Electric Cars
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A few hours after Chevrolet announced its pricing structure for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, Nissan have responded with details of the warranty it will offer on its 2011 all-electric Leaf. At the Plugin 2010 Conference in San Jose, California, Carlos Tavares, Nissan's executive vice president and head of operations in America, told a packed audience of industry professionals, commentators and enthusiasts it would be offering an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty on the Leaf's all-electric drivetrain, battery and charging systems. The warranty is exactly the same level of coverage as Chevrolet...
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Nissan Leaf to Chevy Volt: You Can't Beat Zero
Now that the world knows the price of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and of the 2011 Nissan Leaf...let the PR games begin. To the educated consumer, the difference between a Volt and a Leaf may be slight. Though the Volt uses a range-extending gasoline engine, it's an electric car--since its wheels are...
Martin Padgett -
In Line for a Nissan Leaf? You Probably Already Own a Prius
If you're one of the more than 16,000 customers who put a deposit down on the 2011 Nissan Leaf, you're in luck--you're among the first in line as Nissan begins checking out home installation issues before opening the actual order process to pre-registered shoppers. And you're no newbie. In fact...
Martin Padgett -
Perry: Nissan Won't Lose Money on 2011 Leaf
Cutting-edge technology never comes cheaply. Automakers routinely subsidize it in new cars in new markets to gain a foothold, or even a competitive advantage--and still can lose money on innovation.Does Nissan plan to lose money with its upcoming electric car, the 2011 Leaf? "We don't," says Nissan...
Martin Padgett -
GM To Build All-Electric Cars Again: A Very Few, Just For Tests
The big news in green cars today will be the noon release of pricing and ordering information for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM's upcoming range-extended compact electric car. But GM had more noteworthy news today, all the way from the other side of the world. General Motors, the company pilloried...
John Voelcker -
Mitsubishi i-MiEV Edges Closer To Late-2011 U.S. Rollout
With the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt arriving this fall—if you're so lucky to be one of the top names on the list—the electric vehicle buzz is about migrate from social media platforms and signup lists to real dealership showrooms.
Bengt Halvorson -
When the 2011 Nissan Leaf goes on sale later this year, each copy of the first mass-market electric car on earth will come with a navigation system. Nifty spiff--and an integral part of the Leaf experience. High Gear Media took a quick drive in a 2011 Leaf prototype today in San Jose, while Nissan prepares for some big announcements tomorrow on Leaf sales and deliveries to customers. Leaf product manager Paul Hawson took a few minutes to explain the Leaf's essentials, including its lithium-ion battery pack and its five-seat body. We've been curious about the Leaf's navigation system...
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2011 Nissan Leaf: Live Photos
The 2011 Nissan Leaf is in the final stages of development before it rolls into showrooms late this year. Today, High Gear Media took the Leaf for a first drive around San Jose, California, before the Plug-In 2010 Conference and before a very big announcement from Nissan on future Leaf sales. We're...
Martin Padgett -
Should Nissan Offer Warranty Options For The 2011 Leaf?
What is an acceptable warranty for an electric car? Three years? Four years? Ten Years? And should customers be able to choose what that warranty level is? That is the question Nissan was asking last week when it sent out a questionnaire to the 16,100 people who have paid out $99 to reserve a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Chrysler Pares Back EV And Hybrid Plans
A few years back Chrysler showed off all manner of hybrid, range-extended and all-electric concepts in the hope that these vehicles would eventually see production, thus catapulting the automaker to the forefront of the electrification revolution. Unfortunately, a global economic downturn and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Official: Porsche Confirms Electric Sports Car Development
Electricity and high-performance cars may or may not mix, depending on your frame of reference, but whether you're a Tesla fan or a Formula 1 devotee, it's easy to agree that a hybrid or all-electric Porsche would be a welcome creation for sports car and EV fans alike. Though we’ve seen several...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Four Out Of Five Dentists Open To Driving Electric Cars (Apparently)
Unless you've been living in a remote shack in the remote wilderness of Northern Alaska you'll be familiar with the television adverts we all suffered in the 80s which started with the immortal line "Four out of five dentists..." What followed was normally an advertisement for some form of dental...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
According to a recent report by Nissan, most consumers signed up to buy the 2011 Nissan Leaf are already electric vehicle owners or hybrid drivers. In short, early adopters are mainly enthusiasts who already know the ins and outs of driving electric. But what about the general public? We've sat down and come up with five questions we think Consumers will want to know before they stump up the cash for a new car powered by electric. 1. How do we refuel? It's a simple question that's often overlooked with a simple answer. - You plug it in. But let's examine how, why and when. Most consumers will...
