GM prices Chevy Spark EV below $20,000 after tax credits

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
GM will price its new Chevrolet Spark electric vehicle at $27,495, including destination charges and before federal tax credits, placing it among the cheapest EVs on the market.... Read More »

 

Small BMW team rethought electric cars for huge cities

May 23, 2013 06:01 CET
Nearly six years ago, BMW's Project i began to position the automaker for the future. Project i chief Ulrich Kranz explained how the idea of a carbon-body car for megacities emerged from his team.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

U.S. tweaks boost Leaf's mpg score

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
U.S. production of Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle has resulted in improved EPA fuel economy numbers for the car. The production move from Japan to Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tenn., this year gave the automaker a chance to make a small number of midcycle engineering changes.... Read More »

 

KEITH CRAIN

You can't mandate human behavior

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
They are at it again in California. The mandates for zero-emission vehicles mean that to sell any volume there, you will need to have some sort of electric car for that market. Some car companies may decide to get out of the California market because it doesn't make sense Keith Crain is editor-in-chief of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

Smart: Battery rental will ease consumers' EV anxiety

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Smart USA says it can ease consumer jitters about EVs by offering customers who buy or lease the electric-powered ForTwo that went on sale last week the option of renting the car's lithium ion battery.... Read More »

 

Behind the scenes, Straubel keeps Tesla running at pivotal time

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 18, 2013
Elon Musk was fresh off the sale of PayPal and starting another business, commercial rocket service Space Exploration Technologies, when he met kindred spirit JB Straubel. Their shared belief that consumer electronics advances could be applied to more earthly modes of transport is a cornerstone of Tesla Motors.... Read More »

 

In boost to EVs, report sees surge in charging outlets worldwide

2:42 pm U.S. ET | May 16, 2013
The steady growth in sales of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, along with public and private investment, is expected to drive a sharp rise in the number of charging stations worldwide by 2020, a new study says.... Read More »

 

Detroit 3 research group targets next-gen hybrid, EV batteries

3:46 pm U.S. ET | May 15, 2013
With the U.S. Department of Energy's help, a research group managed by the Detroit 3 is launching a drive to speed development of next-generation battery technologies for hybrids and electric vehicles, the department said today.... Read More »

 

BMW's Reithofer tells Germans to embrace EVs

May 15, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told his fellow Germans to set aside their worries and embrace EV technology as the carmaker gears up to launch the i3 electric city car.... Read More »

 

DIANA T. KURYLKO

Can battery rental reduce consumer jitters with EVs? Smart thinks so

2:02 pm U.S. ET | May 14, 2013
Consumers have a lot of gripes about the battery life in high-tech products. Batteries seem to conk out way before the products do. Small wonder there's even more anxiety about electric vehicle batteries.... Read More »

 

BMW invests 3 billion euros in EVs, report says

May 13, 2013 12:00 CET
BMW will invest 3 billion euros through the end of this year on the development of its lineup of electric vehicles, funding the "i" subbrand with earnings from its booming business in China, a German business newspaper reported.... Read More »

 

Renault-Nissan unlikely to hit 2016 EV target

May 13, 2013 06:01 CET
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.... Read More »

 

Nissan-Renault unlikely to hit 2016 EV target

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

Next hurdle for hot Tesla is pushing EVs mainstream

11:47 am U.S. ET | May 10, 2013
Tesla has had one hell of a week. It reported its first quarterly profit. It's brainstorming self-guided cars with Google. The stock is sizzling.... Read More »

 

Bosch launches residential EV charger in U.S. for under $450

May 10, 2013 06:01 CET
A unit of German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH said it will begin selling an electric-vehicle residential charging station in the United States for a retail price below $450.... Read More »

 

Tesla Model S wins high praise from Consumer Reports

6:00 am U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
The all-electric Tesla Model S sports car received the highest score in Consumer Reports' ratings -- a 99 out of 100 -- along with widespread plaudits from the magazine's automotive testing staff.... Read More »

 

Bosch launches residential EV charger for under $450

4:52 pm U.S. ET | May 9, 2013
A unit of German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH said it will begin selling an electric-vehicle residential charging station for a retail price below $450.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

BMW plans to price i3 near 3 series

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
BMW's i3 electric car will be priced at about $40,000, or roughly the same as a well-equipped 3-series sedan, says Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America.... Read More »

 

2nd lives for EV batteries could cut prices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Lithium ion battery packs that power some electrified vehicles could end up feeding juice into the electrical grid -- a development that could cut EV ownership costs.... Read More »

 

Ailing EV maker Coda files Chapter 11

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
After selling just 100 all-electric sedans, Coda Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last week.... Read More »

 

U.S. EV maker Coda files for bankruptcy

May 1, 2013 12:18 CET
U.S. green car startup Coda Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today after selling just 100 of its all-electric sedans. Coda launched its $37,250 electric car in California a year ago.... Read More »

 

Nissan pushes chargers to boost sales of Leaf EV

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
To attract a bigger audience to electric cars, Nissan officials say they must get more public EV chargers in place -- particularly the more powerful and expensive fast-charging stations. Nissan has assigned a five-person "infrastructure" team to spur charger-station installations.... Read More »

 

Chevy Spark gets 119-mpg rating

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
General Motors says its Chevrolet Spark EV will get the equivalent of 119 mpg in combined city and highway driving, the best efficiency of any U.S. car on sale to the public.... Read More »

 

Detroit Electric, Geely to develop EVs, electric drivetrains for China

4:09 pm U.S. ET | April 25, 2013
Geely Automobile Group and startup automaker Detroit Electric have agreed to develop electric vehicles and electric drivetrains for sale in China.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi pinpoints lithium ion battery glitch

April 24, 2013 20:43 CET
Mitsubishi has pinpointed the cause of the lithium ion battery glitch that forced it to halt production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover and most i electric cars. Mitsubishi said a small number of the affected i EVs were on the road in Europe and the United States.... Read More »