Search Results Found For: "Renault"

Dutch team sets new 0-100 kph time for an electric car

A team of Dutch students has set a new acceleration record for an EV. In a recent run at Valkenburg Airport, the Delft University of Technology Racing Team achieved 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.13 seconds, according to team manager Tim de Morée. This represents a 20% improvement over the previous record (the new record… Read more »

Formula E race car unveiled in Frankfurt

The variety of electrified vehicles on display in Frankfurt is amazing – from huge luxury sedans to practical little city cars, they’re all plugging in. This one is at the high-speed end of the scale: the Spark-Renault SRT_01E electric race car that will be driven in the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship, the global electric… Read more »

BMW i3: The launch of many firsts

When you’re writing about the dawn of a new industry, “firsts” and “milestones” come along so often that they may start to lose their novelty. However, the BMW i3, which was officially “launched” in July, and is scheduled to go on sale next year, boasts an impressive number of innovations that has the EV press… Read more »

Formula E plans inaugural season, courts big-name teams

Formula E, the electric open-wheel racing series, has announced the calendar for its inaugural season in 2014. There will be ten races on four continents, starting with Rome and followed by London, Berlin, Los Angeles, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Bangkok and Putrajaya, Malaysia. This week, legendary IndyCar team Andretti Autosport joined Drayson Racing and… Read more »

Captain Sunshine buys assets of Better Place

An Israeli court has approved the sale of bankrupt Better Place’s assets to a consortium led by solar energy pioneer Yosef Abramowitz, also known as Captain Sunshine. The group also includes Canadian investment banker Henry Shiner, and the non-profit EV Drivers Association. It will pay 18 million shekels ($4.9 million) for Better Place’s Israeli assets,… Read more »

Better Place saga ends in tragedy

When Better Place was founded in 2007, it was a promising new company, with a visionary leader in Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi, and several good ideas, notably a strategy of concentrating on places that are likely to be early adopters of electrification (Israel, Denmark, Hawaii). Better Place raised around $850 million from investors, and got… Read more »

A new LEAF, localized manufacturing, and a focus on infrastructure

With a longer range and a lower price, the 2013 Nissan LEAF screams upgrade, but it’s only one small aspect of the company’s aggressive EV strategy. Proprietary, localized manufacturing and improved infrastructure also play key roles in Nissan’s plan for world domination electrification. Sometime back in the 60s, Mr or Mrs Ghosn must have put… Read more »

Supercars, hybrids and EVs take the stage in Geneva

At Geneva’s enormous Palexpo convention center, it’s obvious we’re not in Detroit – there’s hardly a pickup truck in sight, and the wine and coffee are flowing freely. Reflecting Europe’s colorful collage of cultures, a vast variety of vehicles from hybrids to EVs to seven-figure super-sports cars are spinning on the turntables.  Europe is just… Read more »

Carlos Ghosn sees little future in battery swapping

The future of the battery swapping concept looks dim, which is bad news for the pioneering firm Better Place. In an interview with Danish news outlet Energi Watch, Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn seemed to say that Renault’s Fluence ZE will probably be the first and last production vehicle to offer battery swapping capability. “When you… Read more »