Electric Cars
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Last weekend, Tesla released more details about its up-coming 2012 Model S all-electric luxury sedan at an exclusive reservation-holder and media Model S event in Fremont, California. While some of the new information -- like the sub-4.5 second 0-60 time of the new Model S Sport variant -- got us excited, we remain less enthusiastic about Tesla’s new proprietary charging connector, designed by Tesla exclusively for the Model S. But should Tesla have gone to great lengths to design a new, compact charge port and plug, or should it have chosen to support existing infrastructure? And will...
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2012 Mitsubishi i: First Drive, U.S.-Spec MiEV
The 2012 Mitsubishi i (what it’s called here) is the most efficient DOT-legal vehicle for sale in the U.S. market, with an official MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) rating of 112.
Bengt Halvorson -
2012 Tesla Model S: Photo Gallery
This week's most discussed car may well be the 2012 Tesla Model S. And that's by design. Startup electric-car company Tesla Motors opened its Fremont, California, factory for the last three days to let a select list of customers, reservation holders, and journalists from around the world see...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Now Trading Higher Than Ford, GM, VW After 2012 Model S Launch
It may not be delivering its much-anticipated 2012 Model S Sedan to the its first customer until the middle of next year, but Californian electric automaker Tesla [NASDAQ: TSLA] is now trading higher than many of its traditional gasoline rivals on the NASDAQ exchange. At a high-point of $24.95 so...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Brammo Enertia Electric Motorcycle: First Ride Report
When it comes to electric motorcycles, Brammo Inc. has a lot to live up to. Winner of the first two races of the 2011 TTXGP North American Series and lap-record holder at the Infineon Raceway, the Oregon-based firm can certainly make electric motorcycles which go fast. But while the world of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Largest Electric-Car Charging Site: Would You Believe Houston?
UPDATE: To answer the question posed in our headline: No, we do not believe Houston has the largest electric-car charging site. See below. When we think of Texas, we think of many things: open roads, desert landscapes, Beyoncé. And of course, we also think of oil, since Texas is one of the...
Richard Read -
On Saturday, exactly one year after it took ownership of the former Toyota NUMMI facility in Fremont, California, Tesla Motors [NASDAQ:TSLA] held a series of test-drives aimed to show off the latest Model S Betas to the press and Model S reservation holders. We’ve already told you about some of the surprises CEO Elon Musk had in store for the assembled group, but now it’s time to share details of the short chauffeured ride around a small section of NUMMI test track in the 2012 Model S. First impressions Pulling up for our ride, the Model S beta was extremely quiet with no...
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Pininfarina BlueCar Makes Debut In Paris Rental Scheme
Whether electric cars are suitable for the wider market yet is still a topic undergoing heated debate, but several companies have found a use to which they're very much suited - inner city rental. This is the case for French billionaire entrepreneur Vincent Bolloré. Having commissioned the...
Antony Ingram -
BREAKING: Tesla Making Faster 2012 Model S, 0-60 In Under 4.5 Seconds
We already know a lot about the all-electric 2012 Tesla Model S sedan -- but at a press event ahead of tonight’s exclusive VIP event at the former Toyota NUMMI facility in Fremont, California, Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA] CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla was making a faster Model S for those with a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How Would You Sell An All-Electric ATV? A Killer Wasp, Perhaps?
Historically, electric vehicles haven’t had an easy time of it thanks to the old stereotype that they are slow, boring and can’t cope with the real world. We all know that isn’t true -- but what would you to to convince the general public that your new electric off-road...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tall, Skinny Tires: Newest Green-Car Efficiency Trend
There are many unusual things about the BMW i3 Concept electric minicar revealed last month, including its glass doors and roof, not to mention BMW's first production battery-electric powertrain. But the BMW i3 is also at the leading edge of another efficiency trend: tall, narrow tires that reduce...
