2014
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Yesterday we reported on the delay getting range-extended versions of BMW's 2014 i3 electric car to the market, pending the confirmation and fitment of their EPA-approved window stickers. That wait may not be much longer--and now we know the car's official EPA-rated mileage. The 2014 BMW i3 REx is rated at 117 MPGe on electric power (29 kWh/100 miles), with a 72-mile all-electric range. On gasoline, once the range-extending engine kicks in, the REx gets combined mileage of 39 mpg. READ: Largest Auto-Industry Employer California: Electric-Car Maker Tesla Motors For comparison, the all-electric...
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2014 BMW i3 REx Range-Extended Electric Car: On Hold At Ports (UPDATED)
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car is now in U.S. dealership, and early examples are eagerly being taken home by drivers--but, so far, only the battery-electric version is on sale. Despite hundreds of cars parked at multiple U.S. ports, the so-called i3 REx model, which includes an optional two-cylinder...
John Voelcker -
Largest Auto-Industry Employer In California: Electric-Car Maker Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors is one of the youngest U.S. automakers, but has made a disproportionately large impact in the automotive media's headlines over the last few years. It's also, amazingly, become California's biggest auto-industry employer--edging out even Toyota. When Toyota makes its move to Texas...
Antony Ingram -
Bad News: Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid Delayed Yet Again
Those of you holding out for Mitsubishi's Outlander Plug-In Hybrid will have to hold out even longer--as the car's U.S. launch has been put back once again. The Outlander PHEV is already on sale in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and has been on the market in Japan for over a year, but a series...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Nissan Leaf Recall: If Welds Missing, Car Will Be Replaced
Nissan has announced the recall of a number of 2014 model year Leaf electric cars, regarding a front structural member assembly. According to the recall report, the front structural member on affected vehicles may be missing welds, affecting its structural integrity in a crash, in turn increasing...
Antony Ingram -
Ford Focus Electric: Ultimate Guide To What You Need To Know
The 2014 Ford Focus Electric is already available in select parts of the U.S. -- and to answer all your questions about Ford’s first mass-produced all-electric car here’s our ultimate guide to the Ford Focus Electric. For our guide, we’ve hand-picked the best information about the...
Antony Ingram -
It takes all sorts of people to make the world go around, and the same can be said about electric vehicles. Some customers never want to touch a drop of gasoline again, and opt for a pure battery electric vehicle. Others like the convenience that a range-extended or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle gives them. BMW offers you both with the 2014 i3, but if you're torn between the two options, which should you buy? Long-time BMW electric program participant Tom Moloughney has taken a look at this question on BMW Blog, and his comments on each vehicle should help you decide which i3 model is the...
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Tesla's Elon Musk Should Stop Making Electric Cars, Focus On Batteries, Bond Trader Says
Elon Musk has probably been given a lot of advice during his time at Tesla--some good, and some bad. Bond manager Jeffrey Gundlach is the latest to offer his own take on the business to Musk though--and it isn't what you might be expecting. According to Bloomberg, Gundlach has suggested the Tesla...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Civic, Hybrid & Natural Gas: Ultimate Guide
The Honda Civic originally made its name in the 1970s, arriving at the perfect time to attract tens of thousands of customers scared out of larger, thirstier vehicles by the oil crisis. Four decades down the line and the Civic still has a reputation as a gas sipper, though the modern car is...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Chevrolet Spark With CVT: Gas Mileage Review
We're fond of the Chevrolet Spark minicar; it's by far the best-executed of the several smaller-than-subcompact cars sold today. But our fondness had been limited to the five-speed manual version; the four-speed automatic offered in 2013 was, in a word, awful. Now we've driven a 2014 Chevrolet...
John Voelcker -
How Quiet Are Electric Cars? This Nissan Leaf Shows You
If you've ever lived on a street where one of your neighbors has a noisy car, you'll have been made very aware of its presence every morning as they started it up and went to work. ALSO SEE: Do The BMW i3 And i8 Electric Cars Pose A Threat To Tesla? Unfortunately, these people never seem to go to...
Antony Ingram -
Ford's Three-Cylinder Engine Does Well In Fiesta; Focus Next Up
Three cylinders is about three-quarters what many U.S. consumers will tolerate, about half the number they prefer and three eighths that of what some consider ideal. It may come as a surprise then that Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder, as found in the Fiesta, is actually beating Ford's...
