In typical Carlos Ghosn style, the father of the Nissan EV throws down the gauntlet. gm-volt.com quotes him from a talk with reporters: “Frankly, I mean so far there is no competition. Let’s be serious. It’s not because someone is coming with...
Read the full story »
Financial Times calls “Volkswagen a long-time sceptic about hybrid and electric cars.” However, the pink sheet announces that Wolfsburg “has officially shifted gears.” That VW had been a sceptic is an understatement. Despite green...
Read the full story »
found about 23 hours ago by Tony Borroz on
Autopia
A mere 10 years from now Audi expects 5 percent of its sales will be electric vehicles. That’s not the wishful thinking of tree-huggers or even the fanciful projection of some think-tank. It is the bold prediction of Michael Dick, Audi’s...
Read the full story »
found 2 days ago by Dave Eyvazzadeh on
Autopia
We are in the midst of an electric motorcycle revolution, and nowhere is that more obvious than on the racetrack. The new technology is not about tweaking the status quo. It’s about shattering it. And that’s just what Michael Czysz plans to do...
Read the full story »
Just what Toyota needed: a Prius that took off on its own, hit speeds up to 94 mph (I didn’t think they went that fast), and took a San Diego man for a harrowing 30-mile ride. It’s all over the news today because, in part, Toyota just finished...
Read the full story »
By the end of the year, Nissan will, a bit belatedly, introduce their total plug-in, not range extended, all electric Leaf. They will also open a huge data center. According to The Nikkei [sub], the location and other stats of the data center are...
Read the full story »
With the Chinese planning an electrical assault on Europe, with Nissan preparing their Leaf and with Renault charging-up Zoe, Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) is probably feeling a little exposed right now. Bad enough PSA failed to work out an agreement with...
Read the full story »
found 3 days ago by Sam Abuelsamid on
Autoblog
Apparently, we we missed at least one interesting machine from the recently concluded press days at the Geneva Motor Show. Kia showed off a battery electric version of its new Venga B-segment hatchback. Like the rest of Kia and Hyundai's hybrids and...
Read the full story »
found 3 days ago by Tony Borroz on
Autopia
The postal service likes the Bright Idea and wonders if it would make a good delivery truck. The U.S. Postal Service has invited Bright Automotive to put an electric drivetrain in a standard-issue mail truck. Once the truck is ready to roll, the...
Read the full story »
A couple of weeks ago, TTAC reported how Dieter Zetsche was re-elected as CEO of Daimler for another 3 years. In that article we mentioned the many challenges that face him. Mainly, how to make Daimler sustainably profitable. Size matters in the...
Read the full story »
It really all comes down to simple arithmetic. Audi wants to add another subcompact model to its range. It already has the A1 supermini and the A3 compact hatch, so if you subtract 1 from 3, you get 2. Add an 'A' up front and voila; you have the...
Read the full story »
Even since Landwind crash test, and the Brilliance crash test, the reputation of Chinese cars in Europe has been a little, shall we say, challenging. Watching the bonnet of a car crumble like Professor Gilbert’s theory on Toyota’s UA tofu does...
Read the full story »
found 4 days ago by Chuck Squatriglia on
Autopia
Ford’s first mass-market electric vehicle isn’t a sexy sports car. It isn’t a sleek sedan. And it isn’t cool compact. It’s a van. A delivery van, to be exact, designed specifically for fleet use. It isn’t the sexiest way to break into...
Read the full story »
There are so many hybrids and electrics at the Geneva International Motor Show (officially opening tomorrow) that we can’t begin to cover them all. So here’s a selection. Typical of the pizzazz at Geneva is the Citroen Survolt all-electric...
Read the full story »
The first Opel concept based on GM’s Volt extended-range electric platform was the Ampera, a cheap rebadge that made onlookers exclaim “lands alive, that’s a cheap rebadge!” Since the Ampera debuted, a river of bad blood has flowed under the...
Read the full story »
Remember my whole rant the other day about hybrids and how the price premium just isn’t worth it? Yeah. Nevermind. Turns out hybrids do have a place… just not in your average everyday family hauler. I stand by my position that a $27,000 hybrid...
Read the full story »
In a move that suggests Audi is looking to create a new tag for its zero-emission electric vehicles, the German firm unveiled the third member of the 'e-tron' concept family after the Frankfurt Show high-performance AWD supercar and the Detroit Show...
Read the full story »
Kia pulled the wraps of its first all-electric plug-in concept car based on the new Venga small MPV at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The main difference between the production and the concept version of the car is well hidden under the hood as Kia...
Read the full story »
Geneva motor show, as many anticipate, will be all about electric and hybrid cars. And it’s true. Introducing to you is Seat’s IBE which is a four seater concept car with CO2 emission at zero. And with stunning design, this compact sports...
Read the full story »
found 10 days ago by Tony Borroz on
Autopia
Audi is diving headlong into electric vehicles. In addition to the awesome e-tron supercar concept, the Germans are rolling into the Geneva auto show with two more slick concepts and promising to build a line of cars wearing the e-tron badge....
Read the full story »
Dow Jones [via Easybourse.com] has a hot release that is sure to be burning up the wires: Daimler and Chinese EV firm BYD have signed a deal to develop an electric vehicle “specific to the requirements of the Chinese market.” The new EV will...
Read the full story »
Brazil and some in the U.S are firmly backing ethanol as the fuel of the future. The UK thinks that electricity is the way forward, and they’re putting our money where their mouth is. The Independent UK reports that 11,000 charging points for...
Read the full story »
found 13 days ago by Chuck Squatriglia on
Autopia
Avis is following Hertz into the EV arena, promising to offer Renault electric cars to customers in Europe next year. The deal announced today means Renault-Nissan will have cars with cords in rental fleets on both sides of the Atlantic. “Avis is...
Read the full story »
As the Chevrolet VOLT closes in on its release date this November, another less well-known version of the new plug-in hybrid also readies production across the pond. The Opel Ampera, sister car to the Chevy’s VOLT will be displayed at the Geneva...
Read the full story »
For those of you who want to make an impact on reducing America’s consumption of foreign oil but want something a little more exciting than a Toyota Prius, Tesla has good news for you. Leases of the Roadster are now available, according to the...
Read the full story »
found 14 days ago by Chuck Squatriglia on
Autopia
Putting together $111,005 to get yourself a Tesla Roadster can be a bit tricky, so the Silicon Valley automaker is now leasing the electric sports car. Because putting together $1,658* a month is so much easier. We kid. Anyone who’s seriously...
Read the full story »
Li-ion battery start ups have been the dot.coms of the last few years. And like that not-so little bubble, a report now warns of a brewing global overcapacity, and coming shakeout. Some sixty li-ion battery makers are in various stages of...
Read the full story »
Lotus is officially throwing its hat into the "hybrid sports car" ring. Hot on the heels of Porsche, the British featherweight world champion is going to be debuting its own plug-in racer based on the Evora's Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA)...
Read the full story »
found 15 days ago by Tony Borroz on
Autopia
To see just how good an engineering firm Lotus is and just how amazing its cars are, check out this slick concept we’ll see in Geneva. It accelerates like a top-shelf Porsche, is more efficient than a Toyota Prius and is as graceful as Kim Yu-Na....
Read the full story »
Honda looks 50 years into the future, and comes away with the 3R-C Concept, an EV commuter that has a surprising amount in common with the Neighborhood Electric Vehicles of that became hugely popular during the high gas prices of the Summer of 2008....
Read the full story »
