Posts Tagged ‘electric vehicles’
A carbon fiber supercar that’s both mean and green.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2013
Porsche puts the emphasis on supercar performance with its new 918 Spyder.
For those who think battery-based vehicles are, by nature, slow and boring, the new Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in supercar could deliver a shocking surprise.
True, the carbon-fiber 918 is expected to yield significant improvements in fuel efficiency – and about 18 miles per charge on its lithium-ion battery pack, but it will also launch from 0 to 60 in less than 2.8 seconds. A Chevrolet Volt it definitely isn’t.
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The new supercar “demonstrates the potential of the hybrid drive to a degree never seen before: the parallel improvement of both efficiency and performance without one being at the cost of the other,” says Porsche, which first revealed a prototype of the 918 several years ago and is launching the production version this week.
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Tags: McLaren p1, Porsche Hybrid, auto news, battery cars, car news, electric supercars, electric vehicles, laferrari, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, plug-in supercars, porsche 918, porsche 918 spyder, porsche news, porsche plug-in, thedetroitbureau
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Critical step needed to end “range anxiety.”
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.16, 2013
A new study expects to see more than 10 million EV charging stations worldwide by 2020.
Though Tesla Motors might have achieved its first-ever profit during the first quarter, sales of plug-in vehicles is generally lagging way below expectations, something analysts blame on the high price of battery-based vehicles as well as their limited range.
But the nascent electric vehicle market may get a big boost if a new study from IMS Research proves on target. It predicts the number of EV charging stations will grow from a mere 135,000 worldwide in 2011 to as many as 10.7 million in 2020, with the fastest growth likely to occur in the U.S., China, Japan and Germany.
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“While (EV and plug-in hybrid sales) volumes may not reach the levels imagined in the hype of 2009, it is clear that there needs to be charging infrastructure in place to support this change in mobility,” says Alastair Hayfield, associate director at IMS Research.
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Tags: auto news, battery car charger, car news, electric vehicle charger, electric vehicles, ev charge, ev chargers, ev charging, ev charging station, evgo, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla supercharger, thedetroitbureau
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Company will prepay DOE loans with funds.
by Michael Strong on May.15, 2013
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is purchasing $100 million of the $450 million shares the company is selling to prepay government loans.
Tesla Motors is looking to take advantage of the recent jump in its stock price by selling 2.7 million shares of stock and offering $450 million in convertible senior notes to allow the company to pay off the $465 million in government loans.
“Tesla intends to use the net proceeds from the offerings to prepay Tesla’s outstanding loan from the United States Department of Energy, pay the cost of convertible note hedge transactions and for general corporate purposes,” the company said in a release.
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Tesla expects to book $830 million in proceeds. The company will also enter into hedging transactions aimed at preventing dilution from the convertible notes.
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Tags: DOE loan, Department of energy loans, Model S, Model X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla stock offering, TheDetroitBureau.com., electric cars, electric vehicles, elon musk, government loans, michael strong, stock offering, tesla, tesla motors, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Model S nabs nearly perfect score in latest list.
by Michael Strong on May.10, 2013
Tesla's Model S earned nearly a perfect score in Consumer Report's recent tests.
The good news continues to roll in for Tesla Motors: Consumer Reports magazine told readers that the Model S is the best car it has tested since 2007. It tied for the highest score the magazine has ever given: 99 of 100 possible points.
The positive reviews by the leading consumer-oriented publication came on the heels of the California-based electric vehicle maker’s announcement that it turned its first-ever quarterly profit. The company earned $11.2 million on revenue of $561.8 million during the first quarter of 2013.
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“We’ve been testing cars at Consumer Reports for a very long time and we’ve never had anything quite like the Tesla Model S,” said Jake Fisher, director of Automotive Testing, in a video review of the vehicle. “This car performed better than anything we’ve ever tested before. Let me repeat that, not just the best electric car, but best car.”
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Tags: Consumer Reports Model S, Consumer Reports Tesla, Model S, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla Model S, TheDetroitBureau.com., battery-electric vehicles, consumer reports, electric vehicles, elon musk, high performance, luxury cars, luxury vehicles, michael strong, sports car, tesla, thedetroitbureau
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Electric vehicle maker sold less than 100 vehicles.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.01, 2013
After selling less than 100 cars since the vehicle's introduction, Coda filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Coda Holdings Inc., parent of the electric-car maker backed by billionaire Philip Facone, filed for bankruptcy and will seek to sell its assets to a group led by a Fortress Investment Group.
Coda Holdings shut down its automotive unit last year after failing to make good on its promise to sell 10,000 vehicles. The company sold less than 100 vehicles while employing 40 people. It will focus on its energy storage business, said Phil Murtaugh, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles-based company in a statement.
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The company introduced its five-passenger electric car in California a year ago with a range of 125 miles on a single charge. The $37,250 vehicle was based off a years-old vehicle design and was panned for its bland styling. Additionally, it suffered through a recall due to faulty airbags.
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Tags: Coda Automotive, Coda Battery Systems, Fortress Investment Group, Philip Facone, TheDetroitBureau.com., bankruptcy, battery electrics, electric vehicles, joseph szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
Report shows mandate, not prices pushing improvements.
by Michael Strong on Apr.29, 2013
Consumer acceptance of electric vehicles will help automakers reach the 54.5 mpg fleet mandate, according to a new study.