Antony Ingram -
With the 2014 BMW i3 battery-electric car now being delivered to its first buyers, and the range-extended i3 REx version to follow within several weeks, BMW is at last in the business of selling electric cars in volume. And that, argues one financial analyst, may pose the most direct threat yet to Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley startup carmaker that has now made roughly 40,000 Model S all-electric luxury sedans and is now selling them in North America, Europe, and China. MORE: First 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Delivered To Buyer, In Boston The argument by Kristina Church of Barclays...
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2014 Dodge Dart Dumps Dual-Clutch Automatic, Except On Aero Model
The Dodge Dart compact sedan launched as a 2013 model hasn't sold as well as hoped. One thing that hurt its debut was the unfamiliar feel of its dual-clutch automatic gear gearbox, brought over from Europe to boost the fuel economy of versions fitted with the 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter...
John Voelcker -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Online Configurator Now Live
As the first customers take delivery of their new BMW i3 electric cars, it's time for the pre-launch hype to disappear and let sales do the talking. The hype isn't hard to understand though--BMW is far outside its comfort zone with the i3, yet has come out with a product that looks, and is...
Antony Ingram -
Plug-In Electric Car Sales In Canada For April: Volt Record Sales
In Canada, the Chevy Volt's record-setting sales last month overshadowed the Tesla Model S's equally impressive deliveries the month before, in March. Building on strong momentum in March, the Chevy Volt tallied 222 sales in April, breaking its own monthly record for deliveries of a single plug-in...
Matthew Klippenstein -
2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: First Drive
Can electric cars be sexy? Look at the exclusive Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive gullwing sports car, and that question has been answered. But put your sensible cap on for the moment, have a look at the 2014 Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive, and you'll find little of such flirtation. That's...
Bengt Halvorson -
First 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Delivered To Buyer, In Boston
As of Friday, May 2, it's official: the 2014 BMW i3 electric car is now on sale in the U.S. In a small ceremony inside the BMW of Boston dealership, the first retail buyer of an i3 took delivery of his keyfob yesterday afternoon. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Rated At 81 Miles, 124 MPGe He...
John Voelcker -
It's clearly the week for news about the new and distinctive 2014 BMW i3 electric car. Yesterday, as the first cars arrived at dealers, we learned that it was rated at 81 miles of range (less than a 2014 Nissan Leaf's 84 miles), but operates at an unparalleled efficiency of 124 MPGe. Then, late last night, we found that California buyers who ponied up for the range-extended option--the car known as the BMW i3 REx--will receive the same $2,500 purchase rebate from the state as if they'd bought the battery-electric version. DON'T MISS: 2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Why California Set Range...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Rated At 81 Miles, 124 MPGe: BREAKING
Well, the numbers are in, courtesy of a quickly-photographed window sticker, and now we know the range and efficiency ratings for the 2014 BMW i3 electric car. The EPA-rated range is 81 miles, and its efficiency is a record-breaking 124 MPGe combined (138 MPGe city, 111 MPGe highway). ALSO SEE...
John Voelcker -
VW Beetle Range To Expand In 2019 As Sub-Brand To Rival Mini: Report
In the company's early days, much of Volkswagen's range centered around just one model: The Beetle. Those days may return to an extent, as the Beetle is the latest subject of Volkswagen's desire to fill every automotive niche possible. German site Auto Bild reports that the next-generation Beetle...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Nissan Juke: New Equipment, Revised Features, MPG Unchanged
The Nissan Juke's appearance in the compact crossover segment has spurred several other automakers into fielding their own entries. Three years on from its debut, Nissan has refreshed its quirky offering for 2014--though fuel economy remains unchanged. All Juke models get a 1.6-liter turbocharged...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Gigafactory Site Choice Due Soon--Or, Maybe Two Sites
Tesla CEO Elon Musk isn't just planning one site for the company's future battery gigafactory--he's actually looking at two. As a way of avoiding "last minute issues" on a possible site for the factory, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] will break ground at two sites, reports Bloomberg. Tesla announced its...
Antony Ingram -
2014 Mercedes B-Class Electric Car On Sale In Summer From $41,450
The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive will go on sale in the U.S. this summer.
Stephen Edelstein