For independent electric car companies, it’s so long, automobile row. Some electric vehicle manufacturers have jettisoned the old model of franchise auto dealerships in an effort to change not only how we drive, but also how we buy cars. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Electric cars
Tesla Prepares for a Gap as Roadster Winds Down
Tesla Motors has spent eight years building a new kind of car company — one with Silicon Valley roots that makes slick electric vehicles and takes its retail cues from Apple rather than from traditional dealerships. As I wrote in this article for The New York Times, Tesla is now undergoing a makeover as it tries to evolve from a niche maker of expensive sports cars that has never turned a profit into a money-making provider of electric cars for the masses and a technology supplier to bigger automakers. Continue reading
Posted in Auto
Tagged Electric cars, Elon Musk, Lotus, New York Times, Tesla Motors
Tesla Sues ‘Top Gear’ Over Show About the Roadster
Tesla Motors, the electric vehicle manufacturer based in Silicon Valley, filed a lawsuit this week in Britain against the BBC’s popular “Top Gear” television program.
Suing for libel and malicious falsehood, Tesla took issue with a December 2008 episode that depicted problems with the brakes, cooling system and limited range of its Roadster sports car. I asked industry analysts and one of London’s leading experts in media litigation and libel cases about likely outcomes for the lawsuit. As one expert commented, the lawsuit stands to “call attention to certain details” that for Tesla might be better forgotten. Continue reading
Posted in Auto
Tagged BBC Top Gear, Electric cars, Litigation, New York Times, NYT Wheels, Tesla Motors
A Hunt for the Ideal Internal Combustion Engine
LiquidPiston, a company that got its start as a father-son team in a business plan competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, aims to build a smaller, quieter and more fuel-efficient internal combustion engine than the ones currently being used in cars. By remixing elements of established engine cycles, LiquidPiston claims it can deliver 20-50 percent greater efficiency compared to a typical diesel engine. LiquidPiston is one company among a raft of VC-backed startups working to make the internal combustion engine more efficient, often with a business plan that involves licensing technology rather than manufacturing engines, and it’s the subject of a profile I’ve written for Earth2Tech.
Wanted: Fair Costs for Electric Car Home Charger Installations
As a new generation of plug-in vehicles rolls off the assembly line, a new cadre of consumers has entered the market for home charging equipment. Federal and state incentives are designed to help offset installation costs, which can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. But some customers and electric vehicle advocates worry that the very programs meant to help lower costs for charger installations in practice have set the stage for price gouging. This post for PluginCars.com explains options for home charging equipment and the real cost of free chargers.
China’s Move Toward Greener Transit
How can more than a billion people travel to and fro, around and through some of the world’s most populous and fastest growing cities—without creating epic traffic jams, tapping imported oil or exacerbating noxious air pollution? That’s the challenge facing China as it develops a transportation system for its increasingly urban, car-buying population. Continue reading
Posted in Auto, Policy, Transportation
Tagged China, Electric cars, High-Speed Rail, National Geographic, Smart Growth, Urban Planning
Why Can’t We Charge Our Electric Cars Wirelessly?
The concept of being able to charge up a depleted battery without a cord or plug in sight might seem futuristic. But more than a century after Nikola Tesla demonstrated wireless energy transfer, wireless charging systems are becoming a reality for devices ranging from electric toothbrushes and mobile phones to artificial hearts and LCD televisions. For electric cars, a new report forecasts that wireless power stations designed for home installation could dramatically speed up adoption of these vehicles, as I’ve explained in this post for the Translogic blog from AOL Autos.
Posted in Auto, Energy Storage
Tagged AOL Autos, Batteries, Electric cars, Wireless Charging, WiTricity
Rev Up Your Motors, Electric Cars Zip Into View
The earliest plug-in car buyers will contend with high price tags, limited charging infrastructure, uncertainty about long-term durability and resale values, and insecurity about hitting the road without being able to refuel at just any convenient gas station.
But automakers have devised different strategies for tackling these challenges and, they hope, for winning over thousands of customers in the years ahead. For an overview of the strengths, weaknesses and cool facts about 11 electric and plug-in hybrid models from car companies large and small, check out this photo-rich piece I wrote for National Geographic Daily News.
Posted in Auto, Transportation
Tagged Chevy Volt, Electric cars, General Motors, National Geographic, Toyota
Light Is the Bright IDEA for Transport
Bright Automotive, which recently scored the first investment from General Motors’ new venture capital arm, aims to help steer commercial fleets toward more efficient options by decoupling size from efficiency. In other words, it lets customers have their cake (sip less fuel) and eat it too (carry more stuff). To accomplish this, Bright is developing a plug-in hybrid van called the IDEA with advanced materials that could shave thousands of pounds off the weight of conventional counterparts. I’ve written a profile of Bright for National Geographic News, covering the company’s accomplishments so far and challenges ahead as it pursues government funds on the road to commercialization.
A123 Spins Off Energy Storage Venture, Drops Chrysler Project
Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems quietly cultivated a new energy storage venture and set it loose as an independent company. A123 executives revealed in a call with shareholders this week that the startup, dubbed 24M Technologies Inc., was recently spun out of A123 with venture capital financing and a plan to develop what CEO David Vieau called advanced non-traditional lithium-ion based storage technology. As I reported in this article over on Earth2Tech, the executives also revealed that A123 has dropped out of Chrysler’s scaled-back electric vehicle development program.
Posted in Auto, Energy Storage, Greentech
Tagged 24M Technologies, A123 Systems, Batteries, Chrysler, Earth2Tech, Electric cars
