youtube
-
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 winning spots. This video gives it that place, detailing the car and the team of University of Helsinki professors and students behind its design and construction. Powered by a 33 kilowatt-hour lithium-titanate battery pack, the RaceAbout features all-wheel drive, a carbon fiber monocoque, and a...
-
A Weekend With The 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5 (Video)If you saw yesterday’s 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5: First Drive Review you’ll know that we were lucky enough to borrow a Lightning Green example of Tesla’s latest electric sports car for the weekend. Three days, 100 kilowatts of electricity, a couple of hard frosts, countless...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
BREAKING: Brammo Launches 2011 Enertia Plus Electric Motorcycle, Doubles RangeWhat happens when a company releases an update to a vehicle which promises twice as much fun as its predecessor? It happens rarely, but today an Oregonian company has accomplished just that. Keen to show the world that electric vehicles don’t always have to have four wheels to be impressive...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Video: Charging The 2011 Chevrolet VoltFor some reason, while none of us think twice about plugging in our mobile phones to recharge overnight, the prospect of plugging in a car makes some people very nervous. On yesterday's test drive of a 2011 Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, we visited the Detroit-Hamtramck factory where...
John Voelcker -
Video: So Is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt An Electric Car? A Hybrid?It's all about the Volt today, for better and for worse. On the "worse" side is the tempest in a teapot that erupted today, ably dismantled by more thoughtful commentators, over whether General Motors had "lied" about the drivetrain of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. In brief, GM revealed today that the...
John Voelcker -
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 -
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 the wall in the example garage. It's a fairly clean installation and the compact size of the charger means it will fit in essentially any garage. As for the process of charging itself, if you've used a cellphone, laptop, vacuum cleaner, toaster, or pretty much any other appliance, you know the...
-
Lance Armstrong Takes Delivery Of His 2011 Nissan LeafAnticipation for Nissan's 2011 Leaf electric car is beginning to reach boiling point but for those who've put down deposits in the last few months, waiting for the car brings a mixture of frustration and excitement, like a kid on Christmas Eve trying to get to sleep before Santa arrives. Our own...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Chevrolet Cruze: Going Hunting For CivicThe 2011 Chevrolet Cruze has been getting some good reviews over the past couple of months. We can understand why with some of the features like a 139-hp turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, OnStar Directions and Connections, climate control and, for those in cooler climates, heated seats. Of...
Jonathan McGrew -
Mercedes-Benz Reporter: Plug-In Hybrid Pickup Truck ConceptIf you're all about saving gasoline--or "displacing petroleum," as energy wonks say--then the place to start may not be passenger cars. It may be commercial vehicles. From electric trucks in urban delivery fleets to more efficient hybrid-electric powertrains, there's a lot of innovation happening...
John Voelcker -
Could Your Car's Body Be Its Battery Too? Volvo Is TryingThe biggest challenge for battery electric vehicles is clearly the cost and the weight of today's lithium-ion battery packs. Now Volvo is experimenting with a new composite material that can store and release energy more quickly than a convention lithium-ion cell and, it says, might one day replace...
John Voelcker -
GE WattStation Ad Helps Alleviate Range Anxiety, Makes Charging SexyWhat happens when the humble charging station gets a makeover courtesy of a top San Francisco design firm, a choice of colors and an TV advert full of young, happy, carefree friends making an EV road trip? The GE WattStation. Developed by General Electric as its answer to the demand for electric...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
We spend most of our time looking forward to cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt hitting the streets this fall. And as many already know, these vehicles are the latest in a long line of EVs to be made around the world. But of those vehicles which came before, which five vehicles have had an impact on the world’s impression of electric cars, and which ones have done more damage than good. Here’s the five EVs we thing have revolutionized the EV world, and five we would rather hadn’t made it off the drawing board. EVs We’re Glad Existed. 1998-2003...
-
Seven Noises We Want To Hear Coming From EVsWhen EV fans were told that manufacturers would have to fit noise generators to warn pedestrians of impending danger, they heaved a collective sigh of disappointment. One of the electric car's biggest unique selling points, that of near silent travel, had been taken away. Except that it hadn't...
Antony Ingram -
Nissan Bears All, Embraces NFL Season With Eco-Hugging Leaf AdIt’s the start of the football season in the U.S, and that means millions of viewers watching the games in their own home. Which translates to millions of eyeballs watching television ads during the game. In short, NFL mid-game adverts are big-buck affairs. Automakers know that, and have...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: First DriveWhen your lead-in to a first-time-ever hybrid sedan is a North American Car of the Year trophy winner, things are probably okay in your world. That's Lincoln's world right now, where the brand is embarking on a complete renovation that will include 7 new or refreshed vehicles in the next four...
Martin Padgett -
Tata Nano, World's Cheapest Car, Aces Indian Endurance TestWe've always had a soft spot in our heart for the tiny Tata Nano, the world's least expensive car and India's equivalent of the Ford Model T that put the U.S. on wheels a century earlier. The Nano may or may not ever be sold in the United States, though Tata says a revised version will be offered...
John Voelcker -
Electric Pot Car From Canada Creates Big Bong In EV WorldAs we're faced with an increasingly large world population and ever-dwindling resources the race is on to produce cars that not only produce zero tailpipe emissions, but ones that are green to manufacture too. But what is the ultimate material for cars? Steel is strong, but hardly light enough to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
This odd-looking vehicle is the 2011 HumanCar Imagine PS, a car best described as an electric vehicle that can also be self-propelled, a kind of human-electric hybrid so to speak. Not only that but it’s also a mobile power generator with a 110 Volt AC out. HumanCar was started by Charles Greenwood, who came up with the original idea back in 1968 whilst stuck in traffic. Looking at all the commuters stuck in cars, Greenwood couldn’t help but feel that there was a better way to move people around. Thus the HumanCar concept was born. How it works is fairly simple. Occupants generate...
-
Video: Six 2011 Chevrolet Volts On Pikes PeakChevrolet continues testing of the Volt on Pikes Peak to ensure it's ready for the harshest real-world environments.
Nelson Ireson -
DRIVEN: MINI E On An Autocross Course At MTTS2010 (Video)MINI May Have Cornered the Market On Affordable and Fun EVs
Jonathan McGrew -
Tesla Motors Reports Wider $38.5M Loss, But Says It’s On TrackAs predicted, Tesla Motors posted higher losses for the second quarter during its earnings announcement today — its first as a public company. The electric vehicle maker says it brought in $28.4 million revenue, but lost $38.5 million ($5.04 a share), up from the $29.5 million lost last quarter...
John Voelcker -
2011 Buick Regal Touts German Engineering In New CommercialsA Move That Might Have Some Up In Arms
Jonathan McGrew -
VIDEO: Ford Says “Rock it Like Block” In New Ford Fiesta CommercialThe Fiesta Shows Its Racing Pedigree
Jonathan McGrew