January has always been a slow month for EV sales, and this month didn’t fail to disappoint. Monthly sales of 5,924 barely bested last January’s figure. A new generation of vastly-improved plug-ins is in sight, so a lot of buyers may be opting to wait a bit, and those rock-bottom gas prices probably aren’t helping…. Read more »
Search Results Found For: "BMW"
Toyota exec sneers at Tesla for having electric eggs in one basket
Despite the best efforts of EV journalists to keep the peace, the battery and hydrogen teams are squaring off for a smackdown. In one corner, Tesla’s Elon Musk, who continues to deride the efficiency and practicality drawbacks of what he calls “fool cells.” In the other corner, Toyota, whose Lexus subsidiary runs ads ridiculing battery-electric… Read more »
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV US launch delayed again
Mitsubishi’s Outlander Plug-In Hybrid has sold well since going on sale in Europe and Japan two years ago, and there’s reason to believe that it could be a huge hit here as well. However, US buyers will have to wait for a plug-in crossover – the US launch has been delayed once again. Mitsubishi recently… Read more »
NRG eVgo charging network experiencing rapid growth, has big expansion plans
Noting that its customer base increased 20-fold in the last year, NRG eVgo, a subsidiary of NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) has announced plans to expand its network of DC fast chargers from 10 national markets to more than 25 over the next two years. eVgo has agreements with Nissan and BMW to provide EV buyers… Read more »
2015 VW e-Golf ushers in an era of interchangeable drivetrains for every Volkswagen model
Rising above the waters of the Mittelland Canal in Wolfsburg, Germany, four iconic smokestacks cut through an otherwise sparse skyline. These are the most recognizable – and among the last – vestiges of the original Volkswagen factory from 1938. Symbolically, however, the smokestacks represent much more than the symbols of a power plant that –… Read more »
Chevrolet Bolt EV: 200-mile range for $30,000
The EV world has been looking forward to the launch of the next-generation Volt at next week’s Detroit auto show, but the latest news promises to make the Volt a sideshow. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and Detroit News, GM plans to launch a new EV called the Chevrolet Bolt, with… Read more »
2014 plug-in sales post 23% gain over 2013 as Tesla takes the lead and Mercedes and VW enter the race
2014 was another year of steady growth for EV sales. Some 12,874 plug-ins were sold in the US in December, a healthy gain compared to December 2013. For the full year, sales are up 23%. The Tesla Model S passed the LEAF and Volt to slide into the lead (doubtless thanks to the new P85D’s… Read more »
Hyundai to release EV in 2016
Hyundai will release an electric sedan in 2016, to be followed later by a sports car and an SUV, company officials told the Korea Times this week. This seems to represent a change in strategy from 2012, when Hyundai Motor Group announced that its Kia division would focus on pure EVs, while Hyundai would develop… Read more »
German automakers (still) planning to challenge Tesla
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 »
Are multispeed transmissions the future of EVs?
One of the many ways in which current EVs differ from legacy vehicles is that they don’t shift gears. While modern ICE vehicles sport 8- and 9-speed automatics, 7-speed manuals and continuously variable transmissions, which help to improve fuel efficiency, most EVs get by with a simple single-speed gearbox. Conventional wisdom is that, because electric… Read more »