Electric Cars
Scion Planning iQ Electric Car for Sale in 2012
Scion‘s new iQ mini-car hasn’t even made it to dealers, but already Toyota has announced plans for an electric version of the strange 3-seater. Essentially a rebadged and restyled version of the Toyota iQ that’s been on sale in Europe and Japan for several years, when the Scion model does arrive it will get a…
HOV Access For Hybrid Vehicles in California Expires Today
Get back into traffic with the rest of us, electric vehicles… your time is up. If you’re in California and drive a hybrid, today is the day your six-year privilege to the HOV lane expires. About 85,000 hybrid vehicle owners have to share the regular highway lanes, as the yellow sticker that gave them access…
Nissan, Infiniti Planning Twelve New Products For The Next Five Years
Nissan is planning a dozen new cars for the next few years, including redesigned Altima and Sentra sedans, some new trucks, and an electric vehicle for Infiniti. The Altima, Sentra, and Titan are getting long in the tooth, and even the Maxima and Murano. Those will get replaced with all new cars before 2014. Infiniti…
AAA To Offer Mobile Charging Units To Electric Cars In U.S.
How many times has the AAA saved your butt when your car needed a boost? Owners of electric vehicles will be happy to hear that someone’s got their back as well, as the AAA is set to launch mobile charging units in select locations throughout the U.S. Following in the footsteps of the Japan Automobile…
Toyota Planning Electric Car Blitz in 2012 with Sales of Prius PHEV, RAV4 EV and Scion iQ EV
The leader in hybrid technology, Toyota will make a big push into further electrifying its fleet when it begins retails sales of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, as well as two fully electric vehicles, next year. Toyota has confirmed that along with the Prius PHEV, it will begin selling an electric version of the RAV4 compact…
Toyota Issues Recall For Highlander And Lexus RX400h Hybrids
Toyota has officially announced a recall of certain 2006 and 2007 model year Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles. The recall will affect 45,500 Highlander hybrids and 36,700 RX 400h’s. The issue stems from the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) located inside the hybrid system inverter that contains a control board with transistors. Certain transistors on the…
Lotus Ethos Set for 2014 Launch Based on Emas City Car Concept
Amidst all the sexy and exciting sports cars Lotus unveiled at the Paris Auto Show last year, tucked away in a back corner was the Emas Concept. A small city car, it was perhaps the most likely of the concepts, combining the automaker’s talents for light weight vehicles with nimble handling, wrapped up in an…
Mitsubishi May Sell Electric Versions of Larger Cars
The i-MiEV electric mini car has only just gone on sale in North America but already Mitsubishi is looking to expand its offering of EVs. Speaking at a shareholder meeting in Tokyo Mitsubishi Motors president Osamu Masuko commented that the automaker is currently studying whether to produce electric versions of cars other than mini-cars like…
Next-Gen Nissan Altima to Get New Front Drive Hybrid System
Nissan is reportedly developing a new front-wheel hybrid drive system for the next generation Altima Hybrid that may be released as early as next year. The system will be based on the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid which utilized a rear-wheel drive hybrid drivetrain. The Altima will use lithium ion batteries, one motor, a two-clutch system…
Swapping Your Way To A Tesla Roadster – Can It Be Done?
Taking swapping to a whole new level, Martin Provost is out to prove that you can trade your way into a Tesla Roadster. Determined to get his own electrified Tesla, Green tech geek Provost has taken the cue from famous Internet swapper Kyle MacDonald (that’s the Canadian blogger who traded up to a house…
Nissan Leaf NISMO RC Electrifies Le Mans [Video]
One of the most hallowed racetracks in the world recently got an electric shave, and not just from a weedwhacker. The Nissan Leaf NISMO RC, which debuted at the New York Auto Show a few months prior, finally got a thrashing around the Circuit de la Sarthe. It was quiet, yet not entirely unexciting. Nissan’s Chief…
GreenGT LMP H2 Electric Race Car to Compete at 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012
This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans has only just finished (and what a race it was), but some teams are already making plans for 2012. No, we’re not talking about Audi or Corvette Racing, but a newcomer to the series, GreenGT. And the team won’t just be piloting a new car, but a whole…
Surveyed Mini E Owners Really Enjoy Their Electric Cars
The University of California at Davis and BMW have completed the largest study of electric car owners yet conducted: a project massive in scope, involving 120 families across the country who have put over 1 million miles in their MINI E for an entire year. Their findings? They sure love ’em. While it sounds too…
Google Employees Get Free Electric Car Charging
In a consistent effort to be, well, less evil (or at the very least sightly less malicious), Google is offering its employees free electric car charging at its Googleplex headquarters. Google already offers an electric car sharing service called Gfleet, among other lavish employee perks that more resemble Scrooge McDuck throwing his wads of cash…
Tesla Shows Off Model S Alpha, Comes Dressed to Impress
Tesla‘s Model S sedan is looking ready for production, as evident by these new photos released by the electric car manufacturer. Based on its aesthetics alone, the Model S will be very competitive in the mid-size luxury market, featuring an aggressive front end with a very sleek and stylish body. Unfortunately we’re looking at a…
Nissan Testing Roadside Assistance Charger Vehicle for EVs in Japan
In Nissan‘s continuing effort to relieve range anxiety, the automaker has now announced a joint project with the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) to test out a roadside assistance vehicle capable of recharging electric vehicles. “As EVs gain wider consumer acceptance, it is important to create a roadside assistance system that can help motorists driving EVs…
Dutch Duo Drives 779 Miles in 24 Hours in a Nissan Leaf [Video]
There has been much speculation over whether electric vehicles are suitable for long distance journeys. The biggest issue is regarding the distance an electric car can travel before running out of power, and where to charge up. Skeptics also doubt whether the advanced lithium-ion battery can withstand the torture of numerous “Level 3” charges within…
Reborn Electric Audi A2 Will Be Produced
Audi has confirmed that the A2 will be making a comback this September at the Frankfurt Auto Show, in the form of an electric concept car. The original A2 ended production due to the cost of its aluminum spaceframe chassis. The new A2 will retain the chassis but the car will be a more expensive…
Nissan Leaf To Compete In Pikes Peak Hill Climb
On June 26, an electric Nissan Leaf will compete in the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb driven by Nissan off-road truck racing champion Chad Hord. The Leaf will compete in the Production Class for electric vehicles in factory shape. Other than a roll cage, racing seats and safety harnesses the car will be entirely…
Chevy Dealers Stealing Volt Tax Credits?
Chevrolet dealers are alleged to be “gaming” the system and stealing government tax credits intended for customers. According to an investigation by conservative watchdog National Legal and Policy Center, dealers are applying for the $7,500 tax credit that was designed to help offset the cost of the new high-tech green machine in order to help…
2012 Honda Civic Sedan Receives IIHS Top Safety Pick Award
The all-new 2012 Honda Civic sedan models received the highest safety rating of Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, announced today. In order to receive a top safety pick, the vehicle must include a standard electronic stability control system and must successfully protect occupants inside the vehicle, involved in front, side…
Ford Figures Out The Best Place For An Electric Charging Port
Ford thinks it’s finally figured out the best place to put the charging plug on an electric car: on the front grille, like the Nissan Leaf? On the pillar, like the Tesla? Or where the gas cap is supposed to be, like on the G-Wiz? Nope, to all of those: Ford believes that the charging…
Hyundai-Kia Will Overtake Honda and Toyota In May
Hyundai–Kia will outsell Toyota and Honda in May sales, according to TrueCar. TrueCar expects Hyundai-Kia to sell 115,434 units in May. This number represents an increase of 43.4 percent over May 2010 making the Korean group a 10.9 percent market share putting it number three behind Ford and GM. Hyundai-Kia has gathered a momentum caused…
US Government Buying 101 Chevrolet Volts For Federal Use
The Obama administration will announce today it is buying 116 plug-in electric vehicles and will install charging stations in government buildings in five cities. Of the 116 vehicles, 101 of them will be extended-range Chevrolet Volts. These vehicles are to be placed with 20 government agencies in five cities including Washington, D.C., Detroit San Diego,…
