Electric Cars

As predicted, Tesla Motors posted higher losses for the second quarter during its earnings announcement today — its first as a public company. The electric vehicle maker says it brought in $28.4 million revenue, but lost $38.5 million ($5.04 a share), up from the $29.5 million lost last quarter...

However strongly you feel about torture testing in other situations, it's necessary when it comes to car safety. Without crash tests, cold- and hot-weather testing, and some pretty creative destruction, the cars of today would be a lot more perilous. For the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car, the...

Following the successful launch of Bosch’s parallel full-hybrid technology (in models such as the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne S), the key international automotive supplier is also increasingly investing in the development of powertrain technologies for all-electric vehicles. With the...

Think of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and very little seems conventional about it. With a range of 40 miles per charge and a range-extending gasoline engine used to provide extra power when the battery pack is depleted, Chevrolet is keen to push the car’s green credentials. Built at the Hamtramck...

 Just how long does it take to plug in an electric car? A few seconds, perhaps? And just how inconvenient is it? We plug in electrical devices every day in our homes without giving it a second thought. Most existing electric car owners even cite plugging their car in as being a bonus over having...

 Will video and time kill the Aptera star? Will Detroit? Or will the Auto X-Prize pull the final punch? As the field has been whittled down from 136 to just 9 contenders for the chance to win part of the elusive $10 million prize fund, we've watched electric vehicles dominate the event. For one...

Sometimes it's hard to keep track of small electric-vehicle companies, most of whom are likely to vanish without a trace within a few years. But T3 Motion, an EV startup in Costa Mesa, California, has a gimmick: It uses an Apple iPad to provide driver and passengers with audio, video, games, and...

Just days after Nissan announced its 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty option for the 2011 Leaf, we've had a chance to do our second test-drive of the week in Nissan's $33,750 electric baby. Earlier this week, Nissan gave us some time behind the wheel of the Leaf in San Jose, California. We had a great...

Green conscience and new technology are both laudable, but getting extra money in your back pocket is nice too. Now, after all those years of paying taxes on your hard work, you can finally get some of it back. Consider it a tax refund for buying an electric car. Now that we know the purchase and...

Elon Musk leads a complicated life, from Tesla Motors' recent IPO to an ongoing and nasty divorce battle, not to mention questions about his veracity, but the seemingly subdued Tesla CEO remains firmly in the public eye. He took the time to go on the latest episode of The Colbert Report, where he...

How fast, how far, and how long? These are the three most important questions asked of any electric car coming to market. Just like their gasoline counterparts, drivers want to know their first electric car won't leave them foundering at the lights, stranded on the freeway, or taking forever to...

Forgive us our weariness, please. It's only Thursday, but the barrage of news about the two upcoming electric cars that will go on sale for the 2011 model year is wearing us down. Nonetheless, we have manfully pulled ourselves together to bring you the video at the bottom of this piece, in which...

A few years back Saab, together with fellow Swedish automaker Volvo, formed an alliance with a number of utility and technology companies to further the development of new hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. However, since both automakers were subsequently put up for sale by their respective...

BMW doesn’t actually have a vehicle with zero emissions in its current lineup but that hasn’t stopped the automaker from touting its cleanliness with advertising promoting its Concept ActiveE all-electric vehicle, where the slogan is: "Thanks to its electrifying performance and zero CO2...

With yesterday's big news on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt price and the year-long nationwide sales launch of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, you'd think the news from Plug-In 2010 in San Jose would be over. But we're charged with looking farther into the distance so you don't have to--and that's why earlier this...

It was surely no mistake that on the same day that General Motors unveiled pricing for its 2011 Chevrolet Volt, Nissan tried to grab at least some of the plug-in limelight and revealed new details about exactly where it will first roll out the Leaf.

Coulomb Technologies, one of the most successful companies rolling out rapid roadside charging stations for the new generation of plug-in vehicles debuting this year, announced today that it has adapted its technology for use in the home. Interestingly, residential chargers are where many of...

Mercedes-Benz has the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, BMW has the upcoming Megacity Vehicle, and even Volkswagen is working on a production version of its E-Up concept car, but what about Audi? We know the automaker is establishing its new e-tron division to promote and develop a new generation of...

Electric vehicles are ideal for hopping around town, making frequent stops and carrying heavy loads, so it’s not surprising to see the major automakers roll out all-electric commercial vans in addition to more mainstream models. The latest is Mercedes-Benz, which has unveiled its new Vito E-Cell...

 While Nissan and Chevrolet fight it out to become the number one consumer electric vehicle of 2010, six electric vehicle companies most consumers will have never heard of are battling it out to become $10 million richer. That's the prize fund the winner of the Auto X-Prize could take home in...