Electric Cars
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen E-Up! Electric Concept Debut
Debuting alongside the 170mpg L1 concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show was the zero-emissions E-Up! concept. As the name suggests, this is a pure electric vehicle and it is based on a chassis that will form the basis of a new line of VW city cars starting in 2013. As a 3+1 seater the…
Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Introduces ix-Metro CUV Concept
Hyundai introduced a futuristic crossover concept model, the ix-Metro, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Drawing inspiration from NASA, science fiction and pine cones (yes, pine cones), the Hyundai ix-Metro was the result of an internal design competition. Design features such as faceted surfaces and triangulating lines along the bonnet, side and rear panels are a…
Frankfurt 2009: Audi E-Tron Electric R8 is For Real
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After plenty of rumors, denials and leaked images that looked like a photoshop hack job, Audi has officially taken the wraps off the E-Tron Concept, an electric R8… of sorts. And if you still find it all hard to believe, it might take some convincing to accept that the car’s power output numbers are for…
Leaked: Audi R8 E-Tron Electric Car Concept Images Sneak Out Ahead of Frankfurt Debut
Audi has been teasing the world with rumors of an electric car debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show, but executives have gone so far as to flatly deny the existence of an electric R8. Now the folks over at WorldCarFans have received a selection of renderings for an R8 called the E-Tron. (Apparently Tron is…
Report: Hyundai ix-Metro Hybrid Crossover Concept Coming to Frankfurt
Along with an electric version of the company’s tiny i10, Hyundai will also unveil an innovative hybrid CUV concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show in just over a weeks time. As a part of Hyundai’s Blue drive initiative, the ix-Metro is powered by a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine mated to an electric motor. Designed…
Report: Audi of America Boss Calls Chevy Volt “A Car for Idiots”
Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen couldn’t be more clear about his thoughts on the upcoming Chevy Volt, calling it “a car for idiots.” De Nysschen made the comments to MSN while previewing a few of Audis upcoming electric cars. He believes that there just won’t be enough demand for a vehicle that is…
Report: Electric Audi R8 Back On?
After vehemently denying rumors that the company is working on an electric version of the R8 sports car, Audi is stirring up interest by launching a new website called Electricity Untamed. There isn’t much on the site, expect for a drawing of a sports car that could be an R8, or a TT, or even,…
Report: Hyundai to Debut i10 Electric Car at Frankfurt Auto Show
Hyundai Motor Co. has announced plans to debut a small electric car at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The new model will be based on the i10 mini-car platform, but it is not clear when Hyundai will deliver a production model to market. The electric i10 is a part of Hyundai’s new corporate mission…
Report: Chinese Automaker BYD to Bring All-Electric e6 to U.S. Next Year
Chinese manufacturer BYD is getting ready to introduce its electric car to the U.S. in 2010. According to the Wall Street Journal, BYD’s chairman Wang Chuanfu said the lithium-ion battery powered e6 will be ready ahead of schedule with a limited run of a few hundred vehicles. With an estimated price tag of $40,000, BYD…
Report: Honda Planning Electric Car for U.S. by 2015
Honda is planning to bring an electric car to market in the U.S. by 2015. News comes from a company spokesman in Japan, as reported in the daily business paper Nikkei. The new model would be a minicar and rumors point to a concept or prototype of the electric Honda to debut at the Tokyo…
Report: Tesla Releases New Dynamic Photos of Upcoming Model S in Action
California-based Tesla Motors has just released a new selection of dynamic photos of its upcoming Model S electric luxury sedan. With a range of 300 miles on pure electric power and a 0-60 mph time of 5.6 seconds, the new Model S will provide a more functional alternative to the original Tesla Roadster which only…
Report: Based on Chevy’s Claim that Volt Gets 230 MPG, Nissan Estimates Electric Leaf Gets 367 MPG
Based on a new system to rate the fuel-economy of plug-in hybrids, Chevy announced yesterday that it’s Volt will get 230 mpg in the city. Using the same math, the folks at Nissan have determined that their upcoming electric Leaf will get 367 mpg. The 367 mph rating was posted on the automaker’s Twitter page…
