Electric Cars
NHTSA Closes Chevy Volt Fire Probe
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After an extensive two-month investigation into the Chevrolet Volt’s fire related incidents, the U.S. safety regulators of the National Transportation Safety Administration have announced that the case is closed. The conclusion: the Volt’s plug-in hybrid battery pack does not pose a significant fire risk following a crash. According to NHTSA’s statement, the organization “does not…
BMW ActiveE Now Available For Lease
The BMW ActiveE, or electric 1-Series, is finally available for lease, though there aren’t many up for grabs. We originally expected this to happen last year, but BMW delayed releasing their electric car until now to streamline the delivery process. The first unit has already been delivered and there are only 700 available in total, meaning anyone…
Nissan Leaf Battery Packs Could Get Second Life as Household Energy Storage Units
The Nissan Leaf just got a little greener. Nissan is exploring ways on how to reuse the electric car’s lithium-ion battery packs once it can no longer power the emissions-free car. Partnering with ABB (a power and technology group), 4R Energy and Sumitomo Corporation of America, Nissan is looking for second-life storage applications for lithium-ion…
Toyota Prius v Out-Sells Chevy Volt in Just 10 Weeks
Earlier this month a new reports noted that Chevrolet Volt sales were more successful in its first year than the sales numbers of the Toyota Prius hybrid on its first year back in 2000. What little optimism Chevrolet might have had on the Volt’s sales performance were quickly silenced when data revealed that Toyota dealt…
Tesla Model X to Debut February 9th
After every auto show there’s normally a lull in new product news as media and PR folks alike decompress. That won’t be the case with this year’s Chicago Auto Show, however, with the reveal of electric car maker Tesla’s new crossover the day after the Chi-town press day. The reveal won’t be anywhere near Chicago…
Tesla Touts Success of New Stores, Plans to Add 12 More
In anticipation of the launch of its new Model S electric luxury sedan later this year, Tesla has been busy expanding its retail network to meet supply. “We added six new stores in the U.S. last year, four in the last quarter,” said George Blankenship, VP of sales and ownership experience, speaking during a conference…
Toyota Electric Sports Car Concept Revealed [Video]
Officially, Toyota will tell you that the future is in hybrid powertrains. But unofficially, well, they’ve built an electric sports car, which was revealed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon. Based on the chassis of a Toyota Sera (a rare sports car built from 1990-96), the TES-ERA EV shares that car’s gullwing door concept, though…
Consumers Do Not Find Hybrids Appealing
For the last number of years, automakers have been pushing gas-electric products at auto shows across the world. However, according to researcher LMC Automotive, hybrid sales in the United States have slowed last year to 2.2 percent compared to 2.4 percent in 2010. Mike Jackson, chief executive of auto retail chain AutoNation Inc., said that…
Nissan Leaf Predicted to Double Sales in 2012
As with all new products, analysts are quick to analyze its success after its first year of sales. When Nissan reported that its Leaf electric vehicle sales tallied 9,674 units last year, industry analysts claimed that the poor sales number proved that a market does not exist for electric propulsion. CEO Carlos Ghosn saw differently,…
U.S. Auto-safety Regulators Pleased By GM’s Cooperation in Volt Recall
Recently, Chevrolet Volt fire hazards resulting from compromised battery cells have been under particular scrutiny by the NHTSA. Addressing the issue, GM has been informing Volt owners to bring their vehicles back to dealerships where steel plates will be fitted to increase protection surrounding the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries. At an interview yesterday during the 2012 Detroit Auto…
Nissan e-NV200 Concept Brings Leaf Technology to a Van: 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Nissan is trying to stay at the forefront of the rapidly-progressing electric vehicle market by announcing a plug-in version of their compact van today at the Detroit Auto Show, the e-NV200. “A potential game changing vehicle in its segment, the battery capacity will support a driving range similar to the Nissan LEAF, while payload and…
Tesla Model X Unveil Confirmed for February 9
The Tesla Model X is something of an enigma, but thanks to some tweets that went out last month it sounds like it will be faster than a Porsche Cayenne and roomier than an Audi Q7. Once again, thanks to internet chatter we’ve got some more information on this hum-dinger of an SUV. A member…
