Electric Cars
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If you're too mired in the snooze-fest that is every EV on the market except for the Tesla Model S to really care about electric cars, you're not alone. But you should be, because electric race cars could be awesome. What's holding them back? Mostly the inadequacies of current battery technology to the power requirements of modern racing; you just can't stuff enough electricity on board, at the weight target, to make a compelling race car, though some series are trying. But hey, that's pretty much the problem with all EVs (again excepting the 85 kWh Model S) anyway, right? Enough of these...
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Pioneering Monster Truck Bigfoot Goes Electric: VideoIf you frequently attend monster truck events, chances are good you don’t drive a Nissan Leaf. Likewise, if you do drive an electric car, it’s a safe bet that you’re not spending Saturday nights watching hyrdocarbon-spewing, fossil-fuel-gulping monster trucks crush junkyard...
Kurt Ernst -
BMW’s i3 Concept Coupe Hits The Road: VideoBMW debuted its all-electric i3 Concept Coupe at last month’s Los Angeles Auto Show, to generally positive reviews. The coupe represents the latest design iteration of BMW’s i3 electric hatchback, which is scheduled to hit the market sometime next year. The i3 Concept Coupe takes a...
Kurt Ernst -
From The 1602 To The i3: 40 Years Of BMW ElectricsNext year BMW will introduce its new i3, the first of a new range of models developed by the automaker’s new i division that focuses on sustainability and future mobility. The arrival of the i3 marks a new direction for a brand that for decades has built up a reputation based on performance...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker In Search Of Alliance DealJust a week after another cash-strapped independent automaker, Aston Martin, forged a deal with a new investor, Fisker Automotive, manufacturer of the Karma extended-range electric car, is making headlines over news it’s now seeking a potential alliance partner or new investor. Fisker was on...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video Preview: BMW i3 Coupe ConceptBMW's new i division hasn't even launched its first vehicle yet, and it's already looking at a two-door version of its upcoming i3 electric hatchback. The i3 Coupe Concept is a spin-off of the i3 we've been shown for the past year, but will it go into production? The i3 Coupe Concept drew a strong...
Joel Feder -
BMW is out to prove that its upcoming i3 electric hatchback doesn’t have to be boring, by presenting at this week’s 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show a sporty coupe variant simply dubbed the i3 Coupe. The new concept is the latest in a long string of i3 show cars, but the latest gives us a much better view of what the final production i3 will be like when it hits showrooms late next year. As our live photos reveal, the i3 Coupe looks much more like a production model than previous i3 concepts, especially its interior, which has been constructed from natural materials. Unique to the i3...
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Fisker Production Halted, Pending The Sale Of A123 Systems' AssetsLast October, extended-range electric automaker Fisker’s sole battery supplier, A123 Systems, filed for bankruptcy. That’s left the struggling startup without a source of lithium-ion batteries, forcing Fisker to suspend production of its Karma sedan. As Bloomberg reports, Fisker Karma...
Kurt Ernst -
Tesla Reprices The 2013 Model S SedanLast week we told you that Tesla would be announcing a price increase on its 2013 Model S sedan, for all orders taken on or after January 1, 2013. At the time, the electric car builder also indicated that changes would be coming to the Model S’ list of standard equipment and option packages...
Kurt Ernst -
Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force Live Photos: 2012 L.A. Auto ShowFor its entry for the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Design Challenge, a contest that challenges the world’s top automotive designers to come up with the best concept car for a given theme, Mercedes-Benz developed the imposing Ener-G-Force SUV. However, rather than leave the vehicle just as a design...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2013 Fiat 500e Electric Hatch Makes L.A. DebutThe electric version of the Fiat 500 goes on sale in the summer of 2013, but only in limited markets.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW i3 Coupe Concept: 2012 Los Angeles Auto ShowThe first vehicles from BMW’s new i division for sustainability and future mobility, the i3 electric hatch and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, are nearing the end of their development phase and will be launched on the market in 2013 and 2014, respectively. However, BMW shows no signs of slowing...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker’s Karma electric sedan uses a GM engine as its range extender, and now the company has another link with the American auto giant. Fisker has hired former GM marketing boss Joel Ewanick as its chief of global sales and marketing. At Fisker, Ewanick will replace Richard Beattie, who is set to retire. The information was revealed by Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher during an interview with Automotive News (subscription required). Ewanick has been serving Fisker in a consulting role for the past six weeks and is only in an interim position. Fisker is still looking for a permanent...
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Tesla Model S Price Rise On The HorizonThe Tesla Model S electric luxury sedan has been a runaway success, with the car praised by most that have driven it and order books already registering more than 13,000 sales. To take advantage of the strong demand, Tesla is in prime position to charge a little more for the Model S and that is...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
BMW Announces New i Eco Concept For 2012 Los Angeles Auto ShowThe first vehicles from BMW’s new i division for sustainability and future mobility, the i3 electric hatch and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, are nearing the end of their development phase and will be launched on the market in 2013 and 2014, respectively. However, BMW shows no signs of slowing...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes to debut Ener-G-Force off-road concept in L.A.When tasked with illustrating the “Highway Patrol Vehicle 2025,” the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio based their idea on what a future version of the G-Class SUV would look like. For police use, it was critical that the truck be able to reach incident scenes both...
Kurt Ernst -
Fisker To Open New Midwest Tech Center For AtlanticFisker’s corporate home and design studio isn’t moving from Anaheim, California any time soon, and the automaker still plans to begin Atlantic sedan production at its assembly plant in Delaware. There’s a lot of real estate, and a lot of specialized electric vehicle knowledge...
Kurt Ernst -
Saab’s New Owner Looks At Electric 9-3 Convertible, Gas Models: ReportWith NEVS’ acquisition of Saab and some of the bankrupt automaker’s remaining assets now complete, the consortium, made up of Chinese and Japanese interests, is now focused on the launch of its first model. That first model is expected to be an electric version of the last Saab 9-3...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
McLaren is one of the dominant forces in racing, with its Formula One team second only to Ferrari in motorsport’s highest echelon when it comes to the total number of wins. What many readers may not know, however, is that McLaren is much more than just a race team. In fact, McLaren has recently formed a new road car division, McLaren Automotive, while its McLaren Electronic Systems group has been providing electric components, namely control units, to teams in various motorsport categories for years, including in F1, Indycar and NASCAR. Now, McLaren Electronic Systems has been picked as...
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McLaren P1, Tesla Model S Variants, Mustang Boss 302 Gone In 2014: Car News HeadlinesSpies have captured a slightly more production-looking McLaren P1 supercar in testing at a private facility. The changes appear to be minor thus far, indicating the design preview shown at Paris is very close to what we'll see as a final product next year. Tesla may be planning more Model S...
Nelson Ireson -
Is Tesla Planning More Model S Variants?On Monday Tesla [NASDQ:TSLA] came out with its third-quarter financial results, and while the company reported a loss of $110.8 million, this was almost entirely outweighed by the positives it also had to report about. One of those positives was news Tesla is planning more variants of its Model S...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Japan’s TGMY Laps Suzuka Circuit With Electric Toyota GT 86: VideoFor many readers it may seem like sacrilege, but for a company specializing in the sale of electric car components, in this case TGMY, converting a Toyota GT 86 (sold here as the Scion FR-S) to run on batteries is certainly an interesting way of promoting your wares. However, TGMY, based in Osaka...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Fisker Determines Cause Of Hurricane Sandy Karma FiresDuring the devastating Hurricane Sandy that hit the Northeast last week, several cars parked in Port Newark, New Jersey succumbed to severe fire damage. Among the cars were 16 brand new Fisker Karma extended-range electric cars, images of which hit the Web on October 31st, a day after the fire...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo Starts Testing Of Electric Car Fast-ChargerDevelopment of Volvo’s C30 Electric prototype is continuing nicely, though the automaker remains coy on when we might see a production version. The fact that the C30 is being discontinued doesn’t bode well for the eventual launch of the C30 Electric, though it’s likely the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran