Electric
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One of the liberating benefits to owning an electric car is the ability to plug in and charge up wherever there happens to be a purpose-built charging station, or indeed a standard domestic power outlet. But while most of the electric cars on sale in the U.S. today comply with the J1772 standard of level 1 and level 2 charging, we’re starting to hear stories of 2011 Chevrolet Volts which are refusing to charge on specific charging stations and portable Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment leads (EVSE) It appears the problem stems from something pretty simple: a disagreement on the way in...
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Forumlec World Series ‘Electric Grand Prix’: Coming in 2012You may not realize it, but the ultimate gas-guzzling motor racing sports in the world have been keeping collective eyes on the humble electric car, with a view to creating the ultimate electric race series. It started many years ago when unassuming cars like the 1972 “White Zombie”...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Exclusive: Hey Top Gear, You Have To Fill Up Electric Cars Too, Duh!Have you ever been on those roads in North Dakota where you pass a sign that says “No gas for next 80 miles"? Or perhaps you’ve traveled through the frozen wastelands of Northern Canada or Alaska and learned that the gas station you just passed was the last one for more than 100 miles...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
U.S. Carmakers To Japan: Don't Need Your Stinkin' Fast-ChargeSo you bought a 2011 Nissan Leaf, and paid for the optional $700 quick-charge connector. Now you're able to get an 80-percent battery recharge in just 30 minutes, albeit from very few places right now. Promising, right? Not so fast, sonny. It appears that U.S. makers of electric cars are likely to...
George Parrott -
2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid: What do You Want to Know?Earlier this year were were granted exclusive access to Volvo’s Gothenburg headquarters where we were given a sneak peak of its 2012 V60 Plug-in Hybrid a full week before its official unveiling at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Although we were given a chance to look at the V60 PHEV’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Top Gear: Doing Another Silly, Deceptive Electric-Car Stunt?Uh oh, here we go again. Or not? The crew of the British car show Top Gear have been spotted in the British town of Lincoln, traveling in a pair of electric cars, the 2011 Nissan Leaf and a Peugeot iOn (which will be sold in the States as the 2012 Mitsubishi 'i'). Hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James...
John Voelcker -
As we reportedly recently, the next-generation of super sports cars won’t be nitrous-snorting, quad-turbocharged, gas swilling beasts, but rather they will offer ultra-high mileage and in some cases no emissions whatsoever. Yes, they will still be stupendously fast, but almost all will come with a plug. One of these is the R8 e-tron supercar from Audi, due in late 2012--the automaker’s first electric car and the first from its newly established e-tron division. Given the infancy of the electric car industry--in terms of the mainstream auto industry at least--Audi, like most of its...
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Concepts To Make Electric Cars Cool: VW Bulli, Nissan EsflowThe 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March brought a number of new models out of the closet. But for the green car fan, two concepts were the gems of the show: the return of the legendary Volkswagen Microbus, and an electric sports car from Nissan that just might be affordable. Bulli for the Microbus The...
George Parrott -
Forget The Prius, Renault Cannes Chauffeur Celebrities TooFor most Hollywood A-List celebrities the choice of how to arrive at premieres and film festivals has been almost as big a decision as what to wear. Now Hollywood A-list celebrities have one less thing to worry about courtesy of French automaker Renault, which is providing ten of its all-electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Ford Focus Electric Edges Closer To Production With New MicrositeThe 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt had better watch out. The Blue Oval’s contender in the zero-emissions segment, the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus Electric, is edging closer to production. This week it gained a new microsite on the official Ford website. We already had a look at the car...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Electric Cars Tested in Antarctica For Ultimate Cold Weather TestIt’s a well-known fact that just like humans, electric cars work best in temperate climates. But what is the coldest temperature an electric car needs to be operational in? And just how do you test that? While we’ve proven that cars like the 2011 Tesla Roadster can more than adequately...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
San Francisco Will Juice Your Electric Car For FreeThe city of San Francisco, California, will install electric vehicle charging stations in publicly-owned garages and at San Francisco International Airport by the end of the year that drivers can use for free until 2013. The plan involves dropping around 90 charging stations across the city in the...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Here in the U.S. the government, both at the federal and state level, offers an array of incentives for eco friendly vehicles such as clean diesels, plug-in hybrids and electric cars. However, the U.S. isn’t the only major automotive market with such incentive programs in place. Over in China the local government has drafted its own ‘New Energy Vehicle Development Plan’ designed to promote the proliferation of green cars, specifically electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The plan calls for the investment of up to $15 billion in R&D spending, as well as the development of...
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Land Rover Greens Up Savannah Safaris With All-Electric DefenderGoing on safari to one of the many game parks found in Africa is a once in a lifetime experience for most. But trundling around in a gas-guzzling SUV to shoot some memorable holiday snaps of everything from lions and tigers to gazelles and rhinoceros is hardly very green is it? Enter european...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Earth Day: Eager Electric-Car Advocates Meet Unaware PublicThree 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 -
The Fastest, Coolest, Sexiest Supercars Now Come With PlugsSupercars: 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...
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 2014In 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 -
It's not every day that a brand-new electric sports coupe is launched, much less at a fabled race course. So we're delighted to bring you these live photos from Silverstone race track in the U.K., where the Delta Motorsport E4 Electric Coupe is about to take to the tarmac. The sleek electric performance car is powered by high-output direct-drive electric motors that produce 90 kilowatts (120 horsepower) and weigh just 50 pounds (23 kg). The E4 Coupe's chassis is fabricated from carbon composite, and weighs just 190 lbs (85 kg). Delta claims a range of 200 miles per charge from the lithium-ion...
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Theory Meets Reality: How Expensive IS The 2011 Think City?It’s well known that any sales material always uses the most attractive pricing option as a way of enticing customers to buy a product. But is it helpful, confusing or downright misleading for an electric automaker to advertise an electric car for sale at more than $17,500 less than its own...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
In Brazil, Even Humble Power Outlets Love The Nissan LeafOver 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 -
Five Reasons Why Mercedes Should Make an All-Electric S-ClassEarlier 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 -
Tesla Motors might seek additional funding for third electric carTesla 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 TaxisFrom 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