The BMW ActiveE, or electric 1-Series, is finally available for lease, though there aren’t many up for grabs.

We originally expected this to happen last year, but BMW delayed releasing their electric car until now to streamline the delivery process. The first unit has already been delivered and there are only 700 available in total, meaning anyone interested had better move quickly. Well, sort of.

700 cars isn’t a lot, but at the same time, EVs are proving to be a tough sell with Americans. The ActiveE  closely resembles the 1-Series, but has strange circuit-esque graphics on it that make it look like a company fleet vehicle. The only other exterior difference is a bulge on the hood, which seems silly when you realize such a feature is usually reserved for performance-oriented M cars. In this case, it’s there to make space for the three lithium ion storage cells.

Speaking of performance, it’s simply off the table with this one. A disappointing nine-second 0-60 time and only 170 horsepower, 60 less than the 128i, mean the only thrills you get will be going past gas stations. That won’t even be much fun though, because the car is limited to a 90 mph top speed. At 184 ft-lbs of torque, it also has less pull than a Nissan Leaf, which has 207 ft-lbs.

The ActiveE has about the same range as it’s competition, about 100 miles, but we wish you luck in enjoying any of the classy creature comforts you’ve probably come to love in BMWs while your palms sweat with range anxiety. The ActiveE is also expensive. If you want one of the 700 in your driveway, get ready to pony up $2,250 and $499 per month on a closed 24-month lease. Unless you’re dead set on driving an electric BMW for personal reasons, this might be one to avoid. The only real upside is that the back seats are still intact, unlike the electric MiniE, which became a two seater in the name of going gasless.

GALLERY: 2012 BMW ActiveE

The Nissan Leaf just got a little greener. Nissan is exploring ways on how to reuse the electric car’s lithium-ion battery packs once it can no longer power the emissions-free car.

Partnering with ABB (a power and technology group), 4R Energy and Sumitomo Corporation of America, Nissan is looking for second-life storage applications for lithium-ion battery packs that can be used for commercial and residential purposes. The automaker is testing to see if these reclaimed battery packs can be used as back-up or energy storage systems that can store power from the grid during times of low usage. When the grid is operating at peak demand, the reclaimed batteries would feed the stored electricity back into the grid. The plan is to develop a LEAF battery storage prototype that can store at least 50 kilowatt hours (kWh) – this would be enough energy to power 30 homes for one hour.

It’s interesting to note that after a lithium-ion battery pack has powered an electric car for 10 years, it still has 70 percent capacity remaining. That means it’s viable to power something like a smart-grid community energy management system or for battery energy storage after it can no longer be used in an EV.

“It’s important to Nissan that we manage the complete lifecycle of the electric vehicle battery pack, even beyond its use in a Nissan car,” said Ken Srebnik, senior manager, NNA Corporate Planning. “Innovations in energy storage systems are becoming more viable as the electric grid gets smarter, and Nissan is proud to work with ABB, 4R Energy and Sumitomo to help bring these possibilities to market.”

Earlier this month a new reports noted that Chevrolet Volt sales were more successful in its first year than the sales numbers of the Toyota Prius hybrid on its first year back in 2000. What little optimism Chevrolet might have had on the Volt’s sales performance were quickly silenced when data revealed that Toyota dealt a quick knockout as its new Prius v wagon (also in its first year) out sold the Volt. And it did so with just 10 weeks on sale.

Official numbers for Chevrolet Volt’s 2011 sales are 7,671 units delivered. Toyota managed to sell 8,399 hybrid wagons, which did not arrive to U.S. dealerships and showrooms until the last week of October.

President of Toyota U.S. Sales Jim Lentz says, “Prius v is off to a great start.” For 2012, Toyota aims to deliver 220,000 Prii to U.S. customers, a 60 percent increase from 2011. Toyota’s offensive includes offerings of the original Prius, the Pruis v wagon, and the Prius c subcompact that arrives in March.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius v wagon

[Source: Bloomberg]

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Toyota Prius v Review here and watch the video review below:

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After every auto show there’s normally a lull in new product news as media and PR folks alike decompress. That won’t be the case with this year’s Chicago Auto Show, however, with the reveal of electric car maker Tesla’s new crossover the day after the Chi-town press day.

The reveal won’t be anywhere near Chicago either with Tesla announcing yesterday it would reveal the new Model X at its Design Studio in California. The new model is expected to sit on a modified version of the same platform used for the Model S electric luxury sedan and make use of similar powertrains.

