BMW Megacity Electric Sports Car Under Consideration

BMW Megacity Electric Sports Car Under Consideration
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With BMW set to launch its revolutionary Megacity electric mini car in the next few years, there’s now word that the new sub-brand could include more models – like an electric sports car. In an interview with AutoCar, BMW’s sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson admitted to as much, commenting that the Megacity brand won’t… Continue Reading...

Nissan Leaf To Weigh In The Same As A Chevrolet Volt (Insert Corny Boxing Joke Here)

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Nissan Leaf To Weigh In The Same As A Chevrolet Volt (Insert Corny Boxing Joke Here)
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Let’s get ready to ruuuuuuuummmmbbble. Reports from various blogs say that the Nissan Leaf will tip the scales at 3,500 pounds, the same as its arch rival, the Chevrolet Volt. While the Volt is a plug-in hybrid, with a gas engine and battery pack, the Leaf is a true electric car, with no internal combustion… Continue Reading...

Silent But Deadly – Safety Regulation May Make Hybrid and Electric Cars Louder

Silent But Deadly – Safety Regulation May Make Hybrid and Electric Cars Louder
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As quiet as ninjas, hybrid and electric cars can be just as deadly. But while ninjas sneak up on you quickly, hybrid and electric vehicles are most likely to get you at low, parking lot speeds. According to a report that came out last fall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), hybrids tend… Continue Reading...

General Motors Prepares Firefighters For Electric Vehicles By Letting Them Destroy Them (Video Inside)

General Motors Prepares Firefighters For Electric Vehicles By Letting Them Destroy Them (Video Inside)
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Of all the problems associated with electric vehicles, like charging stations, vehicle range and environmental impact, the most overlooked is arguably how emergency responders will rescue accident victims. An electric vehicle (or even a hybrid) is substantially different than a conventional car, with batteries and electric motors being the biggest changes. The dangers of electric… Continue Reading...

Nissan Leaf Gaining Conquest Sales From Toyota Prius; Surprised?

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Nissan Leaf Gaining Conquest Sales From Toyota Prius; Surprised?
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Is the Nissan Leaf set to overtake the Toyota Prius as the green-status-symbol of choice?  According to market research sponsored by Nissan, a fair number of consumers who have put down deposits on the new Nissan Leaf electric car are current owners of the Toyota Prius hybrid, and are looking to take their outward love… Continue Reading...

Chevy Volt to Wear Buick Badge in China

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Chevy Volt to Wear Buick Badge in China
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Thanks to a patent filing process in China, it has been revealed that the Chevy Volt will be badged as a Buick model in what is now the world’s largest auto market. To be more specific, the Opel Ampera (the European version of the Volt) will actually be badged as a Buick. You see, in… Continue Reading...

Canadian Car Sharing Service To Add 50 Nissan Leaf EVs to Fleet

Canadian Car Sharing Service To Add 50 Nissan Leaf EVs to Fleet
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Communauto, a car sharing service in the Canadian province of Quebec, announced today that they are planning to add 50 Nissan Leaf electric cars to their fleet as soon as the vehicle becomes available in Canada in late 2011. Communauto is partnering with both municipal and provincial governments, utility companies and Nissan Canada, Communauto is able to… Continue Reading...

Report: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is Broke

Report: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is Broke
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At 38 years old, Elon Musk has already lived a life filled with more adventures and pitfalls than most of us can fathom. The founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX was also a one time owner of a McLaren F1, the holy grail of car collecting, and served as the inspiration for Tony Stark,… Continue Reading...

BYD And Daimler To Collaborate On EVs In China

BYD And Daimler To Collaborate On EVs In China
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Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and BYD, China’s fastest growing car company, established a joint venture to develop electric cars in China. Based in the industrial city of Shenzen, the two companies respective experience with electric cars complements one another. BYD is experienced with battery and drivetrain systems, while Daimler will bring their knowledge of… Continue Reading...

“Hot” Version Of Opel Ampera Spotted, Could Volt Version Be Far Behind

“Hot” Version Of Opel Ampera Spotted, Could Volt Version Be Far Behind
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The Vauxhall/Opel Ampera, sister car to the Chevrolet Volt, is set to launch in Europe in 2012, but GM is already preparing a more powerful version in time for the car’s launch, according to AutoExpress. Nothing concrete has been announced, but sources indicate that a larger gasoline engine and a bigger battery will help make… Continue Reading...

More Details Emerge Surrounding Gordon Murray’s T27 City Car

More Details Emerge Surrounding Gordon Murray’s T27 City Car
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Not long after Gordon Murray’s McLaren F1 was feted at the company’s headquarters, new details have emerged about Murray’s all-new T27 city car, being developed by the South African-born engineer independently of McLaren. Essentially an electric version of the T25 city car, the T27 uses a lithium-ion battery and a small electric motor to hit… Continue Reading...

Report: GM Investigating Rotary Engine For Next Chevrolet Volt

Report: GM Investigating Rotary Engine For Next Chevrolet Volt
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File this one under “completely out of left field.” GM engineers are looking for any possible way to cut costs from their Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and anything is currently on the table. Among the possibilities being investigated is a rotary engine, a powerplant long abandoned by nearly every automaker except Mazda, who still produces… Continue Reading...

