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Cheaper Nissan Leaf confirmed to spur 2013 EV sales

, Jan 9th 2013 Discuss [2]

Nissan has confirmed a new version of the Leaf electric car will launch this year, a cheaper model to lower the cost of entry to EVs, though the car company is yet to announce actual pricing. The new Leaf S - which will go on sale alongside two more feature-packed variants of the car - should hit showrooms in February, Nissan says, with the primary compromise being the absence of a new fast charging system. Read The Full Story

Voltitude V1 folding electric bike up for expensive preorder

, Dec 19th 2012 Discuss [0]

Swiss folding electric bike start-up Voltitude has begun taking orders for its eye-catching urban transport alternative, a collapsable battery-powered bike with a roughly 25 mile range. Intended to make the final jaunt between public transportation and your home or office more straightforward, the Voltitude V1 borrows the best of scooters and pushbikes for something that can be trundled off the train and have you at your desk in short order. Read The Full Story

BMW i3 Concept Coupe ditches steel for intelligent EV

, Nov 28th 2012 Discuss [3]

BMW has taken the wraps off of its latest eco-friendly car design, the BMW i3 Concept Coupe, with an innovative carbon fiber cabin, clever inter-car communications system, and smartphone connectivity. Debuted at the LA Auto Show this week, the i3 Concept Coupe follows BMW's LifeDrive ethos, packaging a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell - lighter than steel, but stronger - on top of a 170HP electric motor slice with li-ion batteries. Read The Full Story

Chevrolet Spark EV slips in under $25k

, Nov 27th 2012 Discuss [9]

Chevrolet has officially revealed its 2014 Spark EV, a new plug-in electric city car with a sub-$25,000 price tag after tax incentives, though the company isn't talking specific range yet. The new compact, unveiled at the LA Auto Show 2012 and following in the tire-prints of the Chevy Volt, and has a GM-designed 130 HP electric motor for 400 lb.ft of torque, and a 20+ kWh li-ion battery which together the car company claims are good for best-in-class acceleration and range. The Spark EV will do the 0-60mph dash in under 8s. Read The Full Story

Fiat 500e teaser previews 2013′s must-have EV

, Nov 19th 2012 Discuss [2]

Fiat has been teasing details around its next electric vehicle, the Fiat 500e, expected to arrive on Californian shores sometime in 2013. The new car - which will make its official debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show kicking off on November 30 - will feature some aesthetic differences from the regular gas-powered model, with the burnt orange of the promo car Fiat is using in its teaser being offset with matte white detailing around the mirrors and  lower front grille. Read The Full Story

Tesla CEO: Electric trucks and self-driving cars on the roadmap

, Nov 14th 2012 Discuss [0]

Tesla is planning an electric truck potentially built on the same "skateboard" platform as the Model S, with founder Elon Musk also revealing self-driving car ambitions. The outspoken CEO confirmed the truck on Tesla's roadmap in the aftermath of the Model S winning 2013 Car of the Year, telling Motor Trend that it "could really be a big improvement in truck technology" though not specifying how, beyond being more environmentally-friendly, that would be the case. Read The Full Story

LED bulbs get brighter future with 100W-equivalent

, Nov 13th 2012 Discuss [3]

The earth-friendly home of tomorrow needn't be as dark as a hobbit's burrow, with the latest 100W-equivalent LED light bulbs promising both brightness and cost-efficiency. The handiwork of Sylvania, the new bulb is the first on sale to match a 100W old-skool light fitting, but sips up to 80-percent less power while doing so, for estimated savings of more than $220 over its lifespan. Read The Full Story

Try not to panic, but climate change is killing coffee

, Nov 9th 2012 Discuss [8]

Your morning cup of coffee could end up a serious luxury rather than an eye-opening essential, scientists have warned, with new research suggesting climate change could have big impact on what ends up in our cups. The cultivated Arabica beans fine coffee roasters rely on are particularly susceptible to increases in temperature, and rising global heat means environments where they grow successfully are disappearing, according to a study by Aaron Davis and a team at the London Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. That's not helped by an increasing shortage of clean genetic material to rejuvenate tired, cultivated stock. Read The Full Story

Qualcomm Halo: Inside the tech of the world’s largest wireless car charging trial

, Nov 7th 2012 Discuss [1]

Wireless charging has made headlines in recent weeks, but a new Qualcomm Halo trial kicking off in the UK is targeting the devices that live in your garage rather than in your pocket. Just as Google’s Nexus 4 and Nokia’s Lumia 920 each support wireless charging, rejuicing via simple desk pads rather than the fumble of slotting in a microUSB cable, so chip and wireless specialist Qualcomm sees the future of electric and hybrid urban mobility being wire-free. There’s a big difference, though, between a fifty buck charging plate for your phone and a way of cutting the cord for electric vehicles and potentially opening up the road as a dynamic power highway. SlashGear caught up with Qualcomm and some select partners to find out what makes Halo special, and why it’s just as much at home on a 200mph racing car as it is your city runabout.

Read The Full Story

Toyota planning Prius evolution with big redesign for 2014

, Nov 5th 2012 Discuss [6]

Toyota could give its best-selling Prius hybrid a significant design revamp for the next-gen car expected to arrive in early 2014, the company says, with a new look that would "really evolve" the distinctive wedge of today. Designers and engineers are still working with clay mock-ups for the final car, strategic planning VP for Toyota US, Chris Hostetter, told Bloomberg, but the possibility of a more sweeping change has been prompted by "an undercurrent among most people that they're ready for a new Prius look" the exec admits. However, changing the Prius isn't as straightforward as you might expect. Read The Full Story

Renault relents: Twizy EV finally gets windows

, Oct 29th 2012 Discuss [1]

Renault's electric-powered Twizy city car has gained an set of windows ahead of the winter, an unusual option for what's already an oddball vehicle. The twin-seater EV - which sits driver and passenger in a line, rather than side by side - usually lacks anything on the sides beyond a simple safety bar that hinges across the door. That may be practical for sunnier climates, but those facing a wet winter were unsurprisingly less convinced, and so Renault has some optional windows. Read The Full Story

Fisker confirms no Atlantic until late 2014/early 2015; downplays battery supplier blip

, Oct 17th 2012 Discuss [1]

Fisker's second car, the smaller and cheaper Atlantic all-electric vehicle, may not roll onto buyers' drives until early 2015 the company has warned. The launch date of the Atlantic, revealed back in April as a more affordable option than Fisker's first car, the Karma, has been shouded in mystery so far, but a "late 2014, or even 2015" window was confirmed on a conference call this week, Green Car Reports writes. Read The Full Story
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