Electric Cars

  • 2010 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept

    Toyota announced that it will put 10 Prius plug-ins into use in Boulder, Colorado.  The vehicles will be part of a research project and will utilize Xcel's SmartGridCity technology.  The research will be coordinated by the University of Colorado at Boulder Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute which itself is a joint venture between the University of Colorado and the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The SmartGridCity project is the first of its kind worldwide.  The goal of the research is to provide grid reliability and energy usage information back to...

  • APET Salamander Test Platform
    Revolutionary Zinc-Air Battery Developed For EV Use

    According to Advanced Power and Energy Sources Transportation (APET) in Hong Kong,  the cordless, no-solar-panel  EV is about to become a reality.   Developments in Zinc-air battery technology have been made which promise to make the technology a serious contender in the EV world. Zinc-air...

  • aston martin cygnet toyota iq 001
    Aston Cygnet EV a Possibility ?

    Word has come out that the Aston Cygnet, essentially a re-badged Toyota iQ city car, is expected to be available as early as next year.  Aston selling a re-badged Toyota product is interesting enough, but there's more to the story. Aston Martin believes that many of its current drivers have a need...

  • Better Place Israel signs infrastructure agreement with City of Jerusalem
    Better Place Israel Partners With Jerusalem For EV Charging Infrastructure

    Better Place Israel signed an agreement with Israel's capital city of Jerusalem on Thursday, to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the municipality. The initiative will test charging stations and battery swapping facilities over the next 18 months. Charging stations will be...

  • Totaled Tesla Roadster
    Tesla Roadster, Toyota Prius, VW Touareg Crash in Denmark

      Here's a frightening scene from the streets of Denmark submitted to Autopia by reader, Lars H. A Tesla Roadster was involved in a three-way crash with a Volkswagen Touareg and a Toyota Prius earlier this week. Apparently the Roadster was stopped behind the Touareg when the Prius rear-ended the...

  • Zero Motorcycles Signs AMPLE to Market and Distribute Their Electric Motorcycles in Asia.

    Zero Motorcycles is now entering the enormous Asian electric scooter / motorcycle market through AMPLE, a worldwide distributor of electric vehicle products founded on Earth Day 2008.  AMPLE's brief history can be viewed here.  I wonder if Zero tried to market through more established...

  • After months and years of offerings from start-up electric bike, scooter and motorcycle companies like Vectrix, Zero Motorcycles, Brammo, etc., Honda and Yamaha have finally yielded to the marketplace and are now offering their own electric scooters.  Honda chose to bring back their iconic scooter from times past and will offer the Honda EV-Cub.  It has two motors (one for each wheel), offering improved safety and handling on loose terrain and wet pavement.  Production is expected to start in the next few months to support a 2010 roll-out. Yamaha displayed three new electric scooters. ...

  • Fisker Automotive Near Deal to Aquire GM's Wilmington, DE Assembly Plant

    Now reported widely around the web, Fisker Automotive seems to be near a deal to acquire General Motor's Boxwood Road assembly plant in Wilmington, DE, where GM produced the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice.  GM is discontinuing both the Saturn and Pontiac brands. Fisker Automotive intends to...

  • Capitol Coach Works Bus
    Federal Government Purchases 35 Hybrid Buses and One Electric Car

    The U.S. government recently purchased numerous "green" vehicles to do their part to clean up the environment.  The most recent purchase includes a slew of hybrid buses, some CNG buses and a sole electric car. This time around the General Service Administration of the U.S. government purchased 35...

  • Gen. Wesley Clark
    Gen. Wesley Clark Says Nation Must Apply Economic Might To EV Technology

    The thoughts of General Wesley Clark of the U.S Military came out as powerful words at the Business of Plugging In conference in Detroit this week.  As Clark said, "The nation must muster the same economic might that brought about the explosion in personal computing, the Internet and cellular...

  • 2009 Honda CR-Z concept car
    Honda Unveils 2009 CR-Z Concept in Tokyo

    Honda unveiled the second concept version of its sporty hybrid coupe the CR-Z at the Tokyo Motor Show.  The production version will make its world debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit just months from now. The concept displayed in Tokyo features seating for four, though...

  • Quantum Announces Advanced High Performance All-Wheel Drive Diesel Hybrid Electric Drive System

    As you may know, Quantum Technologies is the company providing the series hybrid (range extended electric vehicle) propulsion systems for Fisker Automotive, which are showcased in the Fisker Karma and Karma Sunset luxury sedans.  Now Quantum Technologies is introducing a 4-wheel drive system based...

  • Nissan President and Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn

    Nissan CEO Carols Ghosn has been aggressive in moving his company to market electric vehicles.  The Nissan LEAF has been unveiled, is soon to go on a US tour and will go on sale in selected markets late next year. The 100 mile range pure EV reportedly has a waitlist of 20,000 people. Nissan has not yet developed its own dedicated hybrid and has been licensing Toyota's Synergy Drive parallel hybrid system for use in the Altima Hybrid. According to Ghosn, Nissan has no plans to develop a standalone dedicated hybrid vehicle similar to, for example, the Toyota Prius. “We are not intending to...

  • Nissan Announces Dates for Nissan Leaf Zero Emissions Tour

    LEAF makes first U.S. appearance in Los Angeles Nov. 13

  • Tesla Roadster Leadtimes Shrinking?

    From the source linked below, the following is an excerpt from a recently published newsletter from Tesla Motors: "If you custom-order your car online, in showrooms or by phone today, you could have your car in time for Christmas." The source then speculates that Tesla Motors sales must be down...

  • "Chevrolet Volt SS" with aerodynamic wheel covers, conception by artist Rick Feibusch
    What Color is the Volt?

    I've often wondered who names the colors of things like the sweaters, paint, and cars. Who gets to decide which shade of red is spicy enough to be "Caliente" or cute enough to be "Valentine" or hot enough to be "Red Hot?" Are there specialists who deal only in beiges and grays, others who are...

  • Aluminum Association
    Use of Aluminum Could Reduce Cost of EVs by $3,000

    According to a new study jointly conducted by the Aluminum Association Inc, and Ricardo a technical research and consultant firm for automotive industries, the use of aluminum in plug-ins, hybrids, and full EVs could reduce vehicle costs by $3,000. The study shows that the use of aluminum frame and...

  • Volvo C30 BEV
    Test Drive: Volvo C30 BEV

    Andrew English of Popular Mechanics magazine is an envious individual right now.  Not only did he have the chance to test drive the Volvo V70 PHEV (read about it here) he also had the chance to drive the Volvo prototype C30 BEV. First some background.  The C30 BEV has not been given an official...

  • On October 19th, the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE announced the 43 Qualified Teams who received passing scores from the Design Judges and are therefore qualified to progress to the next stage of the competition. The Design Judging process, whereby a team of select automotive experts evaluated 97 registered entries reduced the field by more than half. The remaining teams will bring a total of 53 vehicles (28 Mainstream and 25 Alternative Class) into the next stage of the competition. Qualified Teams have passed two hurdles – the Registration process and Design Judging. The next...

  • Carlos Ghosn announces that Infiniti will produce an electric vehicle.

    Mr. Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., announced at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show that Infiniti plans to introduce an electric vehicle – one that will be true to the Infiniti brand’s promise of “Inspired Performance.” Mr. Ghosn stated that a concept is being developed for a...

  • The BRIGHT IDEA
    Bright Auto. Upgrades IDEA PHEV to 40 Miles of Electric Only Range and 36 MPG

    In response to owners of the IDEA PHEV commercial vehicle, Bright Automotive has upgraded the vehicle to deliver 40 miles of electric only range and almost 40 mpg in hybrid mode. As Bright Automotive said CEO John E. Waters said, “After speaking to major fleet operators and measuring how they use...

  • Volvo V70 Plug-in Hybrid Demo Car
    Test Drive: Volvo V70 Plug-In Diesel Hybrid Wagon

    Volvo may be a newcomer to the hybrid segment, but the company has been actively working on hybrids for nearly 20 years.  Back in 1992, Volvo displayed their first hybrid concept car, but the vehicle never saw production.  Now Volvo has the intention of producing a plug-in hybrid with some high...

  • DOE logo
    Zenn Motors Did Not Get Unsolicited DOE Funding to Build US-based R&D Facility

    Zenn Motors is the Canadian electric car company which is 10.7% owner of secretive ultra-capacitor start-up EEStor.  Texas-based EEStor is said to be building a new breakthrough barium-based battery that will be far lighter, smaller, cheaper, and long-lived than current lithium-ion cells. EEStor...

  • Sparky the Voltswagen
    Inhabitat Lists Top 5 Modified Greenmobiles

    Do you ever wish your car came in an electric version? Do you find yourself daydreaming about bio-diesel conversions? If so, the bloggers at Inhabitat have assembled a list of vehicles to inspire you. The so-called "Top 5 Pimped-Out Eco Rides" range from a Hummer H1 stretch-limo to a 1985 Chevy S10...

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