Electric Cars

Mercedes can now lay claim to the world's first fuel cell in series production, the B-Class f-cell. The initial run of 200 models will be produced at the end of the year and will go into the hands of the lucky few who have leased it in the U.S. and Europe sometime in the first part of 2010. The...

The saga of the Think City EV has turned a new page. During the recent financial meltdown, the small Norwegian electric car maker had to enter bankruptcy protection though buoyed in part by investments from EnerDel, the US-based battery maker that would be supplying lithium-ion cells for the car...

According to the Best Car magazine of Japan, Toyota is currently working on a dedicated sporty hybrid model that aims to compete with the upcoming CR-Z hybrid from Honda. The report states that Toyota is considering employing a famous Italian design company such as Pininfarina or Guigiaro...

Magna International's offshoot battery supplier division called Magna Steyr is ready to begin shipments of its lithium-ion phosphate battery packs to large truck maker Volvo. Volvo intends to utilize the packs in several of its large trucks including city buses, refuse trucks, and heavy duty...

Electric Hummer H3E Could get 190MPG City Using the Method Used to Predict 240 MPG For GM Volt

EEStor is the Texas-based company secretly developing an ultrahigh energy density, ultra-low cost, ultra-long -life new energy storage material that in theory would antiquate lithium-ion batteries overnight. Not unexpectedly there is much hype, excitement and intrigue surrounding the company's 10...

One of the highly discussed aspects of EVs of course surrounds the battery that powers the vehicle. Nissan, with their upcoming LEAF is considering many different options in regards to battery purchasing, battery after life, and battery longevity. Right now, Nissan is still undecided about whether...

Perhaps it's the gas mileage rating of 35 mpg city, 34 mpg highway.  Perhaps it's the tax breaks offered in Japan for hybrid vehicles, or perhaps it's because it's Lexus' only dedicated hybrid model, but whatever the cause is, Lexus surely isn't complaining that pre-orders for the Lexus HS 250h...

  It goes zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. It rips through the quarter mile in just over 12. Which cars come to mind? The Nissan GT-R? The Audi R8? The Corvette ZR1? The Ferrari 430 Scuderia? The '78 Ford Pinto? Believe it or not, those dragstrip bragging rights belong to the last of the aforementioned...

Some Industry Figures Skeptical of Proposed Specifications

A while back we brought you a story of a new technology that was designed to harvest power from the motion of vehicles on the roadways.  The system works by using energy created by vehicles travelling over a series of plates that move up and down creating energy.  Read more about the system here...

Lithium-ion batteries are critical for both EVs and advanced hybrids.  Li-ion offers a low weight, a long battery life, and a decent power to price ratio.  Until now, lithium-ion battery packs had to have some sort of advanced electronic controller to limit overcharging which would greatly...

Tesla Motors wants you to know that they won't be a niche automaker for long. CEO, Elon Musk has repeatedly affirmed that he expects his electric vehicle company to compete in the mainstream market with the big boys. With a lineup consisting of two-seat sports cars costing more than $100,000, and...

The next generation lithium-ion batteries from a small start up called Sakti3 could offer twice as much energy density at the same price per kWh as current li-ion battery on the market. Sakti3 is a small spin-off start up created from the partnership of the University of Michigan and General...

The range indicator on your dashboard display of your new electric vehicle displays a remaining range of 93 miles.  You can feasibily cover 93 miles before requiring a recharge.  How far are you willing to drive before calling it quits in fear of running out of juice? Surprisinly, many drivers in...

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Chinese automaker BYD is planning a new-share sale in China to fund the earlier-than-planned launch of their battery electric vehicle here in the States. The shares sale will also help pay for a second production line near Shenzhen, China, to boost...

Yesterday, sources close to the matter stated that Toyota plans to release an all new medium sized hybrid sedan next July. The source states that this vehicle will be both bigger and more luxurious than the current Prius.  Tentatively called the SAI, it will be marketed as Toyota's version of the...

According to the director of EV solutions at the California based company Aerovironment, full EVs currently in the development stages and expected to be ready for production within the next three years outnumber the plug-in hybrids and EREV expected to reach the market within the same time frame...

As more and more hybrid vehicles take to the roads across the world, one question remains relatively unanswered.  What are we going to do with all of the batteries when they are no longer suitable for use in the hybrid vehicle they were designed for? Toyota believes they have come up with a valid...

Daimler/Smart EV will Use Li Ion batteries from Tesla