Electric Cars
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Nissan is considering production of electric vehicles in China. The company believes that China's fast growing car market will demand EVs and they hope that production within the nation will allow them to produce and sell electric vehicles at a competitive price within the country. Nissan is considering the Chinese city of Guangzhou for the site of production of EVs within the country. A senior Nissan exec discussed the possible plans during a ceremony held to celebrate the joint venture between the Japanese automaker and its Chinese partner Dongfeng Motor Co. The two companies signed...
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Toyota Considering Reviving MR2 Hybrid to Compete With Honda CR-ZThough Toyota has not confirmed anything officially, Japan's Best Car magazine is reporting that the company plans to reintroduce the Toyota MR2 as a hybrid model called the MR-S to compete with Honda's upcoming CR-Z hybrid. As Best Car reports, the vehicle will go on sale sometime after the CR-Z...
Eric Loveday -
Porsche To Offer $3,000 Optional Li-Ion Starter Battery on Select Models, Not For Use in Freezing TempsPorsche has decided that a battery upgrade is in order for some of its high performance vehicles and this upgrade consists of lithium-ion. The company will begin offering an optional lithium-ion replacement starter battery in a measure to reduce weight over the standard lead acid battery. The...
Eric Loveday -
Daimler Receives Grant For Production of Sprinter EVThe German environmental ministry has awarded Daimler a $13.46 million grant to help subsidize the development of an all electric Sprinter commercial delivery van. Daimler hopes to start delivery of the vans next year with intentions of using the EV powertrain in other van models in the companies...
Eric Loveday -
Are Fuel Cell Vehicles Too Expensive For Mass Production by 2015?Nearly every major automaker has at least toyed with the idea of introducing a fuel cell powered vehicle sometime in the future. Both Honda and GM have introduced fuel cell vehicles, but on a limited basis for testing purposes. The technology is proven, as drivers of the Honda FCX Clarity GM...
Eric Loveday -
Detroit Free Press Writer Picks Ford As Frontrunner in Alternative Propulsion Vehicles Amongst Detroit 3Over the past weekend the Detroit Free Press ran an article about electric vehicles. The article focused on the Detroit 3 and their varying approaches to the alternative propulsion category. Surprisingly, the Free Press gives the nod to Ford as the only company out of the three to have the...
Eric Loveday -
My alma mater, the University of Detroit Mercy, has now partnered with Ford to retrain automotive engineers to develop electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. While this training program was developed to support Ford's desire to prepare their engineers for future EV / HEV developments, the program is NOT EXCLUSIVE to Ford employees, so any individual may attend with private / public / corporate funding. The University of Detroit Mercy has always catered to the automotive industry's needs, from preparing undergraduate and graduate students to work in the auto industry, to offering advanced...
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Today Show Presents First Review of Chevy Volt in Charge Sustaining ModeWe recently brought you the review of the Chevy Volt in charge-sustaining mode presented by New York Times writer Lindsay Brooke. His review praised the vehicle overall, but he was not fond of the charge-sustaining mode stating that it needed additional work. Aside from Brooke, only one other...
Eric Loveday -
Nissan Releases New Leaf Video, More Specs RevealedNissan has released another video in the series that feature the upcoming Nissan Leaf EV. View the video in its entirety below. This new video reveals a few addition details about the Leaf. According to the company, the Leaf will feature LED powered headlights and taillights. This design and...
Eric Loveday -
Dr. Amy Mainzer’s Electric Experiences With the Tesla RoadsterIf you are a fan of the History Channel’s documentary series, The Universe, then you will likely recognize Dr. Amy Mainzer, a frequent commentator for the program. In a recent episode of The Universe, filmed in August, Dr. Mainzer was able to drive and discuss the Tesla Roadster. As it turns...
Jason Hendler -
Fisker Working On Military Special Ops Diesel/Electric HybridQuantum, the engineering arm of Fisker Automotive, has come up with a military vehicle it has dubbed the Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CREV) Diesel/Electric Hybrid. Like a smaller, more efficient Hummer, the CREV is said to be able to cover long distances very quietly, the better to sneak up...
Jon Vandervelde -
Taiwanese Island Of Liuqiu Going Electric Vehicle OnlyLiuqiu, an island off the southern coast of Taiwan, will spend as much as $15.5 Billion over the next three years to replace all gas cars and scooters with electric vehicles. By the end of that period, all vehicles on the island will be required by law to be emissions-free. The plan covers buses...
