Electric carmakers are trying hard to promote their products, with the environmentally friendly nature of these vehicles being their most exploited feature in advertising. Nissan is going down the same path with a new campaign for the fully-electric Leaf entitled “Gas Powered Everything”, in which the company mocks the internal combustion engine by imagining a strange world where all appliances run on gas.
The result is a funny commercial in which people have to put up with gas-powered alarm-clocks, microwave ovens, computers and many more appliances. Even the Chevrolet Volt becomes a subject of joke for being a gas-electric hybrid. But we can't help but wonder: isn't Nissan's approach a little hypocritical? It's not like their range includes electric cars alone...
Hansjörg von Gemmingen has gained the bragging rights to say he has covered more miles in a Tesla Roadster than anybody else has. The German racked up an impressive 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) since he first purchased the car less than two years ago. A stockbroker living in the southwest part of the country, von Gemmingen says he drives his Tesla on a daily basis regardless of purpose or distance, charging it every night through a standard household outlet.Read more »
After awarding the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with a four-star rating, Euro NCAP, which is the European equivalent of the American IIHS, crash tested its second all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf. The Japanese hatchback achieved a five-star rating, becoming the first electric vehicle to do so. Read more »
Back in February, Porsche announced the development of three pure-electric prototypes based on the Boxster roadster, but aside from a single photo and the fact that the electric motors could produce up to 180kW/241HP, the Stuttgart-based automaker did not release any other details on the cars.
After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.
Internet and software bigwig Google has begun lobbying the state of Nevada to legalize driverless cars. The move comes on the heels of some very promising results in California, where Google had mapped out the terrain and sent a couple of its autonomous Toyota Priuses (Prii? Priora?) on an epic jaunt from Mountain View to Santa Monica.
The California-based company is keen to point out the claimed benefits of self-driving cars over their human-driven counterparts including better safety, improved fuel efficient and greater environmental friendliness.
Lately, it seems that pushing an out-of-juice electric car is quickly becoming a trademark of Britain’s popular Top Gear TV series. After the Tesla Motors row, it seems another EV will be featured in the show while being pushed. This time it's the Nissan Leaf, whose batteries ran dry while being driven by Jeremy Clarkson.
Fortunately, one of the many witnesses of the event caught Clarkson and James May trying to find an outlet to plug for the Leaf on camera. The two TV hosts were filming a test drive with the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot iOn for the next episode of the show. After looking for outlets in the park, the crew eventually plugged the Leaf in at the UK's University of Lincoln.
Imagine it’s the year 2025. The Bugatti Veyron is an overpriced collector’s item outlawed on U.S. streets as it doesn’t meet the nation’s recently introduced (and some say draconian) emission laws. Dozens of tired Corvette Z06’s prowl America’s heartland, their engines in need of servicing and their paint peeling, their hick driver’s desperately avoiding the iron fist of the DoT. E85 costs US$9.00 a gallon and hydrogen is relegated to interstate trucks and some high priced luxury cars.
Into this Mad Maxian world comes the Aerius: a high performance EV with electric motors in the wheel hubs, carbon nanotube super-capacitors for energy storage and solar panels to recharge them on the go. With organic, jet fighter-like styling and the green cred disenchanted motoring enthusiasts have longed for, the Aerius is sure to be 2025’s Car of the Year...
Okay, so let’s get back to reality. The Aerius is a design study by Pei-Cheng “Patrick” Hseih and frankly, it looks fantastic. We’ve seen a lot of these studies here at Carscoop, and this is my current favourite. It’s like a weird crossbreed between a shark, BMW’s M1 Homage concept and an F-35 fighter jet. And as a design it somehow works! You can check out our full gallery below and leave your piece in the comments section.
The Mitsubishii-MiEV is the first ever plug-in electric vehicle to be tested by Euro NCAP and marks the start of a series of EV crash-tests planned for this year. Besides the i-MiEV, the European safety institute also rated five conventional models: the BMW X1, Hyundai ix20, Dacia Duster, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Juke.
The EV obtained an overall four star rating, the same score being awarded to the i-MiEV's sister models, the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, which have the same design and safety equipment. The result was judged as "creditable" by the Euro NCAP.
"We recognize the efforts done by Mitsubishi to demonstrate that plug-in battery powered cars can be as safe as others. It shows that a future 5 star accolade for EVs is not unthinkable," said Dr. Michiel van Ratinge, Euro NCAP's secretary general.
The testing procedure was similar to the that for conventional cars, with special attention being given to the battery integrity after the crash and the functioning of the battery cut-off switch, which isolates the high-voltage battery in the event of a crash. Fortunately, no electrical or fire hazards were detected during the testing of the i-MiEV.
The other cars tested were all rated with five stars, with the exception of the DaciaDuster. The small off-roader achieved an overall rating of three stars, because of scoring only 28% in pedestrian protection and 29% for safety assist. However, protection offered to adult passengers was better in the Dacia than in the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (74% vs. 73%), while child protection was at the same level (78%).
"It is disappointing that a mother company like Renault does not give safety the same priority in Dacia cars as it does in cars sold under its own brand”, concludes the Euro NCAP press release.
French car manufacturer Renault will use the Geneva Show to unveil the Kangoo Maxi Z.E., the newest member of its EV family that will go on sale in autumn 2011. Available in two or five-seat configurations, the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. has a maximum carrying capacity of 4.6 cubic meters (162.4 cubic feet), thanks to the 40 cm longer wheelbase (1.3 ft) than the Kangoo Z.E., while the load length is 2.9 meters (9.5 ft).
The five-seat version comes with a 60/40-split folding rear bench, which disappears into the floor to release a completely flat deck and free up almost 3.4 cubic meters (120 cubic feet) of carrying space.
The van is powered by a 60-horsepower electric motor, which has an instant peak torque of 226 Nm (166 lb-ft) and is "fuelled" by a 22kWh lithium-ion battery located under the floor. Charging time varies between 6 and 8 hours, with each full charge costing EUR1.5 ($2.05) and the average driving range being around 170 km (105 miles).
As with its other electric models, Renault will offer clients the possibility of either buying or leasing the car, with an additional monthly subscription to be paid for the battery (from EUR72/$99). Renault's calculations indicate the annual maintenance cost for the Kangoo Maxi Z.E. will be similar to the conventional model if the distance traveled is less than 15,000 km (9,320 miles), and become more competitive as the mileage grows.
Pre-tax pricing in Europe starts from €21,200 ($29,100), with prices in France after a €5,000 state subsidy beginning from €16,200 ($22,250), which is very close to the price of a diesel-engined Kangoo Maxi.
