Electric Cars

We're seeing an increasing number of gearheads getting into electric cars, and it's not really surprising. With impressive performance, plenty of torque and by simply allowing us to drive more without incurring the expense of fossil fuels, there's a lot for even traditional car fans to like. That...

As far as many people are concerned, Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] has done the hard bit already. They've started a company from scratch. Built and sold a sports car. Developed a new model. Put it into production. Started selling it to an adoring crowd. No vaporware to see here, folks. However, even...

Talk to any independent auto-repair mechanic, and you'll learn that the single most important item that keeps a shop in business is brakes. But hybrids and electric cars use their friction brakes far less aggressively than regular cars. That's because when the driver presses the pedal, some or all...

Those of us who follow the world of electric cars are all too aware how difficult it is to start up an electric car company. Even the larger companies like Tesla Motors, Coda Automotive and Fisker Automotive aren't out of the woods just yet, though some are in a better position than others. One...

We’ve said it many times before, building an auto company from scratch is extremely hard, and expensive. That’s probably why only two major plug-in car startups have made it to the point of building and selling cars globally: Tesla and Fisker. In order to continue, both firms are...

The 2013 Nissan Leaf that will go on sale in January will be a slightly different car from the 2011 and 2012 models sold in the U.S. so far. We already know the electric car will offer leather seats and a 6.6-kilowatt charger as options, along with a more efficient heating system. Now a report from...

What can be done to dispel the assertion that the relatively short range of electric cars isn't suitable for most drivers? Well, you can either drive around in one yourself, displaying a lack of problems as you drive between work and back each day like millions of other drivers, and encourage...

For roughly six months, Fisker Automotive has said it's sold "about 1,000" of its Karma range-extended electric luxury sedan, globally. Then, on July 31, we spotted a brand-new 2012 Karma at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort in Newport Beach, California--so new it still had dealer plates. Its...

The 2012 Tesla Model S is the most anticipated all-electric car of 2012, but it is also the most enigmatic. That’s because even though it launched back in late June, access to -- and time behind the wheel of -- the Model S has been strictly controlled by Tesla. Our own 1-hour test-drive...

As far as we know, not a single auto journalist has yet driven the upcoming plug-in hybrid Energi models of the 2013 Ford C-Max and 2013 Ford Fusion. But an interesting and illuminating post on HybridCars.com offers more details about those cars' electric capabilities than we'd seen to date. It led...

In order to be sold in the U.S., all passenger cars must pass a long list of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Regulations, including advanced airbags and electric stability control. Sometimes, usually in the case of low-volume, low-emission cars, the FMVSSR may grant a temporary exemption to...

While Fisker's new CEO may be getting headlines today, the company continues to grapple with fallout from Friday's fire in a 2012 Fisker Karma. Over the weekend, Fisker had issued a statement saying it was investigating the incident. Yesterday, the company issued a further statement. In the...

In an unexpected announcement, struggling startup electric-car maker Fisker Automotive this morning named Tony Posawatz its new CEO and President. He replaces Tom LaSorda, himself appointed CEO only in late February. LaSorda will leave the company but remain available as an advisor. Posawatz spent...

Fourteen of the planned sixteen cities have been completed on the “Getting Amped Tour,”

There's a line of thinking that recommends that you never meet your heroes, as they'll only disappoint you. GET YOUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER. SIGN UP! You could argue that the same applies to cars, and the DeLorean DMC-12, stainless star of the silver screen, is often described as one of those...

As Canadians will proudly tell you, Canada is really big and really beautiful. Home to 10 percent of the world’s forests, covering more than 53.8 percent of its total surface area, Canada even uses a tree leaf -- the famous maple leaf -- on its flag. Now for one lucky Canadian, publicly...

Over the weekend, the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb took place, pushing cars and drivers to the limit on the 12.42-mile course. For years, the event has been dominated by purpose-built gasoline-powered hill climb cars, but at this year’s event two all-electric cars placed in the...

Given the hurricane of bad publicity for the Chevrolet Volt last year over a battery-pack fire (in a crash-testing vehicle, a week after it was wrecked), any fire at all in a plug-in car is one too many. So the occurrence of a second fire among only 1,000 Fisker Karma range-extended electric luxury...

If racing improves the breed, then the next generation of Mitsubishi's electric cars could be a significant step up from the humble Mitsubishi 'i' sold today. The 'i' itself is the focus of Mitsubishi's efforts at this year's Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, where a production-spec car and a...

EDITOR'S UPDATE: Four days after this article went live, Green Car Reports was contacted by Morpace, the company that conducted the study. Their representative informed us that all study panelists did in fact sign a confidentiality agreement, and therefore did not have the right to share any...