Batteries
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We’ve known about the 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist mild-hybrid luxury sedan since late 2010 but GM only released the all-important pricing details for the car this week, with its sticker coming in at $29,960 before an $860 destination charge. Interestingly, GM has made the advanced eAssist drivetrain the standard option on its latest Buick LaCrosse, though a 303 horsepower and 264 pound-feet of torque 3.6-liter V-6 is available at no extra cost on some trim levels. The LaCrosse also comes with front-wheel drive as standard, though an all-wheel drive option will also be offered. As for...
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Volvo C30 Electric Car Leases Start This Summer, In Europe
Volvo showed us its C30 Electric zero-emissions hatchback at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show back in January, which included a crashed example with the car's expensive battery pack fully intact, but now the automaker has confirmed that customer leases are about to start. Unfortunately, those leases are...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
MIT Researchers Working On Liquid-State Batteries That Can Be ‘Refueled’
One of the biggest hurdles towards the mainstream acceptance of electric cars is the lengthy period of time, usually around six to eight hours, that it takes to top up their batteries. Compare this to filling up a gasoline or diesel powered car, where topping up a tank takes only a matter of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Tesla Model S ‘Alpha’ Build Mega-Gallery
The Tesla Model S electric sedan is on track for a market debut in the middle of next year, although the production version of the car is scheduled to be revealed at the end of this year. We say production version as we’ve already seen a number of Model S sedans in the past, though all of...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Move Over Tesla, Delta Motorsport Launches 150 MPH E-4 Electric Coupe
Over in the UK, a relatively new company by the name of Delta Motorsport and based at the famous Silverstone race circuit, has designed and built from the ground up a sporty coupe with a distinct sportback design and zero-emission electric drivetrain. The company boasts a 0-60 mph time of less than...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Powerdecal: The Sticker That Turns On And Off With Your Car
Fed up with bumper stickers and window stickers that nobody else can see at night? Want to show off your allegiance to a particular sports team or college even in the darkest of nights? What you need is the Powerdecal. This 4" sticker can be affixed on the inside of any window and uses three AA...
Antony Ingram -
Mitsubishi was one of the first major automakers to announce plans for a mass produced electric vehicle and even had a working prototype out testing back in 2008 in the form of the first generation i-MiEV. Since then the i-MiEV has gone through a series of redesigns until finally being launched in production trim earlier this year in Japan and Europe. Now, finally, the i-MiEV is about to make its official debut in the U.S. at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show later this month. The car being shown will be a U.S.-spec i-MiEV, which means it will sport a wider body that was designed to meet U.S...
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Fisker Raises Additional $115.3 Million, Signs Battery Deal With A123 Systems
Fisker recently suffered a setback with the launch of its Karma plug-in hybrid electric sports sedan, whose delay has been pushed back until the third quarter of the year after originally being pegged for release last November. However, the company does have some good news to report on, announcing...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Porsche's $1,700 Starter Battery Option For Boxster Spyder, 911 GT3
Perhaps only Porsche, with its long legacy of pricey options, could consider charging $1,700 for a starter battery. To be fair, this isn't just any old 12-Volt lead-acid starter battery. It's a lightweight, lithium-ion pack with a similar form factor and the same mounts as a standard battery. It's...
John Voelcker -
Driven: 2009 Tesla Roadster Will Make You An Electric-Car Believer
Driving a 2009 Tesla Roadster most effectively requires unlearning some old habits.
John Voelcker -
Report: Growing Support Within GM For Production Cadillac Converj
If given the green light the Converj wouldn’t appear in showrooms until 2014.
Ralph Hanson -
Report: Buick Cancels Vue-Based Plug-in Hybrid Crossover
The re-branded Saturn Vue hybrid won't make it off the design table at Buick.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
It seems these days that a new electric sports car concept is announced almost every month but it's not often that we get to see the actual concept in the metal, so to speak, or in the case of the new E-Rod, in the carbon-fiber composite. The E-Rod electric roadster is the latest creation of German design firm Mileworks and it's a preview of the upcoming production version due next year. Set to go on sale in the spring of 2010, the new E-Rod combines an advanced electric powertrain with a retro-styled roadster body and ends up as something very unique. Like the recently revealed Lampo from...
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Coda Automotive launches in U.S. with new electric sedan
A brand new electric car company has been established and plans to start selling its cars in the U.S. by the second half of next year. The new company is Coda Automotive, the latest brainchild of electric car entrepreneur Miles Rubin and based in Southern California. Coda’s first model will...
James Martinez -
Ford hopes to sell 5,000 to 10,000 Focus electric cars per year
Electric cars may be all the rage these days but making the technology cheap enough for mass-market will take some time. One of the leaders in this field is Ford, which is expected to have one of the first mass-produced all-electric cars on the market with its battery-powered Focus. Arriving in...
Kenneth Hall -
Ford working on next-generation lithium-ion batteries
One of the biggest things holding back the mass embrace of the electric car is their supposedly short driving range compared to conventionally powered cars, as well as their relatively expensive nature considering the youth of the technology and low production volumes. To combat this, Ford claims...
James Martinez -
Toshiba's SCiB batteries leap forward to 90-sec recharge time
Solving the problem of storing enough energy in a dense enough package without undue cost, weight or danger is the primary hurdle facing hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) today. Toshiba has already developed a battery technology that could make significant strides toward solving that problem, and...
Ralph Hanson -
Michigan to become battery technology hub with new $1.7 billion investment
Michigan may be most widely recognized as the home of the troubled Detroit 3, whose past ignorance of creating efficient cars and embracing SUVs has landed them in hot water. Now, the state wants to change this image and create a reputation as a future base for greener cars, an initiative that has...
Ralph Hanson -
It's not often that major automakers push production dates ahead in time rather than back, especially with the current economic conditions, but Nissan might be doing just that with its electric vehicle program. While earlier Nissan was claiming that its first mass-produced electric vehicle would not be reaching dealerships in the U.S. before 2012, the company now states that this date could come as early as 2010. The news comes from Nissan's director of product planning and strategy, Mark Perry, who explained to Automotive News that "if a market is ready for it" the company is open to the...
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Nissan to show off new-generation zero-emissions vehicle in San Diego
As the traditional car industry struggles against a lack of consumer credit, economic instability and its own growing pains, several of the major players are forging ahead with next-generation vehicle programs, including all-electric zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs). Nissan has been at the forefront...
Ralph Hanson -
Protoscar Lampo is Swiss for electric sports car
It seems these days that a new electric sports car concept is announced almost every month but it's not often that we get to see the actual concept in the metal, so to speak, or in the case of the new Lampo, in the carbon-fiber composite. The Lampo electric roadster is the latest creation of Swiss...
James Martinez -
RUF previews electric future with new Greenster convertible
One of the most talked about electric cars in recent times is the Lotus Elise-based Tesla Roadster, a car that is becoming increasingly popular in performance circles because of its supercar performance and cutting edge technology. Well-established Porsche tuner RUF, a company that has been...
James Martinez -
Parts shortages could delay GM’s plan to offer 26 hybrids by 2014
General Motors ambitious viability plan announced a fortnight ago called for up to $16.6 billion in additional aid and the reduction of more than 47,000 jobs across the company’s global resources, but there was another major announcement in the plan that went largely unnoticed. GM also...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Huge demand delays Mini EV test leases in U.S.
In a sign that Americans may truly be ready to embrace electric vehicles, including living with any shortcomings and paying a significant price premium, demand for BMW’s Mini E electric vehicle has outstripped supply by 4-to-1. Unfortunately, the plethora of applicants for the 450 available...
Alex Kaufmann