Electric Cars

  • 2011 Volvo Concept You teaser

    We've got used to carmakers using the letter "i" to describe their products, but isn't that a little selfish? Volvo clearly thinks so which is why its latest design study, due at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, is called the Concept You. The unusual name comes from the Swedish maker's new brand strategy, called "Designed Around You". The aim behind the strategy is to understand people, designing cars that are more human-oriented. This includes Volvo's decision to no longer develop engines of more than 2.0-liters and 4-cylinders in size, expand the use of hybrid and electric technology and of...

  • Vauxhall/Opel electric car concept for 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show
    GM's European Arm, Opel, Shows Two-Seat Electric Urban Concept

    With the Frankfurt Motor Show launching in less than a week, the concept cars are starting to come thick and fast. The latest is a small two-seat electric urban car from Opel, the premiere European brand operated by General Motors. It's one of several tiny urban electric concepts, joining the Audi...

  • ESB ecars Nissan Leaf Cannonball team
    Quiet As A... Cannonball? Nissan Leaf Enters Road Trip

    While dozens of supercars will be revving up their engines ready for the start of Ireland's upcoming Cannonball Run, the ESB ecars team will be off to a much quieter start. The ESB team's 2011 Nissan Leaf is the first electric car to participate in the Cannonball Run which starts this Friday...

  • U.K. National Grid and Nissan Leafs
    2011 Nissan Leaf Helps Underground Utility Company

    A 2011 Nissan Leaf is providing transportation through the city for the team that's building new power conduit tunnels throughout central London.

  • Carlos Ghosn
    How Much Has Nissan Spent on Electric Cars? $5.6 Billion...And Counting

    Bringing a new car to market costs a lot of money -- around $1-2 billion per platform on a new volume vehicle. As any auto industry insider will tell you, it isn’t just money either -- it’s about years of planning, development and testing before a car is ready to make the transition...

  • 2011 Audi A2 Concept
    2011 Audi A2 Electric Car Concept: New Info, Images

    Late last week Audi released some teaser sketches of its A2 concept car due at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, now less than a week away. Due to be positioned between the A1 minicar and upcoming Audi A3 Sedan compact car, the new A2 is spiritual successor to the original A2, an aluminum-bodied...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    The 2012 model year has brought some subtle changes to the 2012 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, despite "decontenting" that makes a comparably equipped 2012 Volt cost more than the 2011 model.

  • ECOtality Blink charging stations for electric & plug-in cars
    Leaf Drivers Publicly Shame Selfish Charging-Station User

    Imagine the scenario: You’re heading to a meeting and leave your shiny 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car plugged in at the local charging station, confident that it will have enough charge to get you back home when you return in a few hours. Then you return to find another electric car owner has...

  • Plugsurfing website (screenshot)
    Security Breach: iPhone App Releases Private Data of Electric Car Owners

    For as long as electric cars have been on the roads of the world, people have needed to find a place to plug in. So what happens when a company obtains and publishes details of several hundred addresses and contact details for a privately-run and moderated peer-to-peer charging network?...

  • FondTech E-11 electric race car prototype
    What Will A Formula E Electric Race-Car Look Like? Here’s One Idea (VIDEO)

    A few weeks ago we told you that the FIA governing body had announced its call for entrants for its new all-electric race car series, Formula E -- and now we’re starting to see interest from potential competitors. Among the first we’ve seen is not a racing team -- but a design for a...

  • First factory-built Fisker Karma live photos
    Fisker To Use BMW Engines In Midsize 'Nina' Plug-In Hybrid

    Fisker Automotive may still be waiting for final certification from the EPA and other regulatory bodies for its 2012 Karma plug-in hybrid sports sedan, but that's not stopping it from moving forward with its next car line. The startup automaker announced today that it would source the...

  • Hurricane Irene
    Reporter Borrows 2011 Chevy Volt During Hurricane Irene, Both Survive

    Imagine, plug-in electric cars can survive hurricanes just like they survive snow, sleet, rain, and car washes!

