USA / Global
Articles by Mike Buchanan
Charging
Another EV Charging Might Have Caused House Fire (VIDEO)
NBC channel 2, which is located down in Florida, released a news story yesterday about a house fire that took place in the gated community of Estero. After an investigation, the fire was deemed to be caused by a new Smart EV charging, or keeping its charge in the garage. Around $200,000 of damage was done. Picture from NBC-2. According to the article, estima...
11 October 2012
Battery Tech
EV Battery Plant Will Furlough Workers Due To Low Demand (VIDEO update)
According to an article from Fox News, workers at Compact Power, who makes lithium-ion cells for EVs, will have to furlough workers. The terms for the furloughs means all workers will only work three weeks per month. President Obama gets into an electric Ford Focus as he attends the groundbreaking of a factory for Compact Power Inc. in Holland, Mich. The pla...
10 October 2012
New Spy Shots Of Cadillac ELR Surface
Over at Left Lane News, their spy shot photographers were able to catch the upcoming Cadillac ELR plug-in driving about. Although the model has heavy body stickers to confuse some of the current vehicle lines, it is clear in the pictures that this is not a Chevy Volt. Cadillac ELR. Picture from Left Lane News. Personally, it looks like a slightly shrunken ...
10 October 2012
Tesla Model S VS BMW M5 Drag Race (VIDEO)
Automobile just released this video of two heavy weight contenders that really appeal to two different crowds. However, the Tesla Model S has something to offer the petrol head who wants a BMW M5. Take a look at the sweet video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvHTN0Yi1t4&feature=player_embedded#!...
10 October 2012
Charging
University of California San Diego To Install EV Charging Stations
According to The Guardian, the University of California San Diego will be installing two EV charging stations at one of their engineering buildings on campus. Located at the Structures and Materials Engineering Building, the first two chargers will network with a total of 21 proposed stations for UCSD that will use a network interface for billing and reservatio...
09 October 2012
General
SLS AMG Does A Few Quick Laps In Spain
Mercedes Benz recently released a video showing the new electric SLS AMG super-electric-car doing a few quick laps around a race track down in Spain. The beautiful chromatic SLS AMG is shown doing some basic driving on a closed course, but with every change of direction the paint shimmers which makes this EV look stunning. The video does not give out much information on this Tesla or Fisker compe...
09 October 2012
Smart Debuts ForStars, An Electric Sports Utility Coupe Concept
No, It Is Not A MINI Cooper At first look, someone might take the Smart ForStars Concept as a radical Mini Cooper, however this ‘sports utility coupe’ is the latest vehicle from Smart, which is owned and operated by Mercedes Benz. This electric concept is the closest look the public has seen about the next generation of ForTwo and ForFour minicars that are scheduled to be ...
15 September 2012
Auto Maker SsangYong To Have e-XIV Concept At Paris Auto Show
The other day, Auto Car released some pictures and information about the upcoming SsangYong e-XIV that will debut at the Paris Auto Show later this month. No, this isn't the convertible version. This is the XIV-2 concept that was show at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year. As the small crossover market has been begging for an EV or an EREV, SsangYon...
13 September 2012
General
Tesla To Continue Transforming The Automotive Industry, This Time With Service
State of the art mechanic shop, if you decide to visit Joost De Vries, Vice President, Global Services at Tesla, released a blog post on their website discussing the latest trend setting ideas of EV manufacturer Tesla. In this lengthy post, Vries deliberates how they decided where their service centers would be located, what entails a basic annual inspection, how important sof...
12 September 2012
General
Jaguar To Showcase Their Plug-In At The RAC Future Car Challenge (VIDEO)
Jaguar is expected to showcase its plug-in hybrid at the 2012 RAC Future Car Challenge in November. The Jaguar XJ_e could be the second possible plug-in hybrid from Jaguar/Land Rover, as there has been a plug-in Range Rover Sport_e shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. According to Green Car Reports, the Jaguar XJ_e will feature the same a 2.0-liter, turbocharge...
09 September 2012
General
Renault Donates Electric Pope-Mobile (VIDEO)
Not to be outdone by NWG Automotive, who lead the way to be the first to donate an EV inside Vatican City; Renault decided to donate two custom EVs for Pope Benedict XVI. The inside has room for four along with a removable top, detachable windows, and electric side steps. Based on the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. platform, French coachbuilder Gruau retrofitted the EV ...
09 September 2012
General
Another Cash Crisis for an EV Auto Maker - This Time It's Smith Electric, 40% Production Cut
Smith Electric Vehicles Has Cut Production Estimates From 620 Down to 380 Not unlike Fisker, another EV automaker is currently have cash flow issues. Smith Electric Vehicles cut this year’s production number and also told the regulatory committee they are short on cash on hand as they try and complete a stock offering. Last year, Smith Electric asked investors for around a...
