EVs
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Car assembly will never be the cleanest of processes, despite the efforts of people like Gordon Murray whose i-Stream production method for his T25 and T27 microcars is said to reduce the energy of car production by as much as 80 percent. Still, some companies do make the effort to bring down the environmental impact of car production. Smart's "Smartville" production facility in Hambach, France is one of the world's cleanest car factories, taking up less space than many plants, and clad in panels made from the wood of a fast-growing tree, carrying the mantra of "reduce, re-use and recycle"...
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If EVs Kill Japan's Autopart Shops, Is The U.S. Far Behind?
Shop owners in the sprawling Japanese industrial town of Hamamatsu are worried: They see a future where their day jobs are under threat, and even worse, by the very companies they are in business to support. What is this great thread? Globalisation? Copyright infringement? Neither - their business...
Antony Ingram -
Five New Electric Cars We'll See At The 2010 L.A. Auto Show
One of the biggest motoring events of the year is just around the corner - the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Manufacturers will be out in force with the best of their product lineup and a combination of glitzy stands and glitzy girls to make the metal seem that little bit more appealing. What we're...
Antony Ingram -
Audi Partners With China’s Tongji University For EV Development
Electric vehicle development is quickly proving to be a worldwide effort, with companies and research institutes from across the globe and in varying industries and fields forming partnerships and alliances in order to accelerate the roll out of zero-emission electric vehicles. The latest...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo Turns Gasoline To Hydrogen To Make Electric Cars More Efficient
Internal-combustion engines typically convert only one-third of the energy stored in gasoline or diesel fuel into usable power. The rest is wasted as heat, noise, or even goes unburnt. So the question for designers of range-extended electric vehicles becomes: How can onboard liquid fuel most...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Does Its Take On Future Mobility With New EV Concept
Nissan is already one of the leaders in the electric vehicle field, having unveiled the zero-emission Leaf, which is scheduled to go on sale next month, and now this latest mobility concept. Previewing one possibility for mobility in the future, where vehicle designs will be dictated by ease of use...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
In recent months we've been lucky enough to get our hands on several different and important electric cars, be they range-extended EVs such as the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, electric family cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf or even the 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive, a compact electric microcar most at home in the city. However, with so many EVs due in the next few years we've still got a lot to be excited about. So here, in no particular order, is AllCarsElectric's list of the five electric cars we can't wait to drive! 1. 2010 Renault DeZir Concept Okay, so the Renault is currently unconfirmed for...
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Is Demand For Electric Cars Overhyped? J.D. Power Thinks So
With a fanfare going up for every new electric car that hits the market at the moment, you'd be forgiven for thinking we're only a few short steps away from widespread EV adoption. According to marketing information services firm J.D. Power though, this might not be the case. According to the...
Antony Ingram -
Recharge As You Revere: Charge At Church, It Pays To Praise
Think of all the places you might go in a week that would give your electric car enough time for a top-up. The mall? The cinema? Restaurants? How about church? EV networking company Coulomb Technologies has revealed that Wooden Cross Lutheran church in Woodinville, Washington will be the first...
Antony Ingram -
Delphi Working On Wireless Charging System For EVs
Plugging a cord into an electric vehicle to charge it up after the daily commute doesn’t take more than a few seconds, and it’s a process we do almost every day with appliances and other electric items used around the house, but that hasn’t stopped companies from attempting to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: 2011 Nissan Leaf - How It's Made
With the first Leafs now rolling off the production line, Nissan has given us an insight into how the car is produced with a short video. The video shows different aspects of production, such as how the battery is produced and installed, how the inverter is made and how the motor is made and...
Antony Ingram -
Peugeot EX1: Lion Marque Gives Electric Cars Some Claws
Here at AllCarsElectric we give you electric car news and views we feel will help our readers make informed decisions should you ever wish to buy an electric car. Sometimes though, it can be fun to look at something you'll probably never be able to buy. Something that makes even the most ardent...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan has released official range estimates, based on computer simulation of a brand-new LEAF (meaning with a brand-new battery), in a variety of weather and driving conditions. Whether the aim of the estimates is to reduce so-called range anxiety or not (even though early-adopters aren't likely to have such concerns at all), they do shed some light on just how capable the LEAF is. If you're at all familiar with EV technology, you know that temperature can drastically affect real-world range through a variety of factors, as can driving conditions. But precisely how much impact these will...
