Back in 2009 Cadillac (GM) exhibited their Converj electric-hybrid concept car, a couple of years later they revealed the updated and renamed ELR electric-hybrid.  At the North American International Auto Show earlier this month GM unveiled the production ELR which will use the drivetrain from the Volt - a 120 kW electric motor coupled to a four-cylinder engine-generator.  According to GM the 16.5 kWh battery should provide around 35 miles electric-only range with a total range of 300 miles including the petrol engine.  Charge time at 240V will be 4.5 hours (charging station) and at 120V a surprisingly long (considering the tiny battery) 12 hours.  Is it just a Volt with make-up?  Seems so, pity. More »

Following hot on the heels of the Panamera Sport Turismo plug-in hybrid Porsche has now confirmed it is developing a plug-in hybrid version of the Cayenne SUV.  While Porsche has for some time offered a hybrid model of the Cayenne this new model will be the first to offer plug-in charging.  According to the story on Motor Trend compared to the existing Cayenne hybrid this new plug-in hybrid will have a larger electric motor providing up to 100 hp and much further battery-only range.  No further details are available at this point and Porsche haven't yet issued any official press information (the photos shown in this story are the current S Hybrid model).

  More »

We first saw a prototype '500 EV' back in December 2010, early last year Sergio Marchionne promised that the Chrysler-Fiat partnership would deliver an electric Fiat 500 this year, and so now Fiat have unveiled the 500e. Powered by an 83 kW / 200 Nm (111 hp / 147 lb-ft) electric motor the 500e reaches 60 mph in 9 seconds (which is the same as the standard ICE car) and lasts over 80 miles on its 24 kWh battery.  Charging (from flat) at 240 V takes four hours and charger support is via a Level 1 & 2 J1772 coupler.  The car is expected to be available in the US in "the second quarter of 2013". Fiat USA have a very nice micro-site built for the car. More »

McLaren has announced it is to supply the electric motors, transmission and drive electronics for the upcoming FIA Formula E Championship.  McLaren Electronic Systems (based in the McLaren HQ) will work with Spark Racing Technology (founded by ex-Lotus GP2 head Fredric Vasseur) who are producing the 42 'electric Formula' cars.  The aim will be to have ten teams compete in the fourteen race FIA Formula E Championship, due to be launched in 2014. More »

Volvo, who are currently testing a several-hundred strong fleet of C30 Electric, has announced it is also testing a a 22 kW fast charger for said car.  This new on-board charger accepts three-phase AC at up to 32A which can provide an 80 km range in half an hour, a full charge taking just an hour-and-a-half (90 minutes).  As Volvo point out in their press release this is some five times faster than a normal 230V AC outlet (which would take eight hours for a standard full charge).  Fast charging is one of the big hurdles (along with public charging) which need to be overcome before EV cars can go mainstream. More »

Twenty-twelve may go down as Tesla's most important year ever.  They revealed their third design, the Model X, slated for release next year, but more importantly they began large-scale (relatively speaking) production of their from-the-ground-up electric sedan, the Model S.  This would be impressive enough for a startup automobile company, but the Model S has received significant critical acclaim, so much so that it has received a plethora of awards.  Here's a short round-up of the more important awards. More »

Tesla is now offering owners of their limited production Roadster two-seater electric sports car a trade-in against the Model S sedan which will be good news for owners and those interested in buying a used Roadster (as no more are being produced).  This means that you should be able to pick up a factory reconditioned Roadster for between $73,000 and $93,000 (US).  For those trading in it's also good news as they're likely to be able to move "up" to the cheaper-thanks-to-volume Model S for a reasonable 'top up' cost.  Although as pointed out by Motor Authority it's not inconceivable that if Tesla do well the "first model" Roadster could one day become a collectors item. More »

In May this year several US and German car manufacturers agreed an extension to the J1772 charging standard providing both AC and DC charging using the same connector, a revised J1772 connector with two large additional DC pins below the existing AC / signal line connector.  This new design has now been ratified as a standard by the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) and may now begin to appear in both vehicles and chargers (likely in 2013).  DC charging provides for up to 500 V with a maximum current of 200 A (up to 100 kW), or around 20 minutes for a full charge. More »

According to a new report published by Pike Research the market for electric powered scooters will increase from its currently level of 12 million vehicles to 103 million by 2018.  The report goes on to state that almost 90% of these will be in China with cumulative sales of over 355 million units.  This is great news for the overall electrification of vehicles but could spell bad news for the enviornment as China's electricity production is primarily coal fired and notably "dirty" compared to plants in other countries.  Lets hope China can step up the generation of clean electrcity for that vast number of electric scooters. More »

Contributing Editor Csaba Csere takes an in-depth and technical look into the 2013 Tesla Model S on the latest episode of Car and Driver: Tested.  Overall he comes away very impressed, with the technology, styling, practicality and also the performance and handling.  This is probably one of the most comprehensive and clear reviews of Tesla's electric sedan. More »

Just over a year ago Ecotricity announced its UK nationwide fast charging network, since then it has rolled out a total of ten charging locations at motorway service stations (highway rest stops) around the UK.  Today it's beginning the roll-out of DC fast chargers, initally in three locations; South Mimms (M25/A1), Oxford (M40) and Hopwood Park (M42).  These DC fast chargers can deliver 70A at 440V meaning a full charge will take just 30 minutes and a 'top-up' from 20-30% to 100% takes just 10 - 15 minutes.  All you need to use the charger is a free swipe card from the Ecotricity website, the use of the chargers is completely free. More »

