September 14th, 2009

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is going green. Deputies are getting a fleet of zero-emission, electric-powered Mini Coopers this week. >> Read the full story

[Read more →]

December 22nd, 2008

By Clint Williams
Green Right Now

The MINI Cooper S proves fighting global warming can be fun.

This distinctive, diminutive cult car is fuel efficient, getting an EPA estimated 34 miles per gallon in highway driving.

But people considering a MINI Cooper – especially the turbocharged S edition – aren’t primarily interested in mpg. They’re more concerned with gpg – grins per gallon. The Cooper S offers plenty.

The turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine roars with 172 horsepower. Coupled with a clickity crisp six-speed stick shift, the tiny car is quick, quick, quick. The spec sheet says the 0-60 mph is 6.7 seconds, but it feels much faster because of the scale – just as 25 mph in a go-cart seems so much faster than the same speed in the family minivan.

[Read more →]

November 10th, 2008

By Clint Williams

Don’t be fooled. Gasoline prices won’t be bumping around $2 a gallon for long. Driving a car with good fuel economy still makes sense. Higher mpg means lower operating costs for the household budget and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Happily, car shoppers today have a myriad of options among fuel frugal 2009 cars. You can find something getting 30 mpg or better on the highway at nearly every dealer lot. In some cases, you’ll have to settle for a trim line with a smaller engine and manual transmission to hit the 30 mpg mark.

Here are 30 with 30 mpg:

[Read more →]