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Recharge Wrap-up: Mazda, Toyota earn environmental awards

Electric mobility nonprofit Drive Oregon has launched a campaign to invite the electric car industry to perform testing in the state. The campaign tells companies to, "Test Drive the Future in the Living Lab," citing Oregon's density of EV owners and charging infrastructure, varied terrain and climate, funding opportunities, and the state's technological reputation as the "Silicon Forest." Plus, as Drive Oregon Executive Director Jeff Allen, points out, "if you really screw things up here, it doesn't make as much noise as it would in California." Already, Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans for an Innovation Incubator in Oregon. Read more at Green Car Reports. Mazda's new paint system has won the Prime Minister's Award in the category of Manufacturing and Production Process at the 6th Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award ceremony. Mazda's Aqua-tech paint system significantly reduces emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and CO2. The Aqua-tech system uses a water-based color basecoat and a urethane clear coat to reduce VOC emissions by 57 percent. It consolidates the painting process and reduces energy in paint-booth air-conditioning and flash-off processes to reduce energy consumption. It also allows Mazda to create such colors as Soul Red, which looks quite nice on the MX-5 Miata. Read more at Green Car Congress, and learn all about the Aqua-tech paint process from Mazda. The Toyota Mirai has received a 2015 Environmental Award from Austrian automobile club ARBO. The hydrogen fuel cell car took the prize in the category of Current Innovative Environmental Technologies. "At Toyota, we believe that various technologies will co-exist, ranging from EVs to hybrids to the most innovative of all, the fuel cell car," says Gerald Killmann, Vice President R&D of Toyota Motor Europe, in a comment thanking ARBO. "Mirai is a core component of Toyota's vision for a sustainable mobility society, one that allows us all to move freely in comfort and safety in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner." Read more in the press release below. Vienna, Austria- November 5th - The Austrian automobile club ARBO* (Auto-Motor und Radfahrerverbund Osterreiche) has awarded the Toyota Mirai with the "2015 Environmental Award". This Award was received during a gala ceremony held yesterday in Vienna, where the Toyota Mirai was awarded in the category of "Current Innovative Environmental Technologies" . The jury consisted of ARBO automotive experts.

6 best cars for $5,000

Looking for a great used car but only have a few thousand bucks to spend? Check out our 6 favorite used vehicles that you can get for around $5,000 or less. 1. 2004-2006 Subaru WRX The Subaru Impreza WRX offers a lot of what you might want in a vehicle. A 2L turbocharged engine gives 227 horsepower and it gets 27 mpg on the highway. 2. 2006-2015 Mazda5 The Mazda5 never got the sales it deserved. It was affordable and more maneuverable than most vehicles, but it never took off. It was based on the Mazda3, and felt like it as well... just a bigger version. If you're lucky, you'll be able to locate one with a manual transmission. 3. 1990-1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata A car that's praised for rewarding the driver. The shifter is sublime, and the controls are light and accurate. The 1.6-liter engine that makes 115 horsepower or a 1.8-liter that makes 128 horsepower are our preferred versions. 4. 2009-2013 Honda Fit Beside being cute, it's supremely practical and great in the city. It manages to be pretty entertaining to drive, and let's not forget it's a hatchback. 5. 1987-2006 Jeep Wrangler Yes, it's possible to get a well-loved Jeep Wrangler with about 100,000 miles on the odometer. In many ways, a Wrangler is perfect for the snowy winters with its unrivaled 4x4 capability. An SUV, convertible and icon, all in one? What more could you ask for? 6. 2002 Chevy Silverado Truck lovers, we have you covered. We love the Chevy Silverado with a 5.3-liter V8 engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. It makes a great second car, especially if you already have a fuel efficient vehicle around the house. What would you buy for $5,000? Honda Jeep Mazda Subaru Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video wrangler mazda5

Mazda teases its Tokyo-bound EV again — and it's a crossover coupe

Another 15-second teaser clip, the third so far, stars Mazda's coming electric vehicle in the role of coquette. This time we get a glimpse of the body shape, and coming as a shock to no one since Mazda practically admitted it, we'll be seeing a crossover coupe on the Tokyo Motor Show floor. Mazda says there'll be a few surprises therein, though. The overall line and detailing embody "an expansion of our renowned Kodo design philosophy" at the same time as the EV "explores new directions in design." And within the "uncompromisingly simple" form we're told to expect "a unique door concept, opening your mind." Another couplet in the press release poetry promises a "friendly expression" up front for a new segment entry embodying "futuristic values and changing lifestyles." Well then. This will be Mazda's fourth electric vehicle, but the first meant for mass production. The company built a small batch of the Mazda Demio (our Mazda2) battery electric vehicle in 2012 for the Japanese market, leasing them to government and corporate customers. The following year the automaker built a Mazda Demio EV prototype with a 330-cc rotary-powered range-extender engine. After that came the e-TPV prototype that the company's used to prove out the powertrain going into this month's show car.  The urban-focused electric runner should go on sale next year in markets like Japan, China and Europe, where dense city centers negate the need for sky-high range figures; the 35.5-kWh battery is likely to return a 150-mile range at most. As foretold in the most recent teaser, the interior will deliver an airy sense of space thanks to open spaces between the driver's and passenger's seats. Zoom-Zoom will come with EV internals, too — Autocar recently drove the eTPV prototype and lauded it for being "well-planted," "original to drive" and "more like a car in the traditional sense of the word."