Electric Cars

  • Flow battery

    Last week, advanced battery company A123Systems announced that it was spinning off a new venture called 24M Technologies, which would focus on more unorthodox energy storage innovations, including grid-scale flow batteries. One of the reasons it decided to release the new entity into the wild was so it could raise a substantial amount of funding for its projects. Now it has, banking $10 million in a first round of venture funding and a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program. 24M started off as a development program inside A123, focusing on high energy density...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    Charging the 2011 Chevrolet Volt: What You Need To Know

    We've covered the 2011 Chevy Volt a lot here at AllCarsElectric.com, and for good reason. It'll be one of the first affordable and usable EVs to hit the market. Of course, it isn't just a simple electric vehicle. The Volt uses a small gasoline engine as a range extender to allow the Volt to travel...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf
    So What Exactly DO You Have to Service On a 2011 Nissan Leaf?

    Despite initial purchase prices higher than those for gasoline cars of equivalent performance (before incentives, anyway), electric cars undisputably cost less to run. Not only does the grid electricity to drive a mile cost just half to one-fifth the cost of the gasoline to go the same distance...

  • Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car at quick charging station
    Recharging Electric Cars Away From Home: What To Expect

    If there's one thing any advocate of the electric car gets asked more than anything else, it's about range: "How far will it go? How long does it take to recharge? 8 hours!? I'd take me weeks to travel across the country!..." Help is at hand though, as there are several organizations here in the...

  • 50 Kw Leaf Charger
    Charging Your Electric Car At Home: What You Need To Know

    One of the most important aspects of electric-car ownership might not be how they drive, or how far you'll go on a charge, but how you'll actually charge it in the first place. That's why we asked "What comes first, the car or the charger?", with many potential EV owners waiting for a public...

  • 2009 Volkswagen E-Up! Concept
    Volkswagen Predicts 500 Mile Range For EVs By 2020

    Volkswagen is intent on becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018 and that means being the top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric vehicles. In fact, the automaker is so serious about its electric car efforts that it recently announced plans to start building its own electric...

  • A123 lithium-ion cells

    Advanced battery maker A123 announced more than its quarterly earnings yesterday. In addition to posting a lackluster $22.6 million in revenue, the company spun off a new energy storage startup called 24M Technologies to work on more unorthodox lithium-ion architectures. The company also tempered the good news, noting it has lost its contract to supply batteries to electric Fiat/Chrysler vehicles to a lower bidder. This is a big hit for the company, which is trying to compete in a big pond with few high-level deals of its own. While it has plans to deliver batteries for Fisker...

  • Zeroshift clutchless multi-speed gearbox
    Clutchless Multi-Speed Gearbox Makes EVs More Efficient

    Currently, none of the conventional transmission designs provide an ideal option for electric vehicles. Conventional manual transmissions interrupt the drive to the wheels during gear shifting and require a clutch, adding cost and bulk to the tightly packaged powertrain of an EV. Conventional...

  • Prototype Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid being recharged at curbside station
    SF Bay Area Soon To Be Home To 5,050 More EV Charging Stations

    Infrastructure for electric transportation is heating up. Companies like Coulomb Technologies and Ecotality are already deploying electric vehicle charging stations region by region. And just today, general Motors said it was gearing up to announce a charging partner for its forthcoming Chevrolet...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf
    What Do Nissan Dealers Really Know About The 2011 Leaf?

    It's hardly a secret that the 2011 Nissan Leaf is one of the most anticipated electric cars this year. Nissan now has over 20,000 customers who have paid $99 to be placed on the waiting list, securing a place in electric car history. But as with any new car roll-out, those who eagerly sign up for a...

  • General Electric GE WattStation charging
    Who's Buying Green Cars? Not Only Consumers, But Big Fleets Too

    Most of the focus on new green cars--like the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and a slew of new and existing hybrids--has been on how consumers will adapt to them. But in fact, a portion of early years' production of any of those cars is likely to go into car fleets maintained by state...

  • General Electric GE WattStation charging
    Even In Motor City, Charging Electric Cars Will Be Cheap

    Buyers of electric vehicles can already benefit from several different tax credits, both from the federal government as well as their own respective state authorities (in some cases), but now they stand to benefit on their power bills as well. Detroit Edison, an electricity utility based in...

  • 2011 Lexus CT 200h

    The 2011 Honda CR-Z was meant to be the car that showed hybrids could be sporty as well as green, but sadly, its lowly 122 horsepower and dismal 0-60 times meant it was never going to be taken seriously in performance circles. Fortunately, there’s another hybrid vehicle on the horizon that may live up to the challenge. The car is the 2011 Lexus CT 200h, which is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. early next year. Hybrid power, low emissions and high fuel efficiency: it’s not the kind of equation that suggests the kind of sharp and sporty handling that Lexus claims owners of the CT 200h...

  • THINK City on hire in the Alps
    2012 Think City EVs In Rental Trial At Alpine Holiday Resorts

    If you're lucky enough to be traveling to the Swiss Alps this Summer for a bit of skiing and sightseeing, you might consider hiring a car to enjoy the picturesque villages and winding mountain roads at your own pace. Swiss eco-tourism specialist Alpmobil now has the perfect option for the EV lover...

  • Chinese temple
    Chinese Government Pledges $15 Billion For Support Of ‘Green’ Cars

    China’s rapidly expanding vehicle fleet, increasing manufacturing industry and rising energy demand has made the country one of the world’s biggest polluters, perhaps even the biggest polluter. But sadly, there’s not much chance of China making any radical changes to its environmental...

  • Public Charging Station for electric cars, courtesy Mitsubishi Motors
    U.S. Most Likely To Lead Electric Car Growth, Report Says

     International research consultancy firm McKinsey has just released the latest of its reports on electric cars, placing the U.S. ahead of other countries when it comes to electric car adoption. Taking into account nine variables likely to influence investment in the electric car sector such as...

  • 2010 TAG Heuer Tesla Roadster
    Tomorrow's Hot-Rodders Will Take to Electric Cars, Just Watch

    Headers. Cams. Pistons. Liners. Ports. Carbs. Crankshafts. Filters. Mufflers. Are these all words we'll start to see disappearing from the tuning magazines of the future? Mankind has always wanted to go faster, whether that's in a car, an aircraft, a boat or even on a horse. Tuning is an essential...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf
    What Comes First, The Car Or The Charger? Portland, Oregon Answers

    Are electric cars being held back by a lack of convenient charging points? Or do more electric cars need to be produced in order for a demand for electric vehicle charging points to be large enough to justify installing them? And should charging stations be ones offering a 240V, 30A top-off charge...

  • Elon Musk Speaks

    Automakers often do comparison ads showing how their features or specs are better than their competitors', but they don't generally trash other makers' designs in public. Like so many conventions, this one doesn't seem to apply to Elon Musk, CEO of venture-funded startup Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. He savaged the "primitive" design of the battery pack in the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the all-electric hatchback that will go on sale in December. The comments came at during a conference call with investors discussing Tesla's second-quarter loss. following its June initial public offering. They expanded...

  • Jay Leno rides the Zero S electric motorcycle
    Zero Motorcycles Awarded $900,000 Development Grant, Aims High

    Staff and customers of Zero Motorcycles were celebrating yesterday when the company was awarded a $900,000 grant by the California Energy Commission to further its power-train development. Founded in Santa Cruz, by former NASA engineer Neal Saiki, Zero motorcycles became world leaders in electric...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf ordering process
    My Nissan Leaf Won't Be Here Until...April?

    Patience is a virtue when it comes to ordering a 2011 Nissan Leaf--especially if you're not in one of the five markets Nissan's chosen to launch the car late this year. On April 20 of this year, I was one of those electric-car geeks scanning my email every 15 minutes, waiting for the official...

  • Daihatsu Mira EV - Photo by the Japan EV Club
    What Range Anxiety? Daihatsu EV Does 623 Miles On One Charge

    Last October, Simon Hackett and Emilis Prelgauskas set a new distance record for a production battery-powered vehicle: a hugely impressive 313 miles in a 2008 Tesla Roadster. That's around 70 miles more than the EPA's rated range for the world's best -known EV. Unfortunately for them, not even a...

  • 2006 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
    Report: BYD Will Borrow Mercedes-Benz B-Class Platform For New EV

    Back in March we first reported that German auto giant Daimler was partnering with Chinese automaker and battery specialist BYD to further develop electric vehicle technology and help accelerate their production. While few actual details of the partnership were revealed at the signing, we now have...

  • General Electric GE WattStation charging
    Charging Infrastructure Not Prerequisite For Electric Car Success

    What exactly is needed for electric cars to become mainstream?  It's a question the auto industry has been asking time and time again over the past few years. Over time, the answer has changed. While electric car owners will likely tell you that the only thing they really need in order to live...

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