Electric Cars NewsAll News
Browse by News Category
Prius Plug-in Hybrid Set for Official Frankfurt Auto Show Debut
With a lead-up almost as log as the Chevrolet Volt’s, the production version of the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in just over a month’s time. Using a more powerful and smaller lithium-ion battery, the Prius PHEV is expected to have an electric-only range of around…
Audi Q7 To Lose 650 Pounds, New Crossovers On The Way
Audi is continuing to dump money into the development of its next generation crossovers, with the brand selling 155,000 Q5s globally last year along with 47,700 Q7s. “There is no doubt…that crossovers are still selling like hotcakes even though the trend seems to be shifting toward more compact models,” says Audi chairman Rupert Stadler. The high-riding Q5 and Q7…
Cadillac Greenlights Converj Hybrid For Production
The Cadillac Converj was thought to have been lost in the ether between dazzling concept and pained execution. But GM’s executives have green-lit the Volt-based luxury car, and promise that it will be better than the idea of a “Volt-based luxury car” may sound. The Converj was thought to have been killed off back in…
Ford Focus Electric Gets Optional Rooftop Solar Panel Charging System
Electric cars not green enough for you? How about a solar powered car? Ford will be working with SunPower, an established solar provider, to build a solar energy system for the Focus electric vehicle that goes on sale later this year. Solar panels will be mounted on the car owner’s house or garage, to power…
Audi Urban Concept Design Sketches Preview Sporty City Car
Audi says its urban concept (with trendy lowercase letters) “combines elements of a racing car, a fun car and an urban car into one radical new concept.” Well, we’ll see about that come Frankfurt. The urban concept is designed, as its name alludes, to fit into the sort of tight city spaces we still manage…
Toyota Targets Electric Vehicle Nurburgring Record
Toyota seems to be getting more and more serious about electric vehicles. Recently it announced that it will start producing an electric version of the Rav4 in Canada, and now comes news that it wants to conquer the Nurburgring electric car lap record. Currently this record belongs to Peugeot and its EX1 prototype vehicle. It…
Ford Focus Electric Full Launch Delayed
Ford is delaying the full launch of the 2012 electric Focus. Initially, the Focus EV was to be launched in 19 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle. However, plans have changed and the primary launch will be concentrated in California and New York. Ford’s electrified-vehicles marketing manager David Finnegan said, “For the…
Land Rover Range_e Diesel Hybrid Entered in RAC Future Car Challenge
Earlier this year, Land Rover introduced three hybrid-electric concept vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show, and now Land Rover is looking to put them to the test. The RAC Future Car Challenge is an annual event that showcases technology that we might see in production cars in years to come. Think of it as a…
Nissan Leaf Surpasses 10,000 Units Sold
Nissan’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn reported back in late July that “with more than 10,100 electric Nissan Leaf vehicles already sold worldwide” the Japanese automaker is “clearly the global leader in zero emission mobility” but, these numbers were never verified. However, it has now been confirmed that Nissan has officially topped the 10,000-unit milestone globally. Nissan spokeswoman Katherine…
Toyota RAV4 EV Will be Built in Canada
Toyota is planning to send into production a fully-electric version of its RAV4 cute-ute. And they’ll be doing so right across the border, in Woodstock, Ontario. The Canadian and Ontario governments both gave Toyota $140 million to jump-start its production capabilities, allowing the company to upgrade its factories in the province. Citizens of Ontario can…
Tesla Releases Sneak Peak Of Model S Electric Sedan [Video]
Tesla teases us some more with the Model S electric sedan: this time, they show us three camouflaged examples running around a test track, as proof that yes, it is capable of moving under its own power. And pretty quickly, too—the Model S is expected to go from 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds,…
Free App Lets Leaf Drivers Control In-Vehicle Features: Now for Blackberry and Android
Do you miss your Nissan Leaf the moment you walk away from it? Now, you can stay in touch with your Leaf no matter where you are at any time, thanks to the new Nissan Leaf app. Available for use on Blackberry and Android operating systems (the app has already been available on the iPhone…