Federal mandates requiring automakers to reach a 54.5 mpg fleet average by 2025 is the reason behind the surge in consumer preferences for more fuel efficient vehicles, not a perceived rise in gas prices, according to a study released today.
The team authoring the report ran several econometric models to determine that the price of gas, while a minor factor, was not the biggest push for the public’s acceptance of the mandate and willingness to buy more efficient vehicles.
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The mandate requires automakers to average 34.5 mpg by 2017 and to achieve the 54.5-mpg average by 2025. According to the study, which was released today by the Consumer Federation of America, the mandates are universally endorsed by Americans.
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Tags: TheDetroitBureau.com., electric vehicles, four-cylinder cars, four-cylinder engine, fuel economy, fuel economy standards, gas prices, hybrid cars, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
Battery model also faster than gas-powered minicar.
by Joseph Szczesny on Apr.25, 2013
The Spark EV will do 0 to 60 in under 8 seconds, significantly quicker than the gas model.
General Motors claims its new Chevrolet Spark has captured the U.S. fuel economy crown with a 119 MPGe -- or Miles Per Gallon-equivalent – rating. The new battery-electric vehicle has meanwhile been rated at 82 miles range on a full charge, according to the EPA.
The Spark is the Detroit maker’s first pure battery-electric vehicle, or BEV, since the GM EV1 was pulled from production in 1991. The Chevy Spark EV is part of a wave of new electric vehicles aimed at consumers in California where that state has mandated that manufacturers must sell so-called Zero-Emission Vehicles.
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While automakers are challenging that mandate in court, a number of them, including GM, Toyota, Chrysler and Honda and others, are covering their bases by coming up with what critics have dubbed “compliance cars,” vehicles they will offer only, or at least primarily, in California.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, chevrolet battery car, chevrolet news, chevrolet spark ev, chevy battery car, chevy electric vehicle, chevy news, chevy spark ev, electric vehicles, joe szczesny, lithium batteries, nissan leaf, thedetroitbureau, zero emissions vehicles
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US maker will get financial boost – and added know-how.
by Joseph Szczesny on Apr.25, 2013
Detroit Electric will handle the battery drivetrain development for Chery's Emgrand EC7-EV.
Bucking the slower-than-expected start-up of the battery-car market, little Detroit Electric plans to have its first model, a battery two-seater, in production this coming summer – and the Michigan-based start-up now hopes to get a helping hand from Geely, the owner of the Volvo brand, as part of a new joint venture with the ambitious Chinese carmaker.
The two companies have entered into a strategic partnership to co-develop pure electric vehicles and related electric drive systems for the Chinese market. Under the terms of the partnership the first model will go on sale through Geely’s Emgrand brand starting in 2014.
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The partnership with privately-held Geely represents a major coup for fledgling Detroit Electric, which claims it is being courted by automakers from around the world eager to penetrate the Chinese market. China’s bureaucrats, eager to address that nation’s endemic air pollution problems, are putting a premium on the growth of the battery-electric vehicle market.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, detroit electric, detroit electric geely, detroit electric news, electric vehicles, emgrand ec7-ev, geely detroit electric, geely ec7-ev, joe szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
KBB.com picks Nissan Leaf for top spot.
by Michael Strong on Apr.24, 2013
The 2013 Nissan Leaf topped KBB.com's Top 10 List of green cars.
With gas prices in a constant state of flux, and the federal government offering as much as $7,500 in incentives to buy “green” cars, it would seem the only question for someone buying a new vehicle is which one do I pick?
If it were only that simple; however, Kelly Blue Book’s website, KBB.com, took a stab a making that decision a bit easier by putting out its list of Top 10 Green Cars for 2013. The car in the top spot shouldn’t be a big surprise: the 2013 Nissan Leaf.
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“You won’t find an all-electric car that offers a better balance of range, practicality, refinement and value than the Leaf,” according to the story on the company’s website. “Nissan reduced the Leaf’s starting price by $6,000 for 2013, so after the $7,500 federal tax savings, you can go all-electric for about $22,000.”
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Tags: Chevrolet Volt, Ford Hybrids, Jetta, Leaf, Lincoln MKZ, Tesla Model S, TheDetroitBureau.com., Toyota Prius plug in Hybrid, Volkswagen, c-max energi, electric vehicles, elon musk, honda electric vehicle, honda fit, honda fit ev, hybrid-electric vehicles, lincoln hybrid, michael strong, nissan leaf, plug-in hybrids, thedetroitbureau, toyota avalon hybrid, volt
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With battery breakthrough that could jump to 30 million.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.24, 2013
An optimstic scenario foresees plug-ins accounting for nearly one in 10 vehicles on US roads by 2035.
There are an estimated 90,000 plug-based vehicles on U.S. roads today and, with sales only slowly beginning to accelerate, few expect to see that climb to 1 million advanced battery vehicles, as the Obama Administration has called for.
Nonetheless, battery car proponents are nothing if not optimistic, and a new white paper produced for Earth Day by the Edison Foundation projects that even under the most conservative scenario there’ll be at least five million plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, on the road by 2035.
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In fact, the figure could jump as high as 30 million, the foundation forecast, in the event of a critical battery breakthrough — or other factors that change the cost/benefit equation.
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Tags: auto news, battery cars, car news, edison foundation, edison foundation battery car forecast, edison institute, electric vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, plug-based vehicles, plug-ins, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
