Electric Cars
Porsche Boxster E Prototypes Detailed and Driven at Michelin Challenge Bibendum
At the annual Michelin Challenge Bibendum sustainable mobility event in Berlin, Germany Porsche showed off its new Boxster E prototypes which continue to undergo testing as the sports car maker examines the future of emissions free driving fun. In total, Porsche had three Boxster E models which weren’t just on display, but were available (to…
Toyota Prius Sales Soar As Price Of Gasoline Officially Reaches $4 Per Gallon
Toyota Prius sales have drastically risen as the price of gasoline officially reached $4 per gallon in the US. Car buyers are flocking towards high-mileage vehicles and because of Japan’s earthquake and the subsequent disruption of hybrid production, prices have spiked accordingly. According to Toyota spokesman Mike Michels, as gas prices climbed past $4 a…
Chevrolet Volt 36-Month Resale Value Set At $17,000
A 2011 Chevrolet Volt will be worth just over $17,000 after 36 months, the length of a typical lease, says Kelley Blue Book. That’s a 42 percent drop in price from the car’s $41,000 sticker price. Eric Ibara, director of residual value consulting at Kelley Blue Book, says the residual value projection seems low. But…
BMW i3 Electric City Car Starting At $35,000; 150-HP and 160-Mile Range
BMW‘s little urban runabout is almost ready for the limelight, and some tantalizing details have been released: when it goes on sale, uh, eventually, it will be priced at $35,000, or around the price of a 3-Series Coupe. And what does that $35k get you? Well, 150-horsepower, for starters—a lot for its size, and good…
Aston Martin to Produce Electric Cygnet
In their ongoing quest to assuage the guilt of the fabulously wealthy, Aston Martin will be electrifying their ugly-duckling née-Toyota Cygnet—in case wealthy city-living socialites still think Cameron Diaz has a thing for environmentally caring men. Aston Martin’s EV Cygnet will reduce its corporate emissions levels, allowing the British luxe automaker to keep building the Vantage and…
350-Mile, $25,000 Electric Car Could Be Reality By 2017 Says Department of Energy
Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are looking to jump-start the American electric car industry, to use the hackneyed pun. With Department of Energy research funding going towards battery development, Chu believes that their goal of a car that can make LA to Las Vegas on one charge, and sell for…
Audi R4 Axed: The Car God’s Are Crying
It is a very sad day for any auto enthusiast who enjoys German engineering. The highly anticipated Audi R4 has reportedly been axed by Audi. While nothing is official, Auto Motor and Sport says the model will not be produced because it would steal sales from the Audi TT, not to mention the Porsche Boxster/…
Mitsubishi Interested In Electric Formula 1 Cars
The president of Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko, is “very interested” in producing electric Formula 1 cars, with an eye to mutually compatible technology with their road cars. The governing body of Formula 1, the Federation Internationale de lÀutomobile, announced this month that it is working with representatives of the European Commission to develop a racing series for…
Green Car Buyers Motivated by Fuel Savings, Not the Environment Says J.D. Power Survey
Based on the high price of hybrid and electric vehicles, not to mention how long it takes to recoup the added cost through fuel savings (if ever), the number one reason to purchase one should be environmental concerns. The opposite appears to be true for the majority of green car buyers, 75 percent of whom…
Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt Earn Top Safety Pick Status from IIHS
Thinking of buying one of the greenest vehicles on the market, but not sure if safe for the environment also translates into safety for you and yours? That’s no longer an issue and the latest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tests have just come in for the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf with both…
Nissan Leaf NISMO RC Video: First Look at Electric Race Car Concept
Unveiled at the New York Auto Show the Nissan Leaf NISMO RC is an electric race car concept based loosely on the world’s first mass-produced EV. Sitting over a foot lower and using a chassis made of carbon fiber, there wouldn’t at first seem to be much similar between the two vehicles – although the…
Nissan Leaf Wins 2011 World Car of the Year Award
Chevrolet may be proud of its World Green Car of the Year award for the Volt, but it was Nissan who took even bigger honors taking home the World Car of the Year Award for 2011 for the Leaf electric car. The Volt wasn’t even in the running for the more prestigious World Car title,…
