Electric
-
With all the talk of purchase price, charging costs, tax incentives, congestion charging exemptions and maintenance costs for EVs, there's one financial area which often gets overlooked - insuring them. With so few EVs on the road it's been difficult to gauge whether they'll cost more or less than the equivalent internal combustion vehicle, since there are so many variables that differ. What would drivetrain components cost to replace? Will there be a shortage of parts? There might be good news on the horizon though. U.K-based finance company Credit Plus has suggested that the 2011 Nissan...
-
“Unlimited Juice” Electric Vehicle Charging Plans: Good Idea or Exploitation?We often get asked by readers just how much it will cost to run an EV. And while we’re able to say that an EV costs less to run once purchased than a gasoline car we’ve had to guess refer them to their local utility company for exact pricing. So what if you could enter into a monthly...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2010 LA Auto Show: Toyota-Tesla RAV4 EV, Under the HoodThere's a lot we don't know about the 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV that Japan's largest automaker is prototyping with Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors. That includes the battery pack size, traction motor power, and stated range--although 100 miles is the goal, according to Jim Lentz, president of Toyota...
John Voelcker -
16,000 Miles in an Electric Car? Mission AccomplishedA team of intrepid engineers turned explorers have just finished an epic road-trip from Chena Hot Springs Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina. Built in 9 months by a team of graduates from Imperial College London, the two-seat modified racing car drove over the finish line 135 days after it began its...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Need Juice? 7 Home Charging Solutions for Your Electric CarYou’ve read the reports, drooled over the spy shots and saved your pennies for an all-electric or plug-in hybrid electric car. But do you know how you’re going to charge your new car at home, the office or at your parents’ place? There are many different chargers available now or...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Electric Vehicle Conversion Fires: What You Need to KnowEarlier this month, a warehouse containing memorabilia owned by rocker Neil Young was involved in a three-alarm fire that destroyed many priceless possessions. Among the charred remains in the San Carlos fire was a classic ’59 Lincoln Continental. Converted to a hybrid power train by...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
As they say, everything old is new again. Fourteen years after it launched its very first RAV4 crossover at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota returned to LA to launch an all-electric version of its latest RAV4. And this one is, as the logos in a teaser photo released earlier said, "powered by Tesla." The launch of the second version of the RAV4 EV is on a fast timeline, led by a working group made up of Toyota's Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a team from Tesla Motors. In Toyota's words, the team has treated the project as similar to a typical mid-cycle “major-minor”...
-
2010 LA Auto Show: 2012 Honda Fit Electric Car, World DebutThis afternoon, Honda unveiled its plans for an all-electric version of the Honda Fit subcompact hatchback to be launched globally in 2012. The announcement came at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The announcement represented a full circle of sorts, since Los Angeles was the home of many of the 300...
John Voelcker -
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: SoCal Edison Launches EV WebsiteThe 2010 Los Angles Auto Show is nearly upon us, and we're getting excited for the wealth of new electric cars on display at the show. It's not just about the cars themselves though - equally imporant are the companies displaying EV-related technology. One such company is Southern California...
Antony Ingram -
CODA Delays Rollout of Electric Car: Why We’re Not SurprisedBuilding any car is tough. Building an electric car is tougher. Automakers must devote time, skill, technology and financial investment to designing, engineering, and cutting costs for what is still far from a mainstream drivetrain. Even Nissan, whose Leaf won GreenCarReports’ Best Car To Buy...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Revenge Of The Electric Car Trailer Release To Facebook FansWho killed the electric car? Chances are that if you've watched the film that poses this question, you'll have some idea of how the electric car fizzled out and died before its 21st-Century re-birth. 2011 will bring a sequel to the original documentary titled "Revenge Of The Electric Car". As with...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan To Deliver Only 5 Leafs In 2010, More Delays Imminent?Uh-oh, Nissan. There’s been word a-brewing on car forums for that the carmaker is experiencing delays in delivering the much-anticipated all-electric Leaf, which is slated to start arriving next month. But only five Leafs will arrive in the U.S. next month — one for each of the five...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Can there ever be such a thing as too much honesty when it comes to frank discussions about your company policy? Normally we’d say no, but when you start to sow the seeds of doubt about the thing you’re trying to sell we’d say otherwise. Especially in the case of Christian Klingler, a board member responsible for sales at Volkswagen and Dieter Zetsche, Daimler CEO. In separate events last week both men warned that electric car market share expectations may be overly optimistic. Both complained about the duress they felt under to develop electric cars in order to satisfy...
-
How Does Nissan Recharge Some Leafs? With A Diesel GeneratorWe love it when people send us photos. Especially photos of things that manufacturers aren't necessarily keeping front and center for the cameras. The photo here is a "range extender" that Nissan uses to keep its 2011 Leaf electric cars fully charged for media events. The picture was taken (by a...
John Voelcker -
Opel Ampera News - Euro Volt Price Revealed, 42,900 EurosIf you're familiar with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended EV, then you're already familar with the Opel Ampera, since it's essentially the same car. The Ampera will be sold under General Motors' other brands, the Germany-based Opel and in the U.K. as the Vauxhall Ampera. It's not uncommon for...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Nissan Leaf Orders Delayed For Both Dealers And BuyersBoth Nissan and Chevrolet have a lot riding on delivering their first electric cars before the end of December, meaning during calendar 2011. Now it looks like Nissan may squeak by with just a few early production cars delivered to a handful of dealerships, because the company has significantly...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Thanks Toyota CEO with a 2011 Roadster Sport 2.5Finding the perfect gift to say thank you is a difficult task. Finding the right thank you present is a fine line between a gift that will convey that special message and something you know is unique. So what do you give the CEO that has everything, especially if he runs the world’s largest...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Magnetic Induction Technology: Charging Without Wires & PlugsThe world of EVs is a strange business. The jump from gasoline and diesel cars to EVs is akin to the jump at the end of the 19th Century from horse and carriage to motor vehicles, in the change in mindset and widespread adoption of infrastructure required. Charging in particular is an area that...
Antony Ingram -
The 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car is clearly one of the most revolutionary vehicles to be sold in the U.S. in many years. It's a first battery electric car that relies solely on plugging into grid electricity for its the energy that powers it. Unlike the 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, it has no onboard gasoline engine to provide power beyond its electric range. As such, it will the first electric car sold in volume--20,000 this year and next, perhaps 100,000 or more starting in 2013--by a major automaker since the 1920s. That's pretty revolutionary. [See our 2011 Nissan Leaf...
-
2010 Los Angeles Auto Show: Toyota Shows Teaser PicturesYesterday, with just one week to go before the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota released a few teaser pictures of the much-anticipated love-child of Toyota and Tesla - and told us when it will be unveiled. The Toyota 2013 RAV4 Electric Vehicle is based upon Toyota’s popular compact...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
GE Buying 25K EVs--Starting with the 2011 Chevrolet VoltGM is set to deliver its 2011 Chevrolet Volt to its first batch of owners, but it's just booked a big order sure to keep the extended-range electric car in short supply for the near future. As its CEO Jeffrey Immelt promised two weeks ago, corporate giant General Electric said today it would...
Martin Padgett -
Tesla-Powered Electric RAV4: Initially Just "A Few Thousand"One of the more eagerly awaited green vehicles at next week's 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show is the electric RAV4 crossover that Toyota will launch in partnership with Tesla Motors. Now we learn that the initial order is for little more than a test fleet of perhaps 2,000 vehicles, according to Tesla...
John Voelcker -
Plug In America: EV Public Service AnnouncementsWe've covered Plug In America before on AllCarsElectric. The group is at the forefront of the EV movement in the U.S. and aims to promote usage of electric vehicles and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Now, the group has released a series of humorous "Public Service Announcements" (PSAs) written...
Antony Ingram -
Are Quirky eBay Conversions Really Worth Buying?If the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, 2011 Nissan Leaf, 2011 Coda Sedan or 2011 Tesla Roadster are a little too modern for your tastes, an eBay auction ending this weekend could offer just what you’re looking for. But is it and other converted or one-off cars worth buying when commercially made cars...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield