Electric
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Aside from their higher purchase prices, the biggest reason consumers shy away for electric vehicles as primary transportation seems to be their limited range. That begs a very real question of “how much range is enough for most drivers?” Those buying a 2013 Tesla Model S fitted with the 60-kilowatt-hour battery pack can expect to see a range of 208 miles on a full charge, according to Green Car Reports. Based on the rating just published by the EPA, the car also gets a Miles-Per-Gallon-equivalent (MPGe) rating of 95 MPGe, an improvement over the 85-kWh Model S’ 89 MPGe...
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Is Tesla Working On A Better-Handling Model S?
The Tesla Model S sedan could be a game-changer for electric cars. It’s stylish, more affordable than a Tesla Roadster (or Fisker Karma, for that matter), and can be equipped with enough batteries to provide an impressive range between recharges. It’s got some well-known fans already...
Kurt Ernst -
'Monster' Tajima Expresses His Love For The Tesla Model S: Video
Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima knows a thing or two about going ridiculously fast in gasoline-powered vehicles. Over a 40-year motorsport career, Tajima has racked up nine wins at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, including six consecutive victories earned from 2006 through 2011. He was also the...
Kurt Ernst -
Kleenspeed EV-X11 Sets Sonoma Electric Car Lap Record: Video
Electric race cars may not yet offer the same range as their internal-combustion counterparts, but the differential in lap times continues to get smaller. For a baseline reference, Marco Werner set a Sonoma full-lap record of 1:21.69 behind the wheel of the fearsome Audi R8 Le Mans Prototype in...
Kurt Ernst -
2014 Cadillac ELR Spy Shots
Here are the latest shots of Cadillac’s extended-range electric ELR, wearing a triangular camouflage pattern, undergoing what appears to be hot-weather testing at an undisclosed location in the Southwest. Originally shown as the Converj in January of 2009, the Volt-based luxury car has since...
Kurt Ernst -
Sabine Schmitz Tackles The 'Ring In French Electric GT
Few people know their way around the treacherous Nürburgring Nordschleife better than German race driver and TV personality Sabine Schmitz. She may have retired from 'Ring Taxi' duties last year, but during her career she's lapped the famous Northern Loop more than 20,000 times. We doubt too...
Antony Ingram -
Generally speaking, rally events exist to test the capabilities of both car and driver, often among the most grueling conditions imaginable. Like biological evolution on an accelerated scale, rally racing improves the breed, starting with race cars and trickling down into production cars. The same philosophy applies to the Silvretta E-Car Rally, which exists to push the boundaries of current electric car technology. Now in its third year, the 2012 Silvretta Rally promises to be even more challenging than past events, with longer distances, greater elevation changes and steeper climbs than in...
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Porsche Reaffirms Commitment To Hybrids
If a few years ago you said Porsche would be the first major automaker to fit electric drive technology in each of its models, you would have probably been labeled somewhat delusional. Today, however, such a statement is close to being true as every model in Porsche’s lineup is either already...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Arcspeed Electric Roadster Is Australia's Answer To Tesla: Video
The Arcspeed roadster, designed and built in Australia, may soon challenge the Tesla Roadster electric roadster supremacy.
Kurt Ernst -
iPhone 4S Hitches Its Wagon To The 2012 Nissan Leaf
As everyone knows by now, Apple did not launch the iPhone 5 at yesterday's press event. This was bad news for Apple (shares slid after the meet-up), bad news for iOS developers (iOS handsets have recently been losing ground to Android), and bad news for Apple's new CEO Tim Cook (who should've been...
Richard Read -
More Future Fuels: Bacteria To Power Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
Hydrogen fuel cells for automotive use are one of those "great in theory, flawed in principal" ideas for the future of car propulsion. New technology using bacteria could eventually change that. Fuel cells have several advantages over pure battery-electric power, for example. Firstly, hydrogen has...
Antony Ingram -
The Nissan Leaf Takes On The Cannonball... Ireland
A Nissan Leaf will be the first electric car entered into the Cannonball Ireland charity rally.
