Electric Cars
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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. Recently the automaker announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains, and now it has unveiled the all-new Golf blue-e-motion. The new electric vehicle is strictly a concept but Volkswagen has confirmed that a production version will be on sale by 2013 alongside an Up blue-e-motion electric minicar. The objective for Volkswagen is to use popular models such as the Golf to take electric vehicles out of their niche...
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Mazda Granted Patent For Offset Wheel-Mounted Motor
For years Mazda remained adamant that diesel and advanced gasoline engines would be enough to satisfy its needs for more fuel-efficient cars, but last year, in a major shift in strategy, the automaker decided it would follow the crowd and embrace hybrids and electric powertrains. The change in...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
All-Wheel Drive And Crossovers In The Pipeline For Tesla
Tesla has hinted on several occasions in the past that it wants to expand its range of vehicles beyond the current Roadster and upcoming Model S sedan in the very near future. The CEO of the electric car start-up, Elon Musk, has now reaffirmed his company’s plans to do just that, by revealing...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Will Nissan Have a Smaller Electric Car For Sale After the Leaf?
Rumors are flying that Nissan is preparing a subcompact electric vehicle to compete directly with cars like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and it may even be made in China. The rumors are unconfirmed: word of mouth from inside a partner company of Nissan. But given the number of pre-launch reservations for...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla Outlines Production Details For 2012 Model S
Tesla's first all-original car, the upcoming Model S sedan, is already on pre-order sale and should be launched by late 2011 if there aren’t any major development stumbles. In the lead up to its showroom appearance, Tesla has revealed an expected price tag for the Model S of $49,900 and confirmed...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
GE, Nissan Join Forces To Ready the Grid For Electric Cars
This story, written by Camille Ricketts, was originally posted on VentureBeat's GreenBeat, an editorial partner of AllCarsElectric. Nissan continues to beat the electric car drum. Last week, it started taking reservations for its all-electric Leaf, and beat its own expectations with more than 6,600...
John Voelcker -
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2010 Beijing Motor Show: SAIC Roewe E1 Electric Mini-Car
Sadly, we weren't able to cover the Beijing Motor Show, which opened last week. It's too bad, too, because China is on track to become the world's largest single car market, its fuel efficiency regulations are far tougher than those of the U.S., and its industrial policy for the auto sector focuses...
John Voelcker -
Better Place Launches Battery-Swap Test In Four Tokyo Taxis
This past Monday, the electric-vehicle infrastructure provider Better Place held a press conference in Tokyo at the site of its first completed battery-swap station to be put into regular usage, in the Ropongi Hills area. Together with Nihon Kotsu, Tokyo's largest taxi company, the company will...
John Voelcker -
Five More Myths About Electric Cars, Courtesy of Think
Yesterday, we published a piece called Five Myths About Electric Cars, Courtesy of Think, whose CEO Richard Canny sent them to us. Today we have five more, to finish off his list of 10 myths. Below is the second half of Canny's list (which is why it begins with # 6), along with our assessment of...
John Voelcker -
First Pre-Production Opel Amperas Roll Off The Line
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle isn’t due to hit showrooms until the end of the year but the first pre-production examples are already rolling off production lines at a GM assembly line in Warren, Michigan. Now, the first pre-production Opel Amperas, Europe’s version of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Five Myths About Electric Cars, Courtesy of Think
Last Thursday was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and the CEO of one electric-car maker took the occasion to speak out on some of the popular myths around the manufacturing and use of electric vehicles. Richard Canny, who runs the recently refinanced Think, published a list of "top 10 EV myths...
John Voelcker -
While it's not quite the thundering herd that lined up for the new 2010 Chevrolet Camaro--or even the Apple iPad--Nissan says it has a healthy crowd of people interested in owning the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car. The 2011 Leaf will be the first mass-market electric car sold in America in the modern era when it goes on sale this fall in a handful of markets. The Detroit Free Press reports Nissan has logged more than 6,600 orders for the compact hatchback electric vehicle through its website. Last week, the automaker announced that interested shoppers who registered for early access could...
