Electric Cars

Well, this one's not a big shock: Tesla Motors announced yesterday that its 2012 Model S electric sport sedan would use Panasonic lithium-ion cells in its battery pack. Panasonic is one of several companies that have invested in Tesla, and the two companies had announced in 2009 that they would...

GM [NYSE:GM] had hoped to announce its latest green vehicle tomorrow morning, at a nice, orderly, staged press event to celebrate Chevrolet's 100th birthday. But one of its hometown papers jumped the gun and broke the news: The largest domestic car company will launch a small battery electric...

[EDIT: Since publishing this story, it has come to our attention that this story is indeed about storage technology, not charging technology. We're investigating our sources to try and better understand the advancement made in Japan] The time it takes an electric car to fully recharge from empty...

Despite reports that it won't offer battery electric cars, Hyundai might just be working on a plug-in car after all, says German website Auto Motor und Sport. A month after Hyundai unveiled the 2012 Elantra Touring (known as the i30 in other counties), Auto Motor und Sport reports that the Korean...

If you read last week’s review of the 2012 Zero S, you’ll know that we’ve recently visited the headquarters of Zero Motorcycles in Scotts Valley, California. Five years ago, Zero started off as a firm producing electric motocross bikes that could compete on equal grounds in...

The electric car being jointly developed by Daimler and BYD for the Chinese market is expected to debut in prototype form next April.

O Canada, you've given the world so much: Keanu Reeves, Celine Dion, Pamela Anderson Lee Ritchie Salomon, poutine. Now, the world -- or at least Nissan -- is giving you something in return: your very first 2011 Nissan Leaf. The vehicle was purchased by Ottawa resident Ricardo Borba and delivered by...

In the past year the 2011 Nissan Leaf has launched in many different countries across the world, from Japan through to Ireland and Australia to Canada. But while you probably know the Nissan Leaf’s sticker price varies from country to country, you may not know there’s a few subtle...

It's conventional wisdom that more electric cars will be sold in California than in any other state. Some estimates say Californians will buy more plug-in cars than the next five states combined. But California has roughly 25 million vehicles on its roads, so while the absolute numbers are high, it...

Earlier this year, General Motors announced that it would start a second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck factory some time towards the end of 2011 to meet its production goals for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt. But on Friday the company announced that it was shelving plans to introduce a second shift...

Fisker is planning to build a midsize crossover on its Nina platform, and the vehicle will be positioned against the upcoming Tesla Model X.

The organizers behind the 2011 EVCup have just announced that its 2011 season has been cancelled, with further racing events held off indefinitely. Launched back in January last year, the EVCup promised all the thrills and spills of gasoline-fueled car racing, without any of the noxious gasses or...

Back in August, Ford announced that it would enter into a partnership with solar panel firm SunPower to help 2012 Ford Focus Electric owners install photovoltaic solar panels on their houses, which could let them power their cars from solar energy. Called “Drive Green For Life”, the...

Cities around the US will host special events on Sunday, October 16, 2011, to promote and educate the public about the growing number of plug-in cars and how they work in real-world driving.

In its five-year history, Zero has gone from a single electric motorcross bike to a global operation, building five different electric motorcycles for a variety of markets. So while we were visiting Tesla in California last week, we decided to drop by on Zero's Californian headquarters for a few...

You’ve heard about the 2012 Tesla Model S Sport, read our first ride review, and seen our 2012 Tesla Model S gallery -- but unless you’ve already put down a deposit for the 2012 Tesla Model S you won’t be getting one for a while. So who is getting a 2012 Model S? What kind of...

A few years ago the idea that mainstream european automakers would be focusing so much effort on minuscule electric urban runabouts would have been met with derision. But a few weeks after it unveiled its third generation two-seat urban concept vehicle at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, Renault has...

It's that time of month again. Car sales reports spewed forth from the High Gear Media teletypes yesterday (September sales were up), and analysis stories followed. On the electric-car front, Nissan sold 1,031 Leaf battery-electric vehicles and Chevy shifted 723 Volts. While that's an improvement...

Imagine this situation: You’re a fan of Nissan’s all-electric 2011 Leaf and you’ve put your name down on the waiting list to get one just as soon as it starts to be delivered in your area. But instead of getting an email telling you when you can visit your local dealer to finalize...

Tesla would like all eyes to focus on its 2012 Model S electric sport sedan this week. But there's a second model lurking in the background: the 2013 or 2014 Tesla Model X crossover, the next vehicle to use the platform that underlies the Model S. A lot of information has emerged in bits and pieces...