Eric Loveday, Author
Articles
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Failure to meet CAFÉ standards can result in stiff fines for automakers. In particular, Mercedes has paid over $200 million in CAFÉ infringement related fines since 1983 and many other companies...
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Electric Trolley Draws Charge From the RoadWhat if you could charge an electric vehicle without plugging it in? There has been discussion before about the ability to charge battery powered items without a cable. There has also been successful devices that do exactly that. But what about charging something larger than say a cell phone...
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GM Believes BEVs Will Outnumber EREVs SoonWhy produce plug-in EREVs such as the Chevy Volt when you believe that full electric vehicles are the wave of the future? This is a question that GM will have to tackle as even the company admits that battery only vehicles will dominate sales in the future. GM North America President Mark Reuss...
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Electric Polaris Ranger ATV Changes Backcountry TravelEverything is going electric these days including the iconic Polaris ATV. Apparently even backwoods hunters favor eliminating emissions and traveling through the brush without the racket of a gasoline engine ruining their serene adventure. The electric Polaris ATV moves with silent, swift motions...
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BYD and Daimler Join For Work on EVs for Chinese MarketDaimler is a busy player in the electric vehicle category. From recent news that Smart has partnered with Renault-Nissan, a deal which could result in an updates Smart ED, to Daimler signing a joint venture with BYD to build EVs for the Chinese market, the company is active with electrics. The...
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Story of Runaway Toyota Prius Questioned by NHTSA and ToyotaMore issues are surfacing in regards to the runaway Prius story from last week involving momentary celebrity James Sikes, whose runaway incident in a 2008 Toyota Prius made headlines for days. Last week, Jalopnik reported on the financial troubles of Sikes, who filed for bankruptcy in 2008. The...
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Honda can't afford another hybrid failure. After lackluster sales of the newly redesigned Insight, Honda needs a hit in the hybrid segment. They are hopeful that the upcoming CR-Z can garner...
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Tesla Roadster Production to Continue Through 2012In a recent article posted on this site, we had reported that the Tesla Roadster would see a production lapse in 2012. The lapse was considered to be necessary due to a chassis changeover by Lotus, of which the Roadster shares numerous components. During the changeover by Lotus, Tesla would be...
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Clipper Creek Offers Home Charger Meeting New SAE J-1772 StandardsA few months ago the SAE announced standards for charging electric vehicles. The standards were long overdue, but automakers finally have a charging standard to build their plug-in vehicles to. Now that the plug end is standardized and automakers are making vehicles to the new SAE J-1772...
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Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Kicks Off in CaliforniaCalifornians can rejoice as they are now able to get up to $5,000 off of their electric car purchase. Starting earlier this month, the states Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) went into effect which will allow buyers in the state of California the opportunity to purchase certain zero emission...
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Volt Undergoes Suspension Durability Testing
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } With the release date of the Chevy Volt drawing near, final testing is under way. The Volt is currently undergoing what is referred to in the business as suspension durability testing. The testing is under way at GM's test track at the Milford Proving Grounds...
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KB Home to Outfit New Houses With EV Charging SystemsMost older homes across the nation are not equipped to deal with the electrical draw of upcoming electric vehicles. Retrofitting an older home to cope with EV charging can be costly. Some estimates predict that the cost of converting an older home to handle the high amperage draw of EVs could cost...
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Electric vehicles are likely to see a gradual roll out over the next few years. Most of the first electric vehicles to take to the streets will likely be in the hands of corporations for use as...
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Compact Power To Expand Li-Ion Production CapacityAs the lithium-ion battery market continues to expand, it becomes one of the few industries reporting job growth during the economic downturn. recently, Compact Power, a subsidiary of LG Chem, announced plans to hire additional workers as demand has outstripped current supply and is expected to...
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VW To Focus on Several Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Launches Including Golf, Jetta, Passat and MoreVWs plans for electrifying their lineup of vehicles has been officially announced and will kick off with the introduction of a fleet of battery powered Golfs beginning next year. The VW Touareg Hybrid is a step towards electrifying the VW lineup of vehicles, but its high price tag will keep it from...
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Ford To Rollout 5 New Hybrids and Electrics in EuropeThe U.S. appears to be one of the target countries for hybrid and electric vehicles. Many automakers have focuses hybrid efforts solely on the U.S. Select automakers have chosen to release some of their hybrid offerings in other countries, primarily Japan. Few automakers have viewed Europe as...
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EVs May Be Worthless After Batteries Are DepletedResidual values are perhaps one of the most important aspects of car ownership. Residual values determine monthly payments, lease rates, costs of ownership, and on and on. When new vehicles are released, it is often difficult to accurately determine residual values until several years later...
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Bright Automotive Signs Deal to Electrify USPS FleetAs federal government agencies add electric vehicles to their fleet, will consumers notice and follow along? If an agency such as the USPS, who is seen be everyone, employs electric vehicles in daily use will consumers believe that EVs are feasible, reliable means of transportation and follow...
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The winner of the 2010 World Green Car award will be announced at the opening of the New York Auto Show in April and we will have to wait until then to see which vehicle prevails, but the list has...
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Too Many Lithium Batteries and Battery Makers By 2014?On numerous occasions in the recent past, reports have stated that lithium-ion and batteries made with this material would be in short supply for the near future. The reasoning behind the shortage is simple, battery makers simply don't have the capacity right now to churn out these batteries at a...
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Nissan Reports 56,000 On Waiting List For LeafWe anticipate that the Nissan Leaf will be a hot product when it comes to the market soon. As of right now, the company has already reported 56,000 pre-orders, a number which continues to grow as the vehicle's release draws near. It will be produced in limited numbers this year, followed by a...
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Honda Unveils Unique Electric Trike or is it a Motorcycle?Every so often, an automaker presents a concept vehicle that is outside of the box. The idea of the concept really is to gauge public interest and reaction, though production is not necessarily a consideration. Honda has unveiled an interesting electric drive concept that could trigger positive...
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Tesla EYE Concept Draws Positive ResponseConcept cars come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. There are concepts destined for production some day and there are concepts that are just good lookers and nothing more. That is were the newest concept from Tesla likely fits in. The concept, called the EYE, carries a Tesla badge and was on...
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Is Radiation From Hybrid Vehicles Cause for Concern?Could hybrid cars actually be dangerous to drivers? It seems like an unfounded question. How could hybrids actually hurt their occupants? A study conducted by a research committee funded by the Environmental Protection group of Israel suggests that hybrid could actually be harmful to the...
Eric Loveday