Germany
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One of the notable features of last year's electric-car sales was the strong, and so far sustained, sales of the radical new BMW i3 electric car. The little plastic-bodied battery-electric vehicle from Munich, with its odd coach doors and its rear electric motor, sold more than 1,000 cars a month in four of the eight months last year it was on sale. DON'T MISS: BMW i Electric Car Sales Surge For 2014; More To Come, Company Says The total of 6,024 i3s delivered put BMW's first electric car in sixth place among the 21 plug-in vehicles on sale in the U.S. Among battery-electrics, it won third...
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Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche Electric Cars To Target Tesla Model S (Plug-In Hybrids Too)
This was the year when it became obvious that upstart electric-car maker Tesla Motors has startled and worried all of the German luxury-car companies. And now that they're taking the Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan seriously--as well as the expected arrival next year of the much-delayed Model X...
John Voelcker -
German Electric-Car Charging Station Plans Accelerate As Grid Gets Greener
Germany plans to install more charging stations as it moves to massively increase the number of electric cars on its roads.
Stephen Edelstein -
Kulan Electric Utility Concept: Simple 'Donkey' Vehicle For Parks, Farmers
The Kulan is an electric work vehicle named after a type of donkey.
Stephen Edelstein -
How A Small German Town Became A Renewable Energy Miracle
A German town produces more energy than it needs from renewable sources.
Stephen Edelstein -
Germany To Boost Incentives Toward 1-Million Electric-Car Goal By 2020?
German Chancellor Angela Merkel calls for an incentives program to boost electric-car sales.
Stephen Edelstein -
Over its first six months of U.S. sales, the 2014 BMW i3 electric car--with or without its innovative optional range-extending engine--has done quite well in the sales charts. In each of the last three full months (August through October), BMW sold more than 1,000 i3s, giving it the highest percentage of plug-in cars sold of any carmaker in the States. DON'T MISS: Which Electric-Car Makers Are Serious? U.S. Sales Show Top Three The BMW i3 has not done so well, however, in its home market of Germany. According to a recent article in Car and Driver, BMW will boost incentives on the i3 to...
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Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock Discuss VW Electric Cars In New Ad (In German)
Volkswagen goes where no one has gone before in a new ad.
Stephen Edelstein -
Belatedly, Germany Follows California, Offers Electric-Car Incentives
Germany will offer electric-car drivers free parking and access to bus lanes.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan Leaf Vs BMW i3 Vs Volkswagen e-Golf: German Magazine Compares
The BMW i3's styling has been divisive since its launch earlier this year but one thing that most agree on is its abilities--it's among the best electric cars yet. When Volkswagen launches its e-Golf though, BMW will face tough competition--and worldwide, the Nissan Leaf is still a best-selling...
Antony Ingram -
Skeptical German Reviewer Buys BMW i3 Electric Car: Likes The Car, Dislikes The Price
If it's worth saying once, it bears repeating a hundred times: The best way to get people to buy electric cars is to put them behind the wheel. One German journalist has done just that, buying a BMW i3 electric car despite protestations from colleagues that the price, short range and lack of...
Antony Ingram -
German Federal Parliament Gets Efficient Audi Diesel Cars For Official Duties
The German Federal Parliament will take delivery of 66 Audi A6 2.0 TDI Ultra sedans.
Stephen Edelstein -
The record for most electric vehicles in one place was broken again, this time in Germany.
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Ebuggy Electric Car Trailer Boosts Range By 300 Miles, Looks A Bit Silly
Despite protestations that electric vehicles are compromised by short battery range, most owners find the vast majority of driving is achievable on the modest 80-100 miles offered by most vehicles. Many drivers need to do a longer trip at some point, though. Do you then make that compromise buying...
Antony Ingram -
Germany Likes German Electric Cars; Leaf, Volt, Not So Much
It isn't unusual for citizens of a particular country to employ a little patriotism when buying vehicles and stick to brands from that country. A huge swathe of Americans buy cars built by the Big Three, for example. Italians buy plenty of Fiats. French drivers often stick to Renaults, Peugeots and...
Antony Ingram -
Hamburg, Germany, Aims For Car-Less Streets In 20 Years
Urban centers are very different in the U.S. to those in Europe, its more recent history and greater expanses of space allowing wide, open and sprawling spaces to develop--a far cry from the older and more tightly-packed cities of Europe. It's this difference that makes cities free of cars a much...
Antony Ingram -
Yes, A Tesla Model S Can Hit 132 MPH On The Autobahn (Video)
A few weeks back at the opening of a Tesla Motors service center in Munich, Elon Musk told a room full of fans and journalists that Tesla would offer a special tuning package for high-speed Model S driving. It makes a lot of sense--sections of Germany's Autobahn network are among the few roads on...
Antony Ingram -
Tesla Model S To Offer 'Autobahn' Tuning For Top Speed Over 130 MPH
Most countries have their own road rules and regulations and it's no surprise that driving conditions and car requirements vary greatly as a result. One such country is Germany, where some sections of freeway--or Autobahn--have long been de-restricted. In other words, they have no posted speed...
Antony Ingram -
An EU emissions rule delay has environmentalists fuming, but German luxury car makers may be breathing a sigh of relief.
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Why German Elections Affect Your Next Audi, BMW, Or Mercedes
The results of German national elections don't get much news coverage in the U.S. But the re-election of Angela Merkel as chancellor on September 22 could prove to have an effect on your future Audi, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz. At issue is the desire of the European Union to impose even more stringent...
John Voelcker -
Germany Expanding Hydrogen Network: Will U.S. Ever Follow?
By 2015, Germany is expected to have 5,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles roaming the streets. That doesn't sound like a great number, particularly when battery-electric cars like the Nissan Leaf are already selling in far greater numbers. But it still presents a problem, as that number relies on a...
Antony Ingram -
German Autovision Museum Recreates First Ever Electric Car
125 years ago a man named Karl Benz patented what many consider to be the first motor car. As an engineer he wasn't as adept at marketing it though, which is why his wife, Bertha, stole it and completed the world's first car journey (and you presume, the first recorded Grand Theft Auto). Less well...
Antony Ingram -
BMW ActiveE Electric Car Shown On Leipzig Assembly Line (Video)
You might call it pure propaganda, but confident young BMW worker Mirco Schwarze describes the process of assembling the BMW ActiveE electric car in a way that makes it all quite palatable. The short video below, barely longer than a minute, shows the BMW 1-Series assembly line at the carmaker's...
John Voelcker -
e-Wolf Alpha 1 SRF Electric Track Car Makes Debut
While the major automakers whittle away on their electric car developments, a small German firm by the name of e-Wolf has been building and selling a range of electric vehicles including small scooters, full-size commercial vehicles and high-performance track cars, for several years now...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran