AM General, the firm best known for building Hummer H1s in both civilian and military versions, has been selected by a rather different governmental agency to create a prototype with a different kind of civic duty in mind. Postal trucks, those white boxes that deliver you mail, haven't changed in decades. But that's all set to change. DON'T MISS...
Cars that plug in to recharge, whether all-electric or plug-in hybrid, are a very small proportion of total U.S. vehicle sales today. And the same applies to their global sales, which are less than 1 percent of a total worldwide volume now headed toward 90 million vehicles a year. So today, the idea that electric-car sales might one day equal...
After the Volkswagen cheating scandal, automakers place an emphasis on gas, electric and hybrid cars.
Today, we listen to you on the Model 3, the Mirai makes a case for consistency, and a Chrysler that can crash (very well, might we add). All this and more on Green Car Reports. The timing of the first Tesla Model 3 delivery remains a subject of hot contention in the auto industry. We asked our Twitter followers what they thought. More than two...
Sometimes, even good intentions can't cover up poor execution. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched a campaign to promote clean energy in general, and electric cars specifically. The program's name, you may ask? It's entitled, "How to be a clean energy baller." DON'T MISS: How can automakers sell more electric cars? Sierra Club...
It’s not quite the electric vehicle we were expecting from Nikola Motor Company but this rough-and-tumble buggy is actually the American startup’s first product. It’s called the Nikola Zero, and it’s a pure electric UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) whose battery has a reasonably-sized capacity of 72 kilowatt-hours. Nikola of...
Volkswagen have unveiled a 100%-electric version of its Crafter delivery van at the Hannover commercial vehicle show in Germany.
The electrically powered Crafter Concept vehicle demonstrated is near production-ready with a cargo capacity of up to 1.7 tonnes
Powered by a 100 kW / 290 Nm electric motor fed by a 43 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the e-Crafter concept can travel up to 200 km between charges.
The batteries can be charged back up to 80% in 45 minutes using a 40 kW DC charger.
Anticipating future battery developments, the e-Crafter's design will allow a reconfigurable range of up to 400 kilometres as new technology become available.
First vehicles on sale in 2017
The Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car will enter its second model year in the U.S. virtually unchanged, including its pricing. The 2017 Mirai continues to be Toyota's technology halo car, the highest-selling fuel-cell car in the U.S., though it remains limited to certain California regional markets. Its base price remains $58,365, the same as...
The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will be on dealership floors within several weeks, cementing its position as the first affordable 200-mile electric car. It will beat planned 200-mile electric cars from BMW, Nissan, Tesla, Volkswagen, and other makers, and that's all to the good for plug-in car advocates. But the Bolt faces numerous hurdles to success...
Critics of the renewable-energy industry argue that it's unfair that energy sources such as wind and solar often benefit from government subsidies. But the volumes and amounts of subsidies received by the fossil-fuel industry are substantial, as new analysis shows. In December 2013, the U.S. and China announced plans to undertake a reciprocal peer...
The Tesla Model 3, a mass-priced electric car that's not yet on sale, has had a huge impact on the auto industry. The fact that Silicon Valley carmaker Tesla Motors could get more than 350,000 people to put down $1,000 each for a vehicle they wouldn't receive for 18 months or more was astounding enough. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk's goal of boosting...
Less than a fortnight after reports that Apple had laid off a large number of employees from it's Titan Automotive project, the Financial Times reports Apple has been linked with a £1.5bn (AUD$2.5bn) deal to buy McLaren Technology Group, the Formula One team owner and supercar maker, citing three unnamed sources.
Apple has been attempting to develop its own car for a while now with the car team said to boast upwards of 800 members before the recent layoffs took effect, so this would appear to be a huge change of direction.
As far as electric vehicle IP is concerned, McLaren have good form. Not only have they built and raced their own A123 based KERS system in Formula One since 2009, and manufactured the McLaren P1 hybrid hyper car since 2013 but McLaren are also the official powertrain (motor, gearbox & power electronics) supplier for Formula E. On the embedded electronics side they also supply a control ECU to several motorsport championships including Formula One and NASCAR.
So far both companies have denied the story but there are obvious similarities between this potential tie-up between Apple & McLaren and the route Tesla Motors followed to get it's first car into production, working with another Formula One team with a sports car business, Lotus.
The series for electric cars will stop in Red Hook, Brooklyn, for two races next July, officials announced on Wednesday.
The series for electric cars will stop in Red Hook, Brooklyn, for two races next July, officials announced on Wednesday.
Today, Chinese white-hat hackers identify a security vulnerability in Tesla Model S software, how the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car could be connected to Lyft's self-driving car plans, and more details on Ford's electric-vehicle strategy. All this and more on Green Car Reports. Tesla issued a software update this week after Chinese white-hat...
Earlier this year, Ford announced that it would significantly expand its lineup of electrified vehicles—including mild hybrids with advanced start-stop systems, regular hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and perhaps a battery-electric model or two. By the end of 2019, Ford expects powertrains with some kind of electrification to be available in 40...
When the BMW i3 went on sale in the U.S. back in May 2014, it marked not only the debut of the German automaker's first mass-market electric car, but also a new sub-brand. BMW originally planned to group all its electric cars under the "i" sub-brand, which currently includes all-electric and range-extended REx versions of the i3, as well as the...
With a 238-mile range and a $37,500 price before incentives, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV could be a game changer for electric cars. But what if that isn't its only mission? As the first 200-mile electric car offered anywhere in the world at a mass-market price, the Bolt EV could appeal to a broader range of consumers than previous models. DON'T...
Modern cars' increased reliance on software to control vital functions opens up new technological possibilities, but also poses the potential of hacking. That risk now requires automakers to think like tech companies, and keep to updating software to close weak points that could allow hackers to access vehicle systems. Electric-car maker Tesla...
Today, we have the official base price of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car, General Motors aims to take on BYD in the Chinese firm's home market, and Daimler's labor leader weighs in on the effect of electric cars on job numbers within the company. All this and more on Green Car Reports. As promised, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV starts at...
