Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer

Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield is a self-confessed petrol head. She grew up in a carless family but was able at a very early age to name cars passing her on the street while other girls her age were more interested in Barbie Dolls. Although she trained as a classical musician she’s now a full-time broadcaster and journalist, covering green fuels and tech. After passing her driving test she’s owned a wide selection of cars, including a 1962 Morris Minor Woodie Hotrod; a single seat electric bubble car; a ’92 Honda Prelude; a ’91 Volvo 240; a ’04 Toyota Prius Plug in Hybrid (which she converted herself); an ’85 VW electric factory built rabbit; and a ’09 Smart ForTwo CDI Nikki specializes in electric vehicles, but also enjoys clandestine gas-guzzling, working on the rule that the larger and noisier the better. She is also loves riding motorcycles, but currently doesn't own one. Nikki also hosts the TransportEvolved podcast. She lives in Bristol UK with her wife, their two daughters and their Border Collie.

Articles

China’s E-Taxis Are Not Quite As Slow to Refuel As You Think Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 18, 2011

Last month, we brought you the story of the electric taxis that carry passengers through the busy City of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, based on a low-tech way of quickly swapping out empty battery...
One Red Tesla: This Canadian’s Bid to Trade Up Is Running Out of Time
Remember the story of One Red Paperclip? The guy from Vancouver, Canada who traded a single red paperclip to a full-size house in just 14 trade ups? Now fellow Canadian Martin Provost, trying to trade his way from a $30 Camera to a Tesla Roadster, has just got his first ride in the $109,000...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 17, 2011

Five Reasons Why The Chevrolet Volt Isn’t Losing Popularity
According to a recent research article by CNW Marketing Research, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt isn’t as cool as it once was. As reported by USA Today, the research firm claims that interest in Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid electric car is at an all-time low. CNW blames the car’s high...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 17, 2011
Think Sunk: Now Its Primary Creditor, Battery Supplier Could Too
It’s hard enough when two companies part company on good terms, but when one side of the business relationship leaves the other with a total of $105 million in unpaid bills things are going to get a little tough. That’s exactly what has happened to publicly-traded New York-based battery...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 17, 2011
Want a Wind-Powered Electric Car? It might Just Be Possible
Photovoltaic solar panels are quickly becoming the accepted ultimate accessory for any self-respecting electric car owner. So much so that Ford recently announced that it has negotiated special discount pricing on SunPower solar panels, meaning 2012 Ford Focus Electric owners could get an array...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 16, 2011
Aptera CEO: We’re Not Dead, Just Moving, Okay?
Aptera Motors - the Californian automaker which has been telling us for five years that it would revolutionize the world of electric vehicles - might be refunding each and every person who had put down a reservation for its 2e electric car, but it is not dead, Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur has said...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 16, 2011
2012 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Gets More Smart, Gains Speed Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 16, 2011

The 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive may be the smallest, most compact highway-capable electric car on the market, but its pathetic top speed, sluggish acceleration, limited range and expensive price...

2011 Chevrolet Volt Enters Palin Country In Alaskan Test-Drive (Video)
It may not be available in the northernmost of the 50 states, but the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is no stranger to Alaska. Last winter, a team of engineers from Chevrolet spent many weeks in the frigid north to see how well its range-extended plug-in hybrid would fare with the extreme cold and heavy...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 15, 2011
Ferrari Boss: No Electric Prancing Horses, But Hybrids Are OK
Ferrari has been making super-fast, super-sexy sports cars for over 80 years. But just as it won’t ever be making a four-door coupe, the firm won’t be switching roaring gasoline engines for the quiet hum of an electric motor any time soon. In fact, talking to engadget on Friday, Ferrari...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 15, 2011
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview
You might have just one week left to register your interest in buying a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, but we still haven't yet seen a production version of Toyota's first plug-in hybrid yet. That will all change in Frankfurt in just under a month, when Toyota will unveil the official production...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 15, 2011
Five Things You Shouldn't Do To A Toyota Prius...Ever
The venerable Toyota Prius has been around for over a decade now, first as an awkward but fuel-efficient sedan, then a geeky hatchback and soon a platform in its own right. But while Toyota is now putting the Hybrid Synergy Drive technology from the Prius into a whole range of vehicles from tiny...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 12, 2011
Portland Welcomes Electric Avenue, Showcases Charging Stations
Which electric car charging station is the best? And just how are public charging stations getting used? These are just two of the questions Portland State University and Portland General Electric Co. are hoping to answer with a two-year research project into electric car charging stations and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 12, 2011

