Electric Cars

Nissan is testing a revised lithium-ion cell chemistry for its Leaf electric car that the company says appears to be as durable in sustained extreme heat as its current battery is under normal conditions. If tests confirm that the new cells degrade at no more than the standard rate, even at high...

Hands up all those of you who'd forgotten that Fisker Automotive still exists? The company might not have produced a car in over a year, but the struggling firm is still yet to declare bankruptcy too, as it sits in some kind of automotive hibernation until an investor or buyer can be found. Fisker...

Earlier this week, trumpets were blown for Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA], whose Model S luxury electric sedan attained the highest-ever rating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration's crash tests. It's an impressive achievement, particularly for such a young automaker. And while the feds...

They aren't practical for all, but some of the ideas for future urban electric cars are certainly intriguing. Renault was the first to take the concept seriously with the Twizy, but since then several Japanese companies have had a go, and Europe has also tackled the urban congestion problem with a...

One of the main criticisms of electric cars is that they often lack the sort of raw appeal that makes you want a product, transcending any notions of buying because you need it. Oddly, the world of electric two-wheelers hasn't had this trouble, particularly as you delve into the realms of simple...

When Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] first announced a 250-300 mile range estimate for its top-spec 85 kWh Model S, it suggested that 400 miles could well be a possibility for some drivers. Owner David Metcalf was the first to prove that theory last December by extracting 423 miles of range on a journey...

Nissan has chosen Spanish video game to race-car driver sensation Lucas Ordóñez to test and develop the ZEOD RC electric race car ahead of its Le Mans debut next year. Ordóñez made his climb to fame by winning the inaugural Nissan GT Academy--a competition set up by...

Small and startup companies often resort to attention-getting publicity to further their causes. Occasionally they get their wrist slapped for overreaching. And that's what happened to Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] yesterday. In a statement both on its website and the SaferCar.gov site, the National...

Many who follow the progress of plug-in electric cars wonder why Toyota, despite its leadership in hybrids, lags other carmakers in its electric vehicles. The business principle of The Innovator's Dilemma suggests that the company has been slow to embrace electric cars not despite its hybrid...

The hybrid badge has been applied to plenty of cars over the years, but few are more dramatic than the Ferrari LaFerrari--the firm's next hypercar. The $1.34 million sold-out supercar hasn't even hit the streets yet, but as a statement of intent for hybrid technology it already speaks volumes--and...

After more than 3,000 miles, 44 cities and some new Guinness World Records, 12 riders have finally completed their electric Ride The Future vehicle tour across the U.S. The group pulled into Charleston Park in Mountain View, California--home of Google and the Google Campus--after completing 3,745...

From the ridiculous to the intriguing, today is all about trademarks, it seems. Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has applied for a new trademark, with the name 'Model E', specifically referring to "automobiles and structural parts therefor". The company filed for registration of the trademark on August 5...

Sometimes, you just can't make them up. A small Chinese electric car firm is currently seeking permission to name its new electric car technology 'Snowden'--named for the former U.S. intelligence contractor now in political asylum in Russia, after leaking top-secret mass surveillance details to the...

The Tesla Model S is no stranger to awards and high scores, but its latest accolade could be its most important yet. Its five-star National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash test rating was revealed a few weeks back, but Tesla Motors (NSDQ:TSLA) has now revealed the car's score is...

What cars available in dealers today make the most efficient use of energy? The answer turns out to be four battery-electric vehicles and one plug-in hybrid. Gasoline and diesel cars don't even come close; internal combustion engines waste two-thirds to three-quarters of the energy in their fuel on...

Aside from movie characters and intoxicated individuals looking for somewhere to relieve themselves, nobody really uses public pay telephones any more. New York City has around 8,000 active payphone kiosks, which is a lot of real estate going to waste. So why not, as The New York Times writes, put...

If you drive an electric car, the chances are that you do most of your charging at home. Why wouldn't you? It's the place your car probably spends the most time during an average 24-hour period, and it's the place you can always be sure of a good charge. But those with longer commutes may be...

We've long known the best way to get people interested in electric cars is simply to let them drive or ride in them. It's easy enough to tell people they're quick, smooth and near-silent, but people are naturally skeptical of something they aren't familiar with. That includes politicians, but just...

There are few better ways of running an electric car than doing so on solar power, and that's now cheaper than ever according to a new report. The Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory produces an annual "Tracking the Sun" report (pdf file) into the prices of...

The 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is the latest electric vehicle to have undergone the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's crash test procedures. Following frontal crash, side impact, and side pole impact tests, the Electric Drive was awarded four from a possible five stars overall...