Tesla is looking to pay back $465 million in Department of Energy loans through an upcoming stock offering which could generate as much as $1 billion for the company. CEO Elon Musk, who often takes to twitter to defend the company and hint at upcoming announcements, tweeted the news on Tuesday. This payoff comes more [...]
Fresh off its best sales month every in March and a huge 423.5 percent year-over-year sales increase in April, the Nissan Leaf has passed the 25,000 sales threshold in the US. A combination of factors, including a $6,000 price chop in January, have helped the Leaf become the world’s best selling electric vehicle. The January [...]
A proposed North Carolina law will ban the direct sale of cars from manufacturers to consumers, pretty much booting Tesla right out of the state. The bill already has unanimous approval from the state Senate’s Commerce Committee and is moving on to the State Senate and House. Not surprisingly, this bill was strongly supported by [...]
Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is seriously investigating technology that could lead to driverless cars and he’s in talks with Google to make it a reality. It’s not as far-fetched as you might think, given the technology in cars on the road right now that monitors what’s happening and can actually stop the car to [...]
Production delays, inconsistent quality, mediocre performance and a bland appearance were some of the factors that led to the demise of CODA Automotive. With a body and chassis built in China, the company finalized construction and provided deliveries in California. The CODA looked like an early 90s Toyota Corolla (the E-100) and, with an investment of over [...]
It’s a sign of the times – one of the fastest American production vehicles is now an electric. Yes, an ELECTRIC. As the world’s fossil fuel reserves slowly dwindle and global warming takes its toll, the newest mean green machine – the Detroit Electric SP:01, took center stage last week in Shanghai. Based on a [...]
Fiat has announced new retail programs that make it easier than ever for potential buyers to say yes to electric and get behind the wheel of a 2013 Fiat 500e. The announcement comes in advance of the vehicle’s introduction to the California market this summer. Several incentives specifically target those potential California buyers, starting with [...]
The new 2013 Fiat 500e is an all electric EV version of the Fiat 500. Unlike the gasoline powered Fiat 500 which is rated at 40 MPG, the new 500e gets 116 MPGe. It will also go 87 miles on a full charge and will zip up to an 88 MPH top speed. But perhaps [...]
The Renault Twin’Z Concept is a four-door, rear drive, electric vehicle collaboration between British-born designer Ross Lovegrove and Renault. It has a rear mounted, 50kW motor that supplies 68 horsepower to the rear wheels. The range is 100 miles. Four lithium-ion battery packs make 96v and they are located under the floor. What immediately grabbed [...]
Tesla announced that not only have they exceeded their Q1 sales goals for the Tesla Model S, but that for the first time in the company’s history, Tesla is profitable. Included in the announcement was the news that the entry-level Model S with the smaller 40 kWh battery will no longer be produced. Two months [...]
Tesla may make headlines – the Nissan Leaf makes sales. Over 50,000 sold so far. Indeed, this is the most cost efficient and user-friendly, mass produced electric car on the market. Any market. The European version of the Nissan Leaf is getting updated just in time for the 2013 Geneva Auto Show, and these changes [...]
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The 2013 Geneva Motor Show will highlight one of the most unique, exotic and green cars built – AND it’s a production model. The Volkswagen XL1 is a hybrid that’s capable of 261 mpg while providing two passengers with a top speed of 100 mph. It looks friggin’ cool too. Kind of like a [...]
The Citroën C3 Hybrid Air is a remarkably simple way to make hybrids, greener, cleaner, lighter and cheaper. No kidding. Rather than having a heavy bank of batteries supplying energy, lightweight air cylinders provide the extra energy. An air pump sits by the gas engine (an 82-hp, 1.2-liter four-cylinder gas engine) and pumps air directly into [...]
Elon Musk posted data from the now infamous Tesla Model S drive by New York Times writer John Broder and it’s not looking good for Broder. In Broder’s review of the vehicle, he claimed that the range dropped drastically during his drive because of the cold and that he was eventually left stranded when the [...]