Tesla Negotiating $1 Billion Deal With Toyota
Tesla is currently negotiating a deal with Toyota that could be worth an easy one billion dollars, according to CEO Elon Musk himself. Fresh from a conference call (on his G6, presumably), Musk just signed a $100 million deal with the Japanese automaker, but has dropped the hint that they could be thinking larger. “We’re…
Nissan And City Ventures Prewire 190 New Homes For Electric Vehicle Chargers
Nissan and City Ventures announced today that they plan to proceed with their cooperative project to prewire 190 Southern California townhomes with electric vehicle chargers. This will be the largest residential, electric vehicle pre-wiring project in the United States. The installation will include a Level II (240v- 40 amp) electric vehicle dock which is recommended for charging…
Nissan To Build Rear-Wheel Drive Electric Powered Sports Car
Nissan has plans to launch its own small sports car that will rival the Mazda MX-5. Nissan’s newcomer will have a rear-wheel drive system and will be powered by the Leaf’s electric drivetrain. At one point, Nissan wanted to revive the legendary rear-wheel drive 200SX but that was put on the back burner in 2008. However, the…
Americans Won’t Switch To Electric Vehicles Until Gas Hits $4.50 a Gallon
A new Harvard study has found that electric vehicles won’t be accepted by the American public until gas hits $4.50 per gallon. The study also found that surprisingly, over the life of the car, plug-in hybrids like the Chevrolet Volt cost $5,377 more than gas powered cars. The story is the same for the Nissan…
BMW Reveals All New i3 And i8 Concept Vehicles
BMW has developed two new hybrid vehicles that the German automaker says have redefined the understanding of personal mobility with a focus on sustainability. The i3 concept, previously know as the Megacity, is an all-electric car that focuses squarely on the mobility challenges in urban areas. The i8 hybrid concept is a “forward-looking, intelligent, and innovative” sports…
General Motors Invests $7.5 Million In Solar Energy Firm
GM has spent a not-insubstantial sum on Sunlogics, a manufacturer of solar energy systems, in order to supply its Chevrolet dealerships with environmentally-friendly charging stations. GM’s cash injection will also provide over 300 jobs in Detroit and Ontario for when Sunlogic expands their manufacturing bases. In addition, GM’s facilities will install solar arrays en masse…
Chevrolet Volt Production Boosted To 5,000 Units Per Month
General Motors is trailing Nissan in electric car sales, prompting the the American automaker to boost output on Chevrolet Volt to 5,000 units a month as the automaker tries to take the lead. Nissan sold 3,875 Leaf units in June while GM followed behind with 2,745 vehicle sales. Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the…
BMW To Preview i3, i8 On Friday
The two ‘i’ models it plans to unveil; are the i3, a plug-in electric city car, first seen around a year ago in the form of the ‘Megacity’ rendering and the i8, a larger, sporty, plug-in gas/electric hybrid, which will make an appearance in the upcoming film, Mission Impossible 4.
Toyota Has Been Named “World’s Greenest Brand”
A new global survey from the international brand consultancy Interbrand, has named Toyota, the world’s greenest brand. The award was based on environmental performance coupled with public perception of a brand’s environmental sustainability. Data was collected from the world’s leading markets, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Brazil and India. The report gave…
Nissan Leaf Earns Five Stars Overall In NHTSA Tests
The 2011 and 2012 Nissan Leaf for earned five stars in crash testing performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For the front crash and dynamic rollover test, the Leaf received four stars, but overall scored five stars. Combine that with the Top Safety Pick Award it won from the Insurance Institute for…
Ford F-Series Trucks To Get Plug-In Hybrid Technology
Plug-in technology aren’t just the darling of shoe-shaped hybrids anymore. Ford’s F-Series heavy-duty trucks are getting the chance to ride the lightning, and it could mean sweeping changes in the commercial truck segment. Don’t look for this on the popular F-150 yet, however. Think bigger. The commercial F-550 Super Duty will get the first plug-in…
Ford Polling Facebook To Determine Focus Electric Car Sounds
Ford is taking advantage of their Facebook page by asking their fans which of the four possible warning sounds that will be used in the upcoming Focus electric vehicle is their favorite. All four sound clips are hosted on YouTube and feedback on their comments page will be used by Ford to help choose a…
