Electric Cars
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Over the weekend we noticed that Nissan is now detailing a cold-weather package as an option on the 2011 Leaf. Although it’s not available yet at any of the current dealers, but Nissan has confirmed with fan-site Nissan-leaf.net that it will be available to order soon. So what is in the cold weather package, and why would you want it? After all, the Nissan Leaf comes with the ability to pre-heat or cool the car while it’s still plugged in, right? Yes, but at the moment, Nissan’s cold weather package consists of a few extra features designed to improve the performance of the...
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Leaked Sketches Show All-Electric Audi R4 Spyder. Is It Real?
The Internet is often full of tip-offs, spyshots and conjecture about everything from governmental policies to new car models. With the Paris Motor Show just weeks away we’ve seen all sorts of rumours and predictions about vehicles that we’re likely to see there. But the rumor mill has...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
GM To Test 100-Mile Chevrolet Cruze Electric Car in S Korea
For U.S. car buyers, GM is convinced that a range-extended electric vehicle--its 2011 Chevrolet Volt, to be specific--is the best solution to meeting the needs of drivers who may need to go further than the 40 miles a Volt will do on battery power. But elsewhere in the world, GM is quietly pursuing...
John Voelcker -
Exclusive: 2011 Coda Sedan Electric Car - Production Photos!
It doesn't get mentioned as much in the press as the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt, but there's a third compact electric car coming to market within the next six months. It's the 2011 Coda Sedan, and now Green Car Reports is happy to bring you the first published photos of the production...
John Voelcker -
Five EVs We're Glad Existed - And Five We Wish Hadn't
We spend most of our time looking forward to cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt hitting the streets this fall. And as many already know, these vehicles are the latest in a long line of EVs to be made around the world. But of those vehicles which came before, which five vehicles...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Seven Noises We Want To Hear Coming From EVs
When EV fans were told that manufacturers would have to fit noise generators to warn pedestrians of impending danger, they heaved a collective sigh of disappointment. One of the electric car's biggest unique selling points, that of near silent travel, had been taken away. Except that it hadn't...
Antony Ingram -
Saab have had a rough time of late. Mismanagement and poor guidance under General Motors led to an uncompetitive product line and when GM pulled the plug, Saab momentarily disappeared from the scene. Luckily though, Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker stepped in and the company is due for rejuvenation. Amongst the release of the new 9-5 and plans for a retro-inspired compact, Saab have now unveiled their first electric vehicle. Saab 9-3 ePower The 9-3 ePower makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month. Based on the production 9-3 SportCombi, Saab claims the ePower is "the first...
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China To Car Companies: Hand Over EV Technology To Sell Here
In pursuit of its goal to become a world leader in electric-vehicle technology, the Chinese government is considering new rules that will effectively require ceding critical intellectual property on electric car technology to Chinese owned companies. The proposed regulations from the Chinese...
John Voelcker -
Coda To Join Tesla In Building Electric Cars in California
There's a third electric car that will go on sale within the next six months, though you may not hear of it if you don't live in California. Joining the 2011 Nissan Leaf and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will be the 2011 Coda Sedan, a compact four-door battery electric sedan with five seats that offers a...
John Voelcker -
Motive Industries Reveals Design For Hemp-Bodied Kestrel
Sit back, relax, and take in the official design and specifications for the Kestrel, the hemp-bodied EV engineered by Canadian firm Motive Industries. We looked at the benefits of the environmentally friendly hemp construction last month, an avenue Lotus have also explored with their 2008 Eco Elise...
Antony Ingram -
BREAKING: Aptera Loses Automotive X-Prize, Li-Ion Motors Triumphant
For the past few years, small and medium-sized automakers have looked towards the prestige of winning the Progressive Insurance Auto-X Prize. for the X-Prize. Initially set up as a way of encouraging innovation and inspiring the next generation of fuel efficient vehicles, the Automotive X-Prize has...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Hemp-Bodied Motive Kestrel EV Unveiled, Promises High Efficiency
We've seen numerous electric vehicle startups come and go over the years, but few came out of the gate with a product as attractive--in a cute, cuddly way--as the Motive Industries Kestrel EV. The performance it promises is also solid for its intended city-car market. With a curb weight just under...