Nissan Sells 5,000th Leaf, Order Backlog Slowly Clearing Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 12, 2011

It might be hard to believe, but Nissan has been selling its all-electric 2011 Leaf for nearly eight months. And a few days ago, the company sold its 5,000th Leaf to a U.S. customer.

But while...
When Does a 2011 Chevy Volt Save You Money? Consumer Reports Answers
Consumer Reports conducted a wide array of use tests on its 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car to determine its costs of operation. The answer? It depended on how the car was used.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 11, 2011
Want a 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV? You’d Better Live in California
Next year, we’re seeing a whole new group of all-electric car hit the streets, including the much-anticipated rebirth of Toyota’s all-electric crossover, the 2012 RAV4 EV. With a drivetrain engineered by Tesla motors, a 100 mile range and a legendary reputation to live up to, the 2012...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 11, 2011
Toyota To Offer Leviton Charging Stations For Prius Plug-In
Next year, Toyota will be launching a trio of plug-in vehicles - the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the 2012 Toyota RAV4EV and the 2012 Scion IQ. To coincide with that launch, Toyota has announced it will be selling a branded electric-car charging station, made by electronics manufacturing firm...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 11, 2011
Ford, U of M: “There’s Enough Lithium To Power Electric Cars Until 2100”
As electric vehicles become more widely available, we’ve heard some pretty large horror stories detailing that the world’s supply of lithium - used in most modern electric car battery packs - is running out almost as quickly as the world’s oil supply. But a recent research project...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 10, 2011
Curious Tire-Kickers Keep Tesla Busy Even Without Cars to Sell
Drop by your local Apple retail store, and you’re bound to see it humming with visitors. But while some are there to hand over their hard-earned cash for a new computer or mobile device many more are there to soak up the apple store experience. Most are there just to window shop, dreaming of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 10, 2011

2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Audi Gives More Details on Electric Urban Concept Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 10, 2011

Yesterday we brought you news of a highly camouflaged all-electric minicar spotted in the center of Berlin and wearing the unmistakable linked ring Audi badge.

At the time, we postulated that the...
Top Gear Nissan Leaf Episode Sparks Healthy Debate, Positive Reactions
A little over a week ago, the BBC aired an episode of its popular motoring entertainment program Top Gear in which presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May searched in vain for an electric-car charging station. They needed to recharge their fully-drained 2011 Nissan Leaf in the rural English county...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 9, 2011
Live in Idaho and Want an Electric Car? You’re In For a Long Wait
If California is the undisputed capital of electric cars in North America, which state is its antithesis? According to the Idaho Business Review, Idaho could be that state, with both the 2012 Chevrolet Volt and 2012 Nissan Leaf unavailable at present. Worse still, Nissan won’t be even making...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 9, 2011
Is This Audi’s All-Electric City E-Tron? We Think So (Video)
Audi might have not chosen the best name for its new range of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, but it certainly knows how to cause a stir in downtown Berlin. Spotted posing for photographs in the center of Berlin earlier this week is what we can only assume is Audi’s City e-tron...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 9, 2011
Auto X-Prize Runner Up Clocks Faster Time Than Mini E At Nürburgring (Video)
It’s almost a year since the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize came to a conclusion, but we’ve heard relatively little from its various winners. Until Now. Enter the Finnish team which came runners up in the Alternative (Side by Side) category with the conventionally-styled...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 8, 2011
2012 Ford Focus Electric Only Available in NY, CA This Year
It may have just appeared on The Late Show last week, but Ford’s all-electric 2012 Focus won’t be hitting the streets en masse until spring 2012. At least, that’s what David Finnegan, Electrified Vehicles Marketing Manager at Ford Motor Company has told forum members at...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield August 8, 2011