Range-Extended Electric Vehicle
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The 2012 Fisker Karma remains a stunning car, regardless of its range-extended electric powertrain. While the struggling-though-not-yet-bankrupt company remains in limbo, with a purchase reported but not yet confirmed, it hasn't built cars since July 2012. MORE: 2012 Fisker Karma - full review The 2,500 or so Fiskers out there may be the only ones that are ever built. So what leads someone to buy a brand-new Fisker Karma, given the company's travails and the possibility that parts and service will be challenging in the years to come? In a word, it's the looks. Oh, and birthdays too. We...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Why California Set Range Requirements, Engine Limits
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car, which we drove last week, is generating intense interest among both plug-in proponents and BMW fans. Among other things, it's the first car in the world offered with an optional range-extending engine, at an increased cost of $3,850. MORE: 2014 BMW i3: First Drive Of...
John Voelcker -
Fisker Automotive Sold To Hong Kong Tycoon Investor Group: Report
The DOE is expected declare Richard Li and his investor group winners of Fisker's outstanding loan.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Cadillac ELR Priced At $75,995, In Showrooms By January
The 2014 Cadillac ELR will hit showrooms in January with a base price of $75,995.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 BMW i3 With Range Extender Priced At $46,125, Or $3,850 More
Adding the small range-extending engine to the 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric minicar will increase the price by $3,950, the company announced this evening. The standard 2014 BMW i3 electric car starts at $42,275 including delivery, before any Federal, state, or local incentives. BMW had announced...
John Voelcker -
Energy Department To Sell Its Fisker Loan: Kickstarter, Anyone?
That sound you heard yesterday was the other shoe dropping. The U.S. Department of Energy is offering its loan to Fisker Automotive for sale to the highest bidder, with a remaining face value of $164 million. The DoE did the same a few weeks ago with a much smaller loan--$45 million--to Vehicle...
John Voelcker -
It's been rumored for a while that the next-generation Chevy Volt electric car would get a new, smaller, three-cylinder engine as a range extender. Now we've seen what that engine could be, in the guise of a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine unveiled by GM's German arm, Opel, at this week's Frankfurt Auto Show. The Opel Monza Concept that debuted in Frankfurt may point the way to the first major update of the Voltec range-extended electric powertrain, which will likely be launched in 2016 or so. The Monza concept is a sporty shooting brake with gullwing doors that takes its name...
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2013 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview: Green Cars & Concepts (UPDATE)
The 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show is soon upon us, and it's set to be another big one for green vehicles. It's a big show in general, spread throughout several buildings in the manner of a small town. Most are occupied by huge displays of the German automakers' collective might, and those German firms...
Antony Ingram -
Opel Monza Concept: Is Range-Extended Coupe Clue To Next Volt?
Opel, European arm of General Motors, has revealed the first official images of its Monza concept, set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The Monza name has plenty of history with the Opel brand, having first appeared on a sleek six-cylinder coupe back in 1977--but the concept looks...
Antony Ingram -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Roundup Of Driving Impressions
For the last few weeks, only one electric car has displaced the Tesla Model S from the top of news stories--the 2014 BMW i3. That's an impressive feat considering Tesla's news-making abilities, but not without good reason: BMW has a reputation for pleasing driving enthusiasts and the badge-obsessed...
Antony Ingram -
Would You Retrofit A Range Extender To Your Electric Car?
Companies that convert regular gasoline cars to electric, or add a plug-in option to regular hybrids, are nothing new. The same can't be said for companies taking electric cars and turning them into range-extended electric vehicles with small gasoline engines--but that's exactly what Hyperdrive...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Chevrolet Volt Price Cut By $5,000, To $34,995
The 2014 Chevrolet Volt electric car will carry a base price of $34,995, a cut of $5,000 from the 2013 model. That price includes an $810 destination fee, but not any optional equipment. Chevrolet has "made great strides in reducing costs as we gain experience with electric vehicles and their...