Twelve months after Mercedes-Benz revealed the Concept B-Class E-CELL Plus they've brought an 'electric blue' version of what appears to be a mildly updated version.  In summary: 100 kW electric motor, a small capacity petrol engine (in this case 1 litre, 3-cylinder turbo-charged), 0 - 100 kph in under 10 seconds, top speed 150 kph and a 200 km range.  It's a pity that a year later Mercedes have nothing much more to say about this vehicle or even perhaps a fully electric version, there's still no news on price or availability and it's still being called a "Concept". More »

Almost two years since the 'SLS AMG E-Cell' was first driven Mercedes-Benz has brought a 'production ready' SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive (the final name, we'll just call it the electric SLS) to the Paris Motor Show, in a rather striking chromed 'electric blue'.  Back in 2010 the electric SLS had 392 kW (528 hp), the final version shown today, powered by four individual electric motors delivers 552 kW (740 hp) with a tire shredding 1000 Nm (737 lbft) of torque.  This results in a 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) time of 3.9 seconds.  Thanks to a 864-cell, 60 kWh battery pack the electric SLS can travel 250 km on a single charge (a full recharge using a fast wall charger is 3 hours).  As if the SLS AMG weren't exclusive enough the new electric SLS costs around twice the price of its combustion engined sibling; 416,500 euros ($536,000 US) and will be available next year. More »

BMW aren't going to let Porsche take all the plug-in hybrid limelight, they've got their own, probably more affordable, concept to tempt you.  The new Concept Active Tourer looks like a slightly larger (slightly uglier) 1-series, it's front-wheel-drive with power coming from an electric motor and 1.5 litre three cylinder turbo-charged engine.  BMW aren't currently specifying the power split but say that there's a total of 190 bhp (140 kW) available and that the car will accelerate to 100 kph in 8 seconds (not shabby), battery only range will be the 'all too familiar' 30 km.  The Active Tourer also features some nifty 'ECO PRO' features including two-level coasting mode which can completely deactivate the petrol engine up to 125 kph and even the drivetrain up to 160 kph allowing for "full use of the kinetic energy already generated".  Average consumption is said to be "less than 2.5 litres per 100 km" (about 100 mpg). More »

At the Paris Motor Show Porsche today revealed the concept Panamera Sport Turismo.  Other than being (arguably) better looking than the previous model the new shooting-brake style Sport Turismo will also be the first Porsche to provide plug-in charging.  Porsche have for some time offered a 'S Hybrid' version of both the Panamera and Cayenne but neither of these have allowed plug-in charging.  Because it's a Porsche the Panamera Sport Turismo will be no slouch thanks to combined power form the 95 hp electric motor and a 333 hp V6 engine, the sprint to 100 kph should take less than 6 seconds.  Top speed will be 130 kph in electric-only mode and the batteries should provide a range of just over 30 km.  The Panamera Sport Turismo also appears to feature a considerable upgrade in driver user interface with touch screen panels and electronic displays replacing many physical buttons and controls in the previous model.  No word yet on when this will become a final product (although Porsche have a good track record of final products being very similar to their concepts). More »

Porsche's futuristic 918 Spyder hybrid supercar, kitted out with its two electric motors and 4.6L V8 engine (delivering a total of over 790 hp) has achieved a truly impressive lap time of 7 minutes 14 seconds on the notorious Nürburgring-Nordschleife (for reference that's faster than Porsche's own 911 GT2 RS and Carrera GT).  According to Porsche this lap time was completed in just one lap from a standing start with production (non-racing) tyres.  Want one?  You'll need a cool $845,000 and some patience, customer deliveries won't begin until 2014. More »

In a new US SEC filing Tesla has revealed that it is way behind in its goal of producing 400 Model S vehicles per week.  In fact so far only 255 have been produced, 132 of which have made their way into owners garages.  This has lead to Tesla slashing their full-year revenue outlook to between $400 million and $440 million instead of the prior $560 million to $600 million.  Tesla is now carrying a total net loss of $864.9 million, up $105.6 million in Q2.  Tesla claims to be ramping production from current levels to between 2,500 and 3,000 in the fourth quarter of this year (an unbelievable 800 - 1,000 vehicles per week).  At this rate Tesla expect to be around 4 to 5 weeks behind their previously announced production goals (1,600 - 2,000 vehicles).  In order to maintain cash flow Tesla will be selling 5 million shares, according to reports Elon Musk (Tesla CEO) will be purchasing $1M worth.  Hopefully Tesla can overcome its production issues as there's no lack of demand, they currently have 13,000 Model S reservations (up from approximately 11,500 at June 30, 2012). More »

Live in California?  Got a Tesla Model S?  Well from today you can recharge for free at any one of the first six Tesla Supercharger locations.  But that's just the beginning, Tesla are ambitiously aiming to cover the entire USA (100 stations) and expand to Europe and Asia "in the second half of 2013".  The solar powered Supercharger stations (carport style) are capable of charging at a much higher rate  (90 kW) than even a high power wall connector providing a not-too-shabby 150 mile range in just 30 minutes.  The Supercharger network is powered by another of Elon Musk's (CEO of Tesla) businesses - SolarCity. More »