Elon Musk hopes Tesla’s success will inspire other automakers to get serious about EVs. The latest buzz in the automotive press is that he may get his wish, as German luxury brands are rumored to be working on their own EVs to compete with the boys from Silicon Valley. Automobile magazine reported earlier this month… Read more »
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Do luxury models make more sense as EVs than small cars?
Contrary to popular belief, the small, practical city car is not necessarily the best candidate for electrification. Battery costs will keep EVs more expensive than legacy vehicles for some time to come, and many drivers won’t recoup the higher purchase price in fuel savings in a reasonable number of years. In a new article, John… Read more »
Automakers say they plan to go head-to-head with Tesla
Lately it seems that almost every EV-related headline has to include a reference to Tesla, however tenuous. However, there may be some substance to this week’s news, as four major automakers have at least hinted at plans to directly challenge Tesla with new high-end EV models. In a recent conference call with Wall Street analysts,… Read more »
Audi powers ahead with PHEVs, poo-poos pure EVs
Audi plans to have a plug-in hybrid version of each of its “key models” by 2020, reiterated Board Member for Technical Development Ulrich Hackenberg. Speaking at the launch of the A3 Sportback e-tron, Hackenberg said Audi had decided to prioritize plug-in hybrids because “they meet all of our customers’ expectations.” He said that Audi is developing… Read more »
Tesla’s mass-market EV will have new platform, less aluminum
Tesla’s planned mass-market EV, which represents the culmination of Elon Musk’s grand plan to bring electric vehicles into the mainstream, is still shrouded in mystery. We’ve been told that it will be about 20 percent smaller than the Model S, that it will be priced around $35,000, that it is expected to go on sale… Read more »
Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes into production
The first Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive has rolled off the assembly line in Rastatt, Germany, and is scheduled to go on sale in the US this summer. With an MSRP expected to be in the low 40s, the electric Benz may prove a worthy competitor to the BMW i3, and could really shake up the… Read more »
Prototype Mazda EV features rotary range-extending engine
Mazda doesn’t often make the EV news, but the Japanese brand does have an electric program – it has leased some 100 units of the Demio EV (the Demio is known outside of Japan as the Mazda 2), which has a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery and a 200 km range, to local government bodies and… Read more »
Porsche to offer hybrid option on all future models
All future Porsche models will be available in hybrid versions, Daniel Semmer said at the company’s Panamera Hybrid Technology Workshop. The British magazine Autocar reported that the move is part of a new strategy to reduce fuel consumption at everyday speeds. Porsche has designed a new hybrid module, which combines an electric motor and clutches… Read more »
Infiniti discusses plans for plug-in hybrid sports car
Infiniti brand boss Andy Palmer told Autocar that the new model will be “like the Tesla sports car option, but with more flexibility in terms of range.”
Kia to launch electric Soul in 2014
Kia has released no details, but the British magazine Autocar reported that test versions of the new model have been spotted near the company’s research facility in Germany.