2011
-
When we look towards the future what do we see? Well, it might not be the flying cars of the “Jetson’s” or “Back to the Future II,” but it certainly does seem to have the presence of the electric vehicle (EV). We figure ten years from now range anxiety is going to mean someone who wants to travel more than 500 or 600 miles on a charge, not the magic 100 that we seem to see in the current generation of production electric vehicles. But what about sports cars? If the Tesla, Audi R8 E-tron and now the Porsche Boxster E are any indication there will be just as...
-
2011 Kia Optima Hybrid To Cost $26,500, Less Than Camry, Fusion Hybrids
Kia has announced that its 2011 Optima Hybrid midsize sedan will carry a starting price of $26,500 when it arrives at dealers in June. (That price does not include a mandatory $750 destination fee.) The car is the first-ever hybrid electric vehicle from the Korean carmaker, which is owned by...
John Voelcker -
Ford Steps Closer to 2012 Focus Electric Launch With New Website
It might seem a long while since Ford unveiled its 2012 all-electric Ford Focus at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, but in reality we’ve only known about Ford’s five seat electric hatchback for four months. But with the car due to launch some time before the end...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Will Japanese Power Problems Mean Fewer 2011 Toyota Prius Cars?
World supplies of the highly popular Toyota Prius hybrid could be further threatened by new electric power problems in Japan. The Japanese government requested on Friday, May 6, that the Hamaoka nuclear power plant system shut down all of its reactors, which supply to the central Japanese power...
George Parrott -
2011 Ford Fiesta: May 2011 NADAguides Car of the Month
Earlier this month a familiar name in vehicle pricing and information gave an award to a subcompact that some question as even being relevant for the American automotive market. Yes, NADAguides gave the 2011 Ford Fiesta, Ford’s first try at a modern global car platform, the Car of the Month...
Jonathan McGrew -
Earth Day: Eager Electric-Car Advocates Meet Unaware Public
Three weeks ago, in a suburban park in Roseville, California--just outside the state capital, Sacramento--a community celebration of Earth Day served as a gathering of the greenest cars now available. Both participants and random park-goers were drawn to the cars, providing a chance for eager...
George Parrott -
Supercars: sleek, blindingly fast, ultra-expensive objects of lust for 14-year-old boys and sober-suited executives alike. For decades, supercars were powered solely by gasoline. But now there's a new gang in town, and they've upended all the rules. The newest, coolest, most jaw-dropping supercars will come with one feature no Ferrari or Maserati or Lamborghini or Noble or Aston Martin has ever had. It's a charging cord. Here are six supercars--one in production now, five on the way--that use electric power for some or all of their motive power. Whether it's combined with a gasoline engine...
-
U.S. Gas Price Now Above $4 A Gallon, On Average
Well, it's official. Despite news last week of a sudden drop in the wholesale price of oil, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. rose to precisely $4 a gallon, according to the respected Lundberg Report. That's 12 cents higher than just two weeks ago. Your price will likely be...
John Voelcker -
Is GM’s U.S. Boss Scared By The 2011 Nissan Leaf Electric Car?
You’d hardly expect Mark Reuss, the North American President of General Motors, to be a fan of the primary rival to the company's 2011 Chevrolet Volt. But in a recent interview with the Nashville Business Journal, the man responsible for starting the GM Performance Division took his dislike...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Denies Prius Range To Go All Plug-In Hybrid By 2014
In about a year’s time Toyota will launch the long-awaited plug-in hybrid version of its top-selling Prius, selling it alongside the regular version of the Prius that’s already available today. According to a new report from Japan’s Nikkei business daily, however, Toyota may make...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In Brazil, Even Humble Power Outlets Love The Nissan Leaf
Over the years we’ve seen a whole load of electric vehicle ad campaigns, ranging from the clichéd to the quirky and from the aspirational to the downright bizarre. Some companies have even created electric car adverts aimed directly at children. But one Brazilian ad agency has gone a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Recall Alert: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Recalled Over Transmission Issue
GM has been having good success with the newest in compact car offerings for the Chevrolet brand—namely the Cruze. That said, recalls have become a lot more high profile in recent years, which can probably be credited to Toyota and the “unintended acceleration” debacle. The 2011...
