electric vehicles
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It's the episode electric car enthusiasts have been itching to see- and now the guys at BBC motoring show Top Gear have tested two electric cars to see whether they make any sense for the car buying public. Now we already know that Top Gear hasn't had the greatest history with electric cars. First, they tested the Tesla Roadster in December 2008 and their assessment resulted in Tesla filing a lawsuit back in March for the harm done to its reputation. Then, amateur videos started appearing in May showing Jeremy Clarkson and James May drawing a crowd in the UK city of Lincoln searching for a...
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Electric Cars Dirtier Than Gasoline Equivalents In China
EV fans are probably sick of arguing the case for electric cars whenever someone brings up the old "well to wheels" scenario. "Well, where does the electricity come from?" they ask. Familiar with it? Most of us have pre-prepared figures as to why EVs are cleaner, even considering the fuel burned to...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Mitsubishi i Electric Car: X-Ray Cutaway Shows Layout
Here's a view of a car you've probably not seen before, though it may be familiar to you if you've ever been in the hospital. The image above shows the 2012 Mitsubishi i electric vehicle after an X-ray scan, allowing you to see many of the vehicle's key components. X-rays pass cleanly through...
Antony Ingram -
Want a <strike>2012 Toyota Rav4</strike> 2012 Scion IQ EV? You Won’t Be Able To Buy One (UPDATE)
[Since this story was published, we've had a comment from Cindy Knight, Toyota Public Affairs Manager confirming that Toyota will be making the 2012 Toyota RAV4EV available for private purchase. Instead, Autoblog is reporting that it is the Scion iQ EV which will not be available to purchase. We...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Rolls-Royce Prepares Electric Prototype For World Tour
While we think Rolls-Royce is unlikely to be selling an all-electric Phantom any time soon, the British luxury car maker has been putting its 102EX Electric Phantom through a whole series of tests ahead of a worldwide tour to ensure it behaves in an appropriate manner at all times. One of the most...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Better Place Shows Off Europe's First Battery Switch Station
Better Place has moved a bit further down the road in its quest to corner the electric vehicle market. In Denmark, the company has just unveiled Europe's first Battery Switch Station, which will serve as the cornerstone of Better Place's biggest real-world test to date. The grand event was held at...
Richard Read -
Californian electric auto maker Tesla Motors might be in the final stages of bringing its 2012 Model S luxury sedan to market, but if you want to own one of its iconic two-seat roadsters you’ll need to order one soon. According to vivacious Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the firm is just a few months away from selling all of the left-hand drive U.S. specification Roadsters it will ever make. “I think there’s a handful of cars left to sell in the U.S.,” explained Musk. “People in Europe and Japan probably have another six months to place orders for the Roadster. IN the...
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Should BMW Have Made the Mini E a Production Car? #YouTellUs
BMW can’t be accused of rushing into the electric car market. After nearly two years of BMW Mini E testing and countless hours of feedback sessions from test participants, BMW is just about to start its second round of electric car testing with its 1-series based Active-E. But if you want to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
General Motors Invests in Electric Bus Firm With Rapid Charger Tech
You’d think that General Motors already had a pretty impressive grasp of the electric vehicle market with its 2011 Chevrolet Volt, but the automaker announced today that its investment arm was providing part of the capital in a joint $30 million venture investment in a company that makes...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ford Takes on Volt, Plug-in Prius With 2013 C-Max Energi
If you wanted a plug-in hybrid electric car a few years ago the only choices available were a handful of expensive third-party plug-in hybrid conversions or to build your own. By the start of 2011 Chevrolet was offering the first commercial plug-in hybrid in the form of its 2011 Volt. Next year...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Ford C-Max Energi: Dearborn's Answer To Volt And Prius
Toyota has managed to make its Prius family iconic, instantly identified by its unique silhouettes and body styles, and almost synonymous with 'hybrid'; and this past year, GM's Chevrolet Volt, as well as the Nissan Leaf have gone on sale with distinct shapes calling them as among the greenest...
