Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
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It's one of the most frequently asked questions by anyone hearing about a modern electric car: do I have to replace the battery? With 15 years of experience in mobile phones and more than that with laptop computers, most buyers know that lithium-ion batteries lose capacity over time. Replacing phone or laptop batteries, generally for less than $100, is irritating but not a deal-breaker. DON'T MISS: 2017 Chevy Bolt EV 10 to 40 percent battery-capacity loss: possible, but unlikely? The specter of replacing an electric-car battery pack costing several thousand dollars, however, may well be. The...
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Woz got a Tesla, not a Chevy Bolt EV: Supercharging may be why
In September, Chevy scored quite a publicity coup for its Bolt EV long-range electric car. The car's chief engineer, Josh Tavel, took a pre-production 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV to show Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple Computers—universally known as "Woz." He's a big electric car fan, and had...
John Voelcker -
2016 BYD e6 electric taxi gets range increase to 187 miles: Forbidden Fruit
How would you like an all-electric wagon with five seats, a rear liftgate, and 187 miles of EPA-rated range? Sounds pretty good, right? You'd think such a vehicle might sell well, since it would have more rated range than any other electric cars on the market except the Chevy Bolt EV and anything...
John Voelcker -
Nissan and Renault to share common electric-car platform in future
The Renault-Nissan Alliance's best-selling electric cars could share a common platform in the future.
Stephen Edelstein -
Which green-car technology will matter least in 2025? Poll results
There's no single silver bullet that will reduce the energy consumption and emissions from the 80 million new road vehicles sold globally each year. Instead, thousands of individual efforts to improve the efficiency of powertrains, reduce vehicle weight, cut wind resistance, and all the rest come...
John Voelcker -
Fisker EMotion 400-mile luxury electric car: new teaser photo released
We've seen it teased a couple of times in shadowy photos, and now we have the first renderings of the whole car. In this case, "it" is the Fisker EMotion, the latest striking, low-slung sedan drawn by car designer Henrik Fisker. This is to be the second car to bear his name, following the 2012...
John Voelcker -
General Motors only needs to sell a relatively small number of Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars to satisfy California's zero-emission vehicle mandate.
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First 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric cars sold today, in California
And now it's real. Just 23 months after GM CEO Mary Barra unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt concept at the Detroit Auto Show, the very first production versions of Chevy's 238-mile electric car to be sold were delivered this morning to eager San Francisco Bay Area buyers. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will...
John Voelcker -
Tesla challenge: make money on electric cars when GM, Nissan, VW don't have to
Debate over the profitability of Tesla electric cars has raged for years among its fans and detractors. Tesla supporters point to financial data from the Silicon Valley automaker to support the idea that it makes money on each car it sells. Skeptics point out that save for two marginally profitable...
John Voelcker -
2017 Chevy Bolt EV 10 to 40 percent battery-capacity loss: possible, but unlikely?
When's the last time you sat down and read large parts of an owner's manual for a car? If it's been a few years—or a few decades—you may be surprised how frustrating they are if you're actually searching for specific information. By and large, their indexes are atrocious (often using...
John Voelcker -
Chrysler to reveal new electric car at CES, maybe a minivan: report
With the introduction of the 238-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV this month, the aging Fiat 500e three-door hatchback's 84 miles of range becomes woefully uncompetitive. So Fiat Chrysler Automobiles needs a new all-electric vehicle to comply with California zero-emission vehicle rules—despite its...
John Voelcker -
Modern electric cars at 20: from EV1 to Bolt EV, where are we now?
Twenty years ago today, the very first GM EV1 electric cars were delivered to 40 lessees in California in a blaze of publicity. Since then, plug-in electric vehicles have seen more than their share of ups and downs. That first EV1 was a high-tech two-seater created specifically to meet California's...
John Voelcker -
General Motors will lose up to $9,000 on each Chevrolet Bolt EV it sells, reports say.
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Plug-in electric car sales surge in Nov: Volt soars, Prius Prime arrives (final update)
Traditionally, the North American winter months have seen a slowdown in sales of plug-in electric cars—but the rule didn't seem to apply last month. Strong vehicle sales for November led analysts to suggest this could be another record year for U.S. sales, or at close. And several plug-in...
John Voelcker -
Mazda to offer electric car in 2019, maybe with range extender?
Mazda may launch an electric car in 2019.
Stephen Edelstein -
2017 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive: first drive of electric two-seat car
On a hot, muggy day in south Florida, nothing is more comforting than knowing that your well-cooled car will make it to its destination. When that car is a reboot of the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, the tiny battery-powered European city slicker—and you’re surrounded by a sea of drivers...
Jeff Jablansky -
Toyota battery R&D will allow all-electric car in 'a few years,' likely 2020
The signals are now unmistakable: Toyota will offer a battery-electric car for sale in 2020. After a decade of condemning electric cars as suitable only for the smallest vehicles in around-town use, the world's largest car company is changing its tune. Yet another news story out of Japan has...
John Voelcker -
While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles refuses to say how many electric Fiat 500e cars it's sold over the past several years, there are likely more than many people think. We know the number is at least 7,000 from recall notices, for instance. And FCA is continuing with aggressive efforts to sell the little electric three-door hatchback. DON'T MISS: Group Buy Of Fiat 500e Ignites 'Feeding Frenzy,' 100-Plus Bought (Mar 2015) The latest promotion comes via Motor1, which reports that one California dealer is offering a truly startling Black Friday special (which runs through the weekend). Orange Coast...
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2017 Ford Focus Electric preview
The 2017 Ford Focus Electric has been one of last electric cars remaining in the current model year for which we haven't had information. Now Ford has released a few specifications, and a photo of a 2017 Focus Electric window sticker sent by a reader fills in more of the gaps. The good news: after...
John Voelcker -
2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: 124 miles of range, more motor power, LA Auto Show debut
Later this morning, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf will be unveiled at the second of two Los Angeles Auto Show media preview days. Along with the many updates made to other models in the 2017 Golf lineup, VW's electric car gets a 50-percent boost in battery capacity and a more powerful electric motor...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, October 2016: Volt's seven-peat
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years; the Chevy Volt won the Canadian electric-car sales trophy for the seventh time in seven months. Though Chevy Volt sales in Canada fell from stratospheric to mere tropospheric levels in October, the vehicle remains Canada's...
Matthew Klippenstein -
GM ramps up 2017 Chevy Bolt EV electric-car production; how many can it build?
With anticipation of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV launch growing, General Motors has started to ramp up production of its groundbreaking 200-mile electric car. (It's actually rated by the EPA at 238 miles combined, but it joins a segment of the electric-car market with 200 miles or more of range that...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in electric car sales for Oct: steady before Bolt EV, Prius Prime arrival (more updates)
Sales of plug-in electric cars in the U.S. continued at roughly the same pace as in previous months, at least among vehicles for which sales were reported. The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid continued a strong if not spectacular year, with 2,191 sales in October for a 10-month total of 18,517. The...
John Voelcker