Report: Bugatti Developing One-Off Electric Car

Report: Bugatti Developing One-Off Electric Car
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Reports surfacing from the Volkswagen Group say that Bugatti is working on an all-electric concept vehicle, that promising staggering acceleration and may never even see the light of day. According to a report in Auto Express, the car, based on a Bentley Continental GT platform, uses two electric motors to put out over 1600 lb-ft… Continue Reading...

“Hiring Former NUMMI Workers Is A Priority For Us”- Tesla CEO Elon Musk

“Hiring Former NUMMI Workers Is A Priority For Us”- Tesla CEO Elon Musk
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After acquiring the former NUMMI plant jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota, Tesla Motors was immediately targeted by the UAW for a guilt-trip campaign by the United Auto Workers to re-hire the 4,700 workers set to lose their jobs as the plant closed. In an interview on a California radio show, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was… Continue Reading...

Nissan Leaf Electric Car Sold Out

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Nissan Leaf Electric Car Sold Out
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According to Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn the company has now sold all of the 13,000 Leaf models allocated for the U.S. market. “We think there is a big future for this car. I can already tell you that the production for 2010 is already sold out,” said Ghosn today during a meeting of the Detroit… Continue Reading...

Renault Zoe To Be Re-Named Due To Complaint From Someone Named Zoe Renault

Renault Zoe To Be Re-Named Due To Complaint From Someone Named Zoe Renault
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There have been some big blunders in the history of automotive naming. The Chevrolet Nova flopped in Spanish speaking countries because its name literally means “it doesn’t go”. The Ford Pinto’s name in Brazilian Portuguese has similarly negative connotations, literally meaning “a man with small genitals.” The latest casualty in the history of cars being… Continue Reading...

UAW Putting Pressure On Toyota/Tesla To Hire Union Workers For New Joint Venture

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UAW Putting Pressure On Toyota/Tesla To Hire Union Workers For New Joint Venture
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The United Auto Workers is busy inserting itself into the Toyota/Tesla joint venture barely 24 hours after it was even announced. The two companies announced that they would be collaborating on electric vehicles, and Tesla would be taking over the revolutionary (at the time) NUMMI plant in Fremont, California, to build their new Model S… Continue Reading...

Electric Taxis Roll Out In China

Electric Taxis Roll Out In China
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The Chinese city of Shenzen recieved a fleet of 40 electric taxicabs last week, marking a historic milestone for China and electric vehicles. The taxis, made by Chinese automaker BYD have a top speed of 140 km/h, and are capable of getting 300 miles on a single charge.BYD, backed by American investor Warren Buffet, is… Continue Reading...

Toyota and Tesla to Partner on Electric Cars; Tesla Buys NUMMI to Build Model S in California

Toyota and Tesla to Partner on Electric Cars; Tesla Buys NUMMI to Build Model S in California
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Japanese giant Toyota Motor Corp and American electric car start-up Tesla Motors have announced a partnership that will see both automakers work towards future electric cars. In the short term, however, the deal has a more immediate result, namely that Toyota is spending $50 million to buy a significant stake in Tesla, which will then… Continue Reading...

Nissan Expresses Worries Over Limited Nature Of Electric Car Subsidies

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Nissan Expresses Worries Over Limited Nature Of Electric Car Subsidies
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As Nissan strives to sell the Leaf electric car at an affordable price point, the company is expressing concerns that the current subsidies offered by governments to encourage EV adoption will expire after three years, hurting sales and pushing the cost of electric vehicles back into unattainable territory. “My assumption is that they won’t be… Continue Reading...

Car Buyers Most Inclined To Purchase EV’s From Ford, Honda, Toyota

Car Buyers Most Inclined To Purchase EV’s From Ford, Honda, Toyota
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A report assembled by Deloitte Consulting has some interesting data about the auto industry as a whole, but a question about electric vehicles is causing some surprise. When asked what companies consumers were most willing to buy electric vehicles from, Ford, Honda and Toyota were the top 3 brands named, while automakers like Chevrolet, Nissan… Continue Reading...

Head Of Honda R&D Pessimistic About Electric Vehicles

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Head Of Honda R&D Pessimistic About Electric Vehicles
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Tomohiko Kawanabe, Honda‘s president of research & development, expressed doubts about consumer demand for electric vehicles. “We lack confidence,” Kawanabe said in an interview with Automotive News.“It’s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.”Rival automakers like Nissan and General Motors are pushing ahead with… Continue Reading...

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-Motion Detailed in New Photos

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-Motion Detailed in New Photos
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Volkswagen has just released a selection of new images of the Golf Blue-e-motion concept, with diagrams and even under-the-hood photos of the brand’s upcoming electric car. Set to debut in 2013 along with the Up blue-e-motion and Jetta blue-e-motion, VW will first test a fleet of 500 cars next year. The concept is powered by… Continue Reading...

Google and GM Team Up on Google Maps App for the Chevy Volt

Google and GM Team Up on Google Maps App for the Chevy Volt
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After much speculation, General Motors has now confirmed its first project with Google. An updated Chevrolet Volt Mobile App will include a Navigation tab that allows Google Maps to work with OnStar. Using their Google Android smart phone, Volt customers will be able to see the location of their Volt on Google Maps, as well… Continue Reading...