Jon Vandervelde -
Plug-in vehicles are a savior for the environment, at least according to research conducted by groups such as the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC). According to their studies conducted back in 2008, CO2 emissions could drop by as much as 450 million tons annually if only 60 % of light vehicles in the U.S. converted to plug-ins. A 60% reduction in CO2 accompanied by an 8 % increase in electrical consumption seems like a fair trade off in lieu of the environmental benefits of plug-in vehicles, but the research has overlooked one major...
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NY Times Review of Chevy Volt in Charge Sustain ModeTwo lucky, select journalist have no had the chance to test the Chevy Volt in charge-sustaining mode and although the vehicle is still not perfect, the overall review from Lindsay Brooke of the New York Times is positive and enlightening. Brooke was one of only two journalists to try out the Volt's...
Eric Loveday -
Top Gear Builds an Eye-Catching ER-EVThose mischievous blokes at Top Gear are at it again. When tasked with creating a Chevy Volt competitor, the hosts of the BBC's auto-enthusiast program (Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond) put together the sight for sore eyes pictured here. They call it the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust...
Robert Scardino -
Will Electric Cars Destroy Your Neighborhood Power Grid? No, But...Over the next 12 months, carmakers will introduce several new plug-in electric vehicles. One question that's frequently asked of GreenCarReports: Does recharging electric cars pose a threat to the electricity grid? The 2010 Fisker Karma and the 2011 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids, among other...
John Voelcker -
China's BAIC Unveils New Electric Car And Huge Production FacilityBeijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp. (BAIC),which is currently operating in partnership with German car-giant Daimler AG, has unveiled a new electric car aimed at carving some of the domestic electric car market away from Chinese rivals BYD and Chery. The BE701 is a four door sedan capable of...
Jon Vandervelde -
Introducing The ECOS Harbinger-An Electric Supercar For Under $90,000ECOS is known for the electric retrofitting of old Volkswagens - for around $12,500, you can have your Beetle converted into highway capable electric commuter. But capitalizing on the availability of off-the-shelf componentry and the relative simplicity of EV powertrains, ECOS is hoping to...
Jon Vandervelde -
The Aptera saga continues with a new report coming from Gas 2.0 who cites countless sources within the company. Gas 2.0 is reporting that the companies financial problems, mismanagement, vehicle revisions, and employee unrest could truly unravel the entire company. According to the report, the troubles at Aptera stem from the hiring of Paul Wilbur, now CEO of Aptera. When Wilbur was hired, he brought along Laura Marion, now CFO for Aptera. Marian had previously worked for Delphi where she was caught up in an accounting fraud claim and was cited by the SEC. Marion paid $40,000 in...
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Jay Leno Debuts New 2012 Ford Focus EV Racer, Conferees Drive Old OneAttendees excitedly swarmed around a prototype of the all-electric 2012 Ford Focus EV at an October conference held on Microsoft's Redmond campus, outside Seattle, Washington. But a newer, nice, cooler, and much flashier prototype of the 2012 Focus EV made its debut a few weeks earlier in rather...
John Voelcker -
Brammo Enertia Goes Prime TimeLast Wednesday night, Brammo may have gotten the break through they have been searching for. NBC Nightly News aired a piece highlighting the electric motorcycle giving the company the national attention needed. The news centered around a new kind of biker gang in the Oregon area. This biker...
Eric Loveday -
Nissan to Offer an Array of Different Battery Packs For LeafAdditional sources are now confirming a story we brought you a few days back about the Nissan Leaf. According to the Detroit Bureau, an automotive industry site, a senior Nissan planner has confirmed stories about offering additional battery sizes later in the Leaf's product cycle. As the Detroit...
Eric Loveday -
Peugeot Unveils BB1 EV on the Streets of LondonThe automaker Peugeot has not been high on the list of either electric or hybrid vehicles. Truth is, the company shows only a hint of interest in either category right now with a few concepts displayed here and there and a small offering of hybrid models. Their largest commitment involves...
Eric Loveday -
Toshiba Looking to Supply Lithium Titanate EV Batteries to 5 AutomakersBring on the carmakers. Toshiba is looking to sign approximately five carmakers to deals for the companies newly released lithium batteries intended to provide motivation to EVs. According to a report in the Financial Times of London, the head of Toshiba said that the company will enter the EV...
Eric Loveday