Jonathan McGrew -
Earlier this week our contributor George Parrott shared his own experiences of having the main operating software on his 2011 Nissan Leaf updated. In his case, the update took longer than expected, requiring him to leave his car at the dealer for four hours, but didn’t get to see exactly what happens when the update is applied. Curious, we asked Nissan Europe to show us just what happens when Nissan technicians apply an update to the Leaf’s onboard computer to rectify a rare software issue which could cause affected cars to stop working. They obliged and let us watch as our very...
-
Five Reasons Why Mercedes Should Make an All-Electric S-Class
Earlier this week Motor Authority reported that bosses at German automaker Mercedes-Benz were unwilling to confirm or deny the rumors that it was considering an all-electric version of its luxury S-Class sedan. The automaker has confirmed that a facelifted 2013 S-Class will hit the streets late in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
What Good Is Fast-Charging For Electric Cars If It's Closed?
Vacaville, California, has the distinction of the very first public Level 3 or DC quick charging station for electric cars to be installed in the United States. It was first activated in late May 2010, and was used very soon after for a small fleet of Mitsubishi i-MIEV models to make a trip from...
George Parrott -
Tesla Motors might seek additional funding for third electric car
Tesla Motors, [NSDQ:TSLA] the company behind the Roadster electric vehicle, might look for additional funding from equity sales to help pay for development of its third electric car — the sport utility vehicle styled Model X — according to the company’s CEO Elon Musk. The company...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Move Over Ford: Nissan Plans All-Electric Future For NY Taxis
From the iconic Ford Crown Victoria through to the Ford Escape Hybrids replacing many of them as part of air quality legislature coming into force in 2012, Ford’s relationship with the New York taxi is a long one. But Ford’s chance to electrify the humble New York City taxi with its...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The Father Of 'Christine' Likes His Chevy Volt Electric Car
Who knew? Stephen King, creator of perhaps the most malevolent car ever envisioned--Christine, the homicidal 1958 Plymouth Fury of both novel and movie fame--is an electric car fan. In particular, he loves the family's 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the range-extended electric vehicle that plugs in to...
John Voelcker -
A study conducted by the British arm of european utility company nPower suggests that consumer ignorance is still holding back sales of all-electric cars. In a survey of 2,000 people, nPower discovered that many of those questioned were unaware of governmental grants to assist in the purchase of plug-in vehicles and had wildly inaccurate impressions what it was like to drive and own an electric car. Of those questioned, many believed that an electric car like the 2011 Nissan Leaf would cost as much as £15 ($25) to fully charge overnight, at least 7.5 times more expensive than the actual...
-
2011 Nissan Leaf Software Update: Easy, But Slow (4 Hours?)
Nissan's new electric car, the 2011 Leaf, is rolling out slowly. Recently, it came to light that early-delivery vehicles are failing to start after the air conditioning has been used under certain circumstances. Nissan has developed a software update to fix the problem, and will install it in all...
George Parrott -
April Electric Car Sales: Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf Steady
Sales of plug-in electric cars continued at a steady pace in April, with 493 Chevrolet Volts and 573 Nissan Leafs sold during the month. That brings yearly totals of the cars to 1,703 and 1,025 respectively. There were also 326 Volts and 19 Leafs sold last December, the month in which each car...
John Voelcker -
Chinese SUV Tries to Make it in U.S. Despite Taxi Fire
Yesterday Dallas-based electric vehicle firm Green Automotive Company announced it was sending two of its all-electric Zotye electric SUVs to be tested for compliance with Federal Motor Safety Standards at independent engineering firm Roush Industries. But while GAC’s website promises it is...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tough To Be Wheego: Germany Crushes Electric Car From 'Hand-To-Mouth' Startup
It's hard to start a car company. Really, really, really, really, really hard. Which is why little Wheego Electric Cars is having a tough time of it at the moment. Last week, CEO Mike McQuary told industry trade journal Automotive News that the company was "living hand-to-mouth" and that its first...
John Voelcker -
90% of Chevy Volt Plug-In Hybrid Customers New to Brand
There’s nothing sales executives love more than seeing sales figures indicating that the latest product is attracting new buyers to their brand, so we’re sure Chevrolet board members must be pretty happy right now. Why? According to data collected from buyers of its 2011 Chevrolet Volt...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield