Electric Cars

A lot has changed since a group of forward thinking Canadians set up shop at SEMA in 2006 to raise money for the electric super car of the future. First off, their company's former moniker, Fuel Vapor Technologies, has been appropriately revised to Future Vehicle Technologies. Secondly, the...

With the Frankfurt Auto Show just over a month away, tips, rumors, and other ramblings are coming in about expectations for this years show.  The focus of many talks surrounding auto shows recently centers on advanced technology vehicles.  Electric, hybrid, fuel cells and other types of vehicles...

Nissan designers had several goals in mind when they sat down and put pen to paper to design the new Nissan LEAF electric car.  Nissan had no intention of following others in designing a radical car that would only appeal to EV enthusiasts.  Instead they wanted to focus on designing a car that...

So we have now seen the 2011 Nissan LEAF all electric car. It is unique and interesting in appearance, setting itself aside from gas cars not only in function but form. As interesting as it looks and as well as it drives, and even more importantly as well as it avoids using gas, there is still one...

Nissan commits to major battery production for the Leaf

Recently rumors surfaced surrounding the Volt's ability to seamlessly transition between it's different power modes, now additional rumors are flying regarding GM's reluctance to release any aerodynamic figures for the Volt.  According to GM, the aerodynamic numbers of the Volt would best most...

Sometimes we wonder what's in a name.  Why name a vehicle a Prius rather than an Insight, or why a Focus over a Rabbit.  Most name choices make little sense, but Nissan wanted a name for their new EV that had significance.  They wanted a single name that accurately portrayed the mission of the...

On August 1st in Japan Nissan unveiled its all new global production pure electric car to the world. The car known as the Nissan LEAF is slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe.  The LEAF will use Nissan's proprietary 24 kwh laminate lithium ion battery pack and an...

BMW has announced that it will unveil its new eco-friendly sports car concept, the EfficientDynamics Vision, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.   Designed to showcase energy efficient drive-train technology and lighter materials,  it will be interesting to see how much it borrows from the...

Brammo Enertia for Sale Through Best Buy

Recent reports have surfaced stating that engineers for the Chevy Volt are having problems in creating a seamless transition between the Volt's various power delivery modes.  According to Volt chief designer Bob Boniface, these reports are blown out of proportion. During a recent discussion on...

The CARS program's tremendous success depleted funds in just days.  Yesterday we reported that the program had been suspended due to lack of funds.  Well all of that has changed today as the U.S. House gathered for an emergency vote to put an additional $2 billion into the program. The unexpected...

If you have a big family with a few kids, live in the suburbs, and like to go to big box stores, chances are you either own or have considered owning a minivan. This staple of American society since the eighties has carried many a child to soccer practice and many a bag of grocery. Essentially...

Nissan recently announced plans to expand its lithium-ion battery production by building new manufacturing plants in England and Portugal.  The additional plants will give Nissan the ability to supply both itself and partner Renault with up to 120,000 battery pack annually. The new sites for...

A new system that could eventually see use on public roads generates electricity from vehicles rather than providing it to them.  The system relies on kinetic energy and could ideally be used to capture energy from moving cars and later charge those same vehicles. The system would be installed...

Zero Motorcycles has unveiled their new "dual sport" bike designed to take on dirt trails and smooth pavement. Marketed as a zero-emissions motorcycle that can go anywhere, the so-called Zero DS features an aircraft grade aluminum frame and a lithium-ion battery back to store power. "The Zero DS is...

The Japanese tuners at "Exclusive Zeus" may have unlocked some hidden potential in the Honda Insight. Just when you thought the new Toyota Prius had delivered the knockout blow to Honda's poorly selling hybrid, someone got the wild idea to turn the Insight into the world's first hybrid low-rider...

The Triumph TR-7 was an iconic vehicle long lost to the archives of history, though an occasional one can still be spotted on the roadways. The rights to the Triumph name were obtained by BMW in 1995 when it bought the Rover brand. The MINI E electric car field test program run by BMW has allocated...

Smith Electric Vehicles U.S. delivered the first round of its fully electric Newton trucks this week. The vehicles, built at the company's plant in Kansas City, are capable of traveling 150 miles at speeds up to 50 mph solely on electricity. Mainly designed for fleet use, the Newton will be...

There have been numerous brief test drives of the upcoming Nissan EV in the last few months. All of those drives took place in a Nissan test mule which was essentially a second generation Nissan Cube fitted with the EV power train. Now, Nissan has been offering test drives in an updated EV...