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EVs Could Be A Boon In Light Commercial Use, Says Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors were one of the first vehicle manufacturers to take the plunge and produce an electric car in significant numbers, and it seems they might become the first to do the same for light commercial vehicles, too. The company, who produce the 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV microcar due to hit...
Antony Ingram -
Video: Auto X Prize Finalist RaceAbout EV In Detail
As the only vehicle in the final group of contenders for the Automotive X Prize 100 mpg challenge that actually looks like a typical car--four wheels, a full body, normal side-opening doors--the Electric RaceAbout EV should hold a special place in the history books despite not taking one of the...
Nelson Ireson -
Help Plug In America, MBA Student Analyze Social Media EV Role
As you'll no doubt be aware, websites such as AllCarsElectric and our sister site GreenCarReports use social media such as Twitter and Facebook to allow our readers to keep up to date with the latest EV and green car news. We aren't alone, either. Companies like Nissan, GM, THINK, Smart and various...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen Gains EV Experience With Ex-Renault Expert
Despite Volkswagen's green technology mainly being focused on clean diesels, the company are clearly serious about their EV program too, having lured Joerg Sommer from Renault to be their new sales director for e-mobility. The ex-Renault man previously ran the French company's EV brand operations...
Antony Ingram -
Should You Buy Or Lease Your Electric Car?
If you're reading this website, chances are you're already someone giving some consideration to owning an electric car. If so, great! You're one step further than the next guy to an oil-free future. However, for some the next hurdle could be a bigger one - should you lease the electric car of your...
Antony Ingram -
With the media kerfuffle surrounding the 2011 Chevrolet Volt and anticipation mounting for 2011 Nissan Leaf customers, it's easy to forget that there are other electric cars out there. Even successful ones, it seems. Swedish electric city car maker THINK are more than 20 years old and have just built their 2,500th THINK City EV, making it the world's most prolific city electric vehicle. Of course, 2,500 units is small beans in the automotive industry - Ford sold over 11,000 F-Series trucks per week in the U.S. in September 2010 alone, and Toyota's Prius gasoline-electric hybrid was managing...
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2011 Chevrolet Volt: First Impressions, Tech And Questions
If you follow AllCarsElectric with any regularity, you might just be familiar with a certain new Chevrolet known as the Volt. We've probably mentioned it at some point... Well, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is now here and our partner site GreenCarReports has been putting the car through its paces at the...
Antony Ingram -
From The Fastest To The Greenest: BMW F1 Expertise For EVs
"Racing improves the breed". So said the late Soichiro Honda, believing that the lessons learned on the racing cars and motorcycles could be used to improve the marque's road vehicles. The evidence is plain to see. Technologies such as anti-lock brakes, traction control, unibody chassis...
Antony Ingram -
Video: Chevrolet Explains Home-Charging The 2011 Volt
We know all about the new 240-volt upgraded charger for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and we're even more familiar with the standard 120-volt unit. But it's one thing to read about them and another to see them in action. Perhaps most interesting is the new upgraded 240-volt charger and how it looks on...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota Smart Center Benefits Home Efficiency, Not Just Cars
We've seen Onstar from General Motors. We've heard about iPhone apps that allow you to keep tabs on how your 2011 Nissan Leaf or Smart Electric Drive are charging too, and some energy companies are wanting to develop services that keep you updated on the status of your EV. Smart-Grid technology is...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Nissan Leaf Tested On An Island Amongst The Trees
We love cars here at AllCarsElectric, but sometimes there's nothing better than heading out of the cities and away from civilization to enjoy all that nature has to offer. The last thing we'd want when we got there would be to find our favorite retreat filled with motor vehicles and the fumes they...
Antony Ingram