plug-in cars
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For a long time, the Toyota Prius was the only game in town for high fuel-efficiency vehicles. Starting with the 2004 model, it really came to define the public image of a hybrid car. Now, though, as hybrids and plug-in cars are slowly growing their share of the market, Prius sales have fallen--not just as a share of the "alternative powertrain" segment, but in raw numbers. According to Ward's Auto sales data, hybrids and plug-ins together took 3.71 percent of the U.S. market last month--just 0.01 percent below their all-time high share of 3.72 percent last December. About 7,500 plug-in cars...
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California Drivers Very Happy With Their Plug-In Electric Cars
With Chevy's Volt topping customer satisfaction surveys for the last few years running, it's no surprise to hear that other plug-in electric cars are also popular with owners. A new survey from the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) shows that over 9 in every 10 plug-in drivers reports...
Antony Ingram -
100,000th Plug-In Electric Car In U.S. Sold Today (More Or Less)
Sometime yesterday or today, the 100,000th modern plug-in electric car was delivered to a buyer somewhere in the U.S. The exact buyer and car will likely never be known. But any electric-car buyer taking delivery on either day can be forgiven for claiming a small share of the glory. The first...
John Voelcker -
Can Tesla Raise More Than $1 Billion On Soaring Stock Price?
Investors in startup electric-car maker Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] have had quite the wild ride lately. Following its first-ever profitable quarter, with its share price soaring above $80, Tesla announced last Wednesday that it would issue new stock and warrants. Now, Tesla has quietly increased its...
John Voelcker -
Wyoming Lithium To Make U.S. Self-Sufficient In Electric-Car Batteries?
It's a major threat to national security: A natural resource needed by one or many nations is controlled by only a few countries, which don't much like how the rest of the world runs itself. It applies to oil. It applies to rare-earth metals. Some worry it also applies to lithium, the element used...
John Voelcker -
Ranking SW States On Electric-Car Support: CO Best, WY Worst
California is by far the leading state for adoption of plug-in electric cars, with one-third or more of all sales sited in the Golden State. But how's everyone else doing? A study of six Southwestern states released yesterday gives a look at how friendly a state's legislation and infrastructure is...
John Voelcker -
I've been leasing a 2011 Chevrolet Volt for almost two years now. And about three months ago, I took delivery of a 2013 Tesla Model S, the 60-kWh version. So I've gotten an extended first-hand look at arguably the two most technically advanced production cars in the U.S.--and the two best-selling plug-ins so far in 2013. Although not precisely comparable--the Tesla is pure electric, while the Volt has a range-extending gas engine to back up its battery--driving the two cars back-to-back on a daily basis has highlighted the pluses and minuses of each. So how do they stack up against each...
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Tesla To Issue More Stock, Pay Off Energy Dept With Proceeds
Since Tesla issued its first-quarter financials last week, its stock has been on a tear. Not only did the company have its first profitable quarter ever, but the many investors who had shorted the stock of Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] are now faced with the threat of expensive margin calls. So Tesla is...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Leaf Final Ratings Issued: 115 MPGe, 75 Miles Of Range
It often takes awhile to get gas-mileage ratings onto the EPA's official website, and it's no different with electric-car efficiency numbers. Now we have the final ratings for the 2013 Nissan Leaf compact hatchback: It's rated at 115 MPGe, up from the 99 MPGe for 2011 and 2012 models. MPGe stands...
John Voelcker -
Could Small 2015 Chevy City Express Van Offer All-Electric Model?
This morning, Chevrolet announced that in the fall of 2014, it will start selling a small commercial van called the City Express in the U.S. and Canada. That van will be provided by Nissan, which already sells it as the NV200, with the substitution of a Chevrolet grille and badges. All-electric...
John Voelcker -
Why Electric-Car Owners Should Be Happy For New Colorado Tax
Stories about new or proposed taxes on electric cars are generally viewed as negative, even punitive, by plug-in vehicle advocates. Now, there's one that likely shouldn't cause all that much ruckus: Colorado is about to levy a $50 annual fee on any car that plugs into the wall to recharge its...
John Voelcker -
Electric Cars: Eight Important Things Everyone Should Know (But May Not)
Sometime in the next few weeks, the 100,000th plug-in electric car will be sold in the U.S. But they're still mostly a mystery to the average new-car buyer, and there are a few key principles that get shared over and over again. Here they are, boiled down for easy consumption: eight things you need...
