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EV/Plug-in


Journo experiences Volt's electric-to-hybrid transition, says it needs improvement

We long ago had a chance to drive the Chevy Volt mule in all-electric mode, and more recently took a ride in the IVER (integration vehicle engineering release) version. We found the Volt's performance was rather impressive for a vehicle still under development. It was clear at that time that there was still room for improvement, though, and the question of how it would perform after the gas-powered generator kicked in remained unanswered since GM was not allowing anyone from outside the company to experience it. Would there be a sudden ... Read more →

Elk Horn, Iowa installs first electric car charging stations in new "Pony Express" lane Sebastian Blanco

Elk Horn, Iowa's website says it is located, "In the heart of Southwest Iowa's picturesque countryside." Google Maps shows just how remote the town is, so it is clear that to make this place a ...

REPORT: Tesla Motors planning IPO "soon" Sebastian Blanco

Rumors about Tesla's plan to go public have been circulating since 2008, but a down stock market seemed to put a damper on the start-up's IPO. Now, the word on the street from Reuters is that ...

Aptera Update: Backstory uglier than we knew? Sebastian Blanco

Electric automaker Aptera has had a very tough week, starting with news of a boardroom showdown last weekend over money troubles – which were then walked back a bit. During the week, we've ...

GoGo Electric thinks short-term EV renting can change minds Sebastian Blanco

With some free recharging and free parking available around town, there's more reason than ever to drive an electric car in London (that is, if the public transportation system doesn't work for you). ...

Toyota starts discussions on who will get PHEV Priuses 18 hours ago on Autoblog Green

Toyota is getting ready to start deploying a fleet of 200 plug-in Prius hybrids in the coming months and the company needs to figure out what to do with them. The cars will all be leased for purposes of field testing. Toyota is now in discussions with federal and local governments and energy ...

RC Tesla Roadster arrives just in time for Christmas 19 hours ago on Autoblog Green

How much would you pay for a battery-powered Tesla Roadster, one that you can steer from the comfort of your La-Z-Boy? For about three Andrew Jacksons, Trendtimes will ship you a 15-inch RC version of the electric hotness that drives "forwards, backwards, left, and right." The toy comes with ...

UK to spend £30 million on EV Charging points 20 hours ago on Autoblog Green

British Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has announced that the UK will spend £30 million to install plug-in vehicle charging stations. The charge points will be built in at least three and as many as six "electric car cities and regions" across the UK, the forerunners of a national EV ...

eBay find of the day: all electric 1975 Zele rides like an SUV, looks like a breadbox 21 hours ago on Autoblog Green

Need a electric car with a famous name and the looks to match? May we suggest the Zagato shown above? This strange little fridge on wheels isn't exactly what Zagato is known for (sexy sports cars), but it's also quite affordable. Wired found this boxy EV on eBay, where it's currently sitting at ...

Greenlings: What's the difference between kW and kWh? 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Understanding electric and plug-in vehicles requires a slightly different knowledge set than what mechanics and drivers have needed to know for decades. One of the most obvious new concepts is the large battery pack and electric motor added to the car. The capacity values of these devices are be ...

Japan EV Club creams Tesla range record with Tokyo to Osaka run 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Well that didn't last long. It's been less than a month since Simon Hackett set something of a electric vehicle distance record in his Tesla Roadster, driving 501 km (311 miles) across the hot and flat Australian outback with the windows up and the air-con off. Now comes news that the dedicated ...

Mercedes-Benz to get €9M from German government for electric vans 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

The German environment ministry has awarded Mercedes-Benz a grant of up to €9 million a field test of battery electric Sprinter vans. The money will be used to fund the research and development of the vans as well as the construction and deployment. Mercedes will produce up to 50 plug-in ...

Ecos Motors Harbinger debuts in Vegas, now taking orders 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Electric Cars of Springfield (ECOS), taking full advantage of an invitation from duPont Registry, brought their recently constructed all-electric supercar to SEMA 2009. The bright orange Harbinger™ (photo above), with its Lamborghini-looks drew lots of attention with the likes of Diggity ...

Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom could arrive within a year 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Out of the UK, Autocar is reporting that an electric drive version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom could hit the streets within 12 months. We've been hearing about battery-powered Rollers for some time now, but the rumors seem to be heating up. BMW, Rolls' parent company, has been getting more ...

Still Indiana? Think says decision on U.S. plant forthcoming 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Turns out that yesterday's report saying Think will build its all-electric City car in Indiana was premature. The company just tweeted that, "We're moving toward completing our US site selection -- but it will take another week or two to finalize the location. Stay tuned..." Of course, that ...

Smart ED production kicks off at Hambach plant 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

Earlier this week, Daimler launched production of the new generation Smart electric drive at the Hambach, France plant where all Smarts are built. The first stage of production will see the plant build a run of 1,000 of the battery-powered two seaters. The cars will be used in a variety of field ...

Government bailout does not mean EV mandates for GM, Chrysler 1 day ago on Autoblog Green

GM and Chrysler may have gotten government help totaling almost $40 billion, but that money does not come with strings attached demanding that the two companies build electric or high-mpg cars. Government task force head Ron Bloom told Reuters that, "We obviously would be very happy if Chrysler ...

VIDEO: DIY Tesla Model S ad shows you don't need a real car to build hype 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

How much do you like the Tesla Model S? Probably not as much as Kirk Perry (or someone who goes by that name on Vimeo), who just uploaded a homemade video advertisement for the all-electric sedan using a digital model and plenty of slick effects. He claims he, "Just wanted to test some new ...

U.S., China announce new Electric Vehicles Initiative 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

You'll be forgiven if all you know about President Obama's recent trip to Asia was that he bowed (ZOMG!) to the Japanese Emperor, but we have to ask you to stop watching so much cable TV news. Things of substance happened during the trip, too, and one of them (hopefully) is a new Electric ...

Tesla Roadster donates tire squeal sounds to two new video games 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

What does it take to make a video game these days? A lot of time and effort, that's what. For the upcoming Forza and Project Gotham Racing racing titles, the attention to detail going into these games includes getting the sound of the all-electric sports car – electric motor, tires, etc. ...

REPORT: Think will build U.S. plant in Indiana, appoints two new execs 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

Think Global is deepening its roots in Indiana. The City electric car already uses batteries made by local company Ener1, which also owns 31 percent of Think Global. When the Think starts up production again (it was shut down while the company went through bankruptcy and then restructured) the ...

Officially Official: Aptera production pushed back to 2010 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

If anybody is still wondering whether Aptera, despite the recent commotion, will deliver one of their flightless wonders by Christmas, they can officially cease speculating. They're not, and the release date has now been pushed back to some undefined time in 2010. Hopefully, the delay won't be a ...

New Fiat Doblo may be first Chrysler BEV 2 days ago on Autoblog Green

Earlier this week, Fiat unveiled a new version of its Doblo light commercial van and there has been speculation that it could come to North America as a new member of the Ram brand to challenge the Ford Transit Connect. The parallels to the Ford actually run deeper however. The Transit Connect ...

GM provides update on Volt vehicle and battery development 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

General Motors offered an update this afternoon on the current status of the testing and development of the lithium ion batteries for the Chevy Volt. Chief Engineer Andrew Farah and battery engineering group manager Bill Wallace provided a run down on the work done so far. Since work started in ...

First 25 production i-MiEVs roll into the UK 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

While the ship they came in on was probably dirty as all get out during its six-week journey from Japan, 25 all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs have arrived in the UK and will take to the streets (in an uneventful government Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator test kind of way) on December 12th. ...

Jay Leno does the electric Tango [w/VIDEO] 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

Jay Leno likes him some electric Tango. No, not the new dance craze all the kids are talking texting about, but rather the oddly-narrow but very quick two-seater from Commuter Cars. Now, regular Autobloggreen readers have seen the Tango before, posing beside George Clooney or perhaps drag ...

