plug-in cars
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Tesla Motors opened its 200th Supercharger station in Oxnard, California.
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Would Intelligent Cars Get Us Green Quicker Than Electric Cars?
What technologies will have the most impact on making cars greener and transportation more sustainable--and provide that impact fastest? Suppose that the key isn't plug-in electric cars, but in fact connecting cars to each other and to the infrastructure around them--making traffic flow vastly more...
John Voelcker -
Sakti3 Battery Firm: Key To GM 200-Mile Electric Car, $100 Per kWh By End Of Decade?
By all indications, there will be an all-electric 2017 Chevrolet Sonic EV for which General Motors is targeting a range of 200 miles. And one of the keys to achieving such a range from a compact car will be a more energy-dense battery than those used today. DON'T MISS: GM's 200-Mile Electric Sonic...
John Voelcker -
Buying A Crashed Tesla Model S: Damage, Risk, Safety, Salvage, And Reporting
Caveat emptor. Or, for those less conversant in Latin, buyer beware. That's the lesson that should always be applied when buying a used car. Especially one with obvious damage. Especially a used electric car that's been so badly damaged that it's been declared a total writeoff by an insurance...
John Voelcker -
Iowa Dealers Shut Down Tesla Test Drives As Rep Humiliates Them
Sometimes you almost have to feel sorry for car dealers--or, more specifically, their ineptness at the public-relations end of their fight against electric-car maker Tesla Motors and its direct Internet sales to car buyers. Consider Bruce Anderson, president of the Iowa Automobile Dealers...
John Voelcker -
From Making iPhones To Electric Cars: Foxconn To Offer $15K Plug-In Vehicle
Smartphone-maker Foxconn wants to build its own electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
While much of the electric-car world is anticipating the next Chevy Volt, which will launch in January, GM's other range-extended electric car will be getting some changes before then. According to Edmunds, an updated 2016 Cadillac ELR will debut in November at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. DON'T MISS: 2016 Chevrolet Volt To Launch Next Year: What We Know So Far Cadillac spokesperson David Caldwell confirmed the debut to Edmunds on Monday, saying the revised ELR would have unspecified "engineering enhancements." He declined to provide any details on those enhancements. Cadillac has sold...
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Best Use For Abundant U.S. Natural Gas: Powering Electric Cars
Natural-gas vehicles have never had much acceptance in the North American passenger car market, and even trucks powered by it are struggling. While natural gas is presently abundant in North America, courtesy of the controversial process of hydrofracturing ("fracking"), a new study suggests there's...
John Voelcker -
Six California Electric-Car Bills Signed By Governor Brown
Governor Jerry Brown marked National Drive Electric week by signing six electric-car bills.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla A 'Fringe Brand': Former GM Product Czar Bob Lutz (Video)
When an unknown automotive startup from Silicon Valley unveiled an all-electric sports car with supercar performance back in 2006, the shock was enough to make industry giant GM sit up and pay attention. That, plus the desire to gain some of the green halo seized by Toyota's Prius hybrid, led GM's...
John Voelcker -
National Drive Electric Week: 150 Cities, 90,000 People, Electric Cars All Over
National Plug-In Day became National Drive Electric Week for the first time, with seven days worth of electric-car events.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 BMW i8 Configurator Live: Spec Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Coupe!
The 2015 BMW i8 online configurator is live.
Stephen Edelstein -
Time was, the Toyota Prius hybrid was the unquestioned technology champion and king of the fuel-efficiency battles. No longer, though. Now, as Toyota starts to plan for the launch of its fourth-generation flagship hybrid car, the legendary Prius faces more competition than ever before from newer plug-in electric cars and even some diesel vehicles. An article in trade journal Automotive News (subscription required) reports that Toyota dealers have now seen the design of the new Prius, which will be sportier and more streamlined. MORE: All-New 2016 Toyota Prius: What We Know So Far The latest...
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2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive Gets Own Version Of PlugShare App
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive gets PlugShare integration.
Stephen Edelstein -
Rapid Charging Electric-Car Batteries: Less Damaging Than We Thought?
A new study indicates fast-charging isn't as bad for batteries as originally believed.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Guinness World Record: 507 Electric Cars In One Place
A rally in Cupertino, California sets a new record as part of National Drive Electric Week.
Stephen Edelstein -
Electric Cars Have Lots Of Torque; Use It Wisely, Kids! (Video)
The latest Nissan Leaf ad showcases the advantage of electric-car torque.
Stephen Edelstein -
Have Green-Car Sales Dropped This Year? Depends How You Define Them
More-efficient gasoline cars may be curtailing sales of hybrids, plug-ins, and other alternatives.
Stephen Edelstein -
The future of the Fisker Karma range-extended luxury electric sedan has been in the hands of new owner Wanxiang America for many months, with little known about its relaunch plans or timing. Now, however, a Reuters article says that the company plans to relaunch the existing vehicle--last sold as the 2012 Fisker Karma--"by next year," presumably as a 2015 or perhaps 2016 model. DON'T MISS: Fisker Karma Finnish Production To Resume Following Fixes, New Model Later Wanxiang founder and chairman Lu Guanqiu and Wanxiang America president Pin Ni had told reporters last month that the company had...
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World's First Nissan Leaf Electric Pickup Truck, For Shop Use Only (Video)
Nissan adds a pickup bed to the Leaf electric car for an unusual project.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla 'Will Prevail In All States' Against Dealer Lawsuits: Dealership Commentator
Have we just seen the first crack in the facade of auto-dealer opposition to Tesla Motors selling cars directly to retail buyers? An opinion piece in auto-industry trade journal Ward's Auto concludes with the following remarkable sentences: We can keep Tesla busy defending what are basically...
John Voelcker -
When Electric Car Incentives Expire: A Case Study In Canada
In February, the Canadian province of British Columbia became one of few areas of the world to allow its plug-in electric vehicle purchase incentives to expire. The cause was simple: The initial allocation of funds ran out, and the incentive was not renewed with further funding. Five months of...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Tesla Wins Dealer Battle In MA: Direct Sales, Stores Are Legal
Massachusetts' highest court affirms the legality of Tesla's company-owned stores.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Battery Cost: New Report Suggests Model 3 To Cost $50K Or More
It's likely the biggest question for the future of electric cars: How low can battery cost go, and how fast? Tesla Motors is thought to have the lowest cost-per-kilowatt-hour in the electric-car business, with some estimates suggesting the company is already approaching the crucial $200/kWh level...
John Voelcker