Tesla recently announced pricing for the Model S, which will start at 49,900 after a federal tax rebate. The top Signature package will retail for $69,900 after tax incentives and will deliver a 300 mile range plus a 0-60 time of just 4.4 seconds.

In anticipation of the launch of its new Model S electric luxury sedan later this year, Tesla has been busy expanding its retail network to meet supply. “We added six new stores in the U.S. last year, four in the last quarter,” said George Blankenship, VP of sales and ownership experience, speaking during a conference call scheduled to address concerns over the company’s recent executive changes.

It might seem strange to open dealerships without any real cars to sell. After all, Tesla’s first vehicle, the Tesla Roadster, has been discontinued, while the Model S has yet to go into full production. And yet, says Blankenship, the new stores are “working exactly as we had hoped.”

In just the month of December, Tesla saw 299,000 visitors to its stores, helping bring the year-end tally for reservations on the upcoming Model S to 8,000.

Another major contributing factor was the release late in December of pricing for the Model S, with the entry level 40 kWh model starting at $49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax credit. “The strongest week for reservations was week we announced pricing,” said Blankenship, commenting on significant demand for the flagship Signature model despite its $87,900 starting price (before tax credit).

“We’re sold out of Model S Signature in the U.S.” he declared, and then announced that a waiting list is going to be created.

The future will see a continued ramp-up of sales infrastructure for Tesla throughout 2012 with plans to add 10 to 12 new retail stores in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto.

Officially, Toyota will tell you that the future is in hybrid powertrains. But unofficially, well, they’ve built an electric sports car, which was revealed at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon.

Based on the chassis of a Toyota Sera (a rare sports car built from 1990-96), the TES-ERA EV shares that car’s gullwing door concept, though the car is altogether more modern looking. While tiny (roughly 10 inches shorter in length than a second generation MR2), it’s certainly not cutesy looking thanks to plenty of angles and a wide stance.

A proper rear-drive machine the TES-ERA EV makes roughly 165 hp and produces 247 lb-ft of torque.  Weighing in at 2,500 lbs it’s not going to be a rocket ship, but should produce some modest smiles.

Built by the Toyota Engineering Society (hence the TES in its name), the car is part of an annual skunkworks project made up of volunteers within the automaker and isn’t even technically an official Toyota concept car.

Created in 1947 to explore organic new ideas and actually move ahead with them, last year’s TES project car was the TES Concept T-Sports, looking at a baby Scion FR-S.

See videos of the TES-ERA EV in action below:

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For the last number of years, automakers have been pushing gas-electric products at auto shows across the world. However, according to researcher LMC Automotive, hybrid sales in the United States have slowed last year to 2.2 percent compared to 2.4 percent in 2010.

Mike Jackson, chief executive of auto retail chain AutoNation Inc., said that while 75 percent of customers that walked into his showrooms wanted to talk about hybrids, hybrids only make 2.5 percent of AutoNation sales. Jackson revealed, “What happens from the 75 percent consideration to the 2.5 percent commitment? They look at the price premium for the technology, which is already subsidized and discounted, and say ‘the payback period is too long; not for me.’ It’s a back-of-the envelope conversation on the part of the American consumer.”

According to Chevrolet vice president of U.S. marketing Chris Perry, the Chevy Volt gets people into the showroom but with less than 8,000 units sold last year, consumers often entered a dealer to have a look at the Volt but eventually left with something else.

The challenge hybrids face is the continuing development of the conventional internal combustion engines. David Champion, senior director of the Auto Test Center of Consumer Reports, pointed out that the basic Honda Civic reaches a 32 mpg combined city and highway mileage while the Civic hybrid achieves 44 mpg. Saving a consumer approximately $322 dollars a year in fuel, the sticker price premium will require an owner to operate the Civic hybrid more than six years to see any financial advantages.

Realizing the trend here, Ford has dropped plans for a hybrid version of the next generation Escape crossover.

What’s more, improvements to an internal combustion engine can potentially improve fuel economy by 40 percent while costing an extra $2,000 per model by 2020. Weight reduction and better aerodynamics can lower fuel consumption by up to 10 percent and would account for costs of approximately $200 per car by 2020. Comparatively, the battery in an electric car still adds $10,000 to the price of a car at current costs in technology and remains a challenge to reduce in the near future.

Scott Corwin, vice president of consulting firm Booz & Co., New York, explained, “The advantages of hybrids are getting harder to justify. It’s the cost differential. Consumers are rational and they understand the cost of ownership.”

Despite the unpopularity, hybrids remain important to every automaker’s strategy, even if it’s just to attract prospective customers into dealerships or to showcase a company’s dedication to green technology. Ford showed off its new Fusion hybrid family sedan at the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota expands its Prius range with a Prius C, costing just $19,000 and achieving 50 mpg.

[Source: Bloomberg]

As with all new products, analysts are quick to analyze its success after its first year of sales. When Nissan reported that its Leaf electric vehicle sales tallied 9,674 units last year, industry analysts claimed that the poor sales number proved that a market does not exist for electric propulsion.

CEO Carlos Ghosn saw differently, and explained, “The only reason we couldn’t sell more is because we couldn’t build more. We’re expecting in 2012 to double that number.”

Furthermore, the initial release of the Leaf was small and only seven initial launch markets were available for early adopters in 2011. For 2012, availability of the Nissan Leaf will expand to all 50 states. Ghosn added that he believed there are, “pent-up demand for electric cars which is today not being recognized.”

Confident of the future of alternative energy, Renault-Nissan have planned to boost annual production capacity of electric vehicles to 400,000 units by 2015. A significant portion of said cars will be assembled in the Smyrna, Tennessee, plant.

Finally, Ghosn expressed optimism for 2012 overall, noting that Nissan has prepared the launch of several important products, starting with the Pathfinder at the Detroit Auto Show as well as updates for the Sentra and Altima sedans. Quite boldly, Ghosn claimed, “We think the next Altima will be a strong contender competing for the number-one spot.”

Renault-Nissan’s joint venture with Mercedes-Benz looks to be a mutually beneficial alliance as well. Nissan’s Tennessee plant will be responsible for building the German 4-cylinder engines, which will find its way underneath both Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti products starting 2014.

GALLERY: Nissan Leaf

[Source: The Detroit Bureau]

Recently, Chevrolet Volt fire hazards resulting from compromised battery cells have been under particular scrutiny by the NHTSA. Addressing the issue, GM has been informing Volt owners to bring their vehicles back to dealerships where steel plates will be fitted to increase protection surrounding the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries.

At an interview yesterday during the 2012 Detroit Auto Show at Cobo Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland expressed that the U.S. auto-safety regulators are pleased with GM’s plan to fix Volt vehicles in response to the fires that have been reported.

“They really did put the customers first,” Strickland said. “This really is a safety issue.”

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood added that, “It’s in everybody’s best interest to make sure the Volt is safe to drive.” LaHood added that GM, “worked very cooperatively” with regulators.

Demand for the Volt dropped after the fire hazard was revealed. While GM expected to sell 10,000 units in 2011, only 7,671 were eventually sold. Undeterred, GM expects demands to significantly rise for 2012, and has expanded production of the Volt to 60,000 units this year.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Nissan is trying to stay at the forefront of the rapidly-progressing electric vehicle market by announcing a plug-in version of their compact van today at the Detroit Auto Show, the e-NV200.

“A potential game changing vehicle in its segment, the battery capacity will support a driving range similar to the Nissan LEAF, while payload and cargo space will offer the same level as the current NV200. The production version would be targeted mainly at businesses, but also at private users or families in major regions,” Nissan corporate vice president, Hideto Murakami said in a press release.

The concept takes cues from the Leaf. “The Nissan e-NV200 Concept is a standout design, sharing the iconic EV look established by the Nissan LEAF but in a modern, active, functional commercial vehicle form,” said Murakami.

The fact remains that this is just a concept, so exterior and interior features have a lot of room to grow, though it makes sense that the company would borrow heavily from their already existing EV formula. Some concepts are easier to take seriously than others, because as many of us know: concepts often remain on the auto show floor and the drawing board. That isn’t the case for the e-NV200, Nissan sayas they are already conducting tests and preparing it for the real world.

The initial trial took place last year during the summer with the Japan Post Service and the company is continued that work in London with FedEx starting last month.

While cars with a range close to the current Leaf’s capacity will be good for deliveries in cities where routes are short and fleets are big, the reality is that charging times and the cost per vehicle may be prohibitive for small businesses who run frequent deliveries, even with federal tax credits.

The gasoline NV200 is produced in Japan, Europe and China and available in 40 countries, but currently not sold in the U.S. Americans can look forward, however, to seeing the NV200 late next year in New York City as taxi cabs.

GALLERY: Nissan e-NV200