Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield, Contributing Writer

Articles

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  Aptera Answers Our Questions, Shares No New Information Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 18, 2011

  Last week we told you that Aptera Motors had temporarily halted its online reservation system for its three-wheeled, two seat, ultra-efficient 2e electric car.

  Unusually quiet since its failure to...

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  Bureaucrats Banish Better Place Because Charging Stations Aren’t Green

  Did you hear about the Danish town where everything has to be Green? No, neither did we - until just now. Enter Frederiksberg Town Council, which has vetoed the installation of electric car charging stations owned by electric vehicle charging company Better Place because they are the wrong color...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 18, 2011
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  Got a 2011 Chevy Volt? Check Your 110V Charge Cable

  If you’re thinking of buying a 2011 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, then you’re probably already aware that its 16 kilowatt-hour battery pack is much smaller than the battery packs normally found in pure electric cars. As a consequence, it is even possible to charge the Volt’s...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 18, 2011
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  San Diego Gets Smart, Hosts 100% Electric Car Sharing Scheme

  City car-sharing schemes have become more popular in recent years as the cost of owning a car rockets, but until now they’ve focused on traditional gasoline-engined cars. Not any more. The City of San Diego has just become the first North American city to host a carsharing scheme made up...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 15, 2011
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  Buying an Electric Car? Here’s What to do With Your Gasoline One

  You’ve done the research, figured out how which one you want and even put a deposit down to secure your new electric car. But how do you get rid of your gasoline one? Of course, you can always sell it on or part exchange it for your plug-in car, but if your current gasoline car isn’t...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 15, 2011
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  Are There Too Many Battery Packs Being Made for Electric Cars?

  According to a report from gigaom earlier this week, the electric auto industry will soon be producing battery packs at a rate far greater than the number of electric cars being built. Caused in part by a slower uptake of electric cars by consumers than was initially hoped, the article warned that...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 14, 2011
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  Mac Vs PC Becomes Mac Vs Chevy As Volt, iPhone Won’t Talk Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 14, 2011

  Are you a Mac user or a PC user?

  There was a time when that question would spawn pages of flame wars on blogs and computer newsgroups, and perhaps even devoted fan pages on Geocities.

  Despite...

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  Bad Idea: Electric Car Charging Stations Doubling Up In Handicapped Spaces?

  Where is the best place to site an electric car charging station? That’s the question that city planners, shopping malls and parking garages all over the world have to answer as they try to support electric car owners keen to patronize local businesses in exchange for the ability to plug in...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 14, 2011
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  Nissan Shares Pikes Peak Leaf Experience (VIDEO)

  Ever wonder how it feels to travel the famous Pikes Peak hill-climb circuit in Colorado in an electric car? While an AC Propulsion powered full-spec race car sponsored by tire firm Yokohama may have set a new electric car hill climb record of 12 minutes and 20 seconds, Nissan was sending one of its...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 13, 2011
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  New York City Electrifies NYPD With 2011 Chevrolet Volt

  Ask most people to name a classic cop car and they’ll probably mention the iconic Ford Crown Victoria or perhaps the 1974 Dodge Monaco turned Bluesmobile in the classic film The Blues Brothers. We’ve even seen more unlikely cars like the Dodge Challenger and Lamborghini Gallardo take on...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 13, 2011
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  Leviton Announces $1,049 DIY Install Electric Car Charging Station

  Electrical supply firm Leviton Manufacturing announced yesterday that it was now accepting orders for its $1,049 EVB22-3PM Level 2 charging station. Designed to provide up to 3.8 kilowatts to charge electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the Leviton unit can be installed...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 13, 2011
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  Mitsubishi Goes Social For 2012 i Electric Car, Focuses Adverts Online

  Traditionally, automakers spend the majority of their marketing budgets on advertising new cars through traditional formats such as television adverts, billboards and glossy adverts in magazines. But Japanese automaker Mitsubishi has chosen to buck the trend, focusing a huge amount of its...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 12, 2011
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  Want an Aptera? You Can’t Reserve One (For Now) Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 12, 2011

  Remember Aptera, the firm whose futuristic three-wheeled, two-seat 2e electric vehicle promised to revolutionize the way we travelled back in 2007?

