Electric Cars
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On Friday last week, Volkswagen officially marked the start of its U.S. electric car test program by shipping an all-electric Golf to its Electronic Research Laboratory in Belmont, California. Called the eGolf in the U.S. the all-electric hatchback is essentially the same as the Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion prototype we drove back in July last year. Despite Volkswagen’s extensive electric car test programs spanning the past few decades, only 500 eGolfs will be produced at the current time, with just 20 cars being sent to the U.S. for testing. Based on the current Golf VI, the...
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Production 2013 Fisker Surf To Launch At Paris Motor Show: Report
Now that Fisker has managed to launch its 2012 Karma and start delivering cars to customers, the company is looking ahead toward expanding its model range. Reports today in the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf indicate that it will unveil the production version of its 2013 Fisker Surf 'shooting brake'...
John Voelcker -
Infiniti Emerg-E Plug-in Sketches Leak Ahead Of Geneva Motor Show
For several months now, Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti has been teasing us with darkened close-up shots of its first ever plug-in sports car, the Emerg-E. Due to be unveiled at next month’s Geneva Moto Show, Infiniti has been careful to not release a full picture of the Emerg-E, but now...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
New Battery Promises To Bring 300-Mile Electric Cars To The Masses
Here at GreenCarReports, we’re fans of all-electric cars, but even we have to admit that most electric cars on the market today suffer from the same problem: limited range. But according to battery firm Envia Systems, the days of limited-range electric cars could soon be over, thanks to a new...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BMW Reminds Us i3, i8 Electric Cars Are Coming With New Video
BMW’s 2014 i8 plug-in hybrid sports car might have been spotted wearing standard-issue "carmoflague" while cold-weather testing in Sweden, but now the German automaker wants to remind us how it really looks. The reminder comes courtesy of BMW’s latest teaser video, showing the i8 and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
eBay Watch: Historic Fiat Panda Electric Car For Sale
One of the things you become aware of when you get interested in electric cars, is just how many examples of the breed have passed into history as silently as they once roamed the streets. A Fiat Panda Elettra for sale on eBay UK is one such example, and proof that the upcoming Fiat 500 Electric...
Antony Ingram -
Ask most 10-year old girls what they do in their spare time, and the chances are they’ll give you a list including various extra-curricular clubs, playing with weebos, and watching television. But a 10-year old girl from Michigan by the name of Allison Ringold has something else to add to her list: promoting electric cars. While we’re sure Ringold has plenty of other interests on her list, the 5th grader from Michigan has built an entire website detailing the history of the electric car as her entry into the National History Day of 2012. Entitled “What Was Old Is New...
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HOV-Lane Eligible Chevy Volts On Sale In California Next Week
Earlier today,General Motors confirmed that it has restarted production of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt at its Detroit Hamtramck facility. In addition, the automaker has confirmed that it is now producing Californian-market Volts, complete with a low emissions package that enables them to qualify for...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Drive Report: Electric-Car Neophyte Uses 2011 Nissan Leaf For A Week
The reviews of the Nissan Leaf electric car have already been posted, and one GreenCarReports writer even owns a Leaf, but this isn't going to be your standard review with driving impressions. It's no secret that I'm not exactly a green-car kind of guy. When the opportunity arose this winter to...
Joel Feder -
Truth-Telling Snopes Site Goes To Bat Over Chevy Volt E-Mail
Get any good e-mails lately? Maybe a chain letter that alleges how pathetically expensive the Chevy Volt is supposed to be? Well, there's one going around--it's called "Cost to operate a Chevy Volt"--and yesterday, the investigative site Snopes.com dived into the ugly politics around the Chevrolet...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf Battery Warranty: What You MUST Do To Keep It Valid
Yesterday, we covered a story about several Tesla Roadster owners -- and one in particular -- who claim that Tesla caused them to turn their $109,000 cars into very expensive bricks. The owners in question claim that Tesla didn’t make them aware that leaving a roadster unplugged for extended...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
ELVIIS Keeps Your Volvo Electric Car Rocking...
The King may be dead, but your electric Volvo won't be, thanks to the ELVIIS research project. Swedish automaker Volvo has announced its participation in the Electric Vehicle Intelligent Infra Structure (ELVIIS) project, to improve the electric car charging process. Together with Ericsson, Swedish...
Antony Ingram -
Can a Republican firearms instructor also love the series-hybrid Chevrolet Volt? The author says yes.
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Is Tesla 'Bricking' Story Just An Angry Owner's Warranty Claim?
And now perhaps it all becomes clear. The Tesla battery 'bricking' post that was today's electric-car news story and generated reams of coverage may simply be an attempt by an unhappy owner to get Tesla Motors to replace the battery in his Roadster. At least, that would appear to be the logical...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Battery 'Bricking': The Real Story Behind The Scare
Late last night, a sensational blog post circulated through Silicon Valley. It claimed that several $100,000-plus Tesla Roadsters were now useless as the result of a "devastating design problem," with their battery packs "bricked" from being left too long without plugging in. Early this morning, we...
John Voelcker -
Gingrich, Here’s Five More Things You Can Fit In A Chevy Volt
GOP Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich may have jibed earlier this week that you can’t fit a gun rack in a 2012 Chevrolet Volt, but after he was proven wrong by a resourceful Volt owner, it got us thinking. What else can you fit in a Chevy Volt? Here’s five things you should easily be...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Bricking A Tesla Roadster Battery: Today's Electric Car Meme
Heard of "bricking" yet? No? You will shortly. It's the phenomenon in which the lithium-ion battery pack of an electric car that's left unplugged for a long period goes completely, utterly dead--to the point where it cannot be recharged, and becomes a large, expensive "brick." [FURTHER UPDATE: Is...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf Software Update: Here’s What’s Different
A little over a week ago, we told you that Nissan had announced a complementary voluntary service campaign for all 2011/12 Nissan Leafs. With Nissan strongly encouraging owners to have their Leafs updated to the latest operating system, we decided to get the software in our own 2011 Leaf upgraded...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
In the fourteen months since Nissan launched the all-electric Leaf, we’ve seen owners do just about everything with their green ride, from dressing them up for halloween to drag racing, giving them a tow hitch and even racing at Laguna Seca. But now we can add the sport of Autocross to the list, courtesy of a MyNissanLeaf forum member who goes by the name of Nader. For those who don’t know, Autocross is a motorsport in which drivers compete on timed stages designed to reward accuracy and the driver’s maneuvering skills as well as speed. With an extremely low center of...
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2012 Fisker Karma Plug-In Is Real, But Will Company Survive?
After four years, an economic crisis, an industry meltdown, and plug-in cars becoming politically problematic, the 2012 Fisker Karma is on the streets at last. And it's a real car. We've driven it, shot video behind the wheel, and now we've formally reviewed it. We're still sorting out what we...
John Voelcker -
Washington State's $100 Electric Car Tax: Cheaper Than Gas Car Tax
Until recently, most electric car drivers haven’t been expected to pay an electric equivalent of gasoline taxes to help keep the roads and bridges of their state in good order. But earlier this month, the Washington state Senate passed a bill to the House which, if passed into law by the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Latest GOP Slap At Volt: Can't Hold A Gun Rack (Hint: Bad Idea, Boys)
Real Americans only drive pickup trucks (imported oil be damned). It's obvious because slaps at green cars and fuel-economy rules have become a staple of political campaigning among certain candidates. Yesterday, Newt Gingrich mocked the current Administration's promotion of fuel-efficient cars in...
John Voelcker -
Helsinki Electric Car Owners Test Cold-Weather Capabilities
We've all heard stories about woefully low range from electric cars in icy climates, but just how suited are EVs to very cold conditions? That's what a bunch of Finnish electric car owners decided to find out, led by Finland's Electric Traffic program. Nine electric vehicles participated in a...
Antony Ingram -
Plug-In Pioneers: Electra Woman & Dyna Girl!?
When it comes to reminiscing about old TV shows, we find they fall into one of two categories -- shows we really miss, or shows so bad they make us cringe to think about. Electra Woman and Dyna Girl -- a 16 week live action kids show from 1976 -- most certainly falls into the latter category, but...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield