Jim Motavalli

MY MOST RECENT CONTENT

Fixing diesel's bad reputation with 50-mpg clean cars

Fri, Feb 08 2013 at 1:20 PM

In the '70s and '80s, diesels were noisy, smelly, polluting and slow. Well, guess what? They're not anymore. Clean diesel is a real alternative, with 650-mile range being one big benefit.

When gas prices go up, Americans buy green

Mon, Feb 04 2013 at 5:51 PM

Like clockwork: Americans tend to buy more fuel-efficient cars when prices at the pump go up.

Choking Beijing takes cars off the street

Thu, Jan 31 2013 at 7:04 PM

Mayor Wang Anshun is launching a war on air pollution, aiming at 2 percent improvement this year. His proposals don't add up to much, but at least they're better than in do-nothing India.

Do we love classic cars (and guns) too much?

Mon, Jan 28 2013 at 12:49 PM

Anger over the crushing of a '59 Chevy Bel Air matches the passion over a gun buyback in Tucson (home of the Gabby Giffords shooting).

Hybrid cars are near a tipping point

Thu, Jan 24 2013 at 3:17 PM

Hybrids are 3 percent of the U.S. market, but growing fast. The green technology is rapidly pushing into the mainstream.

The Dodge Dart Registry: It's not just for weddings anymore

Mon, Jan 21 2013 at 3:57 PM

It's easy to set up a gift registry online these days. But what if instead of some stuff from Pottery Barn you want a new car? Chrysler lets a friend buy the steering wheel and your cousin the tires.

The Detroit Auto Show: Muscle cars with green hearts

Mon, Jan 14 2013 at 4:08 PM

There are few new EVs, but plenty of performance cars -- with eco mode. Yes, it's possible to drive a rip-roaring V-8 Corvette and get nearly 30 mpg.

Audi's self-parking car

Thu, Jan 10 2013 at 3:24 PM

Valet parkers may lose their jobs if this German automaker's system takes off. Car owners can summon their cars with a click of the smartphone, and send them solo back to the garage with another click.

Weird Japanese animation: Casio's anime signs

Tue, Jan 08 2013 at 12:38 PM

The Consumer Electronics Show usually showcases the latest high tech gear, but Casio's 'realistic animated messages' echo the 1970s and could only work in the Japanese market.

Remembering my first car

Mon, Jan 07 2013 at 10:04 AM

We buy wheels with our hearts, not our heads, and that first one is a big emotional experience.

Commenting (6)

The article is about the

Mon, Aug 29 2011 at 10:30 AM

The article is about the "most likely to succeed," not about my personal favorites. But I do like the Volt--precisely for the reason I like other plug-in hybrids. It is electricity without the range anxiety. I do hope they make a cheaper version, such as a production version of the MPV5 crossover (based on the Volt) and shown in China.

I re-read my article and

Mon, Aug 29 2011 at 10:27 AM

I re-read my article and didn't see any typos, so maybe you're on a higher plane.

I re-read my article and

Mon, Aug 29 2011 at 10:27 AM

I re-read my article and didn't see any typos, so maybe you're on a higher plane.

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Green Tech Blogger

Member since August 2008

Jim is a freelance journalist, speaker, book author, radio personality and expert on all things environmental.

Jim blogs weekly for The New York Times, is a regular contributor to The New York Times’ "Automobiles" section, and has a weekly syndicated "Wheels" column. He also contributes to The Daily Green. He writes “Green Living” for the Environmental Defense newsletter and has contributed to Men's Journal, AMC Outdoors, Popular Mechanics, The Nation, The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Review, Salon, Grist, The Guardian, Tomorrow Magazine, Greenwich Magazine, Sierra and many other newspapers, magazines, and websites. He is a two-time winner of the Global Media Award from the Population Institute, and has shared his environmental expertise in radio interviews across the country.

His books include Naked in the Woods: Joseph Knowles and the Legacy of Frontier Fakery,Forward Drive: The Race to Build "Clean" Cars for the Future and Feeling the Heat: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Climate Change.

An , Jim is as comfortable lecturing at environmental conferences or academic gatherings as he is addressing the general public. His speeches are provocative and relevant.

Jim spent 14 years as editor of , a national bi-monthly where he now contributes as a senior writer. He has also served as executive editor for New Mass Media and edited an alternative news weekly. He is a member of the Society for Environmental Journalists (SEJ) and has taught journalism at Fairfield University and University of Connecticut. He hosts a bi-weekly public affairs and music radio show on listener-sponsored WPKN-FM.

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Jim Motavalli

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