Electric

DOUGLAS A. BOLDUC

Green group spills oil; makes confusing point on CO2

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 23, 2013
Green lobby group T&E has released a YouTube video that it hopes will put pressure on lawmakers to prevent them from weakening Europe's passenger-car CO2 target of 95 grams per kilometer for 2020. The trouble is that the video's message is difficult to understand.... Read More »

 

NEW PRODUCT

Renault hints at Twingo design with the Twin'Z EV concept

April 19, 2013 06:01 CET
Renault has said its Twin'Z rear-wheel-drive electric concept car is part of a design study for the third-generation Twingo, due to go on sale next year. The automaker, which unveiled the concept last month, has not specified which design elements the Twingo will take from the concept.... Read More »

 

BMW plans perks to win EV customers

April 18, 2013 08:34 CET
BMW will offer extra services to attract drivers to its "i" electric-car lineup, including occasional use of fuel-powered models.... Read More »

 

BMW's China JV will build EV under Zinoro brand

April 17, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW's Chinese joint venture with Brilliance Automotive will build an electric car to be marketed under the newly created Zinoro brand. The car will go on sale in the first quarter of 2014.... Read More »

 

California regulator scolds carmakers on EV petition

12:25 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013
Automakers are undermining the progress they're making in expanding the market for electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles by petitioning against California's mandates, a state regulator said today.... Read More »

 

Fiat plans lowball lease to push 500e

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
To make its 500e electric more appealing to shoppers, Fiat will offer the car for the same monthly lease payment as the base 500 with a gasoline engine.... Read More »

 

Smart EV will offer rent-a-battery plan in U.S.

April 12, 2013 06:01 CET
Smart USA will offer customers who buy or lease its new electric-powered ForTwo the option of renting the car's lithium ion battery for a monthly fee.... Read More »

 

BMW says production systems helping to counter Europe slump

April 11, 2013 18:19 CET
BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer said the automaker's success amid Europe's auto-market contraction shows the importance of setting up production and sales that can weather an economic crisis.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

Rethinking the lithium ion battery revolution over cost, safety

11:12 am U.S. ET | April 10, 2013
On the eve of a Washington forum, a growing number of engineers say the lithium ion battery revolution in cars and other products has stalled, undercut by high costs, technical complexity and safety concerns.... Read More »

 

MARK RECHTIN

A flaw in Tesla's plan: It's Chargie McVanish

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Driving range and recharging time have been significant hurdles for electric vehicles to gain mainstream acceptance. Tesla Motors is addressing the problem with stations for Tesla owners only that can recharge 150 miles of range in half an hour. But Tesla overlooked the annoying human factor Mark Rechtin is West Coast editor for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

How affordable is Tesla's Model S?

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Tesla Motors did its best last week to cast its Model S electric sedan, which starts at $71,070, including shipping and fees, as affordable. But some of its logic is, well, elusive.... Read More »

 

Smart EV will offer rent-a-battery plan

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
Smart USA will offer customers who buy or lease its new electric-powered ForTwo the option of renting the car's lithium ion battery for a monthly fee.... Read More »

 

Detroit Electric unveils $135,000 battery-powered sports car

1:38 pm U.S. ET | April 4, 2013
Detroit Electric, a startup electric-car maker reviving a brand that dates back more than a century, unveiled its first model on Wednesday: a $135,000, battery-powered sports car that is to go into limited production in August.... Read More »

 

Q&A: Musk talks about Tesla's financing plan, company's future

9:18 am U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
On Tuesday, Tesla Motors announced a guaranteed-residual-value financing plan starting at $1,051 a month for the base 60 kWh Model S electric sedan. While paying off the 63-month loan, consumers can trade in the car after 36 months for a guaranteed price. After the announcement, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk spoke with Automotive News West Coast Editor Mark Rechtin about the plan, as well as other Tesla topics.... Read More »

 

EV cash dries up; Obama pushes for research effort

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The era of free-flowing federal funds for electric vehicles is over, so President Obama is returning to an old strategy to advance their cause: research.... Read More »

 

Buy a Fiat 500e, use alternate cars for free

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
When it goes on sale this summer in California, the 2013 Fiat 500e electric car will come with an unusual standard feature: another vehicle. 500e buyers may use rental vehicles for up to 12 days a year for free.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Low bar for Mercedes EV

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The B-class Electric Drive five-door that debuted at the New York show will be a low-volume vehicle, said Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon.... Read More »

 

2013 NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

First wave of BMW i3 electrics will get range extenders

3:19 pm U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
BMW of North America will equip its initial U.S. shipment of i3 electric cars with an optional gasoline engine to extend the vehicle's range, if needed, CEO Ludwig Willisch said.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi drawn into battery crisis linked to Boeing jets

9:37 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
Mitsubishi has been drawn into the crisis that GS Yuasa has been battling since the overheating of the supplier's batteries grounded Boeing 787 jets.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION

Nissan starts European production of Leaf EV

March 28, 2013 13:22 CET
Nissan began production of the Leaf electric car at its factory in Sunderland, north east England. The car was previously made in Japan and imported to European markets.... Read More »

 

GM to produce next-generation electric car in South Korea

8:40 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
GM plans to produce its next-generation electric cars in South Korea, the head of its South Korean unit told Reuters on Thursday, as the U.S. carmaker tries to revive momentum for the stalling vehicle technology.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Mercedes-Benz rolls out B-class EV

12:03 pm U.S. ET | March 27, 2013
Mercedes-Benz, marking its first U.S. foray into electrified vehicles, today introduced the five-seat, five-door B-class Electric Drive at the New York auto show. The 2014 battery electric vehicle will go on sale in early 2014. The plug-in EV has a lithium ion battery stored under the floor to save space and a 134-hp electric motor that gives it a range of 115 miles.... Read More »

 

Nissan plunges into hybrids

3:55 pm U.S. ET | March 27, 2013
Nissan brand plans to put at least four hybrid models into showrooms in the United State over the next four years as it prepares for what it expects to be the "era of electrification."... Read More »

 

LATEST LAUNCHES

Renault touts low running costs for Zoe EV

March 26, 2013 06:01 CET
Renault says the new Zoe is the first mass-market EV available at an affordable price with low running costs and a long driving range. The automaker expects the battery-driven hatchback to be the biggest seller among its range of electric vehicles that also includes the Fluence Z.E. sedan, Kangoo Z.E. small van and the Twizy two-seater.... Read More »

 

GREEN CARS

France's EV push presents power grid challenge

March 26, 2013 15:59 CET
The rising popularity of electric vehicles in France could present a problem to the country's fragile power grid, power sector executives say, particularly if owners all recharge their batteries at the same time of day.... Read More »