New York 2011: Nissan Leaf RC Not Actually Remote-Controlled
The RC in Nissan Leaf NISMO RC stands for “Race Competition.” It is not a RadioShack product. And the electric Leaf has been fettled by Nissan’s motorsport division NISMO to do battle on the track. Doing battle against…we don’t know yet. The Leaf RC is an engineer’s lab experiment, a “rolling laboratory” for the mainstream…
Nissan Leaf Service Bulletin: 5,300 EVs to Get Fix for Software Glitch
Nissan has announced a ‘service campaign’ for all 5,300 of its Leaf electric cars to fix a software glitch that has been reported to prevent the car from starting. In total roughly 500 vehicles in the U.S. are affected by the service bulletin – which isn’t technically a recall because it’s not safety related. Nissan…
Nissan Leaf NISMO RC Race Car Revealed Ahead of NY Auto Show
Rumors had indicated that Nissan would unveil the next-generation Versa at the New York Auto Show this week, but no one saw this coming. Above is a lone image of what the Japanese automaker is calling the Leaf NISMO RC (Racing Competition). Yes, a Leaf race car! Build by Nissan’s NISMO racing division the car…
Chevrolet Crossvolt Trademarked as Possible Name for Future Volt MPV
Almost a year ago General Motors first showed off the Volt MPV5 (above), hinting that it would build a Voltec-powered extended range electric car designed for families. Now comes word that GM has filed for trademark protection on the name ‘Crossvolt’ indicating that this is a name being considered for the new model that is…
Chevy Volt Named Best Engineered Vehicle Of 2011 by SAE
The Chevrolet Volt has been named “Best Engineered Vehicle of 2011” by SAE International’s Automotive Engineering International (AEI) magazine. SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. For a group of engineers to name a car the “best engineered” is prestigious…
FIA And EU Considering Electric F1 Racing
With an eye toward fostering electric-powered F1 competition, Jean Todt, president of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), said it plans to begin with electric auto, go-kart, and single-seater racing. The first season could come as soon as 2013, he said, and plans for a series and championships are comprehensive. “We want as soon as…
BMW i3 Confirmed As Mid-Engine, Rear-Drive Green Machine
BMW’s in-development electric car, the i3 has been confirmed as a rear-wheel-drive vehicle with a mid-mounted electric motor. It is expected to be for sale by 2013. Its motor support platform was developed in house and made mostly of carbon fiber. The motor will be positioned ahead of the rear wheels, and the serviceable battery…
Lotus Range Extender Engine Under Serious Consideration by Three Automakers
While Lotus is best-known for its light weight sports cars, the automaker’s engineering division is earning a reputation for green technology. One of the most recent projects to come out of Lotus Engineer is a range extender engine that works similar to the one found in the Chevy Volt. The 1.2-liter 3-cylinder powerplant makes 47-hp…
Georgia Tech Students to Compete in World Solar Challenge with Custom Audi TT Race Car
A team of Georgia Tech students has put together a dual-battery, solar-powered Audi TT to compete later this year in the World Solar Challenge in Australia. One of the car’s batteries is charged by solar panels, and energizes power brakes, windows and steering. The second battery puts out 120 volts which is directed to an…
ECOmove QBEAK Electric Car Delivers Green City Motoring With Style
With practically every automaker jockeying for a place in the emerging EV market, it’s still open territory for small innovators like ECOmove, a, Danish firm, to also stake their claim. The company is only a couple years old, but says it has experienced automotive innovators on staff who put together its modular all-battery powered chassis…
2015 Mitsubishi Evo Previewed With i-MiEVO Electric Sports Sedan
Behold the future of the Mitsubishi EVO. April Fools! Looking surprisingly cool, the folks at Mitsubishi Canada have perhaps the best April Fools prank of the day, posting a creatively photoshopped version of the i-MiEV electric car, inspired by the brand’s Evo sports sedan, on its Facebook page. Claiming to be the 2015 i-MiEVO concept,…
Kia Naimo Electric Car Debuts at Seoul Motor Show, Points Way to Production Model
Kia has just revealed its third in a string of electric car concepts, debuting the Naimo at the Seoul Motor Show. Unlike past mini cars, this sub-compact B-Class model is a crossover and may be the most realistic example yet of Kia’s plan to bring an EV to market in the near future. At 153-inches…
