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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Renault previews new EV motor
Renault has previewed a new EV motor that it says will enter production in 2015. The synchronous electric motor offers 65 kW of power and 220 Nm (162 lb-ft) of peak torque, and features an integrated Chameleon charger. Renault designed the new motor with integration, miniaturization and simplification in mind. It uses smaller and fully… Read more »
Tesla Model X to be the first EV with towing capability
When Tesla’s category-killing electric SUV finally goes on sale, it will be available with an optional trailer hitch, the company revealed this week. A letter to Model X reservation holders posted on the Tesla Motors Club forum (via Green Car Reports) reads, in part: We’ll be spending much of 2015 building and testing production-intent prototypes before delivering… Read more »
Volvo’s new plug-in hybrid SUV
The XC90 T8 is the first Volvo designed from the ground up for plug-in compatibility, according to the company. Built on the Scalable Product Architecture platform, the 7-seat SUV features a 4-cylinder Drive-E gas engine with supercharger and turbocharger, an 8-speed automatic gearbox. The high-voltage (270–400 V) lithium-ion battery has a 9.2 kWh capacity, capable of… Read more »
BMW unveils 3 Series PHEV prototype
BMW’s new 3 Series plug-in hybrid prototype combines a four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo gas engine from the new Efficient Dynamics engine family with an electric motor and power electronics based on the eDrive technology used in the i3 and i8. It’s designed to offer performance on a par with the legacy 3 Series six-cylinder model, with… Read more »
2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
After a gradual build-up, Daimler’s automotive brands are now showing their stuff in the EV arenas of three continents. Stateside, the spotlight lands on the new, competitively priced Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), hasn’t been the most visible mover or shaker in electric mobility up to this… Read more »
Tesla D is more revolutionary than you think
Tesla’s mysterious D has been revealed and it is cool. Elon Musk introduced the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version of Model S at a theatrical event at Hawthorne Municipal Airport (where SpaceX is headquartered). Musk didn’t just show a slide of the goodies – a huge robot arm lifted up a Model S chassis and turned it… Read more »
New Report: Aluminum vs steel in battle to meet CAFE standards
Aluminum seems to be in the ascendant these days – Ford will use aluminum for the body of its 2015 F-150 pickup truck, and a recent report from the Aluminum Association predicts that by 2025, three out of four pickups will have all-aluminum bodies. Not so fast, says the industry information service World Steel Dynamics…. Read more »
Can Tesla crack open Japan’s auto market?
Japan has long been at the forefront of the electromobility revolution. It’s the home of the historic Toyota Prius and the world’s best-selling EV, the Nissan LEAF. As an island nation that imports almost all of its oil, Japan has compelling reasons to electrify, and its government has worked hard to do so, providing significant… Read more »
ABB and Greenlots partner with Kia to deploy DC fast chargers for Soul EV Rollout
San Francisco-based Greenlots will partner with Kia Motors and ABB to install DC fast chargers at selected Kia dealerships for the 2015 Kia Soul EV, which is scheduled to go on sale this fall in California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. Kia will roll out Greenlots’ SKY Smart Charging platform to its dealerships… Read more »