BMW‘s new joint venture with SGL Group on a carbon fiber plant in Washington state got underway, as the two companies broke ground on the factory. While vehicle assembly will take place in Germany, the carbon fiber material production will take place in the state, due to the large presence of aerospace expertise in the...
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Toyota has already begun building an electric vehicle prototype using Tesla’s battery technology confirms company CEO Akio Toyoda. The comments were made during a meeting with journalists in Nagoya, Japan. That news does not, however, mean that a production EV will make it to market combining Tesla’s innovation and Toyota’s reputation for quality and its...
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BMW has just released the first teaser sketches of its Megacity electric vehicle, which it claims will be the first mass-produced car to use complete carbon fiber construction. That’s right, not only will the body panels be made of the light-weight carbon fiber weave, but so will the entire structure. Up until now, the only...
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While Volkswagen has no plans to bring its small Up! mini car to the U.S., we will get the planned electric version of the urban commuter. The folks at Automobile Magazine claim VW is planning to introduce the E-Up! in select U.S. markets in 2013 – possibly badged as the Up blue-e-motion. That same year,...
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Despite never turning a profit and selling as few as just 1,000 vehicles, Silicon Valley electric car maker Tesla Motors has raised $226 million in an initial public offering. Even more amazing is the fact that Tesla was able to generate such investment in the midst of a still shaky economic recovery that has seen...
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Glass’s Guide, car valuation experts from the UK have studied the long-term ownership costs of EVs, such as the forthcoming Nissan Leaf (shown, above.) The news isn’t looking good. Glass’s reports that after 5 years of ownership, EVs will retain only about 10 percent of their value, as opposed to the 25 percent residual value...
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American electric car maker Tesla is about ready to launch its IPO and go from a small niche market automaker to possibly a large international electric vehicle powerhouse. But in order to make hat next big step CEO Elon Musk needs money, and lots of it. So before he opens up his company to the...
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Mercedes has just unveiled a new fully electric and emissions-free version of its SLS AMG flagship supercar, delivering 526-hp and a 0-60 mph time of just 4.0 seconds. To achieve this impressive output, the SLS AMG E-Cell is bursting with batteries, which are placed in the front firewall, center tunnel and behind the seats. This...
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Audi has been hard at work on it’s E-Tron electric sports car, and it’s paying off, with new plans to deliver the car to market ahead of schedule. According to a report by Car & Driver, the E-Tron will arrive in 2012. The vehicle won’t be for sale, however, but for lease. Lexus recently announced...
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With the production Chevy Volt set to debut later this month and sales to start by the end of the year, General Motors is announcing that up to 4,400 early adopters could receive free home charging stations. Its not GM that will provide the charging stations, but rather the U.S. Department of energy, with two...
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General Motors is preparing to announce at the end of the month that its revolutionary Chevy Volt is complete. According to a Micky Bly, GM’s executive director for electric vehicles, the American automaker is planning a big event some time in June. Currently, GM is making last minute adjustments to the car’s software, and recently...
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It looks as though Tesla’s IPO filings with the SEC may have been intended to draw attention away from the company’s recent tie-up with Toyota. In those filing Tesla commented that while there is an intention between both automakers to work together towards building a new electric car, “we have not entered into any agreements...
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It seems as though the biggest issue facing electric cars isn’t the big bad oil industry, but rather over zealous mileage claims by the manufacturers that build them. As Nissan prepares to launch its new Leaf EV, the company is sticking to its claim that the vehicle will be able to achieve 100 miles on...
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Ahead of any possible legislation requiring electric cars and hybrids to come equipped with noise-makers, Nissan is announcing the introduction of what it calls the ‘Approaching Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians’ system for its new Leaf electric vehicle. The system finds a balance between driver comfort and alerting pedestrians of an approaching vehicle. The “sine-way sound...
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It appears as though last month’s much-touted tie-up between Toyota and American electric car maker Tesla Motors was more of a publicity stunt than the start of a brave new electric world. In a recently filed IPO statement to the SEC, Tesla says that while there are a lot of good intentions to work together...
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Nissan sure knows how to target future customers for the Nissan Leaf. At Steve Jobs’ keynote speech this week, the Apple CEO unveiled the new 4th generation iPhone, and what product made a prominent appearance to display the new iAd system? Why, the Nissan Leaf, of course! The Apple demographic is probably more open to...
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With BMW set to launch its revolutionary Megacity electric mini car in the next few years, there’s now word that the new sub-brand could include more models – like an electric sports car. In an interview with AutoCar, BMW’s sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson admitted to as much, commenting that the Megacity brand won’t...
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Of all the problems associated with electric vehicles, like charging stations, vehicle range and environmental impact, the most overlooked is arguably how emergency responders will rescue accident victims. An electric vehicle (or even a hybrid) is substantially different than a conventional car, with batteries and electric motors being the biggest changes. The dangers of electric...
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Thanks to a patent filing process in China, it has been revealed that the Chevy Volt will be badged as a Buick model in what is now the world’s largest auto market. To be more specific, the Opel Ampera (the European version of the Volt) will actually be badged as a Buick. You see, in...
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There have been some big blunders in the history of automotive naming. The Chevrolet Nova flopped in Spanish speaking countries because its name literally means “it doesn’t go”. The Ford Pinto’s name in Brazilian Portuguese has similarly negative connotations, literally meaning “a man with small genitals.” The latest casualty in the history of cars being...
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Japanese giant Toyota Motor Corp and American electric car start-up Tesla Motors have announced a partnership that will see both automakers work towards future electric cars. In the short term, however, the deal has a more immediate result, namely that Toyota is spending $50 million to buy a significant stake in Tesla, which will then...
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Volkswagen has just released a selection of new images of the Golf Blue-e-motion concept, with diagrams and even under-the-hood photos of the brand’s upcoming electric car. Set to debut in 2013 along with the Up blue-e-motion and Jetta blue-e-motion, VW will first test a fleet of 500 cars next year. The concept is powered by...
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After much speculation, General Motors has now confirmed its first project with Google. An updated Chevrolet Volt Mobile App will include a Navigation tab that allows Google Maps to work with OnStar. Using their Google Android smart phone, Volt customers will be able to see the location of their Volt on Google Maps, as well...
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Roughly half of those who took part in the MINI E’s lease program in North American have opted to sign on for a second year. As the first electric MINI, the MINI E was built as a test platform for future electric car models from MINI and parent company BMW. MINI’s pilot project included leases...
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