Category: Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)

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2018 BMW i3 preview (including battery rumors)

Section of 2018 BMW i3 spy shot [image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien, as used on Motor Authority]This year's updated BMW i3 electric car is only just arriving at U.S. dealerships after a battery-capacity boost that gives it longer range. But already some details of the 2018 BMW i3 have leaked out, in the form of spy photos and further rumors about more battery capacity yet. Unlike our usual previews based on manufacturer releases, then...
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Which type of car will go all-electric the fastest? Poll results

Chevrolet Spark EV at CCS fast charging station in San Diego.One reason cited for the slow, if growing, penetration of plug-in electric cars in the U.S. is that they're not available in all segments and body styles. With the exception of the pricey Tesla Model X and the discontinued Toyota RAV4 EV, for example, there are no battery-electric SUVs or crossovers with all-wheel drive on the market. To date...
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2015 Nissan Leaf: one year later, owner offers pros and cons

2015 Nissan Leaf in front of Prudential and Hancock Towers, Boston [photo: John Briggs]Sometimes being a revolutionary requires a lot of personal sacrifice, and sometimes it doesn’t. After one year of driving of a 2015 Nissan Leaf electric car, I was surprised to find that daily driving with a gasoline car requires more sacrifice than with my electric. Like most people, before buying the Leaf, I had concerns about owning an...
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Volkswagen e-Golf to end when ID electric hatchback launches?

Volkswagen I.D. electric car conceptThe Volkswagen e-Golf will arrive in dealerships this spring with a higher-capacity battery pack that gives the electric car an EPA-rated 124 miles of range. The number equals the rating of the 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, and is the highest range offered by any electric car that's not a Chevy Bolt EV or a Tesla. Whether this boosts the allure of the...
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GM’s Maven car-sharing adds Chevy Bolt EV electric cars (in LA)

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car in Maven car-sharing fleet, Los Angeles [photo: Dan MacMedan foWith the 238-mile Chevy Bolt EV electric car now in its third month of sales and rolling out to additional states every month, the industry is focused on its sales numbers. Retail buyers have asked to what degree GM's plans to dedicate a number of the early Bolt EVs to its Maven car-sharing service might affect availability. If yesterday's...
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All-electric Kia Niro EV to come in 2018, says Kia exec

2017 Kia Niro, San Antonio, Texas, Dec 2016South Korean carmakers Hyundai and Kia often share the underpinnings of their vehicles, though there's no "badge engineering" and the two brands compete in the marketplace. The recent Kia Niro hybrid wagon and the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid hatchback, for instance, share the same powertrain, platform, and other hidden components. But while the 2017...
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Smart to be all-electric in U.S. and Canada; gasoline goes away this fall

2017 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive - first drive, Miami, Nov 2016 [photo: Jeff Jablansky]When the tiny Smart ForTwo launched in the U.S. a decade ago, it got a huge boost in sales from both novelty and soaring gas prices. While its EPA ratings never approached those of the larger Toyota Prius hybrid, the little two-seater found buyers who liked its cheeky character and the ease of parking a car less than 9 feet long. Its first-year...
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2018 Nissan Leaf spy shots: our question on electric car update

Section of 2018 Nissan Leaf spy shot [image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien, as used on Motor Authority]It's the long-missing member of the trio, the last of three affordable electric cars with 200-plus miles of range expected to go into production this year. But until now, we've heard almost nothing about the 2018 Nissan Leaf. All we knew was that the second generation of the world's highest-volume electric car would have more mainstream styling...