Electric Cars
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These are interesting times in the automotive and electric-utility businesses. While the reasons are different, it turns out they may intersect. It's been quietly discussed among electric utilities that increasing amounts of distributed solar power and other renewable energy may destroy their business model. The worry is that if consumers can generate much or all of their own electricity, the utilities lose the revenue from selling them power--while continuing to shoulder the substantial costs of maintaining the electric distribution network as a backup. MORE: Electric Utilities Now Fighting...
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Nissan e-NV200 Electric Vans Join FedEx Trial FleetOn the back of successful trial programs in other countries, delivery giant FedEx will trial a fleet of Nissan e-NV200 vans this year. The all-electric cargo van has already been tested by FedEx in Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Brazil, but now Nissan and FedEx are teaming up for U.S...
Antony Ingram -
Temple Priest Reflects On Owning Nissan Leaf Electric Car: VideoOne of the first Nissan Leaf owners was a Japanese priest, and three years later he still enjoys it.
Stephen Edelstein -
Should Everyone Lease Cars All The Time? Elon Musk Says YesSometimes, it's nice to have a shiny new car sitting in your garage, knowing that you own it. At others, it's preferable to pay a modest amount for it each month knowing that, in two or three years, it will be taken away and is no longer your problem. The latter is what we know as leasing, and it's...
Antony Ingram -
Electric Car Risk: Different, Not Worse, Says Top NHTSA RegulatorNHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman says consumers aren't aware of the "new challenges" of electric cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Superchargers Now Opening Fast, Cross-Country Route CloseAfter a disappointing 2013, a year in which Tesla fell short of ambitious goals for expanding its Supercharger network, the company has picked up the pace remarkably. Just last week, seven new Superchargers came on line, the latest of a wave of 40 of the proprietary Supercharger DC fast-charging...
David Noland -
Back in December, we covered a survey by Navigant Research that suggested most car buyers were hoping to spend $25,000 or less on their next vehicle--a figure that many modern electric cars find themselves on the wrong side of. It led us to wonder whether, with many consumers setting themselves that kind of budget, it was still very much a barrier to entry for electric vehicles. Navigant Research has now written to reiterate that its findings weren't only about price--they were, as we noted, as much about the lack of awareness car buyers have for plug-in vehicles. One important aspect of the...
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Will 'Charge Rage' Join 'Range Anxiety' As Electric-Car Owner Emotion?"Range anxiety" is the term attributed to the fear of running out of charge in an electric vehicle before you've reached your destination. In reality, the feeling fades once you've got used to your vehicle and daily usage patterns--in as little as a few weeks, in many cases. Now, there's a new...
Antony Ingram -
Rare 1980 Ford Fairmont EVA Electric Conversion For SaleA 1980 Ford Fairmont station wagon converted into an electric car by Electric Vehicle Associates (EVA) is currently for sale.
Stephen Edelstein -
2014 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive: What It's Like On The RoadWith minimal changes from the model launched last year as the least expensive electric car in the U.S., the 2014 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive remains the smallest and shortest plug-in electric car sold in the U.S.--as well as the only one offered as a convertible. The two-seat electric Smart comes...
John Voelcker -
Need An 'Electric Vehicles Only' Parking Sign? Sun Country Can HelpSignage could stop internal-combustion vehicles from blocking parking spots with electric-car charging stations.
Stephen Edelstein -
New Data Shows Electric Cars Won't Be A Problem For UtilitiesOne of the popular criticisms of electric cars is that, as more of them roam our roads and are charged in garages at night, electrical grids will struggle and fail under the pressure. It's popular because it seems plausible--while we're all used to having electrical goods in our houses, few use...
Antony Ingram -
We've got used to seeing electric cars with temptingly low lease prices, in a generally successful effort to draw in buyers otherwise deterred by high purchase costs. For two of the newest kids on the block, the 2014 BMW i3 and 2014 Cadillac ELR, those price-gouging tactics haven't arrived just yet. Lease prices for each have surfaced in the last few days, and neither is what you'd call cheap. Potential i3 buyer George Betak revealed his own lease quote on the BMW i3 Facebook page at the weekend. While the price was quoted on an individual basis, the $930 monthly lease cost for 12,000 miles...
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Did Elon Musk Make A Mistake In Calling Out The NHTSA On Tesla Recall?Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] had an up-and-down 2013, and 2014 looks to be no different on initial assessment. While 2013 was a year of rave reviews, high sales and the occasional lows of fire-related incidents, 2014 has started with a charging adapter recall for the startup automaker--one that CEO...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Celebrates 99,999...100,000 Leaf Electric Car SalesThere's a curious joy in watching your car's odometer tick over to some significant number. 11,111 miles perhaps, or a palindromic number. Or, of course, the big hundred-thousand. Nissan is experiencing that very same joy with sales of its Leaf electric car, as it sells the 99,999th and 100,000th...
Antony Ingram -
2015 Ford Focus Energi Rumored: 25 Miles Of Range, $27,500?Ford's sales of its two Energi plug-in hybrid models climbed steadily throughout 2013, and now it appears the company will add a third model to the Energi family for 2015. If rumors are correct, the 2015 Ford Focus Energi will add a plug-in hybrid model to the existing gasoline and battery-electric...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Electric Cars To Be Split Into Three Different Types: Design DirectorFed up of waiting for a cheaper, smaller electric car from Nissan, or something a bit more interesting and sportier than the Leaf? You may not have to wait much longer. In an interview with Motor Authority, Nissan's global design chief Shiro Nakamura says Nissan's electric car plans will take three...
Antony Ingram -
VL Destino Faces Uncertain Fisker Future For Its Non-Electric KarmaEngine swaps are one thing; complete powertrain replacements are another. But if your business is yanking range-extended electric running gear out of a stunning-looking car from a now-bankrupt company, and replacing it with Corvette power, there are two ways you can go. Swaps, new cars You can wait...
John Voelcker -
New York City hopes to electrify one third of its taxi fleet by 2020.
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Best Western To Use 1,000 Via Range-Extended Electric Vans As Hotel ShuttlesVIA Motors has announced an $80 million purchase agreement with its Canadian distributor, Sun Country Highway, to deploy 1,000 of Via's range-extended electric Vtrux vans as shuttle vehicles at Best Western hotels. The pact is important for Via, giving it a major commitment that could kick-start...
Matthew Klippenstein -
2014 BMW i3 Range Extender: No White CA Carpool-Lane Sticker, Here's WhyIncentives help drive the purchase of plug-in electric cars, which remain unfamiliar and expensive to many first-time buyers. But a recent article on The Street may have caused some confusion over which incentives will be granted to BMW's first electric car, the i3, when it goes on sale this...
John Voelcker -
Tesla Model S Road Trip To Arrive In DC Over Presidents Day WeekendTesla owners will converge on Washington, D.C. Presidents Day weekend for some electric-car camaraderie.
Stephen Edelstein -
How Many Tesla Model S Electric Cars Have Been Built So Far?Car production data may cause some eyes to glaze over, but the numbers are closely followed in the auto industry. Electric-car maker Tesla Motors doesn't report its exact sales, nor its precise production, so a cottage industry has sprung up to track its alleged production. MORE: Tesla's Next...
John Voelcker -
Electric Cars: Long-Term Thinking Vs Short-Term AnalysisAre electric cars a risk? Not mechanically, or electrically, or if you're intending to drive a long distance, that is. But from the eyes of a financial trader, looking for a safe place to put their money, the answer is often a cautious "yes". But should it be? One investor writing for The Globe And...
Antony Ingram