Electric Cars

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...