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

GM Hints At New Plug-in SUV Debut For 2012 Detroit Auto Show Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 16, 2011

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt may soon have a new sibling in the form of a range-extended plug-in hybrid SUV, according to plugincars.com

Talking to Dave Barthmuss, General Motors’ western region...
Will YOU Dump The Pump Today and EVangelize About Electric Cars?
You may not know it, but today marks the sixth annual National Dump the Pump Day. Ran as a collaboration between the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), National Dump the Pump Day is held to encourage commuters to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 16, 2011

Should Electric Cars Mimic the Gasoline Driving Experience?
You probably already know this, but electric cars and gasoline cars are completely different beasts. In fact, concepts we’ve become accustomed to in gasoline cars such as the creep and kick-down functions of an automatic gearbox are not natively present in a electrical drivetrain - and yet...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 15, 2011
Clipper Creek Unveils Smallest Electric Car Charging Station yet
Well-established charging station manufacturer Clipper Creek has just unveiled what it claims is the smallest electric vehicle charging station currently available on the market. Costing $995 and weighing in at 7 pounds, the Clipper Creek LCS-25 unit looks like the portable 110V level 1charging...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 15, 2011
Greenlighting: Lantern Ryan Reynolds to Promote Nissan Leaf
Nissan has always been particular in who it choses to associate with its all-electric Leaf, but its latest superstar signing is quite literally a shining example of what it means to be a leader in the world of green cars. Enter Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds. The 34-year old star of Green Lantern -...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 15, 2011
Hey Leaf Owners! Afraid of Big Brother? There’s a Simple Fix
In the modern world of smart grids, smart phones and even smart cars, the Internet can connect two seemingly unrelated objects together. Take Nissan’s 2011 Leaf. Thanks to a built-in wireless modem, the all-electric car can both receive and send data through Nissan’s Carwings portal...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 14, 2011
Should BMW Have Made the Mini E a Production Car? #YouTellUs Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 14, 2011

BMW can’t be accused of rushing into the electric car market. After nearly two years of BMW Mini E testing and countless hours of feedback sessions from test participants, BMW is just about to...

Buying a Nissan Leaf? The Wait Could Be Longer Than You'd Like
There’s no mistaking the fact that Nissan is rapidly increasing its production volumes for its 2011 Nissan Leaf in order to clear its order books and get 12,000 Leafs delivered in the U.S. by the end of 2011. You’d think that by the start of next year, a Nissan Leaf might be easy and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 14, 2011
General Motors Invests in Electric Bus Firm With Rapid Charger Tech
You’d think that General Motors already had a pretty impressive grasp of the electric vehicle market with its 2011 Chevrolet Volt, but the automaker announced today that its investment arm was providing part of the capital in a joint $30 million venture investment in a company that makes...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 13, 2011
Five Top Electric Car Themed Gifts for Fathers' Day
We’re less than a week away from Father’s Day - the annual celebration of what our Fathers mean to us - and sometimes an excuse for presents, trips and surprises. If your Father is an electric vehicle fan but you haven’t yet got him a present don’t worry: here’s just...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 13, 2011
2012 Nissan Leaf Gets Ready for Winter, Gets More Heating
The 2011 Nissan Leaf may have been the first all-electric mass-produced electric car from a major automaker to hit the roads, but in the first few months following its launch Nissan came under a lot of criticism for not having a more sophisticated thermally managed battery pack inside the Leaf. Now...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 13, 2011
BREAKING: Chevrolet 2012 Volt $1,005 Cheaper, More Options
Want to buy a Chevrolet Volt but missed out on getting a 2011 model? Don’t worry. Next year’s car will offer more options and a lower sticker price, Chevrolet revealed today. Unlike Nissan, which was forced to raise the price of its 2011 Nissan Leaf in Europe shortly before it went on...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 10, 2011

Ford Takes on Volt, Plug-in Prius With 2013 C-Max Energi Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 10, 2011

If you wanted a plug-in hybrid electric car a few years ago the only choices available were a handful of expensive third-party plug-in hybrid conversions or to build your own.

By the start of 2011...
Volvo Listens to Fans, Brings V60 Plug-in Hybrid to U.S. for 2013
Ever since we told you all about the 2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hyrbid Station Wagon after we were invited to Volvo’s Swedish headquarters to get a sneak peak before its 2011 Geneva Motor Show debut, most of you have been telling us one thing. You wanted it to be available in the U.S. Someone at...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 10, 2011
2011 TT Zero: MotoCzysz Team Takes First, Second Places
This year’s TT Zero - annual all-electric version of the iconic Isle of Man TT Motorcycle Race, has been won by British motorcyclist Michael Rutter on his MotoCzysz E1PC. Delayed by 24 hours due to heavy rain, the motorcycle race took place on the Isle of Man, and included riders from Europe...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 9, 2011
Exclusive: Black Current III Electric Drag Champion - What's Really Under the Hood
Drag racing has long been perceived the preserve of gas-guzzling street-legal and hot rod cars, modified motorcycles, and highly-expensive, custom-built rail dragsters, but for years now a team of dedicated electric vehicle drag racing enthusiasts have shown the world that electric vehicles have...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 9, 2011
Hyper-ranging: Nissan Leaf Owners Take on Mileage Challenge
How far can a 2011 Nissan Leaf really go on a single charge? It’s a question we’re often asked, but one which is particularly difficult to answer since it relies on many different variables ranging from how fast the car is being driven to the temperature of the battery pack, the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 9, 2011
Volvo to Start European C30 Electric Car Test Leases This Summer
Volvo has just announced that it is about to start the second phase of its all-electric C30 test program with a 250 strong fleet later this summer. The Swedish automaker has been working on the electric version of its C30 coupe for some time now, and already has a small test-fleet of 50 cars...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 8, 2011

Warning: Californian Electric Car Rebates Running Out of Charge Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 8, 2011

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) - the state department charged with reducing air pollution and improving the quality of air that Californians breathe - has announced that the California...
NHTSA Gives 2011 Chevrolet Volt Five Star Overall Safety Ranking
Back in April we heard that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had awarded both the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt its highest possible award for safety - the IIHS Top Safety Pick. Now Chevrolet's plug-in hybrid has passed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 7, 2011
Want to Take Your Electric Car Skiing? Now You Can (Video)
Forgive us for saying so, but most electric car owners live in urban or suburban areas, using their cars to get themselves and their family to work or school, or perhaps running errands throughout the day. Most days, the car will end the day with charge to spare. But what if you could use your...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 7, 2011
U.K. Team to Attempt Electric Car Land Speed Record in 2013
Pendine Sands, a 7-mile long beach on the south coast of Wales went down in history in 1924 when a journalist and motor racer by the name of Malcolm Campbell broke the world land speed record at a heady 146.16 mph in the Sunbeam 350HP car he called Blue Bird. Since then the U.K. equivalent to the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 6, 2011
Roving Recharge Truck from Nissan to Aid Dead Electric Cars
Japanese electric car owners in eastern Prefecture of Kanagawa can now drive easy without the fear of being stranded with a flat battery pack thanks to a new pilot project being run between Nissan Japan and the Japan Automobile Federation - the Japanese equivalent of the AAA. Stranded owners of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 6, 2011
Tesla Model S Electric Sedan Closer To Launch, Gets Facelift
It may still be well over a year away from launch, but Tesla’s latest press photographs are certainly getting the automotive world talking. Released over the weekend, the photographs show a Model S which looks good enough to take on mainstream automotive giants on the showroom floor head-on...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield June 6, 2011