Electric
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You’re probably well aware that some of our fellow journalists in the mainstream media aren’t big fans of plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars at the moment. But U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has reiterated his support of electric cars, predicting that electric cars will command a major market share by 2020 thanks to dropping battery prices. Talking with reporters at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Chu remained confident that the 1 million plug-in vehicle target set by the Obama administration would be met. “Whether it is 2015 or 2016 or whenever, I don’t know. I think...
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GM: We’ll Wait Until July To Know If Chevy Volt Is A Hit
Last year wasn’t a great one for General Motors’ first production plug-in range-extended electric car. Continued negative press -- not to mention post-crash-test fires and production-line upgrades -- conspired to produce first-year sales figures a little lower than GM had hoped. Does...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
AMP’s Converted Electric Jeep Will Cost Same As Tesla Model S
Got enough money to buy a 2012 Tesla Model S, but want something a little more rugged? If the answer is yes -- and you can’t wait another few years for the 2014 Tesla Model X Crossover SUV to debut -- you can now spend your hard-earned cash on an all-electric Jeep Grand Cherokee. You...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Analyst Calls Tesla Model X Electric Crossover “Fast, Roomy”
Tesla [NASDAQ:TSLA] may have just confirmed the date of its unofficial unveiling of the 2013 Model X crossover SUV, but it appears some lucky stock analysts at Barclays Capital research have already their own private preview of the much-anticipated car. In a recent stock analysis posted online at...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
NHTSA: Chevy Volt Battery Pack Fix OK, Ends Investigation
Officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have said they are happy with the proposed safety enhancements for the 2011 and 2012 Chevrolet Volt designed to minimize the risk of battery pack fire following a major impact. In an interview yesterday at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Tesla CEO: 2013 Model X Crossover SUV Will Be Unveiled Feb 9
For some time now, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said its new vehicle, the upcoming Model X crossover electric car, would be unveiled int he first quarter of 2012. We just didn't know when, until now. In an interview with In an interview with Gigaom’s Katie Fehrenbacher, Musk confirmed that the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
If you’re already drive a plug-in hybrid or electric car then the chances are you’ve spent at least some time standing in a parking lot somewhere answering questions from a curious passer-by about your car. Or perhaps you've experienced a curious neighbor asking questions like the curious neighbor of a new 2011 Nissan Leaf owner in the video above. But how exactly do you explain a plug-in car to a complete stranger? How do you best get across the joy of driving a plug-in car? And how do you deal with electric car skeptics who subscribe to Matt Drudge’s opinion of electric...
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Want To Tow With Your 2012 Nissan Leaf? Now You Can
If you own a 2012 Nissan Leaf alongside a regular gasoline car, the chances are you’ve already taken to driving your electric car as much as possible, using it for everything from the daily commute to weekend trips to the dump. But while Nissan’s mass production electric car beats a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
First Responder Smart Phone App Helps In Green Car Crashes
For first responders, helping deal with the aftermath of a car crash is a common occurrence. But while dealing with crashed gasoline cars is an everyday event for firefighters, police officers and paramedics, crashes involving plug-in, hydrogen and other green cars are relatively rare. As a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 BMW i3 Electric Car iPhone App Screenshots Teased: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
We’re less than a week away from the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and that means automakers are eagerly dropping hints about what we’ll be seeing next week. For BMW, that means posting six screenshots from its unreleased iOS smartphone application for the 2013...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Japanese Electric Car Startup Explains Why Its Cars Look So Wacky
We all know that most electric cars are more energy efficient than their gasoline counterparts, but just how do you improve on the limited range most electric cars have? For some automakers like BMW, the answer lies in making an electric car as lightweight as possible. For others, the answer is to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Next-Generation 2012 Smart ForTwo Electric Car Delayed
Earlier this year Daimler unveiled the third generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. Offering much improved acceleration, range and charging capabilities on the previous generation Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, it has the potential to be the first truly...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Look back a year, and you’ll probably remember the hype surrounding the first 2011 Nissan Leafs and 2011 Chevrolet Volts to be delivered to retail customers in the U.S. For the 350 or so lucky Volt and 10 Leaf owners, it meant they were among the pioneers: the first people to own one of a new wave of mass-produced electric cars. Now it’s the turn of Mitsubishi, which is trickling out 2012 Mitsubishi i cars in select states. Earlier this month, the first production 2012 Mitsubishi i was delivered to City CarShare - a 10-year-old nonprofit car-sharing service based in San Francisco...
