Archive for category Electric Vehicles

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 [...]

New Nissan Leaf Loses Weight, Gains Range

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

The Nissan Leaf was originally released in 2010, so one wouldn’t expect it due for any radical changes quite yet, but Nissan isn’t sitting on its haunches waiting to release its latest enhancements. Takeshi Miyamoto, a Nissan Electric Vehicle engineering director, says Nissan Leaf’s improvements are ready now and will be ready now, which is [...]

Tesla Motors Looking for “Ultra Hardcore” Vehicle Engineers

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on May 7, 2013

A little test: if you think the car in the image above looks sexy to you, don’t go to a mental institution – you should apply for a job at Tesla Motors. Engineering a car that runs on nothing but electrons is a dream to millions of grad students worldwide. Elon Musk has tweeted that [...]

Tesla Model S “Performance Plus” Package For Handling and Efficiency

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles on May 6, 2013

I would never have thought the Tesla Model S ought to handle like a McLaren MP4-12C, but the comment apparently got Elon Musk thinking. When Elon Musk starts thinking about something, it usually ends up turning into something tangible, such as the now-available Performance Plus package. The package adds $6,500 to the Tesla Model S [...]

New Jersey Considering Supposed Electric Vehicle Tax, Is It Really Unfair?

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Green Policy on May 6, 2013

I saw this story on another site and my gut reaction was to man the defenses and shout, “No New Taxes!” but think about it, are electric vehicles [EV] getting a free ride on the nation’s highways? State legislators seem to think so, and one after another, states are looking to tax EVs. Because EVs [...]

Exclusive Interview: Elon Musk on Supercharger Network Plans in Europe & More

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage on May 3, 2013

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, has given us the privilege of answering our questions directly, again. This time, I asked him about plans to expand the Supercharger network not only in Western European countries, but also in Eastern countries like Romania or Bulgaria. He also told us details on how the Supercharger does [...]

3D Hall Effect Sensor Improves Electric Vehicle Battery Management

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage on May 3, 2013

The traction battery in an electric vehicle is actually made up of thousands of individual cells, over 7,000 in the case of the Tesla Model S 85kWh. Battery management systems [BMS] are just as critical to electric vehicle performance and range as is battery technology. After all, a battery is only as strong as its [...]

Improved Electric Vehicle Charging, Research at Chalmers University of Technology

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles on May 3, 2013

Electric vehicle opponents love to cite, and some owners have to admit, that electric vehicles are limited by range and recharging capabilities. Even industry-leading Tesla Model S 85kWh is limited, in best case scenario, to about 300 miles and still needs access to one of just eight Superchargers to refuel in nearly an hour [30 [...]

Renault Twizy F1 Concept Shows What F1 KERS Can Do in a Production Vehicle

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles, Energy Storage on April 30, 2013

We wouldn’t expect this to hit the road any time soon [or at all], but when F1 engineers get ahold of the Renault Twizy supercompact electric vehicle, the results are pretty impressive. Really, a lot of race technology finds its way into the vehicles we drive every day, and we’re not driving anywhere near the [...]

Has the Tesla Model S Got What it Takes to be a Taxi?

Posted by Benji Jerew in Electric Vehicles on April 30, 2013

With maintenance and refueling costs on the rise, electric vehicles could make sense as taxis, but the limited range of most puts them out of the running. Tesla Model S, on the other hand, could be the perfect replacement taxi. Part of the problem with electric vehicle [EV] range when used as a taxi is [...]

Electric Bicycles, a Clean Solution to Decrease Urban Traffic Congestion

Posted by Mila Luleva in Electric Vehicles on April 29, 2013

A new trend in using electric bicycles is now increasingly noticeable in many cities in North America and Western Europe, providing renewable energy solutions to cope with traffic congestion. Electric bicycles, or e-bikes, are now acknowledged as a desired solution to ecological and economic problems. Many people now recognize the importance of lithium-ion over lead-acid batteries and [...]

Elon Musk Just Wants to Make a Great Electric Vehicle

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on April 29, 2013

Elon Musk may be a billionaire, but he didn’t get that way by unscrupulous business practices or by rolling out a low-quality mass-produced product. Let’s talk widgets a moment. Just make a great widget, and people will buy it. They will like the widget and they will be happy to pay for it. Why would [...]

RWD Full-Electric Ford Fiesta Created by German Company

Posted by Mike Sandru in Electric Vehicles on April 24, 2013

In recent years, more and more vehicles are of the front-wheel drive type, with the Ford Focus being no exception. German firm Schaeffler has elected to convert a Ford Fiesta into a rear-wheel drive, fully-electric car. Utilizing wheel hub motors in its conversion, the driving dynamics of the car have been completely changed; perhaps a [...]

BMW to Build Zinoro Electric Vehicles in China

Posted by Benji Jerew in Car industry, Electric Vehicles on April 24, 2013

BMW is partnering with Chinese company Brilliance to manufacture and sell electric vehicles in China under a new brand, Zinoro. The world’s fastest growing car market is in China, which makes manufacturing and selling vehicles there a good prospect. BMW is China’s 2nd-biggest luxury auto manufacturer, the plant in Shenyag making the 3- and 5-Series [...]