Electric Cars

It's been the most anticipated all-electric car of 2010 with well over 13,000 pre-orders in the U.S. alone. We've driven one twice and loved the car's well-finished trim, impressive handling and accurate range calculations using the car's built-in GPS. Our very own Marty Padgett is one of the...

The U.S. military is hardly the first place you'd look to find an electric vehicle, but Canadian firm Rapid Electric Vehicles has just received a four-vehicle order from the U.S. Army for a test fleet of all-electric vehicles. The vehicles will be tested by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research...

As reported earlier, Mercedes-Benz will be launching a new all-electric version of its entry-level A-Class model dubbed the A-Class E-Cell. This limited production model is being developed together with Tesla and will reportedly make its world debut next month at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. Daimler...

Land speed records have long been a integral part of motor racing, but for many years electric vehicles have been viewed as slow and cumbersome. With a 0-60 mph time of less than four seconds, the 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport certainly puts the myth of slow vehicles to bed, but just how fast can an...

The electric motor is a great invention, but it's entirely limited by the power that the battery can feed to it, and that power is limited by the amount of energy the battery can store. Battery technology is in constant development behind the scenes, though, and the latest to emerge in research at...

Remember how we found out a few weeks ago that some Nissan dealers in the U.K. were blissfully unaware of specifics of Nissan's first publicly sold production electric car? According to the dealers we spoke to, the 2011 Nissan Leaf would charge to full in ten minutes, would not be eligible for...

In another step toward making silent electric cars less so, Toyota Prius hybrids sold in Japan are to be offered with an optional system that broadcasts a "humming" noise outside the car whenever it operates solely on electricity. The system is Toyota's response to the fears of blind people that...

 Build Your Dreams, one of China's largest battery and electric vehicle companies, has been telling us for months that it plans to bring affordable, competitive and safe electric vehicles to the U.S. market very soon. But as the months roll on, BYD's claim to get a car to market sooner rather than...

In news that will no doubt be music to the ears of any manufacturer planning to sell an electric vehicle, new research by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) finds that two fifths of US adults are interested in test driving an EV. The study reveals that consumers are interested in the...

Hyundai is determined to turn itself into a leader in the field of hybrid and electric vehicles, having already unveiled a number of production vehicles and concepts. One of these was the 2007 Hyundai i-Blue, a hydrogen powered, zero-emission concept powered by the automaker’s third generation...

As we're faced with an increasingly large world population and ever-dwindling resources the race is on to produce cars that not only produce zero tailpipe emissions, but ones that are green to manufacture too. But what is the ultimate material for cars? Steel is strong, but hardly light enough to...

Earlier this month, sister-site Green Car Reports posted news about less-than-scrupulous dealers already telling potential customers for the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt that there might be a significant markup--as much as $20,000--on the first batch of cars because of limited supply. And as...

Electric vehicles might not be the first mode of transport you'd think of to drive around the world, but that's what the five teams taking part in the Zero Race have just set off to achieve. Starting from the Swiss capital city Geneva, the teams will cover 30,000 kilometers (18,650 miles) on their...

 The end of 2010 is seen by many in the automotive industry as the first hurdle for many budding electric car companies. By the end of 2010 both Chevrolet and Nissan will have plug in vehicles on the market, both at prices that will outcompete much of the competition. For the smaller automakers...

Following the lead of its government, which recently pledged a whopping $15 billion towards helping accelerate the electrification of the automobile, Chinese automaker Dongfeng has announced that it plans to do its part by adding a further $440 million to that tally over the next five years. Most...

It's easy to forget that BMW have already produced two EVs - the 2009 MINI-E, which is undergoing trials in the U.S. and elsewhere in the hands of individuals, and the 2009 ActiveE concept based on their 1-Series Coupe. BMW are busy working away on another EV though, one that will wear the famous...

Who ever said green cars can’t be fun? You only have to look at the Tesla Roadster and upcoming hybrid and electric sports cars from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW to see that there is a future for sports car fans beyond the internal combustion engine. Porsche, too, is getting on the green car...

Everything old is new again. At least that's the hope of the California Energy Commission (CEC), who have just announced that they will be overhauling many of California's old charging stations. California has long been the at the centre of EV development and thanks to several EV programmes in the...

The dog days of summer may still be with us, but automakers across the globe are gearing up for the big Paris Motor Show, which kicks off just six weeks hence. This morning, Kia released teaser images of an electric concept car they will unveil in Paris. It's the Kia Electric Pop, an all-electric...

A group of high school students from the DeLaSalle School in Kansas City, Mo., have set out to build an electric car aimed at setting a new world record for efficiency. Working closely with engineers from Bridgestone Americas' Technical Center in Akron, Ohio, the students have just concluded tests...