  After a series of technical issues and poor...

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  Think Again: Bankrupt Electric Car Firm Heading To Turkey

  If you’ve been following the fortunes of the Norwegian electric car company Think, you’ll know that it recently filed for bankruptcy, the fourth time in its 20 year history. But if you thought the firm would disappear without trace then you’re in for disappointment as a...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 12, 2011
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  2012 Renault Fluence Z.E.: First Drive Report

  We don’t normally cover French automaker Renault, but when we were invited to drive its its first all-electric production car - the 2012 Fluence Z.E., we jumped at the chance. And we’re glad we did. Unlike its geeky cousin the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the Renault Fluence Z.E. is full of...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 11, 2011
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  Nissan: U.S. Built Nissan Leafs Will Be On Time For 2013 Launch

  The devastating earthquake and Tsunami which hit Japan back in March not only caused billions of dollars of damage, killed thousands and made many more homeless, but it also crippled a large part of the auto industry, both in Japan and around the world. With everything from parts to paint becoming...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 11, 2011
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  British Cabbies Get Friendly, Join Social Network For Eco-Driving

  Take a trip to England and at some point you’re likely to sit in the back of a London taxi cab. Just as famous as its New York counterpart, the London taxi cab is known for its tight turning circle, iconic shape and the scores of native Cockney ‘cabbies’ which pilot them. But if...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 8, 2011
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  Five Ways to Increase Your Electric Car’s Range Overnight

  If you’re an electric car owner who finds that the range you can get from a full charge isn’t anywhere near the distance the dealer claimed, you’re not alone. Rushing to work, carrying excess weight, poor maintenance, inadequate planning and even drive distractions while driving...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 8, 2011
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  2012 Mitsubishi i Gets Official Ratings From EPA, Gets 112 MPGe Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 7, 2011

  It’s official: Mitsubishi’s compact four seat electric car, the 2012 Mitsubishi i, is more fuel efficient than the 2011 Nissan Leaf.

  Rated by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) for...

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  BREAKING: Renault Teases Frendzy Concept Before 2011 Frankfurt Show

  Renault has just unveiled its latest electric car creation ahead of the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Called the Frendzy, and looking a little like the Kia Soul, the concept is a just under 14 feet in length and features a whole host of technology worthy of any concept car, including the ability to...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 7, 2011
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  Electric Car Navigation Gets Smart With Pioneering New GPS

  Practically every car on the market today ships with the option of a built-in GPS unit, letting the driver go anywhere without supposedly getting lost. But while satellite navigation systems have got a whole lot smarter in recent years, they are designed to be used in a gasoline car - not an...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 7, 2011
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  Mitsubishi Adds Electric-Car Models: One's Cheaper, One Goes Further

  Mitsubishi Motors has played the next move in the growing global electric car war by announcing that it will offer three different versions of its popular four-seat electric car. Much like the 2012 Tesla Model S Sedan, the only major difference between the three grades of car will be the size of...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 6, 2011
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  Charging Stations Go Homebrew As Hobbyists Make Working Unit

  Electric car charging stations might be coming down in price, but a team of enthusiasts have now successfully completed the first tentative charging cycles of a 2011 Nissan Leaf using a completely home-built charging station. Started as a weekend project in response to the high prices charged by...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 6, 2011
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  Electric Car Purchase Incentives? They’re Normal in Normal

  While the federal government has a blanket $7,500 tax credit available for anyone who purchases an eligible electric ca, each state is at liberty to apply its own incentives to encourage people to make the switch from gasoline to electric cars. The amount of additional incentives varies from state...

  Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield July 6, 2011