One of the major concerns most people have with electric vehicles is how their range and functionality is greatly decreased in cold weather. Nissan set out to prove that cold weather doesn’t affect the Leaf. Nissan invited a few dozen journalists to a test course in North Japan to take a drive in the snow… Continue reading Nissan tests the Leaf in sub-zero temperatures
Just a few days ago we got news that Nissan had sold the 10,000th Nissan Leaf in the USA. Originally, Nissan had stated they had 26,000 reservations for the Nissan Leaf, which means there are still 16000 Leafs to be delivered. According to Mark Perry of Nissan, 800 were sold in January, another 800 are… Continue reading Nissan Leaf’s most popular colors
It’s now been 2 years in a row that Ford has driven off with the Green Car Journal ‘Green Car Vision’ award. Last year, Ford won the award for the Ford Focus Electric. The award was presented at the Washington Auto Show on January 26th. Ford’s Sue Cischke was on hand to accept the award.… Continue reading Ford C-max Energi wins Green Car Vision award
A recent study conducted by Deloitte showed the strongest affinity yet between Generation Y and electric cars. The findings have prompted the firm to speculate that the Generation Y age group, 19-31, could be the generation to lead us away from traditional gasoline powered vehicles. The study was conducted last fall, and Deloitte spoke to… Continue reading Survey shows Gen Y drivers prefer electric vehicles
Government in Berlin is calling it Initiative 120. It’s an effort to have an eco-friendly fleet of police vehicles patrolling the capital city that will all have emissions of less than 120g/km – which is where the 120 in Initiative 120 comes from. 3 Toyota Prius hybrids have been delivered so far. 11 gas conscious… Continue reading Berlin Police add Toyota Prius to fleet of electric vehicles
The BMW i3 electric city car was first unveiled in 2011 at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It more recently appeared at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month. This car, the BMW i3, as well as the BMW i8 electric sports coupe, is the reason why BMW is leasing the ActiveE. The BMW ActiveE is… Continue reading 2013 BMW i3 possible, says BMW
BMW has recently opened it’s recruitment process to find 700 potential drivers for it’s BMW ActiveE electric vehicle. BMW is calling the drivers Electronauts, and they are being touted as forward thinking adventurers. The 2012 BMW ActiveE trial will be run for 2 years as part of BMW’s Project i. Project i is a scheme… Continue reading BMW ActiveE registration open for limited number of leases
Turns out this is a little bit of a trick, because it’s not an individual – the first production version of the Honda Fit EV was delivered to the municipality of Torrance, California. Torrance also happens to be the head of Honda USA’a headquarters. The first Honda Fit EV is part of a real-world test… Continue reading First Honda Fit EV delivered to US customer
Premiered last September at the Frankfurt international motor show, Mercedes-Benz plans on selling the B-class E-cell extended range plug-in hybrid vehicle in the US. Joachim Schmidt, head of the German automaker sales and marketing division, didn’t say exactly when the extended range vehicle would debut in the U.S. A production version of the Mercedes B-class… Continue reading Mercedes Benz B-class E-cell is coming to the USA
Perhaps not wanting to be left out, Hyundai shows a concept of an electric vehicle at the 2012 Detroit auto show. The Hyundai Elantra Electric looks just like the gasoline Elantra except for some electric stickers and unique badges. Hyundai is calling it a concept, but it goes to show that automakers are giving more… Continue reading Hyundai Elantra Electric concept at the 2012 Auto Show in Detroit
Volvo currently makes a V60 Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle, but it’s a diesel electric hybrid that will only be available in Europe starting in the fall of 2012. There is a straight gasoline version of the V60, but it isn’t sold in the US currently, so it’s unlikely the V60 plug-in hybrid will end up… Continue reading Volvo XC60 Plug-In concept at the Detroit Auto Show
Sim Drive, a company run by Hiroshi Shimizu, sees the Sim Lei electric vehicle as one of the cheapest electric vehicles available in North America. Lei stands for leading efficiency in-wheel motor, and the electric prototype has exceeded the target of 300 km on a single charge. Although the car is only tentatively scheduled for… Continue reading SIM-drive’s Lei electric vehicle aiming for 2013
After first being promised for the US in 2011 (almost 4 years ago), the Chevy Spark is now coming to the US in late 2012 as a 2013 model. A year later, the Chevy Spark EV comes rolling silently to a dealership near you as a 2014 model. The 2014 Chevy Spark EV is being… Continue reading Chevy Spark EV planned for 2014
What is range anxiety? We all know that it’s the driver’s feeling of wonder and suspense at whether they will make it to their destination before their electric vehicle’s batteries die and leave them stranded. Most electric vehicles currently on the market, meaning the Nissan Leaf and the Mitsubishi i, have a range of around… Continue reading Lithium Air Batteries could increase EV range to 500 miles
Fiat has had our attention for a few years now, since they first revealed the Fiat 500 Electric at an auto show back in 2010. The Fiat 500 Electric is under development and is going to be available in North America in 2012 as a 2013 model year. Here’s some spy photos that someone caught… Continue reading Fiat 500 Electric Spy Photos
At this year’s CES, Ford had a big presence as it always has. Ford had a number of vehicles on display including the Ford Fusion Energi and the Ford Focus Electric. However,one of the more interesting items from Ford is an in car application to help drivers make better use of their battery range in… Continue reading Ford’s Hybrid Route Planning
Last year, at the 2011 Los Angeles International Auto Show, Honda officially unveiled the Honda Fit EV. A few lucky members of the press got to have a test drive a short time later, and they were all very impressed. Following those reviews and initial buzz on the internet, Honda hasn’t released many details, and… Continue reading Honda Fit EV available for lease or buy?
Back in January of 2010, an electric version of the Fiat 500 was on display at the Detroit Auto Show on the Chrysler stand. Two months later, Chrysler announced it would sell a Fiat 500 Electric in the US. Chrysler engineers in Michigan would develop and test the electric powertrain. Chrylser hasn’t revealed any details… Continue reading 2013 Fiat 500 Electric planned for the US
