Electric Cars

Let's say you own a plug-in electric car. You drive it, everywhere: around town, to work. You even drive it out of town, to visit friends and family in other cities, other states. You obviously can't bring your garage with you, so how do you charge your EV while you're out of town? Coulomb...

Louis Palmer, a Swiss school teacher, had a vision: to build a solar-powered car and drive it around the world. After driving almost 18 months, 32,000 miles through 38 countries, and hosting celebrity drivers such as movie director James Cameron, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Prince...

Recently we told you, and a lot of other sources reported on a Nikkei article indicating that Toyota had secret plans to develop an electric car that would derive all of its energy from solar cells. Many pundits analyzing the premise recognized that with the limits of present day solar technology...

The Automotive News reports that Chrysler plans to show at least three electric vehicles at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit later this month, among them a new Dodge, quite possibly an all-electric (not fuel-electric hybrid) four-passenger sport coupe. The Dodge electric...

Keeping ice rinks smooth is important in Toronto. The city has 60 carbon monoxide spewing Zambonis to prove it. In a place that already has 365 hybrid fleet vehicles, it was only a matter of time before the iconic ice resurfacers got clean. Enter the Finnish-made IceCat. The IceCat is a...

Yesterday Michael Kimberly, CEO at Lotus, was quoted in the Financial Times saying that we ought not be surprised to see an electric Lotus in the near future. Using range-extending technology similar to that of the eagerly-anticipated Chevrolet Volt, this Lotus will use a fuel-based back-up to...

Toyota House Yesterday the Associated Press reported that Toyota is secretly developing a car that will be completely powered by solar energy, citing a story in Japan's Nikkei newspaper. All Cars Electric searched the Nikkei archives and was unable to find any such story. Here's what we know today...

Fisker has developed an extended-range electric vehicle called the Karma, which is expected to go into production by the end of 2009. It is a four-door sports car priced at $87,000. Now the automaker is teasing us with its plan to unveil a new concept on January 12th 2009 called the Fisker Sunset...

In the words of our great patriot Benjamin Franklin, "In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." Yes, even you Prius drivers have to pay them. You may be accustomed to taxes on gasoline, but what if you had to pay for how many miles you drive instead? If Oregon Governor, Ted Kulongoski...

This site has been covering news of the Mini E for over a month, so it shouldn't surprise you that Mini's parent company, BMW, is expected to unveil some EV concepts in the very near future. According to BMW Blog, the German automaker will showcase "Concept eDrive" at the Geneva Auto Show in March...

Chinese automaker BYD has officially launched its plug-in electric vehicle, the F3DM, in China last week. The car sells for around $22,000 USD equivalent, travels 60 miles per charge, and has an on-board electric generator which can also operate in parallel. BYD has been hopeful that that will at...

There have long been rumors about Toyota unveiling a new Lexis hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show in January.  Now the automaker has confirmed it. There are still only incomplete details about the car, but it is expected to come with nickel-metal hydride batteries for now, and switch over to...

Only a month after the U.S. Military announced plans to purchase thousands of neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), the Army has abandoned the idea. The results of a six month trial left Army officials unimpressed. Three vehicles were leased for $13,000 each by the U.S. Army base in Grafenwohr...

Sometimes speaking the same language isn't a prerequisite to understanding. Take this Swedish commercial. What appears to be an advertisement for the Finnish energy company, Fortum, carries a strong message. Transportation as we know it is portrayed by barren landscapes dotted with exploding oil...

The Green Car Journal has announced the five nominees for their 2009 Green Car Vision Award: the Chevrolet Volt, Fisker Karma, Honda FCX Clarity, Mitsubishi iMiEV, and the MINI E. It's worth noting that despite the fact that so many critics have declared the electric car revolution won't be...

Toyota although the leader in green cars, due to the success of its Prius, has been cautious in moving to lithium-ion plugin cars. They have expanded on the superiority of the parallel hybrid drivetrain over a series or pure electric design. They do have a few plug-in Priuses in field trials and...

Saturn Vue Plug-In Hybrid If you envision your future electric car being connected to the wall with the standard bright orange extension cord, you're living in the past. The growing interest in electric vehicles is already leading to advances in cord technology. To make sure that there's no Blu-Ray...

Five new electric-car charging stations in one community may not sound like a big deal, but when it's Grass Valley, California, with a population of less than 15,000*, it IS pretty significant. The charging stations will offer free standard 110-volt battery charge-ups at participating...

Motorcycles due to their small size are all ready fuel efficient vehicles. The addition of an electric drivetrain seems ideal considering how little energy will need to be stored on board. Enthusiasts have already demonstrated very powerful electric motorcycles, such as the Killacycle which uses...

Nissan has signed another memo of understanding committing to zero emissions mobility. Today's partner is the Swiss electric utility company Energie Ouest Suisse. The two parties will collaborate to develop a battery charging network throughout Switzerland. The Renault-Nissan Alliance will also...