Nelson Ireson -
With BMW slowly revealing further details of their upcoming Megacity EV and teasing us with the 2009 MINI E, and Mercedes-Benz giving us the A-Class E-Cell, it was only a matter of time before rival Audi hit the roads with their own small EV. Revealed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March, their A1 e-tron concept is the third of Audi's e-tron concepts to wow motor show crowds, the other cars being based on their R8 supercar and upcoming TT-sized R4. Munich Trial And now, Audi has plans for a fleet of the new A1 e-trons to hit the streets in Munich with 20 vehicles up and running by the...
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Why EV Battery Packs Might Just Believe in LIfe After Death
Getting reborn is at the center of many world religions. And it turns out that it’s also at the center of Nissan’s philosophy for it’s EV batteries after they’ve reached the end of a useful life. Instead of being destined for landfill, Nissan aims to send batteries from its...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell: Full Details on Electric Hatchback for Europe
Joining the electric-vehicle party, Mercedes-Benz has released final details of its first mass-produced all-electric car, which will start coming down the line in October at its plant in Rastatt, Germany. Its formal debut will be at the 2010 Paris Motor Show later this month. Don't get your hopes...
John Voelcker -
Mobile EV Charger: Cure For Range Anxiety Or Unnecessary Extra?
Earlier this week Swiss-based Nation-E announced the Angel Car, a vehicle which the company says will aide stranded electric cars with flat battery packs. Designed to help alleviate the range anxiety many commentators cite as the major hurdle to widespread EV success, the Angel Car is only a phone...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
More Hyundai EVs: Korean Maker To Show Electric SUV In 2011
Not a week after Hyundai announced its plans to launch the i10-based BlueOn electric subcompact in 2012, the South Korean manufacturer has announced its plans to launch another all-electric vehicle by the end of 2011. The new EV is said to be based on a small cross utility vehicle (CUV) that...
Antony Ingram -
2010 Mini E Driven Like Any Other Car, U.K. Trial Shows
Ask a non EV owner what life is like with an electric car and you’re likely to hear tales of range anxiety, slow motoring and constant recharging. But as the results of BMW’s Mini E trial in the U.K. show, drivers of BMW’s two-seat, all-electric mini have, horror of horrors, been...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How expensive is an electric car to charge? It’s a question we get asked a lot by our readers, keen to know just what the impact of electric car ownership will have on their pocket books. With gasoline cars it’s really easy to keep track of fuel costs. Filling up at the gas station is a discrete process requiring separate financial transactions every time you visit the gas station. But until smart grid technology allowing for differentiation between electricity used for charging an electric car and electricity consumed in the home, your car’s fuel bill will be part of your...
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BREAKING: Toyota-Tesla RAV4 EV Will Debut At LA Auto Show This Fall
Back in the pre-Internet dominated world of journalism, news stories were passed down from tip-offs, official press releases and the wires service. But in the twenty-first century, things are done a little differently. And occasionally, we see something pass by on Twitter that makes us perk up and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
VW Charges Up Blue e-Motion Golf For 2013 Launch, Testing Now
As we pointed out last week, it’s not always best to be first to release a new generation of technology, especially when the competition is so fierce. Playing the game between being the first and the best is a tough one for automakers everywhere. While Mitsubishi, Chevrolet and Nissan are all...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
$2,500 Tax Rebate For Electric Vehicles In Tennessee
Joining the rebates already available in states like California, Georgia and Oregon, Tennessee has now announced it will offer a $2,500 tax rebate to the first 1,000 EV buyers in the state. The annoucement will be great news for residents with deposits down for the 2011 Nissan Leaf, Tennessee being...
Antony Ingram -
Just Who Is A Typical 2011 Nissan Leaf Buyer? We Find Out
Are you one of the 19,000 people in the U.S. who has ordered a 2011 Nissan Leaf? If you are then you might be surprised that Nissan knows you a little better than you may think. Talking with Edmund’s InsideLine, the automaker has finished its definition of an average Nissan Leaf driver. How?...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Car Charging Station-Maker Coulomb Raises $15 Million to Expand Network
Coulomb Technologies, a leader in roadside charging stations and infrastructure, announced a $15 million third round of funding, which it will use to further develop its network of electric vehicle charging stations. The company has inked partnerships with Leviton and Siemens, which will add their...
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