John Voelcker -
2012 Nissan Leaf Now Available In Colorado, Northeastern States
Nissan announced yesterday that it has added six new states to its list of places you can buy its all-electric Leaf hatchback; Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and New York. While the 2011 Nissan Leaf wasn’t ready for cold weather, the 2012 Leaf should cope with...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ask most people what the largest drawback to owning an electric car is, and they’ll tell you that limited range means they are only really suitable for life in large cities. But don’t tell that to the group of Europeans lead by former round-the-world Solar Taxi driver Louis Palmer. Driving through eight different European countries and covering 2,000 miles in just under two weeks, the 20 assorted electric vehicles -- which included electric motorcycles and electrically-assisted bicycles -- successfully finished a trip few of us would dare attempt. Starting in Paris, the teams...
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2012 Tesla Model S Electric Sedan: What Do You Want To Know?
This Saturday, we’ll be heading to the California factory where Tesla Motors plans to build its much-anticipated 2012 Model S electric sports sedan. While we’re there, we’ll be given a full tour of the former NUMMI factory in Fremont, California. where the Model S will be...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Will Tesla Succeed Like Apple, Or Vanish Like Altair?
Of every 10 companies started by entrepreneurs, half or more fail. Some are sold for the parts or the people, a couple of lucky ones may be bought by larger companies, and only the very lucky ones survive as independent companies over the long term. Tesla: Apple or Altair? For every Apple, in other...
John Voelcker -
Lotus Ethos Minicar With Volt-Like Series Hybrid For U.S.?
Proton is a totally unknown carmaker in the U.S., but the Malaysian company happens to own British sports car maker and engineering firm Lotus. A couple of years ago, Lotus launched--and recently revised--a range-extending three-cylinder, 1.2-liter Range Extender engine-and-generator set for...
John Voelcker -
DoE Says Electric Cars Crucial To Cutting Dependence On Oil
Electric-car advocates spend a lot of time touting the advantages of driving on plug-in power rather than burning gasoline. Sometimes, it can be a lonely battle. But now the U.S. Department of Energy has weighed in on the side of electric cars, with a conclusion that may startle some: It's more...
John Voelcker -
Ford Looks To Develop Electric Cars For Chinese Market
Lately it’s become obvious that China -- not the U.S. -- is the place to be if you’re an automaker wanting to develop electric cars. Daimler already has an electric vehicle partnership with chinese company BYD, and more recently General Motors announced it would start developing...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
As electric cars become more and more popular, there are an increasingly large number of firms selling electric car charging equipment, from wall-mounted domestic charging stations through to large, commercial rapid charging stations for parking lots, shopping malls and gas stations. Now we’ve heard via the TeslaMotorsClub that a firm in Switzerland has developed a portable rapid charging station. Called the EVTEC Mobile Fast Charger (MFC), it offers owners of the 2012 Mitsubishi i and 2012 Nissan Leaf a way to charge their cars up to six times faster than the level 2, 240V, 16A...
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Metropolia Electric RaceAbout Sets Nürburgring Electric Car Record
The Finnish-built Metropolia Electric RaceAbout has cut 25 seconds off its Nordschleife lap time, setting a new record for road-legal electric cars in the process.
Kurt Ernst -
European Carmakers Propose Single Electric-Car Charging Plug
Within a few years, it may be possible to drive an electric car from northern Germany to the south of Spain after all. Worries over the possibility of incompatible European electric-car charging standards are starting to abate, after a proposal by several European automakers for a single European...
John Voelcker -
Why Would Bob Lutz Join An Electric Car Conversion Company?
Bob Lutz may have taken a part-time advisory post with GM 16 months after officially retiring from his post there, but now he has a second job too. The former Vice Chairman of General Motors--and the man credited as the driving force behind the Chevrolet Volt--now seems to be working at electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want To Own The Tron Electric “Light Cycle?” Now’s Your Chance
Last year Tron: Legacy, the remake of the 1982 classic film Tron hit cinemas around the world. Following the story of Sam Flynn as he tries to find his lost father who disappeared twenty years earlier, Tron: Legacy received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. But while the reboot of the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tennessee Gas Station First To Offer Rapid Electric Car Charging?
Over the past few months we’ve seen an increase in the number of rapid charging stations getting installed in areas where the 2011 Nissan Leaf is being sold. So far, we’ve seen rapid charging stations get installed everywhere from Walgreens to Cracker Barrel and Washington state’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield