Posts Tagged ‘battery cars’
Limited sales begin later this year.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Feb.06, 2014
Kia's first battery-car, the Soul EV, goes on sale during the third quarter, but only in a handful of markets.
Korean carmaker Kia is the latest to plug-into the growing market for battery-electric vehicles, introducing the all-new 2015 Kia Soul EV at the Chicago Auto Show.
The Soul is one of three battery-based models Kia is showing at this year’s event in the Windy City, the maker also rolling out an updated version of its Optima Hybrid sedan, as well as the new Niro Hybrid Concept.
Keeping You Plugged In!
Most major automakers have, or soon plan to add plug-based vehicles to their U.S. model lines – at least in part due to the strict new Zero-Emission Vehicle, or ZEV standards going into effect in California and a handful of other states. But while sales have fallen well short of proponents’ expectations, plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, generated just short of 100,000 sales last year, an all-time record.
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Tags: 2014 chicago auto show, EVs, auto news, battery cars, battery-electric vehicles, car news, kia battery car, kia chicago auto show, kia electric, kia news, kia soul ev, korean battery cars, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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P1 battery car to go on display in Stuttgart.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.28, 2014
The Porsche P1 is formally known as the 1898 Egger-Lohner C.2. Phaeton.
It wasn’t your classic “barn find.” In the case of the rare P1, it was found stuffed in the back of an old Austrian warehouse – since 1902.
Officially known as the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C.2 Phaeton, it’s the first car ever designed by the legendary Ferdinand Porsche. And it was one of several electric vehicles the automotive pioneer – later known for his groundbreaking sports cars – developed in his early years.
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The classic, newly restored after 115 years – more than 111 of them in storage – is getting its rightful place of honor at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart this week as part of the gallery’s fifth anniversary.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, ferdinand porsche, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, porsche 918 spyder, porsche battery car, porsche electric, porsche lohner, porsche mixte, porsche news, porsche p1, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Nissan Leaf now market’s battery best-seller.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.21, 2014
British dentist Dr. Brett Garner bought the 100,000th Nissan Leaf at the urging of his wife.
Nissan has crossed a significant threshold becoming the first manufacturer to ever sell 100,000 plug-based vehicles.
Just over three years after launching the Nissan Leaf, the maker delivered the milestone battery sedan to a dentist in the British community of Fareham, about two hours southwest of London.
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“I have chosen my Nissan Leaf because I am very interested in its running costs,” said Dr. Brett Garner, a father of three. “The cost of ownership such as maintenance, insurance and charging also convinced my wife. She had the experience of driving 500 miles in a borrowed LEAF and the low cost was remarkable. So she was converted and insisted that we had a Leaf.”
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Tags: auto news, battery car sales, battery cars, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet volt sales, electric vehicle sales, electric vehicles, nissan leaf, nissan leaf sales, nissan news, nissan sells 100000 leafs, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Segment approaches 100,000 sales for first time.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.06, 2014
The Chevy Volt was the market's best-selling plug-based vehicle in 2013 - though sales were down from 2012.
For the first time ever, sales of plug-based vehicles came within a hairsbreadth of hitting the 100,000 mark last year, jumping by 84% year-over-year as a flood of new products came to market.
Conventional hybrid vehicles scored a more modest but still strong 15% increase in demand last year, reaching an all-time record of nearly 500,000 sales. Together, all battery-based vehicles still captured less than 4% of the total U.S. new vehicle market, however, less than the total number of F-Series pickups Ford Motor Co. sold for just the first 11 months of 2013.
Stay Plugged In!
Nonetheless, advocates contend that the numbers show a growing interest in battery-based vehicles, something that’s backed up by several recent surveys showing more American motorists are considering the technology as a viable alternative.
They have a growing list to choose from, a total of 16 different plug-based offerings reaching U.S. showrooms last year. With yet more new battery-based vehicles coming this year, the consensus is that sales of plug-based vehicles – both plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles, or PHEVs and BEVs – will smash through the 100,000 mark in the coming year, though the segment is likely to remain a small niche for the foreseeable future.
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Tags: Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, battery-electric vehicles, car news, chevrolet news, electric cars, extended-range electric vehicles, ford news, nissan leaf, nissan news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, plug-based vehicle, plug-in cars, plug-in hybrids, plug-ins, tesla news, thedetroitbureau, toyota news
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Over 45 million US motorists could use battery cars, claims new poll.
by Joseph Szczesny on Dec.12, 2013
Battery cars - like the Tesla Model S - could meet the needs of millions of motorists, claims a new survey.
They may not be ready to buy one, but Americans, on the whole have a positive view of electric vehicles, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, found that 65% of the American motorists it polled think electric vehicles are an essential part of our nation’s transportation future for reducing oil use and global warming, with 60% saying they would consider owning one themselves.
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More than 45 million Americans could use a battery-based vehicle without much change in their driving habits, according to the Union, which has long advocated for the wider use of EVs.
“Drivers may have preconceptions about whether electric vehicles can meet their driving needs and habits, and this survey shows that for many, they can,” said Josh Goldman, policy analyst for the UCS Clean Vehicles Program.
Building a better battery charging infrastructure could enhance the appeal of the technology.
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Tags: auto news, battery car survey, battery cars, battery charger, car news, electric vehicle survey, ev survey, evs union of concerned scientists, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
There are, of course, some more immediate problems.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.14, 2013
Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk isn't limiting himself to battery sedans.
One thing that’s become obvious about South African-born billionaire Elon Musk: he is willing to spend his money on anything that interests him, and in recent years that has covered a range of bases as diverse as electric cars, rocket ships, solar panels and even high-speed inter-urban transportation.
So, what next? Musk has been dropping a number of different hints of late, and based on his history, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to see more than a few new projects surface. In fact, the Tesla Motor Co. founder and CEO has dropped a few hints of his own in recent days, telling one interviewer there is “an interesting opportunity” in the commercial aviation industry, while suggesting to another “we have to deliver” a competitor to the most popular vehicle in the U.S. market. That seems to translate into an electric pickup.
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Indeed, Musk’s comments on CNN Money wouldn’t be the first time he has expressed an interest in putting a batteries into a truck. He first broached the subject last April during a visit to Texas, at the time going so far as to suggest, ““When we do establish a manufacturing plant outside of California, Texas would be a leading candidate for that.”
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Tags: SpaceX, Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, battery pickup, battery truck, car news, electric pickup, elon musk, musk battery aircraft, musk electric aircraft, musk pickup, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla, tesla fires, tesla model s fire, tesla news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Maker will offer Roadside Assistance Plan to counter “range anxiety.”.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.13, 2013
The VW e-Golf will go on sale in "selected" U.S. market in late 2014. No pricing has been announced.
Volkswagen’s first battery-electric vehicle to enter the U.S. market will make its debut at the upcoming L.A. Auto Show, an event expected to showcase a wide range of zero-emissions vehicles.
After a slow start, the German maker has been making an aggressive push into battery technology with hybrids, plug-ins and full battery-electric vehicles. VW promises that the e-Golf will boast one of the fastest recharge times in the industry.
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The Volkswagen e-Golf is set to go on sale during the fourth quarter of 2014 in “select states” – which will likely mean California and other states with similar zero-emissions mandates. The new model will be powered by a 24.7 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack paired with a 115-horsepower motor capable of launching the car from 0 to 60 in 10.4 seconds, with a top speed rated at 87 mph.
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Tags: Los Angeles Auto Show, VW e-golf, auto news, battery cars, car news, egolf, electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen e-golf, vw battery car, vw la auto show, vw news
Posted in Automobiles | 3 Comments »
More torque than a Ferrari 458?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.07, 2013
The Chevrolet Spark EV Tech Performance package delivers more torque than a Ferrari 458.
The annual aftermarket extravaganza known as the SEMA Show has traditionally put a premium on performance, so that left many folks wondering why there was a little Chevrolet Spark EV on display at the Detroit maker’s stand alongside more traditional muscle cars like the Camaro and Chevrolet.
This wasn’t a regular Spark EV, it turned out, but a modified model that Chevy redubbed the Spark EV Tech Performance. And it has delivered a bit of a shock to those who think that battery cars are little more than high-tech stone ponies.
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The numbers suggest something quite different, the Tech Performance package pumping out an impressive 450 pound-feet of torque. That’s 50 more than the stock Spark EV – but to put it into better perspective, that’s also more than the classic 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS muscle car and 52 more lb-ft than a Ferrari 458 Italia.
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Tags: Chevrolet Spark, Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet spark ev tech performance, chevy spark ev, laferrari mclaren p1, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, performance battery cars, performance electric vehicles, porsche 918, spark ev tech performance, thedetroitbureau
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Maker also developing business plan for Elmiraj concept.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.31, 2013
Cadillac is looking at adding other battery-based vehicles that would follow the ELR plug-in, shown here.
Even though its new plug-in hybrid, the Cadillac ELR, is still nearly two months from launch, the Detroit luxury maker is giving serious thought to adding more battery-based vehicles to its line-up, TheDetroitBureau.com has learned.
Other models could include an even larger and more upscale offering than the compact ELR, confided Caddy’s global sales chief Bob Ferguson, who said the technology could generate significant interest among buyers – both at home and abroad – who don’t have General Motors’ flagship brand on their radar screens.
Stay Plugged In!
In a wide-ranging discussion, Ferguson also told TheDetroitBureau.com that there is growing support inside GM for transforming the well-reviewed Elmiraj concept vehicle into a production vehicle – and as quickly as possible, though formal corporate approval is not yet a certainty.
“I’m so optimistic about how well (the Cadillac ELR plug-in) will do, especially on the West Coast and in the Northeast,” said Ferguson during a one-on-one discussion with TheDetroitBureau.com. “It will bring us a lot of new customers, I’m sure.”
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Tags: Cadillac, Cadillac Converj, Cadillac elmiraj, Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, bob ferguson, cadillac battery car, cadillac concepts, cadillac coupe, cadillac elr, cadillac news, cadillac plug-in hybrid, cadillac tesla, car news, elmiraj, gm news, luxury electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Fires, stock slump seem to be having little impact on demand.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.30, 2013
Despite some recent snags, there are no signs the Model S is losing sales momentum.
It’s been a rough month for high-flying Tesla Motors, but despite a pair of fires and several downgrades by industry analysts, the California electric vehicle maker remains upbeat enough to ink a deal that will substantially boost the number of batteries it buys from Japan’s Panasonic Corp.
That, in turn, suggests that Tesla is expecting to sell significantly more of its vehicles than it originally expected. It has already delayed the launch of a second vehicle, the Model X SUV, to catch up on demand for its initial offering, the Model S sedan.
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“This expanded agreement with Panasonic is important to Tesla as we continue to increase the pace of production,” the maker’s co-founder and CEO Elon Musk said in a statement. “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Panasonic, and I’m confident that this partnership will continue to be an integral part of Tesla’s success for years to come.”
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Tags: Model S, Tesla Model S, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla batteries, tesla fire, tesla increases battery purchase, tesla news, tesla panasonic, tesla sales, tesla stock, thedetroitbureau
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