Chevy Volt’s First Year of Sales Trump Those of Original Prius
The Chevrolet Volt ended the last month of 2011 with its best month of sales to date. Having sold 1,529 Volts in December, GM ended its full year of Volt sales at a total of 7,671 units for 2011. While this figure is significantly lower than its 10,000 sales goal, Fox News noted that the…
BMW Smartphone App Previews Future i Electric Cars
Marking a new era for BMW, the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports car and BMW i3 electric city car were first unveiled as concepts last year. Set for release in 2013, BMW will also launch a new complementing smartphone app that promises new levels of technological sophistication. Previewed at the BMW i Facebook fan page,…
SIM-LEI EV Revealed With 206 Mile Range
Take a good look at this car, because if you were next to it at a stop light there’s a good chance it would beat you off the line by a long shot. It’s the SIM-LEI EV, built by the SIM Company, founded in 2009 at Japan’s Keio University. What separates it from the other EVs on the block is SIM’spreference to…
Top 5 Surprisingly Good Cars of 2012
What’s the best car of 2012? Who knows. Is a Porsche GT3 RS 4.0 better than a Ferrari 458 Italia? What about the Scion FR-S? Or a Prius Plug-in Hybrid? The past year has seen the launch of numerous excellent vehicles, including some we really didn’t expect to be any good. That said, we’ve put…
Top 10 Automotive News Stories of 2011
As another calendar year draws to a close it’s time to take a look back at the top 10 biggest stories of the year in the auto industry. It’s been a busy 12 months, starting all the way back in March when the Fiat 500 officially went on sale, marking the return of the brand…
Nissan Assures the Integrity of its Battery Cell In the Nissan Leaf
After the Chevrolet Volt’s battery fire hazard debacle, electric vehicles have received intense scrutiny over the integrity of battery cells. To answer these concerns, Nissan has stepped forward to address the strength of its Leaf electric vehicle without the direct mentioning of controversies. Nissan reported that while approximately 20 Nissan Leafs were damaged during the…
Honda EV-STER Won’t be an EV at All
After confirming that the EV-STER Concept was making its way into production, it appears now that Honda‘s concept may not be an electric vehicle at all. We already knew that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito already hinted at the possibility of both standard gasoline and electric powertrains for the EV-STER Concept, and now we have reason…
BMW to Launch New Electric Vehicle Brand In China
BMW is turning to Brilliance Jinbei Automobile, an already-established Chinese partner, to work their way around new legislation aimed at promoting Chinese cars. Ian Robertson, director of sales and marketing for BMW told Automotive News Europe said the new brand, which will exist solely to sell electric vehicles in China, will only use limited BMW…
Ford Focus Electric Targets 100 MPGe, Besting Nissan Leaf
Ford will significantly expand its lineup of 40 mpg or better models in 2012, launching not only the new C-Max Hybrid and Energi plug-in hybrid, but also the new Focus Electric. The Focus EV, says Ford, is expected to achieve a miles per gallon equivalent (mpge) rating of 100, besting the Nissan Leaf by a…
Mazda Looking to Roll Out Electric Cars By 2018
The JDM Mazda Demio models currently under test, sport a 70 kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack that adds approximately 220 lbs in extra weight. Fujinaka says the goal was to offer a zero tailpipe emisisons vehicle that delivered comparable performance to the regular 1.5-liter gas engined Demio.
Opel Ampera Deliveries Halted Amid Chevrolet Volt Fire Investigations
Last month, GM and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the Chevy Volt’s fire hazards after the electric vehicle suffered collision. As investigations continue, GM’s Opel react by announcing the delay of Ampera deliveries throughout Europe until a solution to the defect is found. An Opel spokesman explains that Opel is, “not currently delivering the cars…
Half Of All Vehicles Will Be Hybrids by 2040 – Exxon Mobil
In its annual Outlook, ExxonMobil discusses the future of global energy demands and consumption and in this year’s edition, ExxonMobil believes that half of the vehicles on the road in 2040 will be hybrids. We personally believe hybrids will rule the road long before 2040, especially when you have vehicles like Lincoln‘s 2012 MKZ Hybrid…
