Electric Vehicles

Switching to a vehicle running on alternative fuel presents a clear challenge - where do you fill it up? Designed by Leonardo Academy, Cleaner and Greener Fuels is a free app that gives users interactive maps to help them find the nearest alternative fuel stations all over the U.S.  Read More

SsangYong is to present an electric version of its XIV (eXciting user Interface Vehicle) design series at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, dubbed appropriately, the e-XIV. The B-segment CUV (crossover utility vehicle) is a range-extended EV that uses a small petrol engine for charging, plus it runs roof mounted solar cell panels.  Read More

Peugeot is to add an electric version of its Partner LCV (Light Commercial Vehicle) to the range during the 2nd quarter of 2013. With a drive train developed in conjunction with Mitsubishi, the Partner Electrique runs a single permanent magnet, synchronous electric motor producing 49kW (67bhp) and torque of 200Nm and has a range of 170km (105 miles). The LCV will be available in short and long wheelbase versions (4.38m and 4.63m), both with claimed class-leading load volumes.  Read More

Scheduled to go on sale in early 2013, the new Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) sedan represents Honda's first two-motor hybrid system. It has the ability to travel up to 15 miles (24 km) on electrics only and boasts a total driving range of more than 500 miles (800 km).  Read More

Pope Benedict XVI has a new all-electric set of wheels, befitting his growing "Green Pope" status as an environmentally friendly (or at least concerned) Pontiff. The emissions-free vehicle is a gift from Renault, a Kangoo Maxi Z.E. modified into Popemobile form with help from utility vehicle specialists Gurau.  Read More

While the lithium-ion batteries commonly used in electric cars are capable of storing a fairly large amount of energy, they’re not able to accept or discharge that energy very quickly. That’s why electric vehicles require supercapacitors, to speedily deliver energy when accelerating, or to store it when braking. Recently, however, researchers from New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute created a new anode material, that allows Li-ion batteries to charge and discharge ten times faster than those using regular graphite anodes. It could make EV supercapacitors unnecessary, and vastly shorten the charging time required by electronic devices.  Read More

What's claimed to be the world's first fully integrated wind-powered electric vehicle charging station has just been unveiled in Barcelona, Spain. The Sanya Skypump marries a 4 kW turbine developed by New York's Urban Green Energy (UGE) and General Electric's (GE) WattStation charging technology to offer users the chance to juice up an EV using clean, renewable energy.  Read More

As any early adopter of consumer electric vehicles will tell you, being a clean transport pioneer might be kinder to the planet but it can cause the average wallet to suffer a seizure. Chevy's 2013 Volt, for instance, is priced at a snip under US$40,000 and Ford's Focus Electric is only a few hundred bucks cheaper, and a new Nissan Leaf is over twice the price of a new ICE-powered Dodge Dart. The owner of Lincoln and Jaguar dealerships in Riverside, California is hoping to strip away the high cost barrier to the mass adoption of electric vehicles with the opening of his first all-electric EcoCentre showroom later this month. Three EVs are to lead the charge, including a small commuter car for under $10,000.  Read More

The wonderfully named Black Sparrow Industries has cooked up an electric vehicle with a difference: a tricycle that's ridden standing up. Robert Worobey designed the Tribey to appeal to surfers and snowboarders among others, and the designer claims that the vehicle is built to withstand serious abuse, including traversing 3-inch deep potholes. With the addition of a bolt-on kit, The Tribey can also be ridden from a recumbent position, making the Tribey a curious hybrid of recumbent trike and a motorized skateboard.  Read More