Electric
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California’s Fisker Automotive has unveiled the production version of its Karma plug-in hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show today, just 12 months after the car was shown in concept form at last year’s show. With only minor design enhancements made to the exterior of the original concept, the production Karma, seen this week in production trim for the first time, retains the extreme proportions and sculptured look of the show car. "We are very excited to be bringing the Fisker Karma back to NAIAS," said Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker. "In the year since we debuted the Karma, the...
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Fisker Karma Sunset Convertible Concept Revealed In Detroit
Fisker's Karma plug-in hybrid sedan may be one of the most attractive designs to take electricity to four wheels, and it now has a stablemate. Today Fisker revealed the new Karma Sunset convertible concept at the Detroit Auto Show. The car was teased by the company last week via an enigmatic photo...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota reveals iQ-based FT-EV Concept
Toyota has announced that it will display its new FT-EV concept at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, while also confirming that it will launch an urban commuter ‘battery-electric vehicle’ (BEV) by 2012. The world's largest carmaker also revealed that it will start consumer trials of a fleet...
James Martinez -
Chrysler shows off Jeep Patriot EV range-extended SUV
Back in September Chrysler showed its commitment to designing and marketing a range of electric and hybrid vehicles with the unveiling of a trio of concept vehicles, one for each of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands. Despite its current financial situation, Chrysler is keen to show its...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Electric Porsche conversions available from Florida company
A company based in Florida has found itself an interesting niche in the automotive world - converting Porsche models into electric vehicles that combine sports car handling ability with the economy of a battery-powered electrical motor. On top of this, the company also specializes in making their...
Jeremy Weber -
Honda developing electric motorcycle for 2010
Honda announced today that it will be developing an electric-powered motorcycle, with sales of the bike expected to begin some time next year. The news will be pleasing for those of you who remember Honda's electric moped concept that was unveiled back in 2004 but failed to see production. Honda's...
James Martinez -
This year has been a hard one for a lot of people, companies and industries. It has been an especially tough one for Pininfarina, losing its CEO, Andrea Pininfarina, to a traffic accident in August. Today news is breaking that the company has decided to end its stint as Italy's last contract manufacturer and focus solely on building electric vehicles. Pininfarina's new plan is as much about finances as it is about the future: the new plan facilitated an agreement with its creditors that helped avoid bankruptcy for the legendary design and coachbuilding firm. Because of ongoing obligations...
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Ginetta Working On Electric Version Of G50 Sports Car
With a half-century of car-building experience for both the road and track, the UK's Ginetta is now setting its sights on a truly modern goal: a high-performance electric vehicle. Details on the car remain closely held, but the car's first development steps are already underway. The G50 is...
Kenneth Hall -
Toyota announces battery-powered FT-EV concept for Detroit Auto Show
A cryptic press release from Toyota today revealed that a new battery-powered concept car would make its global debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Speculation as to what the concept might be has already taken hold of the motoring press, but a few hints gathered from Toyota's recent remarks could...
Nelson Ireson -
Renault-Nissan announce EV project for Switzerland
Swiss electric utility company Energie Ouest Suisse (EOS) and Renault-Nissan today announced they are working together to develop solutions for zero-emission mobility in Switzerland through the promotion of electric vehicles and the establishment of a battery-charging network. Under a Memorandum of...
Jeremy Weber -
GM's Project Driveway fuel cell program rolls past 500,000 miles next week
With all that's going on in Washington lately, the slow economy and a general apathy or even hostility toward the automotive industry, it's nice to see a technological bright spot on the horizon. While it's not a ground-breaking or earth-shattering development, General Motors' fuel cell test fleet...
Ralph Hanson -
Wrightspeed Cancels The X1 Electric Sports Car
Detroit's carmakers aren't the only ones that need some help in the down market. Smaller manufacturers, especially startup and mid-sized electric vehicle companies, are in tight spots as well. Tesla is in need of a cash infusion to build its Model S sedan, and now Wrightspeed, the company behind...
