Tesla Calls Town Hall Meetings to Calm Angry Buyers
January 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It seems that even an email from CEO Elon Musk has had little calming effect on the anger felt by locked-in Tesla Roadster buyers at being told they will have to pay more for their cars. The company is turning to a previously-successful approach and has announced a set of town hall meetings to quell buyer fury.
Scheduled for the 26th and 27th at the Los Angeles and Menlo, CA stores respectively and hosted by Elon and other staff, the events can be attended in person or by phone. Read more
Henrik Fisker discusses his new plug-in hybrid Karma
January 18, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
After the unveiling of the production version of the Fisker Karma and the Karma Sunset concept at the Detroit Auto Show, Henrik Fisker talked about the company he has founded.
He talked about some of the technical details and we now know that the battery supplier will be Advanced Lithium Power. Fisker has exclusive access to batteries from ALP after recently taking an equity stake in the company. Video after the jump. Read more
Dodge Circuit EV on the Stand: Detroit 2009
January 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Technical details and press pics of the new Dodge Circuit are in an earlier post, but now we’ve had a chance to see the car in the flesh.
Whereas Tesla took the Lotus Elise and mad it fugly, the Circuit EV does actually look a lot better than the Lotus Europa which it’s based on. And the only thing that Dodge added to the exterior is the crosshair grille and the Tangoreen color (WTF?). Take note Lotus designers.
The all-electric guts - with A123 battery pack and 200 kW motor - are cool, and if Chrysler wasn’t in so much financial trouble, we’d be optimistic about driving on of these. Sure it may be a quick’n'easy way to get to an electric sportscar, but we’re happy that electric drive is the way that companies are chosing to go.
Another pic of the live reveal and video of the Circuit being driven around after the jump. Read more
Gorgeous Electric Car Unveiled by Cadillac at Detroit Show
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Voltec-equipped, extended range electric Cadillac Converj Concept has been unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Based on the Chevy Volt’s “Voltec” drivetrain, which used to be called E-Flex, the coupe is drop-dead gorgeous. Bob Lutz told the press conference that the car was designed to be aesthetically pleasing on its own, while being instantly recognizable as Cadillac. Lutz referred to the Converj as the “Cadillac of Electric Vehicles” well yes, and it could well bring Cadillac to the top of the luxury electric car heap. Read more
Chrysler Unveils Beautiful Electric Car Concept 200C EV
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The 200C EV is a plug-in hybrid sedan that uses ENVI’s Range-extended Electric Vehicle technology, and is a rolling test bed for Chrysler’s future uconnect in-car computer and communication device. It also connects directly to an iPhone, allowing you to pre-program the temperature, lock the doors, view an in-car camera remotely and track the car’s location live via GPS – all straight from the iPhone.
It uses Chrysler’s ENVI’s Range-extended Electric Vehicle technology. It has a 40-mile all-electric range, a 400-mile range with a full charge of the lithium-ion battery and a full tank, and a top speed of over 120 miles-per-hour. Read more
New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Uses Up To 23 Percent Less Fuel
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is making a preview appearance in Detroit before being officially unveiled in Geneva in March. The new E-class gets “up to 23 percent lower fuel consumption.” according to the press release from MB.
Design wise it has a squared-off, sculpted profile. Which looks quite aggressive, if a bit fiddly from the front, elegant from the sides and, like a Toyota Avalon from the rear. Read more
Toyota Unveils Electric Car Concept FT-EV at Detroit 2009
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota has announced that it will bring a plug-in extended range Prius to market by the end of this year. Prior to the opening of the Detroit show, Toyota sent out a press release with some news about its electric vehicle plans. It will introduce as many as ten completely new hybrids by the early 2010s, and will bring a fully electric car to market in 2012.
Toyota will be showing a battery electric concept here in Detroit called the FT-EV, in addition to the new third generation Prius and its sibling the Lexus HS250h. As previously suspected, the car is based on Toyota’s new iQ mini-car (pictured above). Read more
