A fire involving a Chevrolet Volt that had undergone government crash testing has led to authorities investigating the possibility of requiring emergency responders to drain the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles following a collision. A Volt that underwent a 20 mph side-impact crash test caught on fire several weeks later, causing the Volt as...
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A Chevrolet Volt that went through crash-testing at a NHTSA facility in Wisconsin caught on fire three weeks after the test, prompting action from U.S. regulators. While the investigation hasn’t been made public, sources told Bloomberg that the fire was severe enough to damage surrounding vehicles. An incident also occurred at a private home in North Carolina,...
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If you’re one of those people who likes to be the first to try a cool new tech product, chances are you were the Chevy Volt’s target market. This may come as a surprise to many who would think this electric car’s marketing strategy would be centered on “greenies.” According to Volt’s marketing team, the...
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There’s a new kid in Los Angeles, BYD. The Chinese battery and electric car manufacturer opened its California office today. BYD says it will bring 150 green-collar engineering and management jobs to the city. The event highlight, however, is a deal between BYD and Hertz to provide airport shuttles to the rental agency. This could prove...
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Damon Lavrinc of Autoblog had the chance to sit down with Albert Biermann, Head of Product Development for BMW‘s M Division, and was able to glean some information on future product that should put to bed some of the many rumors floating around about BMW’s skunk works. First up, the upcoming 2013 BMW M5 will...
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California told 85,000 hybrid drivers to move over, literally. Now everyone is feeling the sting. Starting last July the yellow stickers allowing hybrid owners to drive alone in the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane expired. The move came in preparation for an anticipated increase in electric vehicles on the road that will be allowed...
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An interview with BMW engineer Ulli Kranz conducted by Consumer Reports suggests that the BMW i3 city car will get a range extender similar to the i8 supercar – but the technology will come from two-wheeled transportation, rather than a conventional car. With weight a key consideration for the i3 (materials like aluminum and carbon...
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If you’re a fan of the Nissan LEAF, you’ll want to bookmark the EV’s new blog, “Go Electric.” The official Nissan LEAF blog was launched at the end of September and it’s a place where Nissan LEAF drivers and enthusiasts can share words, photos, and videos of about the EV. The GO Electric owner’s blog...
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The Chevrolet Volt has made Consumers Reports list of “recommended” vehicles after scoring above average on their 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The Volt also scored favorably during CR’s evaluation (though it was criticized for its poor rear visibility and four seat configuration), but a full report won’t be available until next month when the new...
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Even though the Tesla Model S sedan has been delayed for far too long, with an expected reveal at year’s end before an official unveiling at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The crossover, dubbed the Model X, will be based on the Model S platform. “The time is right to unveil the car,” Tesla CEO Elon...
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Kia will unveil its first electric vehicle by the start of 2012, but did not say whether the vehicle would be sold in the United States. The EV will reportedly be based on the Hyundai i10, a vehicle considered much too small for North American tastes. A production run of just 2,000 units is expected...
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Following in the footsteps of the Aston Martin Cygnet, Lotus will introduce their own City Car, apparently dubbed the Ethos, in late 2013. First unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the Ethos will be powered by a hybrid powertrain or possibly a fully electric system like the Nissan Leaf. The concept used a 1.2L...
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Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the Japanese government’s effort to keep the yen’s value under control had failed and that Nissan was strongly considering moving production out of Japan and into foreign countries. A weakened United States dollar has meant that the value of the greenback has shifted from 91 yen per dollar to...
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Ford may begin building electric cars in China via joint ventures with Chinese auto makers, replicating the tactics of rivals like General Motors and Daimler AG, parent company of Mercedes-Benz. China is looking to add 1 million EVs by 2015 as part of an effort to curb emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels. Ford...
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One of the most respected names in the automotive business is Gordan Murray. Not only was he the designer behind some of the best Formula 1 race cars back in the 1980’s, he was also the mastermind behind the McLaren F1 road car, which is still widely respected as the best supercar ever made. Having...
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Audi‘s answer to BMW‘s i3 EV will be on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but they just couldn’t wait until then to show off what we can expect to see. Despite these photos being mostly computer generated renderings they give a good idea of Audi’s direction with their A2 Concept, which currently is rumored...
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Siemens might be a household name, but it is normally associated with appliances such and blenders and sewing machines. However, now it hopes to add another daily appliance to its resume, by making an electric car. To do so, it has partnered with Volvo to make a fully-electric car based on their C30 platform. Volvo,...
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Last weekend, Nissan Canada officially began the reservation process for the all-new electric Leaf. Within two hours, all Leaf inventory was reserved. On August 27th, Canadians attended one of 27 Nissan Leaf certified dealers and were invited to reserve the electric vehicle for a refundable $99 deposit. Judy Wheeler, Nissan Canada’s director of marketing, said, “Response...
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Toyota looks to be making a real statement with their electric race car prototype, shattering the former Nurburgring electric car record set by Peugeot’s EX1 Concept back in May. And when we say shatter, we really mean obliterate, claiming a time of 7:47.79 compared to Peugeot’s already-impressive 9:01.3. To put that into perspective, that’s a...
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Our neighbors in the North want to see green in their future. No, not just money, but also green energy. Hence the Government of Ontario (Canada) has teamed up with one of the worlds largest automotive parts manufacturer Magna International Inc. to develop electric vehicle technologies. The project is said to cost $441-million and will...
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Toyota has already announced that it intends to set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburging, but now the automaker has some extra exciting news for EV performance enthusiasts – you’ll be able to buy one! Just days ahead of the planned record breaking attempt, Toyota has said the electric SR9 racer will...
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If you are a driver, you are well aware of the rising gas prices, and this trend is not looking to reverse anytime soon. This is effecting the way people buy new cars, and according to Pike Research, more than 5-million electric and hybrid vehicles will be sold globally by 2017. Also according to this...
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Hyundai is continuing to enter new product segments, including upscale niche markets, but will continue to update lower priced models over the next three years. Three vehicles the Korean automaker wants to launch sometime soon include a dedicated plug-in hybrid sedan (a Prius rival), a sporty sedan to compete with the BMW 3-Series and more...
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Volkswagen is set to unveil a single seat electric car at a special event in Berlin next month, as the company explores the future of mobility and personal transportation. A VW spokesman confirmed that the vehicle would be shown at an event in Berlin on September 8th. VW said that the new car would surpass...
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