Arguably the most successful startup company to build and sell electric vehicles, Tesla is beginning delivery of its second car today: the Model S sedan.
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Fuel economy is now the number one purchase consideration for new car shoppers, sparking a massive swing in interest for alternative fuel vehicles.
In an effort to showcase all-electric power, Mitsubishi Motors will be entering two Mitsubishi i-MiEVs into the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb this year.
Driving an electric car may be as green as you can get on the road, but being green at home means investing heavily in alternative energy. In an effort to combat that, BMW and Real Goods Solar are teaming up to make solar panels more cost-efficient to intall at home for ActiveE drivers.
Along with concerns like range anxiety, many potential electric car buyers express concerns about high voltage electric shocks.
With the Nissan Leaf being an entirely new type of vehicle, before it came to market engineers sat down and postulated all the possible “what ifs” of things that could go wrong, making sure to test the electric car in new ways never even dreamed of before.
Running from 0-60 in less than 2.8 seconds, boasting 1,088 hp and 2,800 lb-ft of torque and a 375-mile range — surely this car is a thing of myth.
Against the odds, a letter carrier in Las Vegas won a Tesla Roadster playing penny slots. Needless to say, the odds of winning a six-figure prize by playing those games are stacked against you.
One of the biggest downfalls of electric vehicles currently is the lack of range, which means stopping often to charge, hindering the owner when going long distances.
Brabus established its name as the monster tuner of Mercedes-Benz engines capable of exceeding 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque. But for its latest project, the company drops its earth-shaking V12 in a bold pursuit for a more eco-friendly diesel hybrid.
A series of very public Li-ion defect related incidents have caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) decision to hold a meeting with automakers and battery suppliers with regards to the safety of the new technology.
CODA Automotive made headlines last month when it began selling its electric sedan in California with a starting MSRP of $35,200. Based on the Chinese market Hafei Saibao, the EV has garnered the public’s attention with its 125 mile range.
Everything that Audi is putting into the e-tron R8 seems to be taking time, not that it’s a bad thing, but time is precious and the world is an impatient place.
Originally debuting in 2009 at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the automaker’s electrified halo car keeps slipping just out of grasp. in September, 2011 we reported that the car would launch in 2012, but news beyond that has been slow to surface.
Last week, Chrysler announced delivery of four plug-in hybrid Town & Country minivans to the Auburn Hills city of Michigan as the initial part of an extensive two-year hybrid development project worth $25.8 million. Today, company delivered eight more units to the Duke Energy utility company as part of the two-year project.
As the only minivan to boast a plug-in hybrid powertrain in combination with flex-fuel capability, Chrysler also revealed the specifications of its new plug-in Town & Country.
Prices might be falling soon on the cost to produce electric vehicles, which means (hopefully) that the MSRP will fall soon as well.
A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance shows the cost of lithium ion batteries falling 14 percent over this time last year. Furthermore, prices took a 30 percent swan dive since 2009.
Ford is introducing its latest social media product, the “Plug N Play in Electric City with the 2012 Focus Electric,” a Facebook-based game, ahead of the official release of the Focus Electric EV.
The Facebook game gives users and four of his or her friends the opportunity to create a short virtual trip in the new Ford electric vehicle, using MapQuest mapping data to calculate how far a destination is in relation to available charging stations nearby.
Ford Focus Electric marketing manager Chad D’Arcy says, “This is a great way for consumers to both have fun and learn about the new Focus Electric at the same time. We want to offer people the opportunity to experience the car now, especially those on Facebook who have supported us for so long.”
Sales of smaller cars are on the rise as the average transaction price for a new vehicle continues to climb, recently hitting an all-time high of $30,748.
In response to these trends, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has conducted a study revealing the proposed 54.5 mpg CAFE standards for 2025 will cause a significant increase in the technology as well as the cost required to build vehicles and, in turn, increase the price for each vehicle. As a result, many potential new-car buyers will be forced out of the market.
According to estimates calculated by the Environmental Protection Agency and NHTSA, the efficiency standards will cause the average retail price of passenger cars and light trucks to increase by nearly $3,000 by 2025. NADA’s study, “The Effect of Proposed MY 2017-2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards on the New Vehicle Market Population,” states that the price hike may be too much for approximately 7 million lower income consumers, such as college students and working families, as they may no longer qualify for auto financing to purchase the more expensive vehicles.
Regarding the 2025 CAFE requirements, Ford dealership owner Don Chalmers said during the NADA press briefing, ”To work, fuel economy improvements must be affordable. While you can mandate what automakers must build, you can’t dictate what customers will buy, nor can you dictate if a bank will make a loan.”
Chalmers continued, “If my customers can’t buy what I’ve got to sell, there are no savings at the gas pump and there is no environmental benefit. If car and truck buyers do not purchase these new products, we all lose.”
Doug Greenhaus, NADA chief regulatory counsel for environment, health, and safety, summed up the sentiment and suggested that the government must better understand the impact of the proposed CAFE regulations on consumers and auto lending before proposing the lofty mpg mandates. Greenhaus urged, “Disregarding vehicle affordability will undermine the environmental and national security benefits the administration is seeking. The proposed MY 2017-2025 fuel economy rules should be deleted until there is a more accurate picture of how prospective buyers will react.”
Despite the commitment of many automakers to go green, consumers do not share the sentiment. According to a Polk study released today, almost two-thirds of U.S. hybrid buyers do not return to the market for another hybrid.
The only exception in the survey is from the best-selling Toyota Prius, receiving a repurchase rate of 41 percent while the repurchase rate among other hybrid buyers has fallen to 22 percent.
From surveys recorded since 2008, customer loyalty ratings for hybrids have been inconsistent. While the loyalty rate for hybrids are at 22 percent now, loyalty once reached 41.8 percent during the second quarter of 2009. By the fourth quarter of 2010, the rate had fallen to 26.4 percent, but had risen back to a total of 35 percent for 2011.
It may have been rumored as a rebadged Nissan Leaf, but Infiniti’s new electric car concept is unique, luxurious and innovative.
Unveiled today at the New York International Auto Show the Infiniti LE Concept is referred to as a “production intent” vehicle says Infiniti of the Americas Vice President Ben Poore, with plans to have a model in dealerships in two years.
Infiniti doesn’t say exactly what LE stands for, and while “Luxury Electric” comes to mind, so does the brand’s ownership by French automaker Renault.
“Infiniti believes the future of luxury is sustainable luxury and we intend to continue taking a leadership role, building on the foundation set by our advanced Infiniti M Hybrid and high-mpg Infiniti JX luxury crossover,” says Poore. As a result, the Le Concept offers a premium interior, stylish exterior, a powerful motor and some impressive new technology.
Originally code named Project Nina, Fisker Automotive unveiled its newest model on the eve of the 2012 NY Auto Show. Now called the Atlantic, it may be a concept car, but according to company co-founder Henrik Fisker it’s 90 of what the production car will be.
Fisker didn’t provide a timeline on when it hopes the car will make it to market and based on the numerous delays the brand’s first car, the Karma, took to launch, it could still be a while. Few exact details are know about the car, but at its reveal Henrik Fisker did provide some insight, as well as plenty of info on exactly just what its main competitors will be.
GALLERY: Fisker Atlantic Concept
For more on the Atlantic, watch the video below:
With plenty of recent bad press, upstart environmental automaker Fisker focused on the positives and began a new chapter in the company’s history with the launch of a new concept car on the eve of the New York Auto Show.
Called the Atlantic, it’s a significantly smaller vehicle than the Karma, and targeted as a green alternative to cars like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A5. In fact, Henrik Fisker says the Atlantic will be priced similar to those two cars (at the high end) and deliver performance on par as well. It will do this with a “next-generation” gasoline range extended electric powerplant says company co-founder and chief designer Henrik Fisker. That engine will be a BMW-sourced 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with an additional electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack.
Giving a walk-around of the car, Fisker commented on how spacious the interior is (equal to its rivals), as well as how large the trunk is. “It’s got quite a large trunk as the next generation powertrain is a lot smaller,” said Fisker.
A stunning new vehicle with rear door handles that are hidden to give a coupe-like profile, Fisker says the car is 90 percent developed and that while a concept the Atlantic is, “a promise of what we will deliver.”
GALLERY: Fisker Atlantic Concept
Watch AutoGuide’s first look video of the Fisker Atlantic below:
Based out of Arizona, GoE3 has announced its plans to create the first network of coast-to-coast Level two and three charging stations to make interstate travel a reality for EV owners.
GoE3 hopes to place charging stations at 50 to 75 mile intervals across the I-10, I-20, I-40, and I-70 freeways with the first stations supposedly opening with the launch of an unnamed rally and reality show being produced this summer.
In total, 500 stations are currently being planned out by GoE3 with 50 of its first locations rolling out by April 21st. The remaining 450 will appear during the next 18 to 36 months. The use of Level three chargers will allow travelers to top off their EVs in as little as 10 minutes, but the charge could be around $12.50 depending on how low the batter level is.
According to the Department of Energy, there are currently around 2,600 EV charging stations accessible to the public. The government’s EV project hopes to swell that number to 14,000 in the coming years.
“If the national goal is having one million electric vehicles on American roads by 2015, we must all work harder to shift perceptions on how useful, practical and affordable electrical vehicle travel can be,” said Bruce Brimacombe, founder and CEO of GoE3.
[Source: Digital Trends]
The i8 plug-in hybrid is the product of BMW‘s best engineering and innovation in an effort to create the most advanced automobile to ever come from the Bavarian automaker.
Motivated by a 170-hp electric motor driving the front wheels and a 1.5-liter 3-cylinder engine producing 223-hp and 295 lb.-ft. of torque at the rear, the performance figures don’t sound exactly supercar territory. However, thanks to a lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, BMW managed to keep its i8 down to a thin 3,197 lbs., good enough to earn respectable performance numbers like a 0-to-62 mph time of 4.9 seconds. A unique all-wheel drive system, which can change into an all-front or all-rear powered car in an instant, should provide the i8 with superior all-condition handling performance as well. What’s more, on a full charge, the BMW i8 can travel 20 miles in full electric mode.
But BMW isn’t going to stop there. In an effort to make the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car even more appealing, a convertible “Spyder” version is also in the works, with a selection of photos having been released ahead of the cars debut at the New York Auto Show next week. Could this be the world’s first plug-in hybrid electric convertible to go into production?
GALLERY: BMW i8 Spyder
