U.S. Postal Service to test
a repurposed electric vehicle fleet(March 4) - Starting this summer, the
Postal Service, which operates the world's largest civilian vehicle fleet,
will begin a year-long pilot program of electric mail trucks in the
Washington area, using vehicles converted by five manufacturers. "We have
been integral to transportation since Day One," said Postal Service
spokeswoman Sue Brennan, "so we consider this a role for us."
Complete Story
World's cheapest EV: Tata Nano electrifies Geneva show(March 4) - The
world's cheapest car, transformed into the world's cheapest electric car,
went on display at the Geneva Motor Show. India's Tata Nano EV seats four,
has a predicted range of about 80 miles and will go from zero to about 35
miles per hour in a blistering 10 seconds. The car has super-polymer
lithium-ion batteries, which Tata says provide superior energy retention.
Complete Story
Porsche Hybrid Shows Green Gap in $90,000 Luxury Cars(March 4) - Porsche
AG, Mercedes-Benz and makers of the world’s priciest autos are showing their
first hybrids, testing the popularity that combination gas-and-electric
motors can win in the market for $90,000 cars.
Complete Story
Tiny Wheego Gets Big Jump on the Electric-Car Competition(March 4) - Can
an electric vehicle startup with just five employees find success in the
cash-intensive, cutthroat automotive world? Maybe, if the five people have
deep business experience, a savvy marketing sense and a compelling product.
Complete Story
Tesla gets ready as electric cars go mainstream (March 4) - The
single-model display at the Geneva motor show by electric motoring pioneer
Tesla is swamped this year by a seemingly endless string of rival sportscar
companies launching electric vehicles of their own. Whereas in the past the
Tesla Roadster stood out as a breath of fresh air, and although it remains
the only fully functional and street-legal electric car with others being
trial models, it will soon be up against petrol-electric hybrids from Fisker
and Lotus, Ferrari and Porsche.
Complete Story
GM Reportedly Kills the Electric Car...Again(March 3) - Bloomberg is
reporting that GM has ended development of the Cadillac Converj, an
extended-range electric vehicle that was to be based on the same technology
found in the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Unnamed executives told the
publication that a business plan couldn’t be made for the vehicle, despite
the premium prices that could be charged for it under the auspices of the
luxury nameplate.
Complete Story
BYD Links Up With Daimler to Build Electric Cars in China(March 2) -
This week, BYD signed a memorandum of understanding with Daimler to build
electric cars together in China. Henry Li, BYD’s international sales
manager, said the company will develop an electric car that will be
positioned above the e6, the four-door electric passenger car that BYD
displayed at the Detroit auto show in January. Another Chinese automaker,
Brilliance, is a partner of BMW in China.
Complete Story
Volkswagen's BIG Plans For Electric Vehicles Could Make It The World's
Largest Automaker(March 1) - Think of it as a race to the starting line.
Volkswagen, Europe's largest European automaker, has big plans to dominate
the nascent world of electric cars. As Treehugger reported, Volkswagen plans
to sell 300,000 electric vehicles a year by 2018, which would translate to
3% of all sales. VW's hybrid ambitions could lead it to overtake Toyota as
the world's largest automaker within eight years.
Complete Story
Honda to unveil 3R-C solo
electric three-wheeler concept(February 26) - The three-wheeler has its
drivetrain mounted low, giving the vehicle a low center of gravity to
improve stability. It has a clear canopy that covers the driver's seat while
it is parked and not in use. When 3R-C vehicle is in motion, the canopy
becomes a windshield that provides the driver with some measure of
protection.
Complete Story
Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid Concept - Auto Shows(February 26) - What would
you get if you blended the delicious Lotus Evora sports car with the
upcoming Chevrolet Volt? This Evora 414E hybrid concept, which makes its
debut at the Geneva auto show. A plug-in electric car with a range-extending
gasoline engine, just like the Volt, the slinky Evora 414E hybrid is one of
the most compelling incarnations of an electric car we’ve yet seen.
Complete Story
Tesla's Roadster a spunky little green devil(February 26) - So adamant
are these "The Tesla will do this" and "The Tesla will do that" that I
expect one day to learn -- from a true believer, of course -- that the
electrified little two-door may yet be the breakthrough needed for peace in
the Mideast.
Complete Story
ZENN Motor Company Reports First Quarter 2010 Results(February 23) -
"Our transition from being a car manufacturer to a supplier to Original
Equipment Manufacturers, including the closure of our Saint-Jerome
production facility, remains on track. Our sales performance in the quarter
helped reduce inventories and our cash position remains strong" stated Ian
Clifford, Chief Executive Officer. "I must commend our Saint-Jerome team for
their continued professionalism and commitment during this process."
Complete Story
Antro Solo Electric Car Splits Into Two Smaller Cars(February 25) - A
Hungarian company called Antro has developed a hybrid car. That in itself
would be cause for a raised eyebrow, but what’s really interesting here is
that the three-seat Solo concept is designed to be joined with another Solo
to create a six-passenger vehicle called…you know it–the Duo. So you’d be
able to drive the family around in the Duo configuration and split it up
when it’s just you and the wife.
Complete Story
The Coming Electric Car Battery Glut(February 24) - In advance of this
fall’s launch of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, lithium ion battery
manufacturers are breaking ground on manufacturing plants nearly every
month. About $2 billion in federal stimulus funding has spurred the building
of facilities in Michigan and Indiana that will start churning out battery
packs by the end of the year. But the escalation in production has the
potential to outstrip the demand for the batteries by as early as 2012.
Complete Story
Will Google Charge your Electric Cars?(February 24) - Google finally won
approval from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to be an electric
utility. Now that they are making billions delivering web ads, do they want
to make added billions selling electricity? Quite possibly. Google already
offers a smart meter app that allows smart grid customers to manage their
home electricity use. With their new approval to be a utility, Google could
be a smart grid / smart charge service provider.
Complete Story
What is happening to Toyota is a lesson for any business(February 24) -
There was a movie released in 2006 titled, "Who Killed the Electric Car?",
which was a documentary of sorts, that at the end gave a mock verdict for
the parties responsible for the death of the electric car. If they produced
a movie titled, "Who Killed GM?” I can guarantee you that Toyota would be
one of the main suspects. Now we may be seeing trailers for "Who killed
Toyota?"
Complete Story
Got Spare Juice in Your Electric Car? Sell It Back to the Grid, Earn Cash
(February 23) -Electric cars have huge batteries inside ... and as a demo of
a converted Toyota Scion xB has just shown, one day you may be able to earn
cash by selling spare electricity stored here back to the grid in times of
shortage.
Complete Story
Why Nissan's Electric Car Will Flop(February 23) - The most daring
gamble in the automobile world is Nissan's electric car, the Leaf.
But is this car, coming at the end of the year, really ready for prime time?
Undoubtedly Nissan ( NSANY - news - people ) can sell some in the U.S.--a
few thousand a year, perhaps 10,000 or 20,000 or 30,000. Some people always
want something new.
Complete Story
US Postal Service Awards
ZAP Engineering Contract for Electric Mail Truck(February 17) - ZAP will
convert the gasoline mail truck to run on electricity as specified by the
USPS at facilities in Santa Rosa, California. Following completion the
converted vehicle will undergo field trials in the Washington, DC
metropolitan area later this year. ZAP was selected along with four other
firms in a competitive bid process held nationwide by the USPS.
Complete Story
Electric car rental by 2011(February
17) - Car rental company Hertz is to allow customers to rent electric
vehicles from as early as next year, the firm confirmed last week. Select
rental sites in the US and Europe will offer the Nissan LEAF from early
2011, a couple of months after the vehicle goes on sale in Japan, the US and
Europe.
Complete Story
Tesla Roadster Takes Switzerland by Storm(February 17) - Leading
electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors is offering test drives this
weekend in St. Moritz, the world's oldest and most prestigious winter
resort.Prospective customers and media can test-drive the 2010 Tesla
Roadster at the Carlton Hotel (Via J. Badrutt 11, 7500 St. Moritz,
Switzerland) Saturday and Sunday, during the last weekend of the exclusive
"White Turf" horse race on frozen Lake St. Moritz.
Complete Story
Here comes the electric Nissan Leaf(February 17) - In December 2010, in
the U.S. and Japan, Nissan is due to roll out the Leaf, a five-passenger
compact car that is the first EV designed for the mass market. The Leaf is
powered by a 480-pound pack of lithium-ion batteries that Nissan says will
propel the car 100 miles and can be recharged overnight on household
current.
Complete Story
Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid Coupe Makes Canadian Debut(February 17) -
All-new hybrid model set to go on sale this summer. The all-new 2011 Honda
CR-Z sport hybrid coupe, making its Canadian production debut at the
Canadian International Auto Show, introduces sleek styling and sporty
handling to the hybrid segment.
Complete Story
GM: "We’re Forced to Make Hybrids." But Which Ones?(February 16) - Last
week, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz repeated his long-held opinion
that hybrid gas-electric cars have a limited market and will not be
profitable for the company. Yet, he believes GM will be forced to make more
hybrids because of tougher fuel efficiency regulations.
Complete Story
Swiss Mini Electric Car
Designed as Train Cargo(February 16) - Swiss speciality automaker
Rinspeed plans to unveil the "UC?" electric concept car (that's the name, I
swear) at the Geneva Motor Show, March 4-14. The company claims to have
designed "not just a vehicle, but an entire mobility concept" that
integrates individual car ownership with the use of public transportation.
Complete
Story
Ellis Brooks Auto Center to Sell Wheego Electric Cars(February 16) -
Wheego Electric Cars, manufacturer of all-electric vehicles, today announced
it has signed Ellis Brooks Auto Center as its dealer with exclusive rights
to sell the Wheego Electric Car product line throughout California's San
Francisco Bay Area Including San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San
Francisco Counties.
Complete Story
The Future of Electric Vehicle Batteries: Lithium Ion & China(February
15) -As the automotive industry transitions to electric vehicles, companies
developing lithium-ion battery technology will be in the driver’s seat – and
they’ll be carrying Chinese driver’s licenses. Li-ion technology is quickly
replacing nickel-metal hydride batteries in hybrid electric vehicles, and
the advanced battery market for emerging plug-in hybrid vehicles will be
worth billions of dollars within a decade, according to a new report by
market research firm GBI Research.
Complete Story
Battery evolution overwhelms mass production(February 15) - Today,
battery technology is undergoing unprecedented change. The change is so
rapid that innovations can’t get into mass production before another
innovation promising even more takes its place in the imagination.
Complete
Story
The Green Line: New diesel-electric hybrid buses hit the streets in Winston-Salem(February
15) - The first of Winston-Salem's 10 new diesel-electric hybrid buses took
to the road yesterday, with more buses and fuel savings to come, transit
officials said. The bright green buses were hard to miss as they
crisscrossed streets downtown going to and from the Campbell Transportation
Center on Fifth Street.
Complete Story