Electric Cars
Report: Volkswagen Moves e-Golf Electric Car Launch Forward
Volkswagen has made a slight change to its electric vehicle production plans, moving up the launch of the Golf EV. Initially VW had planned to introduce the e-Up! (above) first, but according to new reports the German automaker has decided that the e-Golf will be first, citing the car’s popularity and importance in the VW…
Gordon Murray’s T25 City Car Spied In England
Gordon Murray, the engineering genius who brought the world the McLaren F1 is hard at work on his new city car project, which was spotted undergoing testing in England. Unlike the million-dollar F1, Murray’s new T25 city car is designed to be simple, urban transportation that will radically transform the way cars are designed and…
Nissan Collects 6,635 Pre-Orders In 72 Hours For Leaf Electric Car
In a little under 72 hours, Nissan has collected 6,635 pre-orders for its new Leaf electric vehicle, a rate of about 100 per hour. Potential buyers were asked to place a refundable $99 dollar deposit to secure a slot on the waiting list, but there was no guarantee that they would be one of the first to…
Report: BMW Developing Hybrid Hydrogen Technology for MINI, Future Front-Drive BMWs
BMW is developing a complex powertrain that blends fuel cell and hybrid technology, allowing a car be carbon neutral in urban traffic. The system works by having a conventional gasoline engine powering the front wheels, while a small fuel cell sends power via capacitors in the transmission tunnel to an electric motor positioned at the rear axle….
Tesla To Start Sales In Japan This May
The first electric sports car is coming to Japan this May, as Tesla sends its first batch of right-hand drive Roadsters to the other side of the Pacific. Japan will be the first Asian market for Tesla, which built 12 special edition Roadsters to mark the occasion. Featuring carbon fiber bodywork and a 0-60 time…
Nissan Leaf Reservations Begin Today, Deliveries in December
Nissan has announced that it will begin taking reservations for its new Leaf electric car today. The Japanese automaker sent out emails to the 115,000 people who signed on to receive more information, giving them first crack at owning a production electric car. Those who wish to put their name on the list will be…
ERA Electric Car from Finland is a Technological Wonder… and it Looks Hot Too
What could be better than your readers being involved in a groundbreaking automotive project? That’s exactly what happened to our friend Ben at Bespoke Ventures, who had a reader named Janne thank him for a post about rear mounted radiators…then attach a few photos. Above is the finished product, the ERA (Electric Race About) electric…
Chevy Volt to Get 50-MPG Once Electric Charge Used-Up Says Top Engineer
Remember all that nonsense about the Chevy Volt getting 230-mpg? Well, after the EPA denied coming up with the number and Chevy admitted there was no standardized way to compare the fuel consumption of a range-extended electric vehicle like the Volt with a conventional gasoline vehicle, the whole business died down for a while –…
Voltec-Powered Chevy Orlando Concept to Debut at Beijing Auto Show
Chevrolet will unveil a new Orlando-based concept car at the Beijing Auto Show, powered by an adapted version of the powerplant found in the Chevy Volt. The team at GMInsideNews has provided us with a patent sketch for the vehicle, which was filed in August of 2009, but made available just yesterday. Associated with the…
Report: Infiniti Rejects Initial Leaf EV Proposals, Demands More Power and Style
Nissan has already come clean on plans to build an Infiniti-branded version of its new Leaf electric car, but that doesn’t mean the brand’s luxury arm will just get a rebadged version of the functional eco-mobile. According to a report by Automotive News, Infiniti has already rejected several design and engineering proposals for the car…
MINI E Laps the Nürburgring – Slowly
Whether to promote the cars “performance” or more likely just for the fun of it, the team at MINI took the new MINI E electric vehicle out to Germany’s famed Nürburgring to see what sort of a time they could get. As you might expect, it wasn’t close to the GT-Rs 7:26.70 time, but then…
Report: Infiniti Planning More Powerful Nissan Leaf-Based Electric Vehicle
Infiniti has already made it clear that it will bring an electric car to market and according to recent reports, the luxury EV will be based on Nissan’s upcoming Leaf electric car. Due out around 2014, the Infiniti version will be zero-emissions, but it won’t be slow. By that time, Nissan/Infiniti plans that lithium-ion battery…
Fiat 500 EV Heading to Production in 2012, for Sale in the U.S.
Fiat will bring a fully-electric version of the 500 to market, with production starting in 2012. The result of the Fiat/Chrysler alliance, the Fiat 500 EV will use a high-tech lithium-ion battery pack. It will also be developed and engineered by Chrysler at the company’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. No information regarding power, acceleration,…
Cadillac Converj Won’t See Production, Says Lutz
Cadillac’s beautiful plug-in hybrid concept car will remain a great idea, but nothing more. According to a report by Automotive News, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz wrote in a text message that the Converj, first shown at the Detroit Auto Show in 2009 and well-received by the media, won’t be headed for production. Lutz wrote…
Geneva 2010: Audi A1 E-Tron First Live Photos
Along with the launch of the new Audi A1 at the Geneva Auto Show, the automaker unveiled an E-Tron electric vehicle concept. The A1 E-Tron is powered by a 102 hp electric motor with a range of 31.07 miles. A compact Wankel rotary engine kicks in when needed to recharge the lithium-ion battery, potentially extending…
Geneva 2010: Audi Debuting A1 E-Tron in Geneva
As expected, Audi is unveiling a new A1 model to its e-Tron family of electric vehicles at the Geneva Auto Show. The A1 e-Tron is powered by an electric motor with an internal combustion engine that is used only to recharge the motor’s battery. The motor has a continuous output of 61 hp but can…
Geneva Preview: Audi A1-Based E-Tron Concept Rumored for Geneva Debut
With Audi having already provided all the details and pictures on its new A1 model that’s set to debut at the Geneva Auto Show this week, the German automaker seems to have a little surprise up its sleeve. And we do mean little. Having shown the E-tron concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show and a…
Nissan Leaf Electric Car On Sale in August, Deliveries in December
With Chevy set to begin selling the Volt later this year, Nissan will be ready to compete in the ultra-green category with its Leaf electric car. Nissan will begin taking orders for the car in August, with deliveries in December. Those eligible will have to live in an area where Nissan is working with local…
Ford Transit Connect Electric and TC Taxi to Debut at Chicago Auto Show
Ford has just announced two new versions of its Transit Connect commercial vehicle, which recently won the 2010 North American Truck of the Year award. Up first is the Transit Connect Electric, the first electric vehicle Ford will offer, using a lithium-ion battery. It can travel up to 80 miles on a charge, which takes…
Detroit 2010: Nissan Leaf Electric Car Is the Real EV Deal
With no official presence at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan couldn’t resist showcasing its new Leaf electric car. On display alongside several other electric models in an area of the show dubbed Electric Avenue, Nissan claims that the Leaf is no concept, but an actual production model. It certainly looks the part, with a production…
Detroit 2010: Tesla Model S Electric Luxury Sedan Coming in 2012
Tesla has a significant presence at the Detroit Auto Show and shared its section of the show floor with such revered brands as Audi and Lotus. Displaying three models, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company’s latest project, the Model S, is expected to be on sale in two years. This fully-electric luxury sedan…
Detroit 2010: First Live Photos of Updated, Rear-Drive Audi E-Tron
Audi has just unveiled a significantly updated version of the E-Tron electric sports car concept that originally debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show last year and the new look is much improved. Looking far more like a street car, this E-Tron is smaller, rear-wheel drive and a little less powerful. The rear-drive E-Tron uses two…
Detroit 2010: BMW Concept Active E Presented at Detroit Auto Show
BMW introduced its 1-Series Coupe-based Active E electric vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Powered by newly developed lithium-ion batteries, the Active E has a claimed power output of 170 hp with 184.4 ft-lb. of torque. As per BMW tradition, the Active E is rear-wheel drive, testing an early version of…
Detroit 2010: Audi Shows-Off Updated E-Tron With Another Ridiculous Torque Number
Audi is continuing to demand the auto industry focus on it’s E-Tron electric sports car, with a revised version of the concept on display at the Detroit Auto Show. First unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show and then paraded in front of the media in brilliant tangerine at the LA Auto Show, this new E-Tron…
