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Greenlings: PHEV? DSG? VMT? A guide to common green vehicle acronyms

Deciphering the new vocabulary of the green car movement can sometimes be a real head scratcher. To alleviate as much confusion as possible, we would like to present our readers with a list of common acronyms and what they mean, with plenty of links for more information. If you have some TLAs (that's three-letter acronyms) that you'd like us to add to our glossary, just let us know in the comments. Find the list after the jump. . ... Read more →

What's the difference between kW and kWh? Sebastian Blanco

Understanding electric and plug-in vehicles requires a slightly different knowledge set than what mechanics and drivers have needed to know for decades. One of the most obvious new concepts is the ...

Why does mileage drop in winter? Sam Abuelsamid

This week's Greenlings topic came to us from another reader tip. Don asked why his fuel economy suffers so much in winter weather. In his own experience, mileage drops about 10 percent when the ...

How do I plug my electric vehicle in at home? Domenick Yoney

As electric vehicles begin to find their way to peoples driveways and garages, knowing what's involved with charging up the batteries becomes more necessary. Over the years, electric vehicles ...

How does weight affect a vehicle's efficiency? Sebastian Blanco

Over the last few decades, the average weight of a vehicle sold in the U.S. climbed steadily after we got over the oil embargoes of the 1970s. Today, though, auto companies are putting a lot of ...

Why can't Americans have good, small diesels? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The question is often asked, "Why is it that drivers in Europe can get all of these amazing high-mileage cars that get 50, 60 or even 70 mpg but we have to celebrate when we get half of that?" There are plenty of reasons, but one of the main ones is the remarkable compression ignition engine, ...

What is CAFE? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

It was big news when the Obama Administration updated CAFE requirements in May to a new and higher national MPG standard of 42 mpg for cars (26 mpg for light trucks) by 2016. The higher standards will start increasing with 2011 model year vehicles. But what is CAFE? And how do these new numbers ...

Will we ever replace the standard rear- and side-view mirror? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

Recently, we received the following question from a reader: Rear view mirrors inevitably create blind spots. They add untold fuel costs by resisting airflow past the automobile at speed. Since the first back-up camera and display technology came on the scene they have been obsolete. What is ...

Should I switch to straight veggie oil? What is holding SVO back? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

We like to answer reader questions with our Greenlings series whenever possible, and thought that Timothy H. had a good topic. He sent in the following question/suggestion about straight vegetable oil (SVO): I have seen several articles dealing specifically with SVO, but not as it concerns the ...

How can we "refuel" electric vehicles today and tomorrow? 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

Among the many claimed advantages of electric vehicles are the ability to "refuel" your vehicles at home, never visiting a gas station again. In principle, the only thing you need to "fuel" an EV is a working plug. However, in life, few things ever turn out to be as simple as they might appear ...

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Guide to Common Green Acronymns