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Lola-Drayson Set To Unveil All-Electric Race Car In January
Former American Le Mans Series veterans Drayson Racing might not be racing electric cars as quickly as they’d hoped thanks to the cancellation of this year’s EVCup, but the green-minded race team will soon be unveiling a prototype racing car as part of the International Motorsport...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Leads In Hybrid, Electric Patent Filings, But Is It Really Ahead?
Here’s an interesting question for you: which automakers are currently leading when it comes to electric and hybrid car development? Like us, you might have the inclination to chose Toyota or perhaps Nissan. After all, the Renault-Nissan alliance has already spent over $5.6 Billion on...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
What’s Nissan’s Next Electric Car? Company Mulls Its Options
The Japanese automaker Nissan has just celebrated the first birthday of its first all-electric production car, the Leaf family hatchback. Two years ago however, Renault Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn promised that there would be four all-electric vehicles coming to the U.S. in the near future. With cars...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
NYPD Isn’t Going To Ask The Chevrolet Volt For Its Badge
In Hollywood films and TV shows, good cops often have to hand in their badge and gun when they’re accused of something terrible. Luckily, in the real world, that doesn’t happen so much. Not to cops, and not to cop cars. Enter the New York Police Department, which has just confirmed that...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Five Holiday Gift Ideas For Electric Car Drivers
With just over two weeks of shopping days left before Christmas, you’ve probably already purchased a lot of your holiday gifts. But while sweaters and socks might be the gifts that you’ve traditionally given, why not look for something a little more fun for the electric vehicle owner in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Sales of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric cars may have suffered over the summer thanks to dropping gas prices, economic woes and a drop in availability of cars, but last month sales of so-called ‘Advanced Drive’ cars reached an 8 month high. All in all, a little under 28,000 cars were sold in November with Hybrid or plug-in electric drivetrains, representing a 34 percent increase in year-on year sales for November last year. Toyota dominates sales According to Edmunds Auto Observer, the majority of sales last month came from increased sales in hybrid cars, specifically...
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Rinspeed Dock+Go Concept Adds Versatility To Smart Electric Drive
Rinspeed's latest concept would add both range and functionality to the Smart Electric Drive.
Kurt Ernst -
Nissan Opens Reservations For Leaf Electric Cars In 7 More States
Believe it or not, December 12 will mark one year since Oliver Chalouhi of Redwood City, California became the first U.S. owner of a production 2011 Nissan Leaf. For some Nissan Leaf fans however, December 12 marks the additional year that they’ve waited to be able to buy the all-electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2014 Nissan Leaf Will Cost Less, Go Wireless, Travel Further, Be Smarter
Last week we told you that Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, would be including wireless inductive charging on the option list for its first electric car. Now Nissan has confirmed that the 2014 Leaf will also be able to wirelessly recharge itself using a suitable inductive charging station...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
New Electric Sports Car Does 0-60 In 2.3 Seconds, But There’s A Catch...
Earlier on today we caught wind of a brand new electric car hitting the market just in time for the New Year. With classic sports car styling, a 0-60 time of 2.3 seconds and a price tag of $1100, it could make the perfect gift for the electric car fan that has everything. But while the Traxxas XO-1...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Gives 2012 Leaf Sporty Makeover, Announces 2012 Leaf Nismo
Admit it: You like the 2012 Nissan Leaf, but you yearn for the extra performance and sporting pedigree of Nissan’s custom-built, mid-engined, Nissan Leaf Nismo RC race car. Sadly, you’re unlikely to ever be given the chance to own your very own Nissan Leaf Nismo RC, but Nissan has just...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield