Electric Cars
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One of the notable features of last year's electric-car sales was the strong, and so far sustained, sales of the radical new BMW i3 electric car. The little plastic-bodied battery-electric vehicle from Munich, with its odd coach doors and its rear electric motor, sold more than 1,000 cars a month in four of the eight months last year it was on sale. DON'T MISS: BMW i Electric Car Sales Surge For 2014; More To Come, Company Says The total of 6,024 i3s delivered put BMW's first electric car in sixth place among the 21 plug-in vehicles on sale in the U.S. Among battery-electrics, it won third...
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Toyota Exec Slams Tesla For Having 'All Eggs In One Basket'Toyota's public attack on electric cars shows no signs of letting up. Its first sallies were two ads from its Lexus luxury brand slamming electric cars for range anxiety. Now, a Toyota executive has all but sneered at Tesla Motors for putting "all its eggs in one basket" by making only...
John Voelcker -
Kansas City Power & Light To Build 1,000 Electric-Car Charging SitesKansas City Power & Light says its charging-site project is the largest ever undertaken by a U.S. utility.
Stephen Edelstein -
Once More: Low Gas Prices Don't Hurt Electric-Car SalesData is important. Data on the effects of changing economic factors is very important to the car industry. Which is why it's disappointing to see a Nissan executive repeating the canard that falling gas prices can hurt sales of plug-in electric cars. DON'T MISS: Plug-In Electric Car Sales Continue...
John Voelcker -
Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid On Sale In Q2 Of 2016, NowThe Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid's U.S. launch is delayed again.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 BMW i3 Electric Car Price Raised $1,000 To $43,350BMW adds standard DC fast charging, satellite radio, and heated front seats to the i3 for 2015.
Stephen Edelstein -
The BMW i3 electric car will star in the brand's first Super Bowl ad in four years.
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Can Electric-Car Fast Charging Be Profitable? Answer: UnclearThe cost of installing and maintaining DC fast-charging stations could pose a challenge to further adoption.
Stephen Edelstein -
Should GM Name Its Bolt Electric Car The 2017 Chevrolet EV2?Without a doubt, Chevrolet dominated the news in plug-in electric cars at the recent Detroit Auto Show. It unveiled not only the new 2016 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid, but also a concept that showed what a 2018 battery-electric hatchback with a 200-mile range might look like. The subcompact concept...
John Voelcker -
Anti-Tesla Laws In AZ, MI, NJ & TX Nominated For 'Luddite Award'Awards to dealerships and car-dealer groups are common, and often both appreciated and promoted by their recipients. A new award nomination that recognizes the work of state dealer lobbyists, however, is not likely to get that appreciation or publicity--at least from dealers in those four states...
John Voelcker -
Could Elon Musk's Hyperloop Crack The Texas Tesla Sales Ban?How Elon Musk's planned Hyperloop test track could become a bargaining chip in the game of direct sales.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Sales Model Intrigues Volvo, Lexus, AutoNation--Though Dealers Must Remain, By LawElectric-car maker Tesla Motors has shaken up the auto industry in many ways, and it continues to do so. Now, aspects of Tesla's online direct-sales model are starting to influence other companies in the car business--and their executives are saying so--even as lobbyists for franchised car...
John Voelcker -
It's always interesting to reporters when a news story produces unsolicited counterpoints from affected parties. Yesterday's announcement of the agreement among BMW, Volkswagen, and ChargePoint to install roughly 100 electric-car DC fast-charging stations by the end of the year spawned two separate e-mails from competitors. DON'T MISS: BMW, VW, And ChargePoint To Build 100 CCS Fast-Charging Sites For Electric Cars Those stations will provide quick charging to cars that use the Combined Charging Standard (CCS): currently the BMW i3, Chevrolet Spark EV, and Volkswagen e-Golf. (Some will also...
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Energy Secretary Confirms: U.S. Will Fall Short Of Obama Goal Of 1 Million Electric Cars By 2015The U.S. will not meet an electric-car adoption goal set by President Obama in 2011.
Stephen Edelstein -
BMW, VW, And ChargePoint To Build 100 CCS Fast-Charging Sites For Electric CarsAs electric-car drivers know, Nissan and Tesla remain far ahead of other carmakers in availability of DC fast-charging locations for their cars. Now, growing sales of U.S. and German plug-in models that use a different standard have led their owners to complain about the lack of sites to...
John Voelcker -
Plug-in Electric Cars In Canada: 10,000 Sold, Good News For 2015This month, as millions of Americans count down to Super Bowl XLIX, a slightly smaller number of Canadians counted down to EV 10,000, celebrating the ten-thousandth plug-in electric vehicle on the country's roads. This milestone probably actually happened in November, but such celebrations need to...
Matthew Klippenstein -
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV To Go On Sale In Maryland This SpringGeneral Motors said today that it will begin selling its 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV in the state of Maryland this spring, the first East Coast state in which the electric minicar will be available. The Spark EV has a connection to the state: Both its 105-kilowatt (140-horsepower) electric motor and...
John Voelcker -
New 2016 Smart ForTwo Will Keep Older Electric Drive Model In LineupAttracted by the new look, much-improved feature set, and better fuel economy ratings of the all-new 2016 Smart Fortwo? You’ll have to wait another six to eight months before you’ll find it at U.S. dealerships. On the other hand, if it’s the next generation of the all-electric...
Bengt Halvorson -
Via Motors expects dramatic growth in its plug-in vehicle sales.
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Connecticut Considers Bill To Let Tesla Sell Direct To BuyersConnecticut may change dealer-franchise laws to allow Tesla direct sales.
Stephen Edelstein -
Hyundai Plans Hybrids, Electric Cars & More: 5 Questions With Green R&D Head Ki-Sang LeeThe Hyundai Motor Group, encompassing both the Hyundai and Kia brands, is known as one of the most aggressive competitors in the global auto business. And the company has big plans for expanding its lineup of green vehicles, as we learned in an interview last week with Ki-Sang Lee, a senior vice...
John Voelcker -
Once More, Infiniti Electric Car Is Killed Off (Or Postponed?)The electric-car headlines at last week's Detroit Auto Show clearly belonged to the Chevrolet Bolt concept, a subcompact 200-mile electric car. But another news item is just now coming to light: A representative for Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, says the carmaker has shelved plans to offer a...
John Voelcker -
Workplace Charging For Electric Cars: Best Practices RevealedThere's a lot for employers to consider when setting up workplace charging.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Chevrolet Volt: Seats Five, But Not (Really) On A Fifth SeatThe new 2016 Chevrolet Volt, its designers and engineers say, carries many features requested by owners of the first-generation Volt built from 2011 through this year. Among them are more electric range, an illuminated charging port ... and a fifth seating position. DON'T MISS: 2016 Chevrolet Volt...
John Voelcker