Electric Cars

In what may be a case of too little, too late, Saab has unveiled its first electric vehicle ahead of its official debut at the 2010 Paris auto show. The 9-3 wagon-based EV is called the 9-3 ePower, and will see a prototype fleet of 70 vehicles built for testing in Sweden early in 2011. Powered by a...

Who said electric vehicles have to be slow? A team from Ohio State University's Center for Auto Research and the guys at French EV startup Venturi has set a new speed record for a battery-powered vehicle: 307.7 mph. Earlier this week at Bonneville Salt Flats, piloted by Roger Schroer, the car...

There's been a lot of talk about electric rides lately, most of it having to do with the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf. (They're not the only EVs on the market, obviously, just the two getting most of the publicity right now.) What's weird is this: much of the chatter about the Volt seems...

Electric vehicles are popularly perceived as the front-runner of the alternate fuel competition, but successfully developing EVs has proven to be a difficult and expensive task. To help share the burden and the expertise necessary to get an electric car to market, Japanese auto giant Toyota and...

BMW has already released an official teaser sketch of its upcoming Megacity Vehicle (MCV), and even a gallery of the carbon fiber unibody. But so far, it hasn't been easy to get a feel for what the little car might look like in the CFRP flesh. Problem solved--these renderings give a good look at...

In March of 2008 BMW first announced plans to establish a new research division called ‘Project i,’ whose task would be to develop a number of solutions for a vehicle designed for congested city motoring. The goal of Project i was never to exclusively develop one type of vehicle, but to come up...

While most automakers are promoting their electric cars as a low cost and environmentally friendly option for urban commuting, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are taking a different route and are targeting the top end of town by promoting the performance aspects of electric propulsion--instantaneous torque...

Volkswagen is intent on becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018 and that means being the top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric vehicles. Recently the automaker announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains, and now it’s showing off yet another...

Electric vehicles are popularly perceived as the front-runner of the alternate fuel competition, but successfully developing EVs has proven to be a difficult and expensive task. To help share the burden and the expertise necessary to get an electric car to market, Japanese auto giant Toyota and...

In March of 2008 BMW first announced plans to establish a new research division called ‘Project i,’ whose task would be to develop a number of solutions for a vehicle designed for congested city motoring. The goal of Project i was never to exclusively develop one type of vehicle, but to come up...

We’ve seen numerous supercars take on the Nurburgring, things like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Nissan GT-R, and Pagani Zonda F, but now BMW has taken its MINI E all-electric hatchback to the notorious circuit. Taking on the Nurburgring circuit at race speed with an electrically powered car is an...

No word on any release date but parent company Nissan will have its first electric vehicle, the Leaf, on sale late next year so it’s conceivable that Infiniti’s car will come in 2011.

In late January electric car company Tesla filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in the filing revealed that production of its first model, the all-electric Roadster, would end in March 2011. This particular model is manufactured in Hethel, UK at the...

Swiss luxury watch manufacturer TAG Heuer is celebrating its 150th anniversary and as part of the occasion has teamed up with Tesla to create a special one-off example of the famous all-electric Roadster. Decked out in special livery and fitted with a unique interior by Tesla design chief Franz von...

Audi is hopping onto the electrified vehicle bandwagon with the announcement of plans for a new range of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric luxury vehicles and sports cars. Following the lead of parent company Volkswagen, Audi is striving to become the leader for alternative-powered vehicles...

Mercedes-Benz is keeping its bets open on what will be the dominant powertrain of the future by simultaneously developing competing technologies as the electrification of the car gets more widespread. Its latest F800 Style concept car that starred at last week’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show is the...

Volkswagen is intent on becoming the world’s leading automaker by 2018 and that means being the top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric vehicles. Recently the automaker announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains, and now it’s confirmed plans to expand...

Don’t have a spare $109,000 lying around but want to drive an electric sports car capable of keeping up with Ferraris and Porsches at the lights? Tesla’s iconic all-electric Roadster and its more extreme Roadster Sport cousin are now available for lease. Under the scheme, lease...

Honda is set to unveil a radically styled electric three-wheeler concept at next week’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show, which the automaker has revealed the first details on today. The new concept is called the Honda 3R-C and it envisages the automaker’s vision for a minimalistic urban...

Expect to see the all-electric Infiniti hatchback, in both electric and conventional gasoline forms, debut sometime in 2012.