John Voelcker -
Ford plug-in hybrid drivers are really making the most of the electric range of their vehicles--with nearly 60 percent of trips done entirely gas-free. That's according to Ford itself, using aggregated data from the MyFord Mobile app. The most interesting thing is that as many Ford plug-in owners are driving gas-free as their Chevy Volt counterparts, despite the shorter electric range. One year ago, we reported how 63 percent of Volt miles are electric--suggesting drivers really were making the most of their Volts and plugging in wherever they could. At the same time, the remaining 37 percent...
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Via Motors Latest To Try Electric Vehicle-To-Home Backup Power Tech
Japanese companies have explored the concept of electric vehicles powering houses for some time, but with events like last year's Hurricane Sandy fresh in peoples' minds, some U.S. organizations are investigating it too. One of these is the Department of Defense. Another is Via Motors, the Bob...
Antony Ingram -
2014 BMW i3 Range Extender: Heavier, Less Electric Range, Less Performance
Electric or range-extended electric? It's a choice that normally means selecting between entirely different cars, but when the 2014 BMW i3 debuts in the U.S. next Spring customers will be able to choose both options in the same car. The range-extended option marks out the i3 as a competitor for...
Antony Ingram -
How We Became An All-Plug-In Electric Car Household
Since November 2006, our family has always owned at least one plug-in car and one powered by gasoline. For almost two years, our fleet has been a Nissan Leaf electric hatchback, and a used 2008 Toyota Prius. After two years and nearly 42,000 miles of driving the Leaf, however, our once high-tech...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2014 BMW i3 Finally Priced in U.S: $42,275 Pre-Incentives
With just a week to go before the production version of BMW's i3 electric car is revealed, the German automaker has announced pricing for the car. The 2014 BMW i3 has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $41,350, before BMW's $925 destination fee--for a starting price of $42,275. That's also...
Antony Ingram -
Yet Another Chinese Suitor For Fisker: BAIC Kicks The Tires
We haven't heard much about Fisker Automotive in the last few months. The company still hasn't declared bankruptcy, it hasn't yet been bought, and it is still apparently in default on its Department of Energy loans. But now there's a new suitor who's at least kicking the tires. According to China...
John Voelcker -
Poring over monthly sales figures for plug-in electric cars--and our six-month summary--the data points out an unexpected fact. Did you know that pure battery-electric cars actually outsold plug-in cars that also have engines? From January through June of this year, the combination of 9,839 Nissan Leafs, 882 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, and approximately 9,400 Tesla Model S cars (plus 1,700-odd compliance cars and others) exceeds the total of 18,335 plug-in hybrids and Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric cars. Slightly different six-month sales totals from the Electric Drive Transportation...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Unveiling On July 29: Video
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car is coming... but you knew that already. Still, it gives BMW a chance to release another video, albeit one that tells us absolutely nothing save for the car's official date of unveiling: July 29th. Luckily, previous videos, plenty of spy shots and numerous auto show...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Chevrolet Volts--Just Four--Recalled For Brake Valve Glitch
It just may be the most minimal safety recall in history. General Motors said yesterday it would recall precisely four 2012 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric cars to fix a potential problem with a brake component that could have safety implications. As reported in The Detroit News, the company...
John Voelcker -
New Gas Mileage Rules Will Reshape What Americans Drive: Hybrids, Electrics, Cost
Hybrids and plug-in electric cars probably get more press than they deserve, given how small their numbers are in the vehicle fleet. The U.S. has roughly 250 million vehicles on the roads, of which less than 2 percent are hybrids and plug-ins of all kinds. Nonetheless, both technologies are...
John Voelcker -
What's Going On At Fisker These Days?
At this point, many auto journalists have a pre-written obituary for Fisker Automotive all ready to publish if that company declares bankruptcy. Which, so far, it hasn't. And according to Reuters, its remaining executives are working furiously to arrange a buyout to avoid that fate. In fact, the...
John Voelcker -
Want To Test-Drive BMW's i3 Electric Car? Join The Other 100,000...
No single automaker has yet sold 100,000 examples of an electric car. BMW is no different, and won't be for quite some time--as its full production electric vehicles, notably the i3 city car, are yet to hit the streets. But the German automaker has got that many people interested in its i3, at...
Antony Ingram