power numbers are very close to the 240 hp and 255 lb-ft offered in the same-sized engine that BMW uses in the 328i.
Motor Trend also posits that Lexus may consider changing the base IS' name from 250 to 200, or perhaps 200t, to properly reflect the new engine's displacement. Of course, that's assuming Lexus doesn't pull a BMW or Mercedes-Benz, and no longer has its alphanumeric names properly reflect the size of the powerplant found underhood.

The greenest cars of 2024: Vehicles that use the least fuel and cost less to operate

All-electric vehicles may make headlines for environmental friendliness and fuel efficiency, but the “greenest” car in America in 2024 has a gasoline engine. According to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's annual GreenerCars ratings of the most environmentally friendly cars, the latest Toyota Prius Prime SE plug-in hybrid tops the list of greenest cars, although it's something of an anomaly, because battery-electric EVs follow it in spots two to five. Of the top 10 vehicles in the ratings, six are electric and four are hybrids: Rank Make & Model Powertrain Green Score MSRP Estimated Annual Fuel Cost* 1 Toyota Prius Prime SE PHEV 71 $32,975 $529 2 Lexus RZ 300e EV 67 $55,150 $651 3 Mini Cooper SE EV 67 $30,900 $747 4 Nissan Leaf EV 66 $28,140 $741 5 Toyota bZ4X EV 66 $43,070 $689 6 Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEV 64 $43,690 $741 7 Hyundai Elantra Blue Gas Hybrid 64 $26,250 $864 8 Hyundai Kona Electric EV 63 $34,050 $695 9 Toyota Camry LE Gas Hybrid 63 $28,855 $907 10 Kia EV6 EV 63 $43,975 $689 11 Toyota Corolla Gas Hybrid 62 $23,500 $944 12 Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV 62 $41,650 $737 *ACEEE analysis using EIA data of annual cost—from gasoline, electricity, or a combination—of driving 15,000 miles The ACEEE also compiled two other vehicle rankings: the so-called “Greener Choices” and the “Meanest List.” The Greener Choices list includes a variety of high-scoring conventional vehicles, and the Meanest List identifies the worst-performing mass-market models. Finishing first in the “greener” list — which the organization says is about cars “available nationwide with among the lowest environmental impacts” — is the Honda Accord Hybrid. As far as the “worst-performing mass market” vehicle, that dubious distinction goes to the $184,000 Mercedes-Benz AMG G63. “ItÂ’s important for automakers to keep expanding affordable EV options rapidly so that the benefits of EVs are available to drivers across a wider spectrum of incomes as we transition away from cars that burn gasoline,” said Peter Huether, ACEEEÂ’s senior transportation research associate and lead researcher for the GreenerCars rankings. “For drivers whose needs are not met by todayÂ’s charging infrastructure, many efficient and affordable hybrid options are available.” Just over half the cars on the 2024 Greenest List start at under $35,000, including four EVs and three gas hybrids.