Aug 5

General Motors Donates “pocket change” to Bright Automotive

Updated on Thursday, August 5, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

August 5th, 2010;
[ Buying time, still avoiding real plans for a secure future. -ed ]
by Sarah Fobes

In a huge move towards becoming more electric vehicle focused, GM has decided to enter into a partnership with Indiana-based electric vehicle company Bright Automotive. ... GM will give Bright Automotive $5 million to help kick start production of the plug-in hybrid van which Bright has dubbed the "Idea." GM will receive a minority stake in Bright.
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Aug 4

Nissan’s all-electric Leaf gains edge over Chevrolet Volt

Updated on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

By Carl Bagh; August 4, 2010
Once the Federal rebate of $7,500 is combined with $5,000 California State rebate, the $32,780-priced Nissan Leaf costs around $20,000. The lowered price beats GM's Volt which is priced at $41,000 which would come down to $33,500 when the Federal rebate kicks in. Nissan LEAF first will be available to consumers in December
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Aug 4

Chevrolet Volt Is Packed With Clever Features

Updated on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Wired; by Guy Marsden

Editor's note: The Wired Volt Challenge gave four Wired.com readers the chance to visit General Motors to learn first-hand about the Chevrolet Volt, drive the car at Milford Proving Ground and write a review.This is contest winner Guy Marsden's review.

The Chevrolet Volt comes across as an electric vehicle designed by Cadillac engineers with aerospace aspirations. GM executives freely admit the car is "over-engineered," and there are so many clever features that owners will [take] a few weeks to appreciate them all. I had the advantage of meeting some of the engineers and designers before my drive and so I was prepared, but the features were nonetheless impressive.
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Jul 30

electric car dominates gas-powered dragsters

Updated on Friday, July 30, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

White Zombie racing 2007
Powered by 12 Dow/Kokam lithium polymer 30-volt batteries

http://nedra.com/


PORTLAND, OR (JULY 30, 2010)
Returing to the track after a few adjustments from the Wayland Invitational the weekend before, the White Zombie and crew's efforts were rewarded with a 1.5 second improvement turning a 10.4 second run against Nissan's Godzilla, a pocket rocket gasser GTR.
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Jul 22

Quantum wins contract from Fisker for solar photovoltaic systems

Updated on Thursday, July 22, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES, Technical Innovations

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, an alternative energy company, has received a contract for engineering and implementing production tooling for the Fisker Karma solar photovoltaic roof module. Under this contract, Quantum and its German solar affiliate Asola Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems will design and procure production tooling to enable production of solar roof modules beginning in the fourth quarter of 2010.
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Jul 22

Business Groups Ask Obama for New Electric Vehicle Task Force

Updated on Thursday, July 22, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Zach McDonald

A coalition of business interests yesterday called for the creation of two new government groups to facilitate efforts to get one million plug-in cars on the road by 2015. In a letter to president Barack Obama, the Electric Drive Transportation Association, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, and two other trade groups praised the White House for its efforts to promote EVs but said that "the critical, immediate next step for the Administration is to provide the necessary coordination of the growing federal, regional and private efforts."
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Jul 21

the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act (PEVA), voted out of committee today

Updated on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

By Nick Chambers

On a 19-4 vote - with broad bipartisan support - the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act (PEVA) of 2010 was voted out of committee today and is now awaiting scheduling for a vote on the floor of the Senate before passage. The House also has its own version of the bill, which would have to be passed by that body before the final bill would be signed into law.

The bill's sponsors, Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), hope that if the bill is passed it will "put the nation on a path to electrify half its cars and trucks by 2030," lowering U.S. demand for oil by about one-third.
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Jul 21

Volkswagen taps Tesla co-founder for electric vehicle push

Updated on Wednesday, July 21, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES, Technical Innovations

Volkswagen laid out its plan for electric vehicles as well as industry domination yesterday. The company hopes to sell 10 million cars per year, worldwide, by 2018, which would put them right at the top of the sales charts. So how are they going to do it?

Interestingly, VW has partnered up with a pioneer of electric vehicles to achieve their goals. The company is relying on its Electric Research Lab in Palo Alto, CA to improve battery tech. That lab is headed by none other than Martin Eberhard, the co-founder and first CEO of Tesla Motors. He’s been working for VW for a year and a half now, pushing the automaker to use off-the-shelf lithium ion batteries.
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Jul 20

Honda to bring plug-in electric cars to U.S. in 2012

Updated on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

by Martin LaMonica July 20, 2010

Once considered a step behind in hybrids and electric vehicles, Honda on Tuesday outlined plans to introduce a range of plug-in electric vehicles to the U.S. and Japan. Honda said it will introduce both a battery-electric and a plug-in hybrid to the U.S. in 2012. It also said that it plans to use lithium-ion battery technology in the next-generation hybrid Civic, which will be introduced in 2011. Among the planned models are an all-electric, or battery-electric, "commuter vehicle" and a plug-in hybrid system for mid-size and larger vehicles, both of which will be introduced to the U.S. in 2012. Honda plans to deliver all-electric cars for demonstration programs with Stanford University, Google, and the City of Torrance, Calif., where Honda's U.S. operation is based.
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Jul 20

