“Will 2012 be the year the electric car takes off?”
The Vehicles
Mitsubishi plans to launch electric light truck
Mitsubishi Motors is developing an electric light truck, which will be aimed at farmers, contractors and other commercial users, Japanese business daily Nikkei reported today.
Coda names Marvin K. Brown exclusive San Diego dealer
The first Codas are expected to show up at the Marvin K. Brown Auto Center in central San Diego in February, with more locations to follow.
Polaris plans to produce EVs for India
Polaris, the global king of small vehicles, has announced a plan to introduce EVs in India, where the company already sells gas-powered ATVs. Few details were forthcoming, but commercial utility vehicles are probably the company’s main target market. As Polaris India Managing Director Pankaj Dubey put it, “Once we launch the electric cars, then we… Read more »
Tax credits for chargers are finished, and credits for EV purchases may be next
In a masterpiece of bad timing, a federal tax break for EV chargers, which allowed filers to take a tax credit for 30% of the cost of a home charger, will expire at the end of this year.
Tesla Roadster speeds silently into the sunset
As planned, the last Roadster rolled off the production line at Tesla Motors this month. The Silicon Valley startup built 2,600 of the all-electric two-seaters, installing a lithium-ion battery pack and electric motor into a glider manufactured by Lotus. As reported by Autoblog, Tesla tricked out the last few units as a Final Edition – bright… Read more »
A123 addresses problems with some Fisker batteries
Battery maker A123 announced in a memo Friday that some of the battery packs it has supplied to Fisker Automotive have safety issues that need to be corrected.
Kia introduces Korea’s first production EV
In what the company claims is a global first, the EV can be built on the same production line as the gas model.
Renault delivers first Kangoo electric van in the UK
The innovative light delivery van is now on sale at 20 UK dealerships. Renault plans to launch three more new EV models in the UK in 2012.
Daimler delays launch of 2012 Smart ForTwo EV
The affordable two-seater will go on sale in 30 markets around the world in September 2012, instead of June as the company had planned.