The five-week shutdown of the Volt production line is a good thing for plug-in vehicles because it will help align production with demand and keep GM's revenue on the vehicles higher and fund ongoing vehicle development.

Tesla faces challenges as it transitions from the exclusive Roadster to the wider-appeal Model S sedan (with maybe 320 miles of range). But Musk says building drivetrains for other companies will carry it through.

When comparing a plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) to the venerable gasoline car, most of the talk surrounds the “well to wheels” comparison, which gauges the environmental impact of the vehicle and its fuel usage. But what of the differences in job creation, or the “wheels to workers” value of shifting the fuel from largely imported fossil fuel to nearly entirely domestically supplied electricity?

This time last year, there was a lot of anticipation about the electric car market, particularly given the imminent release of two bellwether products--the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt. In the intervening year, a lot has happened in the economy in general, and the automotive and electric vehicle market in particular. Volatility in this nascent market should not be surprising. Short-term hiccups, particularly given the factors listed above, do not mean the market segment will fail.

General Motors announced today it will jointly develop an electric vehicle for the China market with its Chinese partner, SAIC. The EV will be developed at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) , a 50/50 research and engineering venture in Shanghai between GM and SAIC.
Wait a minute! What about all those recent stories blasting China for requiring GM to share the Volt’s technology in order to qualify for the purchase subsidies the Chinese government offers for electric cars?

One of the common criticisms of plug-in cars is that they are too expensive. Critics repeatedly argue that the return-on-investment of an electric car will never be repaid during the ownership period. I believe this argument misses the mark on multiple levels. PluginCars.com is pleased to host a live chat about EV economics with Kiplinger's Jessica Anderson and Tony Posawatz, Chevrolet Volt vehicle line director. Join us on Friday, Sept. 16 at 2:30 PM EST.

Although Sweden's Saab faces bankruptcy, and Norway's Think just barely escaped it, the Nordic regions are ripe for electric cars, and they're starting to roll out. As proof of momentum, Volvo announced a new strategic alliance with Siemens.

Nobody has a crystal ball clear enough to see how big the electric car market will be five years from now. But Pike Research, the Colorado-based clean tech analyst firm, has as much of a grasp on the EV market as anybody. I’ve come to see the firm’s forecasts as fair and reasonable—based on best currently available knowledge, rather than personal or political biases either for or against electric cars. In its latest forecast for electrified vehicles released this week, Pike’s Dave Hurst says that the United States will fall short of President Obama’s widely publicized goal of having 1 million plug-in vehicles on American roads by 2015. But just by one year.

The Converj show car was a big hit at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, but as a production vehicle it will have to get a lot more practical--and face competition from the Fisker Karma and the Tesla Model S.

A closer look at Toyota's limited ambitions for the new RAV4 EV reveal a remarkable similarity to its aims for the first-generation version of the crossover—namely, satisfying the California Air Resources Board's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate. “Toyota is serious about its electric vehicle program,” said Jay Friedland, legislative director of Plug In America, to PluginCars.com. “But at this point, its electric vehicle program is seriously limited.”