Electric
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If you like the idea of hybrid or electric cars that whir silently down the road without the noise of an engine exploding gasoline thousands of times each minute, you'd better act fast. The U.S. government is moving inexorably toward a rule requiring all hybrid and electric cars to make noise whenever their engine isn't running. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a notice of intent and request for comments on its website yesterday, as it moves to implement last year's Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act. Targeting electric motors, not noise That law requires...
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Electric Car Navigation Gets Smart With Pioneering New GPSPractically every car on the market today ships with the option of a built-in GPS unit, letting the driver go anywhere without supposedly getting lost. But while satellite navigation systems have got a whole lot smarter in recent years, they are designed to be used in a gasoline car - not an...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Mitsubishi Adds Electric-Car Models: One's Cheaper, One Goes FurtherMitsubishi Motors has played the next move in the growing global electric car war by announcing that it will offer three different versions of its popular four-seat electric car. Much like the 2012 Tesla Model S Sedan, the only major difference between the three grades of car will be the size of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf Fails To Attempt Backwards Hillclimb RecordLast week we told you about Nissan’s plans to break some novel world records at the world-famous 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Unlike some of the other competitors there who sought the fastest time driving forwards up the twisty 1.16 mile course, Nissan had planned to have British stunt...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota's Electric-Car Hat Trick: Three New EVs for 2012It’s official: next year Toyota will launch not one, but three plug-in vehicles in the year ahead. Announced at Toyota’s Annual National Dealer meeting in Las Vegas, the trio of vehicles will consist of one plug-in hybrid and two pure electric vehicles to the U.S. market by the end of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
New Mercedes-Benz B-Class Getting Five Different PowerplantsMercedes-Benz is working on a brand new version of its B-Class hatchback that’s destined to go on sale in the U.S. late next year alongside a new A-Class hatchback, BLS four-door coupe and BLK compact crossover. This family of small cars from the German luxury brand will all ride on a new...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nissan took the next step in its aim to become the world leader in electric vehicle technology yesterday with the announcement that it was starting a global test program for an all-electric minivan. Based on the versatile NV200 minivan platform currently popular in Europe and Japan with delivery firms and taxi firms alike, a single all-electric NV200 will be loaned to the Japan Post Service Col, Ltd. for two months to test its suitability as a delivery vehicle. Nissan has not released any more details of the test scheme, but has said that it plans to roll out further test fleets in Europe and...
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Portland, Oregon: Why Is It A Leading Electric Vehicle Market?Portland was chosen as one of the first markets for both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt—and at least for the Leaf, the density of charging stations and the presence of that CHAdeMO quick-charger probably had something to do with it.
Bengt Halvorson -
Tesla Electric Car Plus Solar Power Equals Zero-Cost Driving (Video)Mike Koenigs is also a true Tesla and clean power activist
George Parrott -
CA To Hybrid Drivers: Sorry, We're Just Not That Into You--Any MoreSpare a thought, if you will, a momentary tear, for 85,000 doomed drivers of three models of hybrid car in California. They are the unlucky losers of a privilege that saved them time, raised the value of their vehicle, and undoubtedly increased their karmic contentment, all because of a set of tiny...
John Voelcker -
Gordon Murray Design Reveals T.27 Electric Minicar PrototypeAbout a month ago we first brought you details on the new T.27 electric minicar prototype from automotive industry legend Gordon Murray, one of the chief designers of the McLaren F1 supercar. His latest T.25 minicar project is bustling along, with his design firm, the eponymous Gordon Murray...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Rolls-Royce Prepares Electric Prototype For World TourWhile we think Rolls-Royce is unlikely to be selling an all-electric Phantom any time soon, the British luxury car maker has been putting its 102EX Electric Phantom through a whole series of tests ahead of a worldwide tour to ensure it behaves in an appropriate manner at all times. One of the most...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Better Place has moved a bit further down the road in its quest to corner the electric vehicle market. In Denmark, the company has just unveiled Europe's first Battery Switch Station, which will serve as the cornerstone of Better Place's biggest real-world test to date. The grand event was held at a new Better Place facility in Gladsaxe, just outside Copenhagen. The vehicle used to demonstrate the station's functionality was the Renault Fluence Z.E. -- which isn't terribly surprising, given Renault's close partnership with Better Place and its founder/frontman, Shai Agassi. Over the next nine...
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Gordon Murray's T.25 Minicar Spawns T.27 Electric VariantIt’s been a while since we heard about Gordon Murray and the British engineer’s enigmatic T.25 minicar. The last we heard, Gordon Murray and his eponymous design and engineering firm Gordon Murray Design had built a prototype for his new minicar, revealing details about its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Ford To Facebook Fans: “How Should The 2012 Focus Electric Sound?”The days of the almost silent electric car are gone. Motivated by a severe case of liticaphobia - or the fear of lawsuits - the auto industry has already agreed that electric cars should have some form of audible warning system fitted as standard to alert pedestrians of their approach. But while...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf Turns Laps At Laguna Seca: VideoEVs aren't typically thought of as the sporting choice--yet.
Nelson Ireson -
e-Wolf Alpha 1 SRF Electric Track Car Makes DebutWhile the major automakers whittle away on their electric car developments, a small German firm by the name of e-Wolf has been building and selling a range of electric vehicles including small scooters, full-size commercial vehicles and high-performance track cars, for several years now...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Electric Car With EV1 Heritage Sets New Pikes Peak RecordFor the past week or so the famous Pikes Peak in Colorado has rung with the sound of cars and motorcycles climbing the 12.42 mile course to its 14,110 foot summit. But yesterday for a few minutes, the mountain was a little quieter as an electric car climbed the summit, completing the would-renowned...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The 2012 Tesla Model S has been spied testing in Palo Alto, CA, and it looks to be closer to production form than ever.
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Electric Car Fan Takes 2011 Leaf on 480 Mile Road TripYou have to go from San Diego, CA to Tucson, AZ, a distance of around 480 miles. With a variety of options available to you, which do you choose? Most people wouldn’t hesitate to book a flight, and some would even consider the train. But one electric car fan decided to make the trip in his...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Five Ways to Disguise an Electric Car Charging StationIf you own an electric car you’ll also be familiar with the wide variety of charging stations on the market today. If you’ll forgive us for saying so, very few of them are design classics. There’s a good reason too - charging stations are nothing more than appliances, built...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Gets Creative To Set Electric World Record In ReverseEarlier this week we said that that Nissan needed a new, quirky way of advertising its 2011 Nissan Leaf that didn’t involve making household gadgets run on gasoline or relying on trained polar bears. Nissan can’t have heard us. Instead of a quirky new ad campaign, Nissan is attempting...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Fisker Karma Electric-Car Charging Stations Have EV1 RootsWhen you buy an electric car, you will most likely need a charging station. As buyers start to bring home plug-in cars, they will also expect their dealer to help them acquire and install a 240-Volt charging station (technically known as an EVSE, though few people call them that). Startup Fisker...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Owner Electrifies Autocross Event With Roadster Fun (Video)How do you legally have fun with a $109,000 electric sportscar that can do 0-60 in under 4 seconds, has excellent grip, and a top speed of 125 mph? That’s exactly the question facing many Tesla Roadster owners looking to test their cars - and themselves - to the limit in a safe environment...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield