Archive for category Electric Vehicles

Self-Driving Vehicle Development Platform Sold by Japanese Company

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Electric Vehicles, Experiments on May 20, 2013

Not long ago, Google started teasing the world with the idea of a self-driving vehicle. Now, a company called ZMP Inc released a development platform called ”RoboCar MV2 Autonomous Driving Package,” which is a single seat electric vehicle meant to help car companies (like Tesla) get going with autonomous driving. Actually, the ZMP platform is based [...]

Electric Bikes Banned in NYC, Biking Law a Little Short-Sighted

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Green Policy on May 20, 2013

Electric bikes are a great way to get around, especially on city streets. They take up almost no room and you can park them practically anywhere. In New York City, you can also get fined up to $1,000 for riding an electric bike. Electric bikes have actually been outlawed in New York State since 2004, [...]

Light Hybrid Vehicles May be The Next Best Thing

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Efficient engines, Electric Vehicles, Hybrid vehicles on May 17, 2013

To reduce emissions and increase fuel economy, hybrid vehicles are a pretty good option that aren’t nearly as expensive as pure electric vehicles. In the hierarchy of vehicle pricing, though, it can be difficult sometimes to justify spending more up front for better technology, even if it’ll save you money at the pump. Given a [...]

Amtrak Upgrading to Siemens’ High-Efficiency Electric Locomotives

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles on May 16, 2013

When train locomotives made the switch from diesel to electric, especially commuter lines, Amtrak was able to provide cleaner transportation. Of course, the almighty dollar has a lot to do with it, as electricity is much cheaper than diesel fuel. As a side benefit, electric locomotives could reduce emissions depending on where they get their [...]

Tesla Motors Outweighs Fiat in NASDAQ Value

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 15, 2013

The rest of the automobile market may be saying that Tesla Motors is punching far beyond its weight, but what do you do with someone who’s breaking all the rules? Tesla Motors is a young company, just ten years old in a market sporting makers from as far back as the 1890s. It’s also a [...]

Battery Swapping May Soon Be Implemented by Tesla Motors

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 15, 2013

As usual, it all started with a tweet from Elon Musk saying “There is a way for the Tesla Model S to be recharged throughout the country faster than you could fill a gas tank.” What can you understand from that? The usual suspect would be battery swapping. Musk is now thinking that, while they’re [...]

Nissan and Renault Electric Vehicles Selling Better Than Most, Still Won’t Hit Targets

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 14, 2013

It seems that Nissan and Renault’s electric vehicle sales are doing pretty well, but have they set themselves up for disappointment? It’s easy to be pessimistic in an automobile market that doesn’t appreciate newcomers, especially electric vehicles. A little optimism can be good, but being too optimistic can also become a problem, which seems to [...]

Fiat 500e CARB Fodder After All, CEO Marchionne Calls it Masochism

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 13, 2013

Of all the fuel economy regulations, possibly in the world, those of California are the most strict, which is why electric vehicles [EV] like the Tesla Model S and Fiat 500e are such a great idea. CEOs of regular automobile companies that produce EVs aren’t as convinced that those regulations are very fair. California Air [...]

Secret Menu in Tesla Model S Reveals Possible Future Features

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Electric Vehicles on May 13, 2013

Gas2/Autoblog revealed yesterday a video showing a secret menu (and how to access it). From the image we can deduct that Tesla’s plans for the Model S/X include the addition of: Blind spot detection adaptive cruise control land departure warning I’ve always thought that electric cars, when they become mainstream, will be the hackers’ havens: [...]

Veefil Quick EV Charger in Australia, a Competitor for Tesla’s Supercharger

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Electric Vehicles on May 10, 2013

Tesla Motors were the first to introduce a truly high-capacity Supercharger. However, like mushrooms after the rain, more startup companies do the same – and that’s good. Today’s best example is a company named Tritium, based in Australia, that designed a supercharger called “Veefil” and which is intended for other plug-in vehicles than the Tesla. [...]

Chevy Volt Batteries to be Manufactured by LG Chem in July, Finally

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage, Green Policy on May 10, 2013

Sales of the Chevy Volt extended range electric vehicle [EREV] has been slow, but steady, meaning that support companies like battery suppliers aren’t as productive as they could be. True, the market for electric vehicles as a whole hasn’t been enough to justify handshakes and champagne. Much to the contrary, aside from dashing success Tesla [...]

Bosch Power Max Electric Vehicle Charging Station is just $450, Also Most Efficient

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Energy news on May 9, 2013

Part of electric vehicle ownership is installing your own refueling station, an electric vehicle charging station, that is. When you look at the overall costs of running an electric vehicle, it’s easy to see how many people could benefit financially by avoiding the gas pump and recharging at home, or even on the go. It’s [...]

Tesla Model S Just Got Affordable: $580 a Month!

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 8, 2013

Considering Tesla Motors is not for the faint-of-wallet, to be sure, but then, the Tesla Model S is a high-tech luxury vehicle. The base Tesla Model S 60kWh with no options ticked still starts over $70,000 before incentives that bring the price down to anywhere between $56,070 and $63,570, depending on what state you live [...]

Nissan Leaf Braving Down Under With Lower Prices, Again

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 8, 2013

Sales of the Nissan Leaf in Australia haven’t been all that great, but then the market is a fledgeling one. Perhaps better pricing will help to spur the market? Americans may think that had a stranglehold on the muscle-car market and big pickup trucks and 4x4s, especially in comparison to our nearest neighbor Europe, whose [...]

$10,000 Cheaper Chevy Volt Could be Profitable by 2016

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles on May 7, 2013

Chevy Volt sales have been fairly steady and has sold a bit over 26,000 units since its introduction, but the rumors were true, General Motors is “losing money on every one,” CEO Dan Akerson admits. Losing money on every transaction is no way to run a business, but sometimes you have to give a little [...]