  • Stealth Night Hawk Hunting ATV

    Electric car owners aren’t necessarily known for their love of hunting -- and those who hunt aren’t usually known for their love of electric cars either. After all, gun-toting, gas-guzzling, Russia-spying, former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin loves to hunt -- and her motto of “Drill Baby, Drill!” is about as far away from an electric car as you can get. While the chance of Mrs. Palin putting down a deposit on a brand new electric car seems slim to non-existent -- even though the home-built 2012 Chevrolet Volt launches in Alaska later this year -- some of her gun-toting...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    GM Riles CA Electric-Car World (Again) Over AB475 'Charger Sharing' Ban

    California's electric-car advocates are often "true believers," and they can be single-minded in the pursuit of what they believe is right. But the nuts-and-bolts experience they've gained during the state's 15 years of electric-car use can be invaluable--which is why policy-makers and car...

  • Uk, 2011 Nissan Leaf
    2011 Nissan Leaf Electric Car: What We’ve Learned After 5 Months

    At the end of March this year, I took delivery of our very own 2011 Nissan Leaf. After the first week, we shared with you the good and bad side of Nissan’s first all-electric hatchback and even reported on a mammoth 520-mile two-day trek utilizing the U.K.’s dealer network of D.C. rapid...

  • G-Wiz charging in the U.K.
    Fatal G-Wiz Crash: Victim Was On Phone, Not Using Seatbelt

    We brought you news last year of a horrific accident, in which a woman was killed when her G-Wiz neighborhood electric vehicle, a model not sold in the United States, was struck by another vehicle. An inquest into the accident has now ended and the verdict has been given as accidental death. Last...

  • Ray Lane takes delivery of the first Fisker Karma
    Aug Electric-Car Sales: Nissan Leaf Rises, Chevy Volt Creeps Back

    New-car sales overall weren't great in August. The economy continues to be shaky, consumer confidence is down, and Hurricane Irene kept buyers away from dealerships. But electric-car sales last month improved on July's numbers, although they were far from their spring heights due to continued...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf at quick-charging station
    Walgreens Installs DC Rapid Electric Car Chargers “Where Practical”

    You may already know that pharmaceuticals giant Walgreens is installing as many as 800 electric car charging stations at its branches throughout New York City, Houston, Dallas Fort-Worth and Chicago. While we all reeled in horror to the news that it could cost Walgreens customers as much as $4 for...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf

    On August 27th, Nissan North America opened up online reservations for the 2011 Nissan Leaf to Canadian buyers. Two hours later, Nissan had received more reservations than it had cars to sell, prompting some news outlets to report that the car was sold out. Just 40 cars While we’re happy to see that the 2011 Nissan Leaf is just as popular in Canada with early adopters as it was in the U.S., there’s a simple reason why Canadian reservations for the 2011 Leaf reached the allocation figure so quickly. Only 100, 2011 Nissan Leafs are earmarked for the Canadian market, with just 40...

  • Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid prototype
    Volvo Partners With Siemens On Electric Cars, Develops New Car

    German electronics giant Siemens is no stranger to electric motors or electric cars -- and now it has announced a formal partnership with the Volvo Car Corporation to work on a new generation of electric car technology. Confirmed at a joint press conference held in Munich, Germany, the two...

  • BYD e6 electric taxi in service in Shenzhen, China
    Is China Backing Away From Electric Vehicles?

    (EDITOR'S NOTE: This article offers another look at China's evolving plans for electric cars, also covered last week: China's Electric Car Plans Unrealistic, Focus Now On Hybrids) China's ambitious goals for electrification of its automotive fleet call for 10 percent of the cars expected to be...

  • Toyota electric race car prototype live photos - Copyright High Gear Media
    Toyota Shares Nürburgring Electric Car Record-Breaking Run (Video)

    Yesterday we brought you news that a team from Toyota Motorsport had successfully smashed the electric car lap record at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife race track in Germany. Beating the previous record of 9 minutes and 1.3 seconds set by Peugeot's EX1 electric racing car prototype in...

  • Green Vehicles Triac 2.0
    Lesson Learned As Salinas Sues Bankrupt Electric Car Maker?

    It's a sad fact of business that many start-up companies fail within the first few years of trading. Electric car fans are quite used to this and even the most promising new companies can struggle. One such company is Green Vehicles, an electric start-up that folded back in July. Green Vehicles had...

  • Toyota electric race car prototype live photos - Copyright High Gear Media
    Toyota Sets New Electric Car Lap Record At Nürburgring Nordschleife

    Toyota has just announced that it has just set a new electric car lap record on the 12.93 mile Nürburgring Nodschleife race track in Germany, beating the previous record by a full 1 minute and 13 seconds. Built by Toyota and based on a Radical sportscar, the all-electric two-seat race car set...

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