Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
-
In October sales of plug-in electric cars, both Chevy and Nissan improved on their September results, but didn't come close to beating their record August sales numbers. The month as a whole rebounded toward August's record-breaking level, improving on September's slump--but the Tesla sales may determine whether there's any hope left of making the magic 100,000 plug-in number for the year as a whole. The Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car racked up 2,022 deliveries, which is up 14 percent on September's number of 1,766. For the 10 months of the year to date, a total of 18,782 Volts...
-
Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy Nominee: 2014 BMW i3
The 2014 BMW i3 is the most audacious expansion of a well-known car brand in many years. BMW--the maker of "ultimate driving machines"--is using electric propulsion, a carbon-fiber reinforced body, and a Scandinavian Modern interior not in an expensive luxury sedan, but in a subcompact hatchback...
John Voelcker -
Chevy Spark EV Electric Car: No Retail Sales In Canada, Europe
It's a frequently asked question: Will the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV be sold where I live? (Assuming you don't already live in California or Oregon, where the subcompact electric car has been on sale since June--or South Korea, where it's made.) General Motors had earlier announced that sales of the...
John Voelcker -
Dreaming Of A Nissan Leaf With Double The Range? Well...
Nissan's Barcelona Technical Centre built a Leaf prototype with a 48-kWh battery pack for a new racing series.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 BMW i3: First Drive Of BMW's Radical New Electric Car
You may have read stories lately that suggest the BMW i3 is the first luxury competition for the Tesla Model S electric car. It’s not. You may also have read that it’s the first range-extended car to go head to head with the Chevrolet Volt. It’s not. In building its first...
John Voelcker -
Latest Tesla Model X Prototype Shown At Palo Alto Store Opening
Hundreds of owners and fans alike turned up for the opening of a new Tesla Store in Palo Alto, California, this past Saturday. They weren't all there just to see the store, though. Many focused on the store's centerpiece--the latest prototype of the Tesla Model X crossover, the next car in Tesla...
Antony Ingram -
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car is one of the most radical new vehicles on the planet. And the innovation comes in many different facets of the car. There's its shape, which is tall and somewhat van-like--unusual for a BMW. Its styling introduces a new design language for BMW's 'i' series of plug-in electric cars, and has received mixed reviews. The body is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), a material so strong that no center pillar is needed between the two doors. The running gear is housed in an aluminum rolling chassis that contains the lithium-ion battery pack in the floorpan...
-
Life With Tesla Model S: Pushing the Range Limits In 60-kWh Car
In the eight months I've owned my 60-kWh Tesla Model S, I've never had occasion to drive it more than 120 miles, comfortably within the car's EPA-rated 208-mile range. The phrase "range anxiety" was not in my lexicon. But last week, I got an invitation from Don Sherman, Technical Director of Car...
David Noland -
What Does It Take To Drive An Electric Car In Canadian Winters?
So how on earth do you use an electric car in places that consistently get many feet of snow every winter? Short answer: snow tires. Long answer: plan ahead. Being based in Vancouver--what passes for the Canadian tropics*, where snow had to be helicoptered onto local ski hills during the 2010...
Matthew Klippenstein -
2014 BMW i3 With Range Extender Priced At $46,125, Or $3,850 More
Adding the small range-extending engine to the 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric minicar will increase the price by $3,950, the company announced this evening. The standard 2014 BMW i3 electric car starts at $42,275 including delivery, before any Federal, state, or local incentives. BMW had announced...
John Voelcker -
2015 Kia Soul EV To Be Sold In U.S.: First Korean Electric Car
We saw the Kia Soul EV spy shots almost three months ago, and now Kia has officially announced that its first battery-electric car will go on sale in the U.S. next year. It's an electric conversion of the new-for-2014 second generation of its "funky and iconic" Soul tall wagon, which Kia calls an...
John Voelcker -
First Tesla Model S Fire Caused By Collision With Road Debris
It had to happen sooner or later: a fire in a Tesla Model S. And indeed, as first covered by Jalopnik, Tuesday's fire in one example of the luxury electric sedan outside Seattle, Washington, generated a remarkable amount of media coverage. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] issued a statement on the accident...
John Voelcker -
GM has pushed back the CCS fast-charging option on the Chevrolet Spark EV until the end of the year.
-
FINAL UPDATE: Plug-In Electric Car Sales For Sept: Sales Slacken After Aug Record
After a record-setting month in August, plug-in electric car sales moderated in September while the overall U.S. vehicle market surged. The Chevrolet Volt, the best-selling plug-in car after almost three years, registered 1,766 deliveries--little more than half the record-setting number of 3,351...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Electric Car Available From Hertz As Rental Car
Always wanted to drive a Tesla Model S? Well, now you can now rent one. The wonder car from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will be offered for rental from Hertz in (very) select U.S. markets, as part of the company's "Dream Cars" program. Right now, the Model S all-electric luxury sedan is only available...
Stephen Edelstein -
2013 Toyota RAV4 EV Ads: Narrow Focus To Reach Electric-Car Buyers
Ads for the RAV4 EV will target specific, tech-savvy buyers in the California cities where the car is sold.
Stephen Edelstein -
Why The 2013 Nissan Leaf Is Really A 2001 Toyota Prius
A lot of media discussion these days seems to focus overly on the low sales of plug-in electric cars (this piece from Friday, for instance). That despite the fact that plug-ins are selling faster than hybrid vehicles did at the same phase of their launch. But automotive history may provide another...
John Voelcker -
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV Electric Car: Chevy Offers Owner Tips
Chevrolet is offering a few tips for drivers new to electric motoring.
Stephen Edelstein -
It looks like the success of the Tesla Model S all-electric luxury sedan may be starting to get under GM's skin. CEO Dan Akerson told the Detroit News that General Motors will compete with Tesla Motors--"ultimately"--through its Cadillac luxury brand. But, Akerson said, he remained unconvinced that battery-electric vehicles were "the panacea that I think the American public wants." That may indicate that GM believes a plug-in hybrid version of its future large Cadillac LTS sedan will be its Tesla Model S competitor. $30,000 electric Chevrolet? On Monday, Douglas Parks, the company's vice...
-
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Production Begins Today In Germany
Production of the 2014 BMW i3 is underway; it goes on sale in the United States early next year.
Stephen Edelstein -
GM Developing Tesla Model E Rival: 200-Mile, $30,000 Electric Car?
GM's Tesla-rivaling electric car could be powered by a new type of battery with greater energy density, which would create more range without dramatically raising price.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford Focus Electric Drivers: Has Your Electric Car Suddenly Stalled?
The NHTSA has recieved reports of Ford Focus Electric cars stalling while being driven, and is investigating the matter.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf Electric Car Added To Certified Used Program
Electric cars have been on sale almost three years now, which means that some of them are starting to show up on used-car lots. To alleviate concern over the unknown future life of a used electric car, Nissan has now added its Leaf to the company's Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles program. Starting...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen e-Up Electric Car Live Photo Gallery: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
Volkswagen's second electric car debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show was the e-Up, a plug-in version of its European-market Up micro machine.
Stephen Edelstein