Toyota-Tesla: new electric Rav4 and Lexus RX

Updated on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Toyota Prius, Rav4, Lexus RX, and "a supercar"
The age of the electric supercar is fast approaching, with Audi's upcoming e-tron and the recently-revealed Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell leading the way. New reports out of the US this week suggest that the world's number one carmaker, Toyota, is looking to join the fray. Toyota boss Akio Toyoda, inspired by a spin in the Tesla Roadster, has approved advanced research into the idea of an electric supercar. Toyota and Tesla have recently joined forces to develop new electric vehicle technologies, and while Rav4 and Lexus RX prototypes have been hinted at, there has yet to be any official word on expanding the project to include a supercar.
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Jul 20

Volkswagen to develop new hybrid and electric vehicles

Updated on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

VW Targets Green Market With Hybrid, Electric Lineups for 2012 and 2013
By ALEX P. KELLOGG PALO ALTO, Calif. JULY 20, 2010,

CEO Martin Winterkorn said VW plans to launch a gas-electric hybrid version of its Touareg sport-utility vehicle in the U.S. market later this year, and will follow up with a hybrid version of its Jetta sedan in 2012. A fully electric vehicle powered by a battery pack is planned to arrive 2013, Mr. Winterkorn told reporters. "I'm deeply convinced that Volkswagen will play a key role" in the electrification of vehicles, he said.
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Jul 20

Tesla Roadster goes the distance at European road rallies

Updated on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Electric carmaker gets top prize in Brighton-London celebrity rally and will compete in Spain, Alps and Denmark.
19 de julio de 2010

The Roadster won first place last weekend in the Bridgestone Eco Rally, an 89-kilometer (55-mile) sprint from Brighton to London. With Britain's racy Energy Secretary Chris Huhne at the wheel, the Tesla Roadster took a detour through a London traffic jam and claimed the chequered flag at Waterloo.

Tesla also turned heads last week at the eSilvretta Rally, a modern take on Austria’s beloved Silvretta Classic Rally. The Roadster effortlessly completed the three-day, 159-kilometer (99-mile) rally in a single charge – with plenty of energy to spare for test drives with fans and prospective customers.
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Jul 19

Nissan’s Infiniti next EV to be a sports car

Updated on Monday, July 19, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES


The Infiniti Essence Coupe concept car revealed at the 79th Geneva Motor Show in 2009 is not an electric car, but it could be according to a recent rumor. (Credit: Nissan)

While its electric compact nears production, Nissan also plans to produce an electric sports car bearing the Infiniti badge.

Sources told Edmunds Inside Line that the carmaker is considering either an all-electric 370Z-E or an electric version of the Essence Coupe, the concept hybrid it revealed at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. All that has been confirmed by Nissan in previous news statements about its future electric vehicle plans is that the car will be a "stylish, compact, high-performance four-seat luxury Infiniti with zero emissions."

Jul 12

Zotye, totally Electric SUV; 250 mi range

Updated on Monday, July 12, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

a max speed of 70 MPH, a maximum range of up to 250 miles on a single charge.
July 12, 2010 - Green Auto Signs Ten Dealer Agreement

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - July 12, 2010) - Green Automotive Company Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GACR) announced today that the company signed a Ten Store Contract with the Rohrman Auto Group (www.rohrman.com) ranked as the number 15th largest Auto Dealer Groups in America, with over 36 dealerships in operation.

The Company's new dealer program requires a minimum monthly quota of 20 new SUV purchases per month. If all ten locations hit their target, this could lead to gross volume of 2,400 SUV's and gross sales of $66,000,000. The Company will also be producing new innovative marketing and Dealer Traffic Programs to drive new sales to each dealer.

The new consumers plan "Build Your SUV" Program -- is being tested and will be uploaded soon through their new modified website; www.usaelectricauto.com and expanding their distribution and sales model to now allow Consumers Options such as Theme Wraps, Custom Wheels, Interior Combinations and Electronics. Once a Consumer completes their design the new SUV should be available for delivery within 180 days. Partial payments of $995.00 start the process.
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Jul 12

BMW Megacity Vehicle, ActiveE, and Project I

Updated on Monday, July 12, 2010 in ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Megacity to become a new sub-brand for BMW, much like BMW’s M badge.
July 2nd 2010 - by Sebastian Blanco - green.autoblog.com

That BMW has been working on something called the Megacity Vehicle is no secret, the company officially announced the car over a year ago and, earlier this year, confirmed that it would release the car in 2013. Still, there was a lot we didn't know about the car and the project. This week, near Munich, with vehicles like the E1 (an early BMW electric vehicle), a carbon-fiber X5 and the Isetta on hand, BMW revealed an overwhelming amount of information about just what we can expect from the MCV and Project I.

The team responsible for the MCV – and BMW's shift to electric drive vehicles in general – is called Project I, which started in 2007 to "develop sustainable mobility concepts for the future." This group is also responsible for the Mini E tests and the upcoming ActiveE field trials that will start in 2011.
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