Electric Cars
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When it comes to solutions for sustainable mobility of the future, drivetrain technology is only one area being investigated in the effort to make cars more environmentally friendly. Other areas include reducing vehicle weight, developing navigation software to predict fuel efficient routes and cultivating more fuel efficient driving skills (hypermiling in the more extreme sense). However, another area being investigated is the notion of car sharing, where a car is not owned but rather loaned out via a needs-based process. That’s where the latest concept car from German engineering and...
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EVCup Shifts a Gear as Le Mans Competitors Sign UpThe American Le Mans Series may not be as popular or as iconic as NASCAR, but it is serious, big buck stuff. So when Le Mans race veterans announce their intent to compete in this year’s EVCup, we know the time to take all-electric motorsport seriously has arrived. Founded by Lord Drayson...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Mitsubishi i Passes European Crash Tests, Could do BetterIt may be getting a complete redesign for the U.S. market, but the european version of Mitsubishi’s i electric car has obtained 4 out of a possible 5 stars in the european-wide car safety tests. In results announced yesterday by the European New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) the sub-compact...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Fisker To Release Karma Hybrid (Finally), With Extra $150M, Possible IPOAfter several rounds of delays and price increases, electric car startup Fisker says it will start production next month for the Karma, a luxury plug-in hybrid priced at $95,900. The company raised $150 million earlier this month at a $600 million valuation, and its backers include storied venture...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Europeans Suffer as 2011 Nissan Leaf MSRP Rises to $50,310Oh dear, Nissan. You’re struggling to fulfil worldwide demand for your first ever production electric vehicle, and then you go and put the price of your revolutionary car up. At least, that’s what buyers in Europe are faced with from March 1. Even before the first Nissan Leaf has been...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Has Your Electric Car Stopped Working? Flatbed It, Don't TowFabulous creations that electric cars are, they're still machines designed by mere mortals and as a result, they may occasionally go wrong. As they're operated by mere mortals too, you may find one time that you're unable to reach your destination on a charge thanks to a miscalculation, or you've...
Antony Ingram -
Ever since Apple announced it would allow third party developers to build and sell applications for its iPhone smart phone, we’ve seen a whole range of applications from the silly to the useful. There’s even some fantastic iPhone apps to help you find the nearest charge station, control your electric car’s charging or even pay for charging remotely. But one company has jumped on the electric vehicle and iOS bandwagon with a new application called iEV, an app which it claims will “make better, money saving decisions about your electric mobility future!”...
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Want an Electric Car Like the Nissan Leaf? Prepare to WaitYou’ve seen the adverts, been to the test-drive and placed down a $99 deposit for Nissan’s all-electric Leaf. Of course, there’s something you probably weren’t told about at the time of reserving a place in the queue. Patience. Save for a few hundred lucky individuals, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
VIDEO: Hack of 2011 Nissan Leaf Provides Faster Charging, But is it Safe?Charge Anxiety, the fear that your electric car won’t charge up as quickly as you need it to may be one step further away if you’re a 2011 Nissan Leaf owner willing to throw caution to the wind and hack your $25,000 bundle of joy. At least that’s the message coming from a select...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BMW to Rename MegaCity as BMW i3, Promises Plug-in HybridIts just about to launch trails of its rear-wheel drive electric Active E sedan, but German automaker BMW has just announced a whole new sub-brand for electric and plug-in hybrid BMWs. Called the BMWi, the range will encompass BMW’s eco-conscious vehicles and offer unprecedented...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid Preview Gallery, AnimationThis morning we brought you the first exclusive live images and official details on the production version of the 2012 Volvo V60, and now we have the official gallery and animation demonstrating how the car's hybrid system works. Promising 124 mpg in hybrid mode and all-electric range of 30 miles...
