Opel plans to start selling an all-electric compact car no later than by 2017 as the automaker is striving to meet EU emission targets, Automobilwoche reported on Sunday.
The new model, dubbed internally as battery electric vehicle (BEV), will be much smaller and cheaper than the 38,300-euro ($52,400) Ampera electric car, the magazine said without citing the source of the information.
The GM division last September announced a price cut for the Ampera of almost 8,000 euros in Europe's biggest car market for the model which can travel between 40-80 kilometers electrically and a further 500 km with a combustion engine range extender.
Opel did not return calls seeking comment.
Opel's new electric model would be launched as part of a small-car offensive that in 2015 may also bring to the market the "City" vehicle, due to cost less than 10,000 euros and rival Volkswagen's Up subcompact, Automobilwoche said.
Clarkson drives the Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series and the Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive.
Verdict: "The SLS EV is possibly the most brilliantly revolutionary thing that the already-bonkers lot at AMG have ever created: a fully electric AWD supercar".
What could be a distance record unmatched by any pure electric bus has been recorded with minimum fanfare by a BYD ebus on trial with Copenhagen Denmark bus operator City-Trafik.
The 12 metre BYD ebus completed its normal service on Route 12 a week ago, a total distance of 110km (or 68.4 miles) carrying an average of 40 passengers. Then the bus set off along the Ballerup highway – a standard motorway – and further covered a distance of 215km (or 133.6 miles) ending the day with 8% of battery charge remaining, clocking up a total of 325km (202 miles) on a single charge.
This result exceeds the previous best performance of a BYD ebus during the company's Europe-wide trial programmes. Last year an ebus achieved 310 km using only 69% of total charge between the Polish cities of Warsaw and Krackow.
A second trial of an ebus in Copenhagen with the city's other operator Arriva produced a no less impressive result. The bus completed an arduous full day of city operation – 150km (or 93 miles) from 06:00 to 16:50, operating fully loaded and with the electric heating system in constant use. The bus was then taken on a 90km (or 56 miles) motorway run and again ended up with a 8% charge remaining, covering a total distance of 240 km (149miles) on a single charge.
The two ebuses have been in service in Copenhagen since the beginning of January, in the hands of Movia's two service providers City-Trafik and Arriva. The bus, specially equipped to handle the rigors of the Scandinavian winter, has performed well. Operating costs have been low – electricity in Denmark costs 2DKK (€0.27) per kWh at normal prices. This compares with diesel at 9.79DKK (€1.3) per litre.
Former F1 driver Jarno Trulli test drives the new Formula E car in France.
The Italian drove the fully-electric single-seater featuring the full 200kw (270bhp) race-mode battery in mid-March 2014.
During the last week in March, 597 Tesla Model S were registered in Norway, giving it a market share of 12.9 percent. Number two on the list was the Volkswagen Golf with 169 vehicles.
For the entire month of March there were 1493 Model S registered which is an all time high for any car model in Norway in a single month, beating a previous record 1454 Ford Sierra in May 1986.
So far this year 2056 Tesla Model S were registered, surpassing the 1983 sold all of last year.
To put this figure into perspective, the Model S has out sold Ford's entire model range (1825) so far this year.
Tesla has a market share of 5.6 percent in 2014 and 10.8 percent in March. The U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer is the nation's sixth most registered mark in 2014!
A floating, no-emissions car sounds cool, but how would it actually fare in a large-scale disaster?
New hybrid engine technology reduces the familiar roar at Grand Prix races, but among both insiders and fans, not everyone thinks the silence is golden.
The French engine manufacturer has had a troubled transition to hybrids, but few in Formula One are underestimating the company’s ability to rebound.
There’s no reason to believe that independent dealerships would be better able to sell or service Tesla cars than the maker itself.
Honda and other automakers are using car batteries to store solar electricity to use not just in cars, but in homes, too.
It can split lanes and filter through traffic, skipping right past jams.
Porsche CEO Matthias Müller has confirmed the company is considering an electric vehicle.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Müller said "Yes, of course we think about it." The executive went on to say he isn't a fan of range-extended electric vehicles but he's open to pure electric models.
He believes the range needs to be at least 300 km (187 miles) to be practical with 400 km (250 miles) being the preferred option.
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
Brammo's Brian Wismann dissect the high-tech inner workings of the award winning Brammo Empulse electric motorcycle!
From Battery cells to electronic controllers to a powerful electric motor. Check out this unique technical overview using a "cut-away" of the 2013 Empulse as seen at CES!
Better late than never - recorded summer of 2013, the Drayson B12 sets out to break the electric car land speed record.
Toyota are testing their Yaris WRC car this week. The Toyota Yaris WRC prototype, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine (as dictated by world rallying’s rules), built at Toyota Motorsport in Cologne, Germany will begin testing in Tuscany.
It is thought that the test car is based on a Yaris chassis but the final WRC car will be based around a new model which has yet to be launched.
Toyota wants to use hybrid technology in the World Rally Championship if it returns to the series and although the Japanese car giant has expressed an interest in returning to the WRC – in which it won four drivers’ titles and three constructors’ crowns with the Celica GT-Four and the Corolla WRC during the 1990s – it has so far stopped short of committing to a competitive return.
New Jersey is the latest state to bar Tesla’s stores for its electric vehicles under laws that favor independent dealerships.
Cars.com review the recently launched VW e-Golf.
The Volkswagen e-Golf, the electric version of the extremely popular VW Golf, has now hit the UK market. After the government’s £5000 Plug-In Car Grant (PICG), the price comes to £25,845. That’s still a bit higher than the Nissan Leaf, which sells for £20,990, but may not be too far off for those who prefer VW and the e-Golf.
The California company Simbol Materials is building a plant that will use a novel extraction process, in the hopes that it can provide the lithium needed for the batteries in Tesla’s cars.
This week we focus on the future, when the world is flooded, when fossil fuels are defunct and when robots do the heavy-lifting.
Grant Thomas provides a 30 minute review of the BEV version of a right hand drive, UK delivered, BMW i3.
At approx 17:28 there is a demonstration of the i3's autonomous Active Cruise Control feature which doubles as a stop & go traffic jam assist and collision avoidance brake system.