Aptera update: Vacation instead of ousters? 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

We're still waiting for an official response from Aptera Motors on the ouster of top company members Steve Fambro, Chris Anthony and others, but Popular Mechanics has been able to get a bit more information about the "boardroom showdown" and it may not be as bad as first rumored. First, it ...

REPORT: Nissan may offer optional higher-capacity batteries at premium 3 days ago on Autoblog Green

It looks like Tesla probably won't be alone in offering different-sized battery packs in its future electric vehicles. At a U.S. launch event for the Leaf electric car on Friday, a Nissan product planner Mark Perry told Paul Eisenstein of the Detroit Bureau that the Japanese automaker is ...

REPORT: Toshiba's SCiB battery will find a home with five automakers 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

Last month, when Toshiba announced it would build a second plant to produce its lithium titanate Super Charge Batteries (SCiB), no automakers had publicly declared they would use those particular packs. This is still the case. Now, though, if you were to just throw darts at a list of potential ...

Chevy Volt comes to Main Street Michigan 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

Usually, if someone sends us pictures claiming they were taken in Michigan in mid-November and yet had guys in T-shirts in them, we'd tell them they're probably fakes. But, since we're experiencing the mild pre-winter weather in the Mitten state ourselves, we're willing to shift our focus away ...

BAIC launches green subsidiary with all-electric model 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

China's fifth-largest automotive group, Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings Co (BAIC), has launched a subsidiary called the Beijing New Energy Automotive Company with which it plans to produce as many as 40,000 electric and hybrid cars by 2011. The new company celebrated its birth by showing off ...

Electrification Coalition sees plug-ins making up 25 percent of market by 2020 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

A new Electrification Coalition was announced today with the backing of the CEOs from twelve companies. What's interesting about this group is that, among the leaders from electric vehicles companies and related start-ups – Coda Automotive, Coulomb Technolgies, A123 Systems, etc. – ...

Nissan and Reliant Energy team up to promote EV infrastructure 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

At the U.S. launch of the Nissan LEAF EV tour on Friday, the automaker announced a partnership with Reliant Energy to promote the build out of a suitable infrastructure for the vehicles. The two companies will create plans to promote electric vehicle charging anywhere and everywhere, including ...

More on the trouble at Aptera, cash may be running out 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

While Aptera has yet to respond to our request for a comment about about the reported turmoil there, Darryl Siry has apparently been able to talk to some people close to the situation. Reporting in Wired, Siry confirms that founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony are out, along with a number of ...

EV-ergreen, environMINT and Viridian Joule are Chevy Volt color contest finalists 4 days ago on Autoblog Green

As of this morning, Chevrolet is moving into the final stage of its Volt color naming contest. The company has picked three finalists from among the names submitted by 13,000 people over the last two weeks. Starting this morning, you can cast your vote for which of the finalists will win the ...

Caveat Emptor: Columbus, Ohio dealer taking deposits on Volt 5 days ago on Autoblog Green

Fans of the Chevrolet Volt have been waiting patiently for nearly three years now for the first extended range electric car to debut. Apparently a Columbus, Ohio Chevrolet dealer is looking to take advantage of that by putting up a listing on eBay claiming to have allocation of Volts. Jack ...

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Featured Galleries

  • 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom
  • Smart ED production
  • Tesla Roadster audio recording for video games
  • Production i-MiEVs in the UK
  • Hyundai 2.4L direct injected Theta II
  • Mercedes-Benz Citaro FuelCELL-Hybrid bus
  • Chevy Volt hits the streets in Royal Oak
  • 2010 Nissan LEAF
  • 2010 Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid
  • Renault Fluence ZE concept
  • Governor Schwarzenegger with the Zero S
  • Peugeot Concept HYbrid3 Evolution

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