08 September 2012
General
Volkswagen Has EV Golf Hidden In Their Portfolio Waiting For The Right Time
Not yet available to the public, the Golf EV has a super cool charging location The diesel plug-in EV from VW that we wrote about last week was pretty a pretty nice ride, and will be an excellent EREV; but if you are looking for a pure EV from Volkswagen, you are in luck. In about a year and a half, VW might be releasing an all electric Golf among the other popular models ...
07 September 2012
Charging
Solar Powered EV Charging Station 3-Months Out From New Jersey Company
Mock Up Of Two Car Charging Station Princeton Satellite Systems, a New Jersey based company, has designed an EV charging system that will be powered by solar panels. The system, called SunStation, uses solar panels to charge EVs via a 240-AC connection with a battery backup. The standard version can charge a 1.6-kilowatt battery in about 10 hours. Consisting of 4...
02 September 2012
General
India To Invest $4.1 Billion In EVs and Hybrids After Report Released Last Week
Possibly after the India-based report that was released last week entitled Report States Key Markets Failing To Meet Future EV Goals By 2020, the government of India has announced that is has approved a $4.13 billion stimulus specifically for EVs and hybrid vehicles so they can reach their targeted 6 million EVs and hybrid vehicles on the road by the year 2020. According to the article from C...
01 September 2012
Russian Business Man Purchases First Avtovaz El Lada EV For Son
The head of the Russian owned corporation Russian Technologies, Sergei Chemezov, has purchased the first EV from Russian-based automotive manufacturer Avtovaz, the El Lada. This small vehicle which debuted at the Moscow Auto Show (review here) on Wednesday, is built on the Lada Kalina model chassis and is currently being built in limited numbers. With a 500 million rubles, or about $15.5 millio...
01 September 2012
235mpg Volkswagen Plug-In Hybrid Spotted Hot Weather Testing
Yesterday, autoblog released pictures and basic information on the upcoming Volkswagen XL1, an ultra-fuel efficient plug-in diesel hybrid that is expected to deliver 235 miles per gallon. Volkswagen XL 1 Concept Cutaway Featuring Gullwing Doors The Volkswagen XL1 is still hot weather testing in concept trim, with its streamlined shape and narrow rear end...
30 August 2012
General
Eight Volts Available For $199/mo For 24 Month Lease
Ready to purchase a new 2012 Chevy Volt? Medved Autoplex, one of the top selling Volt dealers in Colorado, is offering a special event in the hopes of selling eight Volts by next week. According to the dealership, they are trying to meet a specific goal of being the Rocky Mountain Volt Authority leader, and to do so, they must sell 8 2012 Chevy volts by September 1st. This goal may als...
28 August 2012
General
Recall Involving All 2012 CODA Vehicles Has Eerie Similarities To Another EV Recall
Another recall involving an electric car has hit the nation. This time, CODA Automotive, based in California, has recalled all 2012 CODA electric vehicles according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website. The Although when saying “all” 2012 CODAs are being recalled, this number is only 78, according to the recall. To put that i...
28 August 2012
General
AMP EVs Delivers First Heavy-Duty Van To Navistar
Continuing with our story yesterday about increasing the information available on electrification of fleets, AMP, a plug-in electric motor manufacturer, has completed its first delivery of an all-electric heavy-duty vehicle in a joint effort with Navistar International, a large holding company which owns and operates many different commercial, consumer, and military trucking companies. ...
27 August 2012
General
Joint Effort Underway To Provide EV Resources To Fleet Managers And Owners (VIDEO)
Fleet's vehicle deployment are changing thanks to electric vehicles. To further help this moevement, the Electrification Coalition and FleetAnswers have started a collaborative effort to start and run an online set of resources specifically for plug-in electric vehicles for commercial fleet operators, that include case studies of fleets already using EVs. Currently, fleet vehicles (both priva...
27 August 2012
Battery Tech
Report States Key Markets Failing To Meet Future EV Goals By 2020
Market Research Reports, a research firm located in India, has release a new report outlining the failures of many major EV markets and how that might hurt the overall growth of pure BEVs (not EREVs) by the year 2020. According to the report, long-term plans to reach specific goals will only be achieved if there is suffient government support to promote Battery Electric Vehicle on a global leve...
26 August 2012
General
Another Study Reports Extreme Growth For EVs, 130 Million By 2025
According to Global Information Inc., the total sales of EVs will reach 130 million units by 2025. The main reason for this number is because there is currently a gradual trend of needing a vehicle with a alternative fuel source. Global Information did fudge the number a bit, according to review of the data by Smart Plant. Based on the report, the 130 million units include cars, trucks, motorc...
23 August 2012
Battery Tech
China Might Become EV Power House
According to an article from Scientific American, no matter what advertising and government programs are available in the United States, this vehicle type will be a small percentage of the US marketplace for years to come. However, with the growing demand for EVs in China is a different story as Beijing Electric Vehicle Company is asking for help from US based battery manufacturer Boston-...
23 August 2012