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2010 Tesla Roadster's Price is Right--But Not For One Player
You've seen it all--Alpine hikers plummeting to their deaths, women losing tube tops and falling down spinning the big wheel, people losing their "stuff" when they bid exactly right on a Showcase Showdown. But have you ever seen one winner walk away with more than $112,000 on The Price is Right?...
Martin Padgett -
2011 Chevrolet Volt Electric Car To Reach Dealers In October
The three-year drumbeat of anticipation for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car has just gotten slightly louder. General Motors CEO Ed Whitacre announced yesterday that the car will arrive at selected Chevy dealers in October, a month earlier than expected. The first pre-production...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf: We Order Ours, And Show You How
When the 2011 Nissan Leaf goes on sale later this year, a lucky handful of buyers in eight areas around the country will be among the first to own and drive the first mass-market electric car sold by an automaker in the modern era. I'm hoping I'll be one of them. As of a few moments ago, I'm in the...
Martin Padgett -
Volkswagen Shows Concept For All-Electric Milano Taxi
It must be something taxi-ish in the air. Last week, London got its first all-electric black cab to test (with rear wheels that steer, to boot), and now today Volkswagen has unveiled its own concept for an electrically powered taxi. The Volkswagen Milano Taxi concept is a compact minivan with many...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Drive Report: The Invisible Plug-In?
One of the nice things about being part of a larger network is access to other sites' content. In this case, we're pleased to be able to point ACE readers toward a drive report of a prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid from our sister site GreenCarReports.com. The 2012 Prius Plug-In will be...
John Voelcker -
Earlier this week Californian start-up Aptera unveiled its official pre-production prototype for its upcoming 2e electric vehicle, along with many of the specs for the final full-production model to come in about 11 months--once the final financing hurdle is cleared that is. There will be several different versions of the car, including an all-electric model and a range-extending plug-in hybrid. The first model in production will be the all-electric version, which will go from 0-60 mph in 10 seconds, top out at 90 mph and get the equivalent of more than 200 mpg based on a standard EPA driving...
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FedEx Launches All-Electric Trucks for Urban Parcel Delivery
In some ways, urban parcel delivery is the ideal duty cycle for electric trucks. Daily routes are usually under 100 miles, and all trucks return to a central location at night--ideal for recharging. Federal Express, which has a large fleet of green and alternative vehicles, is now putting its first...
John Voelcker -
Honey, I Think I Just Signed Up to Buy a Nissan Leaf
Automotive journalists aren't known for putting their money where their mouth is. Lots of us talk about loving the planet, owning the environmental mantle, and yet somehow we all drive MINI Coopers and Mazda MX-5 Miata roadsters. Not me. I think I just signed up to buy a 2011 Nissan Leaf. The...
Martin Padgett -
Ditch Your (Electric) Car in the Best Bike Towns In America
Sometimes, a car--even an electric car like the 2011 Nissan Leaf--isn't the best way to transport yourself on errands or to work. Bicycling's one of the greenest alternatives to gas-powered travel, and when it comes to biking-friendly commutes, a handful of cities have a huge advantage over others...
Martin Padgett -
Forecast For The Future of Small Plug-In Car Companies: Bleak
Last month was was a pretty great one for mainstream automakers planning to deliver plug-in vehicles. Publicity a-plenty, state and Federal grants announced, pricing revealed. The message from Detroit and Japan is clear: If you like it then you shoulda put a plug on it ... But with so many of the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
First 2011 Chevrolet Volt Rolls Off the Line, But Not For Sale
The 2011 Chevrolet Volt took another step last week in its long and highly publicized gestation, with the first complete vehicle rolling off the production line at GM's Detroit Hamtramck assembly plant. On Wenesday, March 31, the first model of the mass-produced electric car built in North America...
John Voelcker