Kurt Ernst -
There’s a new Audi model coming that will be positioned between the entry-level A1 and A3 Hatchback and soon-to-be released A3 Sedan, and now we have our first tangible evidence as to how it may look. We’re of course talking about the Audi A2, the long-rumored successor to the previous aluminum constructed A2 hatch that was sold--relatively unsuccessfully--in Europe in the earlier part of the last decade. The automaker from Ingolstadt has unveiled a new A2 concept car, but unlike the original this one has an e-tron electric drivetrain. It measures 12.47 feet in length, 5.54 feet...
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FondTech Reveals Electric Formula E Racing Car, The E-11
We all like to think that our cars have been developed using technology bred on the race track. It adds a sense of kudos and the impression of thoroughbred engineering to even the most mundane of vehicles. Ironic then, that with the push towards electric vehicles as road transport, the world of...
Antony Ingram -
Latest RoboCar Prototype: Ugly, But High Tech And Autonomous
Some cars are beautiful. Others are fast. Some others are incredibly practical. Some other cars are none of these things, but their importance isn't in their looks, speed or usability but the technological advancements they'll offer to the car industry as a whole. The RoboCar MEV-C is one of these...
Antony Ingram -
Blowin' In The Wind: Turbines To Power BMW Leipzig Factory
However green cars are able to get, the process of building thousands of them every year still isn't particularly environmentally friendly. The manufacturers are doing all they can to improve this. GM's Detroit-Hamtramck factory that produces the Chevrolet Volt is equipped with several solar panel...
Antony Ingram -
Solar Tech Could Be Improved Thanks To 13-Year Old Student
Solar panel technology has, thus far, not been of much use for automobiles. You may be able to specify a small solar panel on the 2011 Nissan Leaf or 2012 Toyota Prius, but it's mainly used to top up the energy needed to power accessories such as your air conditioning or in-car entertainment. As a...
Antony Ingram -
Morgan Motor Company Working On Morgan E+ Electric Sports Car
Morgan Motor Company, in conjunction with a series of British technology firms, is developing an electric version of its Aero Supersports model.
Kurt Ernst -
It reads more like a 1950s space race vision of the future than a pragmatic 21st Century theory, but we could now be a step closer to driving a nuclear-powered car. In light of the recent events in Japan following the tsunami that caused meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant, and previous events such as Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, the thought of nuclear power even powering our homes has left many people apprehensive, let alone the vehicles we drive every day. Laser Power Systems in Connecticut is exploring a safer alternative. Thorium is a lightly radioactive heavy metal thought to be...
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GT-R Sale Gone Wrong, MINI Coupe, Lamborghini's Secret Gallardo: Car News Headlines
A dealer in San Marcos, Texas, has backed out of an eBay Motors sale, and the Interwebnets are descending upon them. [MotorAuthority] Is Mazda's next-gen Sky-D diesel cleaner than Volkswagen's TDI? [GreenCarReports] MINI's Coupe gets its own online configurator. [MotorAuthority] The secret...
Nelson Ireson -
Electric RaceAbout EV Laps 'Ring In 9:08: Video
Yes, electric sports car fans, the Electric RaceAbout, the only of the Automotive X Prize finalists to actually, you know, look like a real car, has taken its turn at the Nurburgring's Nordschleife. Unfortunately, it's not quite as quick as you might have hoped. It's not exactly slow, completing...
Nelson Ireson -
2012 Porsche 911, V-6 Exige, 458 Spider: Today's Car News
Volkswagen's 1-Liter car may live on as an Audi e-Tron concept. [MotorAuthority] The convertible version of the Ferrari 458 is due next month in Frankfurt. [MotorAuthority] Bernie Ecclestone gets a bit hysterical over "lethal" F1 hybrids. [GreenCarReports] Australia's FPV tweaks a sedan into GT...
Nelson Ireson -
VW 1-Liter Lives On As Audi ‘E1’ e-tron Concept: Spy Shots
Audi's new concept car will make its debut next month at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show and is believed to be a preview of the smallest of a new range of eco-focused models from the German automaker.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Bristol Cars Working On 200 MPH Electric Supercar?
Bristol Cars, the U.K.'s perennial low-volume, low-profitability carmaker may be delving into somewhat uncharted waters: construction of a 200-mph electric supercar. But will anyone care? If it's truly a supercar, in terms of looks, luxury, and handling in addition to outright speed, very likely...
Nelson Ireson