Bengt Halvorson -
Daimler CEO: 1 Million Electric Cars in Germany by 2020? Not Likely
It may only be two weeks since Germany’s Chancellor Merkel announced that her government would help bring 1 million plug-in vehicles to the roads of Germany by 2020 but her bold goal is already being dismissed as impossible by the very automakers her Government is planning to help. Enter...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
While many in the United Kingdom doubt that he will accede his mother Queen Elizabeth II to the throne and become King, HRH the Prince of Wales has never been one to shy away from helping his subjects combine quintessential British values with new technology. His latest project does exactly that, combining the unlikely bedfellows of rural redevelopment and electric cars in a new eco-village. While he has been a passionate - and sometimes controversial - supporter of what many would describe a traditional British rural way of life, the Prince’s love of architecture, organic farming...
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New Fuel Economy Label Highlights Electric Cars, Plug-Ins
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Transportation have unveiled their updated fuel economy labels. There's some new information aimed squarely to inform consumers looking to buy a hybrid vehicle, plug-in hybrid, or electric car. First and foremost are the MPG or MPGe ratings...
Kevin Lee -
Electric Cars? Even NASCAR Drivers Want them
Think of motor racing in the U.S. and you’re likely to think of NASCAR. But while the race track may still be the ultimate celebration of high-power, high-octane internal combustion engined glory , it turns out that NASCAR isn’t the antithesis of electric cars that you might expect. At...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Smart Electric Drive On The Streets Of London: Driven
What makes the perfect city car? Compact dimensions are a good place to start, so you can sneak into small parking spaces on a crowded street and squeeze through gaps that would leave other traffic impatiently waiting. Nippy acceleration is useful too, so you aren't left lagging at the lights...
Antony Ingram -
Germany Aims To Lead Electric Car Revolution, Doubles Funding
You may think that China is already on its way to becoming the world’s electric car leader thanks to its extremely large potential consumer market and industrial revolution, but it turns out Germany is also after the same accolade. In a move which aims to develop as many as 1 million plug-in...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Exclusive: Hey Top Gear, You Have To Fill Up Electric Cars Too, Duh!
Have you ever been on those roads in North Dakota where you pass a sign that says “No gas for next 80 miles"? Or perhaps you’ve traveled through the frozen wastelands of Northern Canada or Alaska and learned that the gas station you just passed was the last one for more than 100 miles...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Uh-Ho. Despite being embroiled in a sordid libel court-case with californian electric car maker Tesla Motors for false representation of its $109,000 sexy all-electric sportscar. the BBC’s Top Gear program has just been spied in Lincoln, England - filming its latest electric car escapade. The U.K.’s number one motoring entertainment program, Top Gear has a long standing reputation for onscreen shenanigans best suited to the locker room rather than a prime-time show. But over recent years it has increasingly irked electric car makers and fans alike with its biased and as Tesla...
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Google, DOE Electric Car Charging Station Map Growing Rapidly
One of the challenges facing electric car owners wanting to venture further than the range their electric cars can provide on a single charge is where to find either an outlet or a purpose-built electric vehicle charging station to replenish their car’s battery pack. Until recently there was...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Volkswagen E-Scooter: Electric Bike To Rival Smart And MINI
The motoring world is gripped with Beetlemania at the moment, and it's got nothing to do with four plucky young musicians from England. Instead, Volkswagen's latest incarnation of the popular Beetle has been wowing the crowds at New York, Berlin and Shanghai, and virtually anyone with access to a...
Antony Ingram -
Is Your City Ready For Electric Vehicles?
Ford has identified the 25 most electric vehicle (EV) ready cities in the U.S., based on the company’s latest research. The 25 cities are dotted all over the country from Hartford to Honolulu. A previous Pike research report highlighted 6 cities expected to be early EV adopters: New York, Los...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
Siemens Inductive Charging Testing Begins In Berlin With BMW
German electronics company Siemens is set to begin field trials of an inductive charging system, in partnership with BMW. Inductive charging is a popular concept for charging away from home - it allows for charging without trailing cables and plugs around, and without requiring charging posts...
Antony Ingram -
Reviewer Drives BYD E6: Verdict? "One Trick Pony"
Chinese automaker BYD, or "Build Your Dreams" has big plans. They had a strong presence at the recent 2011 Geneva Motor Show with a lineup of production electric cars both present and future, and the company intends to break into the U.S. market, never an easy task for a maker with little brand...
Antony Ingram