Chevy Volt Charges Columbia Campus
April 26th, 2010 // 9:26 pm @ Shannon Arvizu
What are young people looking for in a car of the future? How did Columbia students react to the recent Chevy Volt visit? This video, edited by the talented Lan Li (a graduating Barnard Senior in the History of Science), gives you the inside scoop on the day’s events. Plenty of other young Volt fans [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars &Rockstar EV Events &Speaking and Events
Nissan’s Leaf Off the Vine and On the Market
April 21st, 2010 // 6:54 am @ Daniel Flatley
By Daniel Flatley, Contributor Nissan announced yesterday that it will begin taking reservations from consumers interested in its battery-powered Leaf. Customers can put down a $99 “placeholder fee” to secure a space on a waiting list for the vehicles, with deliveries of completed vehicles beginning in December this year. The Leaf will enter the market [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Fluid Elegance in Renault’s Fluence
April 19th, 2010 // 9:31 am @ Shannon Arvizu
Renault has announced that their long-awaited Fluence Z.E. is now available for reservations. The Fluence Z.E. is a unique all-electric vehicle with a 100-mile range that has a swappable battery. The Fluence Z.E. will be released first in Denmark and Israel - where Renault’s partner, Better Place, has been working to ensure that the proper [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Collaborations are Key for Plug-In Hybrid Ram Truck
March 26th, 2010 // 10:50 am @ Shannon Arvizu
As this field has shown, collaborations in the early stages of technology development are pivotal for plug-in vehicle deployment. Earlier this week, the Chrysler Group announced that they will start a new demonstration program for a plug-in hybrid Ram truck. The demonstration is funded by a $48 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Chrysler is Back in the Plug-In Scene
March 23rd, 2010 // 3:36 pm @ Shannon Arvizu
Chrysler announced yesterday that the company will build an electric version of the Fiat 500 for the U.S. market. This is a new direction for Chrysler, which scrapped its ENVI program for plug-in vehicles a few months ago. With this announcement, Chrysler once again becomes a player in the plug-in scene. The Fiat 500 EV [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Plug-In Hybrid Battle Brewing: Volt vs. BMW vs. Jaguar vs. Karma
February 12th, 2010 // 1:14 pm @ Shannon Arvizu
The Chevy Volt may soon have some competition. This week, both BMW and Jaguar have announced intentions to produce and sell plug-in hybrid models. Each of these models will be based on an extended-range electric vehicle platform. So, how will they compare? First, in terms of all electric range, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt wins with [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
New Sexy Plug-In Hybrid: BMW EfficientDynamics Sport Coupe
February 9th, 2010 // 3:00 am @ Shannon Arvizu
BMW recently announced that it will commence production of the super sleek plug-in hybrid, the Vision EfficientDynamics Sport Coupe. The vehicle debuted as a concept car at last year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. Starting in 2013, BMW will make 5,000-10,000 of these lovelies available to the consuming public. The vehicle comes equipped with a 10.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Is the Market Ready for the Ultimate Commuter Car?
November 24th, 2009 // 9:49 am @ Shannon Arvizu
What is the ultimate commuter car? Of course, it should be fast, easy to park, easy to charge, and easy on the Earth. That is what the latest version of the Tango offers. The Tango offers massive torque (0-60 in less than four seconds) and is five inches narrower than most motorcycles. The Tango gets [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars
Drew Barrymore Drives Electric Ford
September 22nd, 2009 // 2:27 pm @ Shannon Arvizu
Yesterday, Drew Barrymore drove the same electric Ford that I did as part of Jay Leno’s dream car challenge. She appears just as excited as I was last April to take Ford’s prototype model for a spin. I imagine, however, that my test drive around New York City during rush-hour traffic was a bit more [...]
Category : Marketing EVs &Plug-In Cars
Miss Electric takes REV’s Ford Escape for a Spin
August 28th, 2009 // 9:07 am @ Shannon Arvizu
So, you’ve seen some of the pictures of the REV Ford Escape from the Plug-In 2009 exhibit floor. Now, you can check out my little test drive. As you can tell, I really enjoyed it! As I mentioned before, Rapid Electric Vehicles is based in Vancouver, Canada. They are a newcomer to the field but [...]
Category : Plug-In Cars