Electric Cars

  • Luxgen 7 electric MPV

    Most readers wouldn’t be familiar with the Luxgen brand. That’s because it’s based in Taiwan and currently only has two models to its name, the Luxgen 7 MPV and Luxgen 7 SUV, both of which are sold in just a few countries in Asia. However, Luxgen is steaming ahead with the launch of its third model, a new all-electric version of its Luxgen 7 MPV that the company is claiming is the first of its kind. Developed in collaboration with AC Propulsion, the new Luxgen 7 MPV EV is powered by a 240 horsepower AC induction motor with 195 pound-feet of torque on tap. According to its maker, the...

  • 2009 Volkswagen E-Up! Concept
    All-Electric Volkswagen E-Up Coming To U.S. In 2013

    Volkswagen is intent on becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018 and that means being the top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric vehicles. Recently the automaker announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains, as well as the launch of a Jetta Hybrid in...

  • Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell
    Yellow Is The New Green As Mercedes Bares All With SLS AMG E-Cell

    Remember the bright yellow Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell prototype we wrote about back in June? Equipped with a four-motor, all-wheel-drive system the SLS AMG E-Cell is capable of putting out more than 525 horsepower onto the road and packs electric supercar performance into the iconic gullwing body. As...

  • 2011 Tesla 2.5 RHD
    Sports Cars, City Runabouts Electrify 2010 Bridgestone Eco-Rally

    The small, seaside town of Brighton UK, some 50 miles south of London, has often been the destination for many a weary Londoner keen to take in its pebbled beaches, kitsch souvenir shops and traditional fish and chip suppers. But today it wasn't sticks of sweet sugary ‘seaside rock' candy cane or...

  • Toyota RAV4e electric vehicle, San Francisco, March 2010
    Electric-Car Drive Report: 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV Crossover

    One of the best parts of the electric-vehicle world is the camaraderie. Someone knows someone who passes us along to a friend who knows a guy ... you know the story. Which is how we ended up in San Francisco on a sunny Friday, driving a well-used--but still reliable--example of one of the...

  • Screen shot 2010-07-06 at 12.02.10 PM
    Green stocks sputtering out on public markets as Zipcar nears IPO

    Last week, electric car maker Tesla Motors made history as the first automotive company to go public since Ford in the 1950s, but its share price continues to drop, down another 9.24 percent so far today. Despite its buzz and sex appeal, it looks like the company won’t be able to escape the fate...

  • Obama at Chrysler Plant

    President Barack Obama isn’t hiding his support for electric vehicles one bit, with the nation’s leader heading to Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday to visit one of a growing number of electric vehicle startups. Obama will be visiting Smith Electric Vehicles, a small firm specializing in building battery-powered commercial vehicles and the recipient of a $32 million grant from the DOE. Obama has been backing greater electrification of the automobile since his appointment to the White House but lately he has shifted his focus to pure electric vehicles like those built by Smith Electric...

  • 2010 Renault DeZir Concept
    Sexy Red Electric Concept Displays French Dream For Sports EVs

     Concept cars are often no more than an automaker's chance to dream about a future of fully autonomous vehicles, sweeping curves and Jetsons-style glass panels, but once in a while a concept is unveiled which has what it takes to make it to production. And these days, no concept would be complete...

  • Nissan LEAF Charging Port
    Japanese Firm Lets EVs Refill Faster Than a Gas Car

    What can you do in three minutes? Boil a egg? Buy a Coffee? Check your Mail? Visit the bathroom? Thanks to Japanese based JFE Engineering, you can now add half-charging your EV to the list, courtesy of its ultra-fast charge station. Designed to comply with the CHAdeMo standard developed by Tokyo...

  • Citroen C1 ev'ie
    Forget The Showroom, Your First EV Test-Drive Could Be A Rental Car

    Imagine going on a  vacation to London, or Paris. You've just got over the jet-lag and are feeling like exploring the city.  You've done all the usual tourist activities and have some friends on the other side of town to visit. Do you navigate a strange subway system, take a taxi, or make your...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt in Waco, Texas, en route during the 1,776-mile Freedom Drive PR stunt
    2011 Chevy Volt: Freedom Drive Underway, GM Offers T-Shirts

    Taking a break from the relentless drumbeat of news about Tesla Motors, its stock offering this week, and the latest model of its electric two-seater, the Roadster 2.5--we bring you a story about the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle. Specifically, a Volt is now en route...

  • Elon Musk
    IPO Nets Tesla CEO Elon Musk A Cool $24 Million

    When Tesla (Nasdaq:TSLA) finally listed on Nasdaq on Tuesday its share price went from $17 up to $23.89 at the end of trading, a gain of almost 41 percent in just one day alone. Scores of profit takers would have been rejoicing; among them Tesla CEO Elon Musk who managed to walk away with a cool...

  • BMW Megacity Vehicle official teaser

    BMW's plans for the future have been dramatic and decidedly high-tech of late, including the U.S.-bound 1-Series ActiveE and the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept, itself headed to production in the next few years. Today, BMW has released a teaser for an all-electric car under the project name of the Megacity Vehicle. The new Megacity Vehicle, or MCV for short, does not exclusively represent one type of vehicle, but rather a range of technologies BMW could introduce across its fleet or even under a rumored fourth brand. As such, there will be several different variations, including...

  • Closing price of Tesla Motors stock on third day of trading
    Why Is Tesla’s Stock Deflating After Only Two Days?

    Good news for those of you who shorted Tesla Motors' stock: the electric car company’s shares are already falling in price as the zeal around its $226 million public debut begins to fade — after just two days. TSLA closed at $21.96 today, its third day of trading, after falling $1.87. Yesterday...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt
    New York And Texas To Join 2011 Chevrolet Volt Launch Markets

    The 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle will be upon us soon, very soon in fact, but for a few select markets, the Volt will arrive much earlier than elsewhere. GM has confirmed that the Volt will be launched initially in California, Michigan and Washington D.C. this fall but...

  • Tesla Roadster 2.5
    BREAKING: The Tesla Roadster 2.5 Is More Than Just A Few Tweaks

     Tesla have taken cues from the world of software design as it announces the latest set of upgrades to its world-famous Tesla Roadster. But unlike a minor software upgrade, the Tesla 2.5 model gives customers a whole lot more than a few performance tweaks. Just days after its IPO and with shares...

  • 2011 Nissan Leaf delay email
    2011 Nissan Leaf Misses June 30 Deadline

    We've been keeping you in the loop as High Gear Media--well, me in particular--angles to be among the first to drive and own the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car. Since Nissan opened up the ordering process to potential buyers earlier this year, the company's been aiming to release more specifics on...

  • Alan Salzman of VantagePoint Venture Partners
    VantagePoint’s Alan Salzman on Tesla and how VCs should think green

    I just sat down with Alan Salzman, CEO of VantagePoint Venture Partners — perhaps better known today as the first venture capital firm to invest in Tesla Motors — to see how he’s feeling about the big win, and what it might mean for VPVP’s growing green strategy. As you can imagine, he was...

  • The Think City racer

    There was a time when 'electric vehicle racing' was nothing more than an oxymoron. While teams of dedicated engineers, speed junkies and volt-heads have lit up drag strips with custom-built EV quarter-mile kings for years, the concept of racing production electric vehicles has yet to take off. But Scandinavian EV company Think is about to change the status quo as it readies a race-prepared 2011 Think City to launch the 2011 CityEV class as part of the 2011 EV Cup. The CityEV class is one of three in the series of European races due to take place across six venues in 2011. The CityEV class...

  • Tesla Roadster NYC
    Tesla Building Next-Gen Roadster Completely In-House

    Today was a big day for Tesla, with the company’s shares finally trading on Nasdaq and investors pouring in more than $226 million into its coffers. As with any major Wall Street listing, Tesla needed to submit an IPO filing to the SEC detailing its structure, future plans and just exactly where...

  • Tesla Model S and Roadster
    Tesla Stock Surges Nearly 41 Percent On First Day Of Trading

    Wall Street investors rallied behind Tesla (Nasdaq:TSLA) today, with the electric car start-up’s share price surging nearly 41 percent on its first day of trading on Nasdaq. Tesla’s share price ended the day at $23.89 a share, a gain of $6.89 on its opening price of $17. Just the day before...

  • GM logo, with cash
    As Governments Worldwide Tighten Fiscal Wallets, Are EV Programs at Risk?

    The U.K. coalition government has warned auto industry that it cannot continue to offer financial assistance to enable it to fully recover from the global recession. In addition, concern has been raised that even purchase grants for plug-in vehicles may be at risk if the government is unable to...

  • Closing price of Tesla Motors stock on first day of trading
    Last minute sprint boosts Tesla shares to $23.89, valuation to $2.2B

    The Nasdaq is closed, and Tesla Motors [NSDQ: TSLA] is ending its first day on the market at $23.89 a share, a 40.5 percent increase over the $17 pricing it announced last night. This is a rock star showing for the electric car company, which has exceeded expectations that were already sky high. As...

  • Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors
    Tesla IPO Raises More Than $226 Million

    Tesla (Nasdaq:TSLA), or TSLA as it will trade under on Nasdaq, has been priced at $17 per share, allowing the electric car start-up to raise more than $226 million in its IPO. Investors were expecting the share price target range to be between $14 and $16 but the overflow of excitement saw Tesla...

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