Video: Company Says They Have Solution to Keeping EVs "Noiseless" While Alerting Pedestrians

By Nick Chambers ·
September 02, 2010

The topic of adding noises to very quiet electric cars to make them safer for at-risk populations—including the elderly, the blind, and children—is one that seems to elicit very strong responses. But what if there was a solution that everybody could agree to that would deal with each concern from every group? Today, a little known company in Denmark, ECTunes, announced that it has set out to accomplish just that.

Keep reading · 7 comments

The Chevy Volt's technology has leapfrogged standard hybrids (like the Toyota Prius). The small, five-door hatchback operates entirely as an electric car for its first 40 miles after a full charge.

Visit site · 96 discussions · 35 photos · 9 fans

Nissan is saying its new electric car -- The Nissan Leaf -- will be the "world's first affordable, zero-emission car." And with a net price of about $25,000, the company is coming through on its promise.

Visit site · 80 discussions · 80 photos · 12 fans

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (pronounced eye-meev) is one of the front-runners in the race for a mass-market EV. It's small—think of it as an all-electric four-door Smart car.

Visit site · 27 discussions · 48 photos · 6 fans

California Volt Owners Will Have to Wait for HOV Access

By Zach McDonald ·
September 03, 2010

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed into law legislation that will effectively grant HOV lane access to the Nissan LEAF one year before the Chevy Volt.

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By Nick Chambers ·
September 02, 2010

Ford Focus Electric Will Get Liquid-Cooled Battery System to "Maximize Range"

Ford's first mass-market, consumer-oriented battery electric vehicle offering, the Focus Electric, won't be reaching consumer hands until the end of 2011. After letting us know that the car would use lithium-ion battery cells supplied by LG Chem subsidiary, Compact Power, Ford today said that the Focus' battery pack would rely on active liquid cooling to achieve greater range and long-term reliability over a wide variety of climates.

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Report: Global Sales of Plug-in Cars to Top 3.2 Million by 2015

By Zach McDonald ·
September 01, 2010

According to a new study by Pike Research, global sales of plug-in cars will total 3.2 million between 2010 and 2015, with a 106 percent compound annual growth rate over that period. Pike also says that China will soon take the lead in electric vehicle adoption, making up 27 percent of the global market by 2015, with the United States following closely behind with 26 percent of worldwide sales.

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By Nick Chambers ·
September 01, 2010

Refuting The BBC's Claims That EVs Are Costlier Than Gas Cars In The Long Run

As many of you are likely aware, earlier this week the BBC came out with a report that strongly suggested electric cars would be more expensive to operate than gas cars in the long run, mostly because they would depreciate (lose their resale value) much more quickly than gas cars. That article generated a lot of debate on the internet, but it seemed like such a strange report due to the fact that it's anybody's guess what kind of resale value EVs will have.

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By Zach McDonald ·
September 01, 2010

Senate Will Revisit Energy Bill During 'Lame Duck' Session, But is EV Funding Dead in the Water?

One month after putting the energy bill onto the back burner due to a lack of bipartisan support, Senate majority leader Harry Reid has told reporters that the bill will be revived after the November elections, during the so-called “lame duck” session.

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By Nick Chambers ·
September 01, 2010

Battery Prices May Drop 19 to 25 Percent in 2010, Fueled By Korean-Japanese Price War

While many of us wait for the competition between plug-in car makers to heat up with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt later this year, the battle to be the king of the lithium-ion battery market is already in full swing. With an expected oversupply of batteries, most major battery makers are planning steep price cuts in 2010.

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Is GM Preparing to Throw Fuel on the Range Anxiety Fire?

By Zach McDonald ·
September 01, 2010

It looks like General Motors might once again be trying to kill the electric car—or at least any electric car that doesn't have a range extender like the Volt. Jalopnik reports that the carmaker is seeking to trademark the phrase "range anxiety" for the purpose of marketing its plug-in (which as we all know by now, runs on gas after its 40 miles of battery range are depleted.)

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Proterra All-Electric Bus to Debut in Los Angeles

By Zach McDonald ·
August 31, 2010

Proterra's EcoRide BE35 battery-powered buses are one of the cooler new fleet electrics on the horizon. The buses can operate on standard routes for up to three hours—a range of 30-40 miles—and after that, require just ten minutes of charging to get back on the road. That's thanks to Proterra's new inductive charging system, which allows for the battery pack to replenish itself from 10 to 95 percent capacity within minutes, simply by parking the bus underneath a charger.

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Nissan LEAF Ordering Starts Today, "Minor Hiccups" Overcome

By Nick Chambers ·
August 31, 2010

A small group of LEAF reservation holders in the five initial launch markets of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Tennessee are finally able to request a quote from a local Nissan dealer and get their place in line. Yet, for all of the planning Nissan did, it seems that this first day saw some small hitches that were resolved quickly.

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By Felix Kramer ·
August 31, 2010

Respond to Draft EPA Stickers for New Plug-In Cars!

In advertisements, fuel economy numbers are the ones that count. In auto showrooms, the window stickers explain these numbers. These stickers are absolutely critical to the prospects for plug-in cars in the marketplace, and have been a long time coming. We've had five years of excitement about the100+ MPG cars we could someday drive. Now, they're about to arrive! So the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation want to get this right. To help you, we created this online report, providing links to the proposed stickers and to some of the first media stories, followed by our initial specific technical analysis.

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Meet Our Contributors

Chelsea Sexton
· Chelsea Sexton ·

Chelsea Sexton is a veteran clean transportation and energy ...

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Brad Berman
· Brad Berman ·

Bradley Berman is the editor of PluginCars.com and ...

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John Gartner
· John Gartner ·

John Gartner is Senior Analyst at PIke Research and ...

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Nick Chambers
· Nick Chambers ·

Nick is a tireless and passionate alternative car ...

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Zach McDonald
· Zach McDonald ·

Zach McDonald is a writer from New York City. He has been ...

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ex-EV1 driver
· ex-EV1 driver ·

ex-EV1 driver is an Electrical Engineer. He has a ...

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darelldd
· darelldd ·

Darell is a bicycle-riding, EV-driving, LED-lighting fool. ...

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Tom Moloughney
· Tom Moloughney ·

Tom is in his 2nd year of BMW's MINI-E trial lease program. ...

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All Discussions

Nissan LEAF Ordering Starts Today, "Minor Hiccups" Overcome

Blog Post · 15 comments

Nick Chambers says:
A small group of LEAF reservation holders in the five initial launch markets of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona...

Leaf: You must be kidding

Discussion · 32 comments

Itmustbeso says:
If you purchase a $25k+ Electric Vechicle like a LEAF that would Not get you from lets San...

Video: Company Says They Have Solution to Keeping EVs "Noiseless" While Alerting Pedestrians

Blog Post · 7 comments

Nick Chambers says:
The topic of adding noises to very quiet electric cars to make them safer for at-risk populations—including the elderly...

Coda Grasps At Straws to Differentiate Its Electric Sedan

Blog Post · 24 comments

Brad Berman says:
Coda Automotive, the small underdog electric car start-up, is promising to deliver its first vehicles in December. As...

GM Fervently Denies Sub-30 MPG Fuel Economy Claim for Chevy Volt

Blog Post · 99 comments

Nick Chambers says:
Yesterday the internet was abuzz with the rumors that the Volt would get less than 30 miles per gallon after the...

California Volt Owners Will Have to Wait for HOV Access

Blog Post · 0 comments

Zach McDonald says:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed into law legislation that will effectively grant HOV lane access to the...

Tesla Disputes the Importance of ZEV Credit Income

Blog Post · 6 comments

Zach McDonald says:
Tesla Motors has always shown a certain proclivity for engaging its critics. Yesterday, the electric carmaker fired...

Refuting The BBC's Claims That EVs Are Costlier Than Gas Cars In The Long Run

Blog Post · 9 comments

Nick Chambers says:
As many of you are likely aware, earlier this week the BBC came out with a report that strongly suggested electric cars...

Toyota and Tesla Finishing Work on Two EV Prototypes

Blog Post · 2 comments

Zach McDonald says:
Tesla and Toyota will finish work on two electric SUV prototypes by the end of this month. Fully-electric Toyota RAV-4...

With Little Industry Experience and a Narcissistic CEO, Analyst Thinks Tesla is Doomed to Fail

Blog Post · 19 comments

Nick Chambers says:
In a rather scathing critique of Tesla's potential for future success, Eric Jackson, founder and president of Ironfire...