Nelson Ireson -
Rolls-Royce Confirms 102EX Electric Phantom PrototypeSilent cruising in a seemingly impregnable fortress of fine leather, sensuous wood, and hand-built steel and glass is the ultimate goal of hyper-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce. Which means it's not too surprising that the automaker has confirmed the development of an all-electric version of its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In a little over a week, Volvo will be unveiling its latest plug-in electric vehicle to the world at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. But just like last week when we were given an exclusive pre-Geneva peek at the Nissan ESFlow electric sportscar concept in Frankfurt, Volvo invited us a few weeks ago to its headquarters in a wintry Gothenburg, Sweden to get a U.S. exclusive peek at its answer to a practical plug-in hybrid. The Basics The 2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is a through-the-road plug-in electric hybrid station-wagon offering a conventional front-wheel drive system driven by a 2.4 liter...
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The Curious Story Of Electric Cars And TexasWhen people think of Texas, there’s always certain stereotypes associated with it: cowboys, twangs, conservative politics, boots, guns and big, gas-guzzling trucks. While some stereotypes are rooted in truth, Texas can surprise you. Like when people actually visit a major city and realize...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Nissan ESFlow Electric Sportscar Concept: 10 Facts You Didn't KnowYou heard the announcement, saw the artists’ sketches, speculated on its specifications and followed our live tweets from its pre-2011 Geneva Auto Show sneak-peek press day - but after a day in its presence here are 10 things we’d like to share with you about Nissan’s ultra-sexy...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ruf To Start Trials Of Electric Porsche 911 Prototypes This YearElectricity and high-performance cars may or may not mix, depending on your frame of reference, but whether you're a Tesla fan or Formula 1 devotee, it's easy to agree that a hybrid or all-electric Porsche would be a welcome creation for sports car and EV fans alike. Porsche blew us away last year...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Is One Million Electric Cars By 2015 Too Ambitious?In a renewed push for clean energy, President Obama called for one million electric cars to be on American roads by 2015 last month. But is that goal realistic? The government released a report this week saying that by its “conservative” estimates for 2015, the electric car supply in...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Electric Cars And Roaming: Following The Cell Phone's Lead?If you use a cell phone, you'll be more than familiar with the concept of roaming. It allows you to continue using your cell phone when your home network isn't available, thanks to collaborations between networks in different countries. Now, it appears a similar concept may be heading towards the...
Antony Ingram -
While its official world debut isn’t pegged until the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in just a few weeks, the Nissan ESFLOW electric sports car concept has been revealed in the flesh--or should we say aluminum and carbon fiber?--at a special media event in Frankfurt, Germany today. The High Gear Media team was on hand to bring you these live shots of the striking concept, revealing it in the utmost detail and giving us a look at its futuristic interior for the first time. The ESFLOW is Nissan’s vision of what a zero-emission electric sports car could look like, and based on what...
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Tesla Motors Earnings: Losses Rise, So Does Share PriceSilicon Valley startup electric-car maker Tesla Motors released its 2010 earnings report yesterday, and--as you might expect from a startup that has sold only cars for three years--it lost money. Investors apparently weren't fazed by the rising tide of red ink. Tesla shares closed yesterday at...
John Voelcker -
EXCLUSIVE: What Killed The Electric Car? For G-Wiz, Other Electric CarsIt’s been a mainstay of British eco-chic for nearly a decade, but the little Indian four-wheel ‘car’ which can be found buzzing around the streets of London will no longer be sold in the U.K. In an email earlier on today addressed to all G-Wiz owners Rudi Schogger, MD of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan ESFLOW Concept: What Do YOU Want to Know?Announced last week just three weeks ahead of its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, the Nissan ESFLOW Concept two-seat all-electric sports car has already created quite a stir. With a lightweight Aluminium chassis, composite body and the same laminated lithium-ion battery pack found in the 2011...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Geneva Auto Show: Land Rover Range_e Plug-in HybridLove them or hate them the veritable Land Rover isn’t exactly the most fuel efficient vehicle on the planet. But at the upcoming 2011 Geneva Motor Show LandRover will be unveiling a concept development vehicle that it hopes will make the brand a little more environmentally conscious. Dubbed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Geneva Auto Show: Toyota IQ EV PreviewUntil last spring, Toyota had never seemed that keen on producing an all-electric car, claiming battery technology just wasn’t ready for an all-electric car - despite having produced an all electric crossover SUV back in the late 1990s. Since then however, things have changed a lot. Not only...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield