A fire involving a Chevrolet Volt that had undergone government crash testing has led to authorities investigating the possibility of requiring emergency responders to drain the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles following a collision.

A Volt that underwent a 20 mph side-impact crash test caught on fire several weeks later, causing the Volt as well as surrounding vehicles to catch fire. The crash test was said to have punctured the vehicle’s lithium-ion battery pack. General Motors said that the fire occurred because the battery had not been drained following the crash, though NHTSA officials said that ”we don’t see the risk of electric vehicles as being any greater than that for a gasoline vehicle.”

200,000 car fires are said to occur in the United States annually, but the issue regarding a battery puncture has led NHTSA and GM to investigate the matter closely, despite both insisting that the vehicle is as safe as any other conventional car. GM currently dispatches a team to drain the battery of any Volt that crashes, and is hoping to make the necessary tools available to dealers in the coming year.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

A Chevrolet Volt that went through crash-testing at a NHTSA facility in Wisconsin caught on fire three weeks after the test, prompting action from U.S. regulators.

While the investigation hasn’t been made public, sources told Bloomberg that the fire was severe enough to damage surrounding vehicles. An incident also occurred at a private home in North Carolina, where a Volt caught on fire while charging in a garage.

While NHTSA denied that the Volt posed any extra safety risk, sources say that U.S. regulators have since approached OEMs planning to sell electric vehicles regarding the safety of their batteries.

[Source: Bloomberg]

If you’re one of those people who likes to be the first to try a cool new tech product, chances are you were the Chevy Volt’s target market. This may come as a surprise to many who would think this electric car’s marketing strategy would be centered on “greenies.”

According to Volt’s marketing team, the strategy was to target techies first, before going after the rest of the market. And now that the early adopters are onboard, the company is set on educating the masses about the joys and benefits of electric vehicles.

“Our task now really is education, specifically when it comes to helping people understand the difference between a hybrid and a plug-in electric vehicle,” said Cristi Landy, Volt’s product marketing director.

In addition the television commercials, Chevrolet has also created a line of consumer-targeted videos. You can check them out on chevroletvoltage.com, and if you’re a Volt owner, there’s a chat feature where you can share your experiences.

To create buzz about the Volt during its introduction, early adopters of the Volt received a welcome kit that came with a pocket-sized video camera. These early Volt owners were asked to shoot videos of their Volt experiences and upload them onto the site.

[Source: Advertising Age]

There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today.

BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove to be a key time for the company to move into the California electric car market.

Their opening is hot on the heels of the California government deciding to limit HOV lane benefits to electric cars in an effort to encourage greener transportation. BYD has a chance to get a jump on the electric car market considering the only EV’s available to consumers are the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster.

Things may not all be bright though, BYD saw their profits drop by just over a third between 2009 and 2010 and lackluster sales in the first half of this year aren’t boding well either.

Their financial woes are largely due to poor car sales in China, where they failed to meet even half of their projected numbers.

Their push into the North American market could prove to be a good source of revenue, but BYD Vice-President Michael Austin admitted earlier this year to the Glendale News-Press that “the paradigm of driving a Chinese car in the U.S. is going to be hard to break.”

[Source: Auto Observer]

Damon Lavrinc of Autoblog had the chance to sit down with Albert Biermann, Head of Product Development for BMW‘s M Division, and was able to glean some information on future product that should put to bed some of the many rumors floating around about BMW’s skunk works.

First up, the upcoming 2013 BMW M5 will be available with a 6-speed manual. The previous M5 debuted with a 7-speed SMG gearbox, and the resulting outcry forced BMW to backtrack and offer a proper stick after launch. Not so for the new car, which will have the option of either a stick or a dual-clutch gearbox. What won’t be offered is all-wheel drive (due to the sophistication of the M5′s electronic rear differential) and a wagon (BMW sold just over 1,000 M5 wagons world wide last time around, and can’t justify the investment like Cadillac can with the CTS-V wagon).

BMW also won’t be offering an M version of the Z4 for similar reasons, but don’t be surprised to see an M version of one of BMW’s EVs, with Biermann stating “There will be a day when we will not only tweak combustion engines, but electric motors. But we have to continue to provide the M experience.” Biermann also discussed the popular topic of weight reduction, stating that his goal is to have the new model match the outgoing models’ weight, and that due to increasing complexity and vehicle content, weight reduction isn’t always possible.

[Source: Autoblog]

California told 85,000 hybrid drivers to move over, literally. Now everyone is feeling the sting.

Starting last July the yellow stickers allowing hybrid owners to drive alone in the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane expired. The move came in preparation for an anticipated increase in electric vehicles on the road that will be allowed to retain the privilege. Though it may be the case that EVs are gaining popularity, pushing hybrids into regular traffic is causing problems for everyone.

According to a study released Monday by the University of California-Berkeley, the change had the effect you might expect: regular traffic speeds decreased and HOV speeds went up.

That isn’t all though, traffic actually slowed in HOV lanes at points where drivers try to merge back into regular traffic because of the slowdown. In other words, drivers in both lanes are noticing new slowdowns.

The report was based on six months of roadway sensor speed and congestion data, and written by Michael Cassidy, a civil and environmental engineering professor, and Katae Jang, a doctoral student in that department.

Cassidy said there is still plenty of space for hybrids in the HOV lanes, even with the new EVs on the road.

The only new production cars available that meet the standard are the Tesla Roadster and the Nissan Leaf. The Chevy Volt doesn’t qualify because of a specific California emissions law, though Gm says it will be addressing the issue soon.

If they don’t, they may find fierce competition. Toyota will be releasing the 2012 Prius Plug-In soon, which qualifies for the sticker. So does the 2012 Fisker Karma.

[Source: Green Car Reports]

An interview with BMW engineer Ulli Kranz conducted by Consumer Reports suggests that the BMW i3 city car will get a range extender similar to the i8 supercar – but the technology will come from two-wheeled transportation, rather than a conventional car.

With weight a key consideration for the i3 (materials like aluminum and carbon fiber play a key role in offsetting the weight of the electric drivetrain), one of BMW’s motorcycle engines seems like a much better fit than one of their current passenger car mills, the smallest of which is a 1.6L four-cylinder from the MINI range.

BMW’s bikes, on the other hand, have a range of engines ranging from a 652-cc, 48 horsepower single cylinder to a 1.6L inline-6 maiking 160 horsepower. If anything, the single cylinder, or the 800cc twin are the most likely candidates.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

If you’re a fan of the Nissan LEAF, you’ll want to bookmark the EV’s new blog, “Go Electric.”

The official Nissan LEAF blog was launched at the end of September and it’s a place where Nissan LEAF drivers and enthusiasts can share words, photos, and videos of about the EV.

The GO Electric owner’s blog will allow you to actively discuss your experiences on online forums and in Nissan social media communities, as well as keep up to date on what other LEAF owners are talking about. Weekly content from 14 Nissan LEAF owners who will share their personal experiences of owning a 100-percent electric vehicle will also be a feature of the blog. You can also share your two cents by commenting on blog posts and by liking or disliking what they have to say.

Be sure to drop by the Go Electric blog regularly for new stories, pictures and videos about the Nissan LEAF.

The Chevrolet Volt has made Consumers Reports list of “recommended” vehicles after scoring above average on their 2011 Annual Auto Survey.

The Volt also scored favorably during CR’s evaluation (though it was criticized for its poor rear visibility and four seat configuration), but a full report won’t be available until next month when the new issue is released at news stands.

[Source: Consumers Reports]

Even though the Tesla Model S sedan has been delayed for far too long, with an expected reveal at year’s end before an official unveiling at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

The crossover, dubbed the Model X, will be based on the Model S platform. “The time is right to unveil the car,” Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Autocar. “I’ve seen the latest design for it and I’m very happy with it.”

Tesla manufacturing head touted the company’s modular platform and innovative manufacturing facility in California as the key to the company’s ability to offer a wide range of products. “We can build many models on the same line,” Passin said. “The Model S is just one ‘top hat’ on a platform that is very modular. All our pressing modules are very adjustable and we’re working on improving that flexibility even further and making it faster at the moment.

[Source: Autocar]

Kia will unveil its first electric vehicle by the start of 2012, but did not say whether the vehicle would be sold in the United States.

The EV will reportedly be based on the Hyundai i10, a vehicle considered much too small for North American tastes. A production run of just 2,000 units is expected in 2012. A second electric vehicle is expected to follow in 2014 for Kia, with Hyundai launching a mass market EV in 2015. Hyundai currently has a small fleet of i10-based EVs testing in South Korea.

[Source: Automotive News]

Following in the footsteps of the Aston Martin Cygnet, Lotus will introduce their own City Car, apparently dubbed the Ethos, in late 2013.

First unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the Ethos will be powered by a hybrid powertrain or possibly a fully electric system like the Nissan Leaf. The concept used a 1.2L three-cylinder engine with a hybrid system that allowed for 37 miles of electric driving and a total range of 310 miles. Pricing is said to be set at $45,000.

GALLERY: Lotus Ethos Concept

[Source: DuPont Registry]

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese government’s effort to keep the yen’s value under control had failed and that Nissan was strongly considering moving production out of Japan and into foreign countries.

A weakened United States dollar has meant that the value of the greenback has shifted from 91 yen per dollar to 76 yen per dollar over the past two years. This unfavorable exchange range has led Nissan to examine other countries for vehicle production. ”We have to make investment decisions all the time,” Ghosn told Reuters. “This is one of the factors that we have to consider when we look at a project and say are we going to do it in Japan or are we going to do it in another country?”

Despite this, Ghosn said that he felt vehicle sales would rise in 2012 even in the face of another possible economic downturn. Ghosn also announced a new electric vehicle to be built in China for the Chinese market.

[Source: CNBC]

Ford may begin building electric cars in China via joint ventures with Chinese auto makers, replicating the tactics of rivals like General Motors and Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz. China is looking to add 1 million EVs by 2015 as part of an effort to curb emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally was in China for the groundbreaking of a new engine assembly plant with local partner Changan Automobile Group, part of a $1.6 billion effort to build four new factories in China. Mulally expects China to play a key part in boosting Ford sales by 50 percent by 2015, and Ford’s Lincoln brand may become part of that strategy, as Chinese demand for luxury cars is rapidly growing.

[Source: The Detroit News]

One of the most respected names in the automotive business is Gordan Murray. Not only was he the designer behind some of the best Formula 1 race cars back in the 1980′s, he was also the mastermind behind the McLaren F1 road car, which is still widely respected as the best supercar ever made.

Having recently worked on such projects as the Caparo T1 and his own Gordon Murray Design T.25 city car, he has now pulled the wraps off his latest creation, the T.32.

Also known as the Teewave AR.1, the project was green-lighted by carbon-fiber specialists Toray Industries Inc. Toray wants to get into the business of making their own car, rather than just supplying panels for other manufacturers.

So Toray employed the services of Gordon Murray to design and develop their new car, which uses the running gear out of the Mitsubishi iMiEV. This 63-hp electric motor can propel this 1,874 lb. sportscar from 0-62 mph in 11.4 seconds, and onto a top speed of 91 mph.

However, the AR.1 is designed to be more of an urban sportscar, and thus its 0-31 mph acceleration time of 4.4 seconds will ensure it can easily keep pace with other traffic.

As with all electric vehicles, most people are more interested in charging times and range. The Teewave AR.1 will take six-hours to fully charge and can travel 116-miles before needing recharging.

Murray reveals that it took just nine months from concept discussion to running prototype. No dates have been given as to when this vehicle will go on sale, in which markets or how much it will cost.

Audi‘s answer to BMW‘s i3 EV will be on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but they just couldn’t wait until then to show off what we can expect to see. Despite these photos being mostly computer generated renderings they give a good idea of Audi’s direction with their A2 Concept, which currently is rumored to arrive around 2015. Chances are, Audi’s electric subcompact will focus more on luxury and fuel economy than BMW’s i3, and its styling definitely takes on Audi’s traditional cues.

Currently the A2 Concept is powered by an electric drivetrain featuring an 85kW engine with lithium ion batteries to shoot 199 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels. It will be able to travel around 125-miles on a single charge and will take around four hours to charge back up. Rumor has it that it’ll have a top speed of 93-mph and a 0-60 time in 9 seconds. Not too shabby for a high-tech EV.

The grand debut will happen next week, so stay tuned for real, genuine photos of Audi’s A2 Concept at AutoGuide’s Frankfurt Auto Show page here.

GALLERY: Audi A2 Concept

Siemens might be a household name, but it is normally associated with appliances such and blenders and sewing machines.

However, now it hopes to add another daily appliance to its resume, by making an electric car. To do so, it has partnered with Volvo to make a fully-electric car based on their C30 platform.

Volvo, which has been quite keen over the last few years to produce an electric car will certainly gain a lot from Siemens technical know-how on this subject.

“We are very happy to have Siemens as a partner. Their world-leading knowledge and experience will bring the technology in our electric cars up to an entirely new level,” says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.

Volvo has shown electric versions of the C30 in the past, but now with Siemens help it can get this project a lot closer to production. Volvo will deliver 200 vehicles to Siemens by the end of this year for testing.

Volvo hopes to start a small production run of the electric C30 this year, with a plug-in hybrid version of the V60 to be launched next year.

Last weekend, Nissan Canada officially began the reservation process for the all-new electric Leaf. Within two hours, all Leaf inventory was reserved.

On August 27th, Canadians attended one of 27 Nissan Leaf certified dealers and were invited to reserve the electric vehicle for a refundable $99 deposit. Judy Wheeler, Nissan Canada’s director of marketing, said, “Response from Canadians since we first revealed the Nissan Leaf in 2009 has been astounding, so we’re not surprised that our first inventory of 40 model year ’11 cars were snapped up so quickly”.

Nissan says that Leaf deliveries will begin sometime in September for Canadians that reserved the vehicle. Nissan will also be selling 600 units of the 2012 model year Leaf sometime soon.

Toyota looks to be making a real statement with their electric race car prototype, shattering the former Nurburgring electric car record set by Peugeot’s EX1 Concept back in May. And when we say shatter, we really mean obliterate, claiming  a time of 7:47.79 compared to Peugeot’s already-impressive 9:01.3. To put that into perspective, that’s a lap time comparable to some of the world’s most sought after sports cars like Nissan‘s GT-R and Chevy‘s Corvette ZR1.

It may also seem that this electric car prototype came out of nowhere but is actually a creation from TMG, the independently run organization within Toyota that used to build Toyota’s F1 race cars. Naturally, all the technology and know-how to shatter records is already in play, with TMG applying its experience with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) used in its original F1 cars towards the electric race car prototype.

A pair of electric motors sourced from Evo Electric power the prototype, giving it a combined 375-hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Combine that with a 2,138-lb race car and you’ve got a 0-60 mph speed of 3.9 seconds and a stop speed of 161-mph.

This could be groundbreaking in terms of research and development towards formidable electric car performance. There is plenty to be learned from a car running a lap on the Nurburgring from your traditional car, imagine the data these engineers just gathered with a lap of electric goodness.

GALLERY: Toyota Electric Race Car Prototype

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Our neighbors in the North want to see green in their future. No, not just money, but also green energy. Hence the Government of Ontario (Canada) has teamed up with one of the worlds largest automotive parts manufacturer Magna International Inc. to develop electric vehicle technologies.

The project is said to cost $441-million and will take about six-years to develop. The Ontario government will contribute $50-million towards this green project.

Ontario wants to be taken seriously about its plans for a greener future and is attracting car companies to move it towards this goal. Earlier this year, Toyota announced that it will produce the RAV4 EV model in Ontario, which will be the first electric vehicle produced by Toyota outside of Japan.

The project with Magna will help develop electric car parts and lightweight materials which will be used by other manufacturers. The Ford Focus EV was partly developed by Magna.

Frank Stronach, the founder of Magna owns a 27% stake in a electric car company called E-Car Venture, a connection that will surely help in moving this new project forward.

[Source: Automotive News]

Toyota has already announced that it intends to set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburging, but now the automaker has some extra exciting news for EV performance enthusiasts – you’ll be able to buy one!

Just days ahead of the planned record breaking attempt, Toyota has said the electric SR9 racer will be available for retail sale, well, some if it will anyway. Consumers will be able to buy the car’s electric drivetrain, battery, twin electric motors and lithium-ceramic batteries. Buyers won’t, however, be able to purchase the body shell or lightweight chassis from Radical – although we suppose you could buy both individually and match them up yourself.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the lucky few that do purchase these sophisticated items will likely have to shell out some serious coin.

GALLERY: Electric SR9 Race Car

[Source: Green Car Reports]

If you are a driver, you are well aware of the rising gas prices, and this trend is not looking to reverse anytime soon. This is effecting the way people buy new cars, and according to Pike Research, more than 5-million electric and hybrid vehicles will be sold globally by 2017.

Also according to this report, the largest manufacturer of these vehicles will be the United States, followed by Japan, while the largest consumer of such vehicles will likely be China.

Currently conventional hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight (among many others) are on sale, but as far as plug-in electric vehicles go, you have to pick between the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Roadster. Soon, the market will see cars such as the Fisker Karma, Ford Focus Electric and the Mitsubishi i go on sale later this year.

So will the world be taken over by electric cars now? If petrol prices don’t change, people’s buying habits will change very quickly to save their pocket books, while also helping save the planet.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Hyundai is continuing to enter new product segments, including upscale niche markets, but will continue to update lower priced models over the next three years. Three vehicles the Korean automaker wants to launch sometime soon include a dedicated plug-in hybrid sedan (a Prius rival), a sporty sedan to compete with the BMW 3-Series and more luxurious Veracruz SUV.

The Veracruz has become long-in-the-tooth and its sales are lacking. The mid-sized SUV will disappear after the 2012 model year but will return soon after in more luxurious and upscale form for 2014 model year, and will launch in early 2013.

Work is already underway on a sporty sedan to compete with the BMW 3-Series. Hyundai plans to use the rear-wheel drive platform seen in the Genesis and exterior styling is also expected to employ aggressive lines similar to the Gensis Coupe. Hyundai will likely launch this vehicle after 2013.

The plug-in sedan is expected to arrive either in the 2013 or 2014 model year but unfortunately details on this vehicle are insufficient. What is known, is that the hybrid will be an entirely new vehicle all together and will not be a variant of an existing model.

[Source: Autoweek]

Volkswagen is set to unveil a single seat electric car at a special event in Berlin next month, as the company explores the future of mobility and personal transportation.

A VW spokesman confirmed that the vehicle would be shown at an event in Berlin on September 8th. VW said that the new car would surpass the previous XL1 concept unveiled in January. Volkswagen is hoping for battery-powered cars to make up 3 percent of sales by 2018.

[Source: Automotive News]