Breaking: Nissan LEAF Electric Car Priced from $25,000
The fully-electric Nissan LEAF, which is set to go on sale in the U.S. next year, will be priced from $25,000 to $33,000. Word comes from Nissan North America product VP Larry Dominique. “Competitive pricing is going to allow mass-market appeal, which is going to set Nissan apart,” said Dominique, commenting that the LEAF will…
Report: Volvo to Debut Electric C30 in Frankfurt
Volvo will show an all electric version of its entry-level C30 hatchback at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September. News of the expected unveiling comes from the U.S.’s AutoCar, saying that the model will be displayed and driven at the Innovation for Life event, which will take place shortly after the auto show. Interestingly, Volvo…
Report: Nissan Bringing LEAF EV to Five U.S. Markets First
Before sales of Nissan’s new electric car go full-tilt in the U.S., the Japanese automaker will start with 5,000 units in five different markets. The targeted areas include the Phoenix-Tucson region of Arizona, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee. Nissan’s product planning boss Mark Perry says that this is just the first step in a…
Breaking: Nissan Launches ‘LEAF’ Electric Car
Nissan has just unveiled a new zero emissions vehicle that is slated to go on sale in Japan, Europe and the United States next year. Called the LEAF, this C-segment (sub-compact) car is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery packs. Nissan says it will be able to drive 100 miles on a single…
Sneak Peek: Nissan Gives a Glimpse of its New Electric Car
With the launch of Nissan’s new zero-emissions website dedicated to the upcoming launch of the automaker’s new electric vehicle comes a sneak peek at the revolutionary EV. We can’t tell much from the picture but it does appear to be an expectedly-funky design and a small car to boot. That being said, if the overall…
Report: Nissan to Debut Three Electric Cars in August
Nissan is preparing to debut three electric vehicles on August 2nd, one of which is expected to be a made-in-the-USA crossover. Nissan has already said that it plans to build an electric car at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, assembly plant in the near future. According to the usually-reliable folks at Japan’s BestCar magazine, the crossover…
Report: Mercedes to Build Electric Version of Upcoming SLS Supercar
For many months now Mercedes has been teasing us with photos and details of its upcoming SLS supercar and now the German automaker has added a surprise twist. A while back it was made known that the SLS would come with a 6.2-liter V8 with 571 hp and 479 ft-lbs of torque. Now Volker Mornhinweg,…
BMW’s Electric City Car to Launch in U.S. in 2012
BMW will bring a small electric vehicle to market in the United States by 2012 according to BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. The car will be a small (very-small) three door, four-seater hatchback. In fact, it’s so tiny that it will not only fit under the 1 Series and the MINI Cooper, it will slot in…
Nissan to Build Electric Cars in the U.S.
A U.S. government initiative that would see low-interest loans granted to automakers who build environmentally-friendly cars in the U.S. appears to have one taker – Nissan. The Japanese automaker will spend anywhere from $500 million to $1 billion to update its Smyrna, Tennessee plant to build a green car and produce lithium-ion batteries. While no…
Audi Working to Reduce Weight of Vehicles Considerably
As much improved as Audis have become over the past few years one consistent complaint about the German luxury cars is how much they weigh. Audi aims to eliminate that critique by removing the problem – weight. According to Audi technical development boss Michael Dick the automaker is currently working on its next modular longitudinal…
Mitsubishi Reveals i-MiEV Production Model in Japan
Mitsubishi has just revealed the production model of its i-MiEV electric car in Japan and it plans to have models on the road by July. Initial sales of 1,400 vehicles will be to government entities with public sales starting in April of 2010. As a full-electric vehicle the i-MiEV creates zero emissions and is powered…
Volkswagen and Chinese Automaker BYD to Explore Electric Vehicle Partnership
Volkswagen and Chinese automaker BYD (Build Your Dreams) have signed a “memorandum of understanding” announcing that the two car manufacturers will seek ways to work together to bring electric vehicles and hybrids to market. Volkswagen recently announced its TwinDrive diesel-electric hybrid system and we recently reported on a rumor that the German automaker will bring…