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One Man Fights Toyota And Wins
It’s not every day that a small guy gets embroiled in a lawsuit with an automotive giant like Toyota and actually wins but that’s exactly what happened in the case of Alex Severinsky and his claims of patent-infringement. The dispute actually dates back several years and surrounds...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Senate Panel Approves $3.6 Billion Funding For EV Infrastructure
The electric vehicle revolution took a major step towards becoming a reality with the Senate Energy Committee approving today a new $3.6 billion bill to support the development of plug-in electric vehicles through a series of deployment communities to be set up around the country. These...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Most 2011 Nissan Leaf Drivers Plan to Lease Rather Than Buy
Are you buying a 2011 Nissan Leaf? If you're one of the 16,064 lucky people who has already placed a $99 deposit down on one of the most eagerly anticipated cars of the year, Nissan thinks it knows how you'll finance the $32,780 cost of purchase. Nissan expects most people to lease. And it turns...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BMW Megacity On Show At 2012 London Olympic Games
Though it’s not scheduled to go on sale until 2013, BMW’s upcoming Megacity Vehicle will appear in near-production form one year earlier, at the 2012 Olympics Games taking place in London. BMW is the official automotive partner for the 2012 games so you can bet that a small fleet of the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Detroit Dinosaur Thinks Kilowatts Are a Buzzkill, World Laughs
As any parent will tell you, progress takes time. Evolution often takes a much longer time yet. So rather than pounding our head on the wall when we read idiotic editorials, perhaps we should take a deep breath and calmly reflect that those who can't adapt to change will eventually die out. What...
John Voelcker -
When it comes to electric vehicle (EV) development, even auto giants like Toyota and Daimler are partnering up with smaller specialist firms--in this case Tesla--to benefit from technology sharing and other synergies in their quest to become leaders in the field. So it should come as no surprise that another giant, Volkswagen, is forming a new worldwide research alliance for EV development. The automaker plans to invest $6.4 billion a year and employ more than 23,000 people around the world to help spur the development of EVs, with new technology centers set to be opened in...
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BREAKING: Honda Plans Electric Car, Plug-in Hybrid For 2012
Just like last week's Toyota-Tesla announcement, the rumor mill went into overdrive yesterday with talk of plans from Honda to build both electric cars and plug in Hybrids in the near future. Knowing full well how the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines felt about battery...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Why Your First Electric Vehicle Could Have Two Wheels
We're living in exciting times. In the next year we'll see electric cars hit the market in the form of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Mitsubishi i-Miev to name just three. While we wax lyrical about the multitude of vehicles set to reach the market there are very few available...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Obama Meets The Volt: Sparks Barely Fly
President Barack Obama’s electric vehicle tour climaxed last Thursday with a visit to the Compact Power battery plant in Holland, Michigan, where he was treated to his first extensive experience with the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt. The Holland plant just happens to be the place where LG Chem...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Remember the 2011 Chevrolet Volt's 230-MPG Claim? Forget It.
Almost a year ago, General Motors launched a little marketing campaign connecting its 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car to the figure "230 mpg." As we pointed out at the time, they were basing that projection on a proposed formula for fuel usage patterns that made a lot of assumptions...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Dealer: Karma Plug-In Sedan Deliveries Start March or April
We've written before about the schedule for the 2011 Fisker Karma, which (like many other electric cars) has slipped a bit since the car was first unveiled. Now Fisker's newest dealer, located in none other than LA's epicenter of green consciousness--namely Santa Monica, California--says that the...
John Voelcker