Professor Miroslav Krstic and postdoctoral fellow Scott Moura of the University of California, San Diego, claim they have devised new algorithms that enable them to better comprehend what’s going on inside lithium-ion batteries.
Read more »
While most people wouldn't consider speed as a strong point of electric cars, truth is, under certain circumstances and depending, of course, on the setup and several other factors, EVs can better their ICE counterparts, one reason being that electric motors produce all of their torque instantly.
Read more »
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, though; in the case of plug-in hybrids, you have to factor in the energy consumed to charge the battery at your home, which adds to the electricity bill.
General Motors’ OnStar service is currently testing an application that will inform Chevrolet Volt owners about the cost of charging their extended-range plug-in hybrid.
Read more »
The two-seater model was presented as a concept last year and is now heading for very limited run production starting from next year - if all goes according to plan. VW's engineers were filmed in Spain completing new tests with the car as they prepare for its introduction.
Read more »
Both these numbers are a far cry from the 20,000 Leafs Nissan wanted to sell in the car's first fiscal year on the market.
However, Nissan isn't sitting with its arms crossed waiting for a miracle to happen, as the company plans to add a lower-cost variant to the range as part of a 2013 model facelift, Autonews reported today.
Read more »
French minister of “industrial recovery” Arnaud Montebourg, certainly got into a bit of trouble when he uttered that phrase while taking the ZOE, Renault’s all-electric supermini, for a spin outside the Elysée Palace.
Unfortunately for the minister, the TV crew that was in the car filmed him hitting 66 km/h (41 mph), exceeding the 50 km/h (31 mph) speed limit by 16 km/h (10 mph).
Read more »
Despite being priced more than twice as much as the V8 petrol SLS AMG, millionaires interested in boasting their “green” credentials probably won’t be deterred by the more than half a million dollars sticker price.
Read more »
The thing is that Chancellor Angela Merkel has set a target of having one million fossil-free, i.e. electric- and fuel-cell powered vehicles, on German roads by 2020 – a goal which Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, head of CAR, finds “unworldly and naive” to continue pursuing.
Read more »
Humberto Klee and David Wallak say that Nissan advertises a range of 100 miles (160 km) or less, depending on a number of variables like the road conditions and the weather.
The plaintiffs claim is that the carmaker does not say that the Leaf can attain this range only if its battery is fully charged.
Read more »
The Smart INSECT is a conceptual development of the "COMS" EV produced by the brand's subsidiary Toyota Auto Body Co., and it was designed to display next-generation communications-linked services. The name is an acronym for "Information Network Social Electric City Transporter".
Read more »
The PHEV will first go on sale in Japan early next year, followed shortly after by Europe, North America, and other regions around the world.
Mitsubishi says the new generation of the Outlander was developed from the beginning to be offered with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.
Read more »
Smart tells us that it named the concept study Forstars as a reference to the glass dome above the passengers that "gives a clear view of the starry sky". The oddities continue with a video projector located in the front bonnet scoop that allows users to turn any wall into their own private drive-in theater.
Read more »
The all-electric version of Mercedes’ supercar features four electric motors positioned close to each wheel, for a total combined output of 740HP (750PS, 552kW) and a stunning maximum torque of 1,000 Nm (737.5 lb-ft).
With that kind of power under the hood or shall we say, near the wheels, it’s no wonder that the SLS AMG Electric Drive accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.9 seconds and tops out at an electronically limited 250 km/h (155 mph).
Having already being at the forefront of ZEVs with the all-electric Leaf, the Japanese automaker is also investing in other future technologies, such as fuel cells.
The TeRRa’s front axle is powered by the electric system already found in the Leaf, while each back wheel incorporates an electric motor, offering all-wheel drive when needed.
Read more »
The not-too-brightly named DS3 Electrum might look like a regular model on the outside but under the hood, it replaces the internal combustion engine with a pair of 65kW 87Hp) electric motors.
Read more »
The new SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive is the second model in the brand's range after the B-Class concept to incorporate the “Electric Drive” designation, which will be used on all battery-powered electric passenger cars from Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Smart.
The high-tech SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive utilizes four electric motors positioned close to the wheels, and which produce a combined output of 740Hp (552kW or 751PS) and a maximum torque of 1,000 Nm (737 lb-ft), making it the most powerful production AMG model of all time.
Named the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept, the prototype foretells the future of the Panamera series previewing the next generation model's design language, the addition of a second body style and judging by the ghost picture and the 'e-Hybrid' badge on the front door, a plug-in hybrid variant.
The lines and styling elements of the Panamera Sport Turismo including certain elements such as the shape of the headlamps and tail lamps, clearly inherit the design DNA of Porsche's latest models like the Boxster, 918 Spyder and the 991.
Yet according to Agence France-Presse, Peugeot’s head of R&D Gauillaume Faury said that the French group would end its joint venture with BMW on hybrid research that was established in February 2011, and continue with GM instead.
Read more »