John Voelcker -
The Better Place electric-car system has not had a good run of news lately. But despite little attention, it has managed to boost the sales rate in Israel for its cars, along with subscriptions to its battery-switching service. Deliveries for all of 2012 were 518 cars. Roughly the first 100 were cars for internal use by Better Place itself. Deliveries to customers began in April 2012, and switch stations began opening for customer use only in June 2012. There was no concerted marketing effort until September, which coincided almost exactly with the ousting of founder Shai Agassi--and a sudden...
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Should Apple Buy Tesla? Or Would Ford Be A Better Buyer?
Electric-car maker Tesla is on a roll--its first quarter was profitable, its stock price is soaring, and Consumer Reports gave its Model S a rave review. That has led many writers to compare the company to Apple Inc. [NSDQ:AAPL]. Now one analyst has taken it further: In a Bloomberg column, Chamath...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Leaf: Driven Through Tennessee Countryside
After our quick drive of a 2013 Nissan Leaf before the New York Auto Show in late March, we were finally able to spend some extended time with the updated electric car outside Nashville. Our initial impressions remain the same: The Leaf is a perfectly normal, competent compact five-door hatchback...
John Voelcker -
Is Belgian Granny Sex Rap The Key To Selling Electric Cars? (Video)
Take one very small Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric minicar with a flower decal on the side. Fold in three severe Belgian elderly ladies with disapproving looks. Incorporate one blatantly obvious occurrence of plumber butt in public. Then add one young motorcycle police officer to the resulting mix...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in Electric Car Sales In Canada, April 2013
Most Canadians will remember last month for the introduction of the country's new $5 and $10 bills, which arrived just in time for the playoff-hockey betting season. Canadian electric vehicle enthusiasts may remember April 2013, on the other hand, as the month the Toyota Prius Plug-in fell into...
Matthew Klippenstein -
Tesla Makes Money On Model S: $35K Per Car Selling ZEV Credits?
Tomorrow at 5 pm Eastern, Tesla will hold what may be its most eagerly awaited conference call to date. The Silicon Valley startup automaker will discuss its first-quarter financial results--which will give the first clue to its financial viability as an operating automaker. But Tesla Motors...
John Voelcker -
The production version of the BMW i3 electric car will be unveiled at September's Frankfurt Motor Show, and anticipation is building. How much BMW's first battery-electric car will cost is one of the biggest open questions. Now Ludwig Willisch, the CEO of the Bavarian maker's North American arm, has given a hint. The BMW i3, he told Automotive News, will be priced about the same as a well-equipped version of the company's famous 3-Series compact sport sedan. That puts the price at about $40,000, he said. We had a few questions about the story, so we reached out to BMW. BEV or ReX? First, is...
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Public Charging Stations For Electric Cars: Who Leads The Way?
For the majority of the general public to consider purchasing a fully electric car, they first want accessible public charge points located at or near places they frequent in their daily life. It's also clear that most people won't end up using them nearly as much as they think they will. However...
Tom Moloughney -
2013 Tesla Model S 'Performance Plus' Package, Other Options, Added
The 2013 Tesla Model S electric car wouldn't be defined as a supercar--which is, more or less by custom, a two-seat sports car, not a large sedan. But to take the luxury plug-in sedan "into supercar handling territory," Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has announced a new "Performance Plus" suspension and...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Hires New Engineering VP From Luxury Maker Aston Martin
While CEO Elon Musk is doing another tweet-hyped conference call today, Tesla has a lot going on in the background. Not only is it building and selling Model S electric luxury sport sedans, but Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has quietly hired a new vice president of vehicle engineering. That new VP is...
John Voelcker -
Next Chevy Volt $10,000 Cheaper To Build, Profitable For GM?
Here and there, a few little tidbits about the next-generation Chevrolet Volt electric car are starting to leak out. The latest comes from GM CEO Dan Akerson, who told the audience at Fortune's Brainstorm Green conference Tuesday that the next Volt would cost "$7,000 to $10,000" less than today's...
John Voelcker -
How You Can Buy a 2013 Tesla Model S Now, With No Waiting
Good news for rich, impatient, picky Tesla Model S electric-car wannabes! If you're looking to buy right now--but can't abide a car sullied by a few thousand miles of loaner-car duty under the recently announced buy-it-now program--Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] now offers a new but little-known option...
David Noland