Ralph Hanson -
Shai Agassi's Project Better Place has gone on an expansion spree of late, enveloping two new sites in the U.S. and one in Australia in addition to the previously announced locations in Denmark and Israel. Now the initiative is moving its plans to Hawaii, working with the governor and the state's largest utility provider to build a grid of charging stations by 2012. The central premise of Project Better Place is to build the infrastructure necessary to support electric cars, while cooperating with the carmakers to help facilitate their arrival - a sort of 'if you build it, they will come'...
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BMW launching 50-car Mini-E test fleet in Berlin
Test markets for electric cars are popping up all around the globe as various carmakers and start-up projects work to lay the groundwork for more widespread adoption of the next-generation propulsion systems. The latest new market to be announced by BMW is the Berlin fleet of Mini-E EVs that will...
Nelson Ireson -
Porsche buys a Tesla Roadster for competitive research
Researching the products of competitors, even to the point of purchasing and then carefully analyzing each piece, is a common practice in the auto industry, especially so at the bleeding edges of performance and technology. Porsche's purchase of a Tesla Roadster is therefore unsurprising, except...
Alex Kaufmann -
Volt moves onto next step in development, adopts global compact platform
Even as General Motors is caught in a desperate bid to secure loans in Washington, the Detroit based manufacturer is keen to continue development of a range of plug-in hybrid vehicles, focusing primarily on the Volt. Bob Lutz recently spent some time in the latest development vehicle and felt like...
Kenneth Hall -
'Project i' to spawn more vehicles beyond Mini-E
Built in six months from start to finish, the Mini-E project is a remarkable example of just what can be done when bright minds are given the leeway and resources to create a modern EV from an existing platform. But at its root, the Mini-E still only a conversion of a combustion-engine vehicle, not...
Alex Kaufmann -
Renault-Nissan announces Oregon to host EV pilot program
Nissan's electric vehicle (EV) involvement in Project Better Place programs in Denmark and Israel, plus test fleets in its home market of Japan will be joined by a new agreement with the state of Oregon and the Portland General Electric Utility according to an announcement made by Carlos Ghosn, CEO...
Ralph Hanson -
General Motors revealed the production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt this September as the highlight of its centennial celebration, but until now no official photos of the interior have been released. Today the company revealed what the car will look like to its occupants, and though the vast majority of details have remained the same as earlier photos indicated, there have been some changes. The primary differences in the new official photo of the interior, when compared to the pre-production interior in the car shown at the official unveiling, and then a week later at the 2009 GM...
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Nissan electric car will require batteries to be leased
Previously we reported on Nissan's electric car, which it plans to release in several markets in 2010 followed by global roll out in 2012. But the expensive nature of the battery technology means that Nissan will be selling its electric cars without batteries - requiring the consumer to lease the...
Kenneth Hall -
Valmet confirmed to build Fisker Karma in Finland next year
The Fisker plug-in hybrid saloon has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Fisker Automotive has confirmed today that Finnish independent vehicle manufacturer Valmet will build the upcoming Karma plug-in hybrid saloon, having first...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker beats Tesla's accusations of design theft in arbitration
Tesla's lawsuit, filed against rival hybrid-electric carmaker Fisker in April for design theft and 'poor work', has come to an end in arbitration. Unfortunately for Tesla, which sought to stop Fisker from proceeding with its Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sedan, Fisker has come out on top, with the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: GM picks Volt battery supplier
Just a month or so ago, the automotive world spent a frenzied several weeks feeding over the production Chevrolet Volt, unveiled for General Motors' centennial. This week a major step forward in the car's march to full-scale production was made in the selection of a supplier for the battery, though...
Nelson Ireson -
Rolls-Royce CEO: electric Phantom 'would be ideal'
Old-world charm, resolute styling and blue-blooded buyers may not be the first things one mentally associates with electric-powered cars, but Rolls-Royce CEO Tom Purves thinks the combination makes perfect sense. Instantaneous torque, quiet operation and urban propriety all work in favor of an...
Kenneth Hall