Clean Fleet Reporthybrid & electric cars smart charged with renewable energy
New Infinity LE All-Electric Luxury Sedan on Sale in 2014
The Infinity LE brings a new level of elegance to the all-electric 5-passenger sedan. Whether gliding down the highway or attracting a crowd in front of a favorite restaurant, the sculpted body and LED lighted grill are arresting. Premium appointments invite the driver to use a new generation of telematics and infotainment. Sexy.
Getting Off Oil Can Be Done – The Electric Industry Already Did
The electric industry is proof that we can get off oil. Before the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, almost 20% of US electricity came from petroleum. Now, it’s less than 1%. The same industry will play a critical role in accelerating the deployment of electric cars.
PG&E Proposes New and Improved Electric Car Rates
PG&E proposes new electric car rates with lower off-peak prices, equivalent to buck-a-gallon gasoline.
First Electric SUV – Toyota RAV4 EV for $49,800
Toyota just announced the price and details for the first all-electric SUV to reach the market. Starting at $49,800 this exciting new electric SUV can be ordered with a 100-mile range thanks to its 41kW lithium battery pack. This SUV went from design to production in only two years, instead of a more common 4-years. The development speed is thanks to a collaboration between Toyota and Tesla which is 2 percent owned by Toyota.
New Ford Electric Car and Hybrid Car Choices
With gasoline prices over $4 per gallon in many states, Ford is rolling out a variety of exciting hybrid cars and electric cars. In April, consumers will start buying the new Ford Focus Electric. Yesterday, I rode in this beautiful compact hatchback. This year, Ford will also offer other exciting hybrids and plug-in hybrids all using lithium batteries: C-MAX Energi, C-MAX Hybrid, Fusion Energi, and Fusion Hybrid.
Ten Thousand Additional Electric Car Charge Points for California
California already has over 10,000 of the new electric vehicles on the road and 2,000 public charge points. Over 10,000 new electric charge points will be added to give EV drivers added range. The charge stations will be built by NRG with private money, not public funds.
Coda Battery-Electric Sedan Review
I drove the car and talked to the Coda sales representatives extensively during the San Diego auto show. The Coda headquarters are in Los Angeles, the body and many components are Chinese, and their assembly is done in Benicia, California, less than an hour from Tesla’s new manufacturing site. I suspect that Coda is under capitalized.
Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera voted European Car of the Year 2012
The Opel Ampera and the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid cars won the European Car of the Year 2012 award voted by a panel of 59 judges from 23 European nations. The success of the Volt and Ampera has encouraged GM to target making 65,000 electric vehicles in 2012, also including the Cadillac ELR and Chevrolet Spark EV. Originally, most production was scheduled for the U.S.
Ford Lowers Emissions in New Electric Cars and in Running the Company
For a typical American car being driven 15,000 miles annually, 8 tons of CO2 emissions result. The number is higher if emissions from making the car are added. Some of Ford’s most exciting new electric and hybrid cars will be a fraction of typical emissions including the Ford Focus Electric, the Ford Transit Connect Electric, the Ford C-MAX Energi, the Ford C-MAX Hybrid, the Ford Fusion Energi and the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Ford is also the Ford only Automaker to receive Climate Leadership Award.
Attacks on Electric Cars Only Endanger American Jobs
Various conservative talking heads are attacking electric cars, while defending subsidies for Big Oil. Bob Lutz, former GM Vice Chairman, and a conservative Republican himself, takes issue with the “fact-free” journalism that is smearing electric cars. These unfounded attacks perpetuate American dependence on oil and hurt the Americans whose livelihood depends upon making the next generation of clean vehicles.
Coal Powered Electric Cars – Fact and Fiction
“The electric car doesn’t do any good because it’s just powered by coal” gets repeated by the oil industry, by news pundits who ignore fact checking, and even by some environmentalists. I have yet to meet an electric car driver or fleet manager who only uses coal power. In the United States, 36 states have utility scale wind power.
Hello Tesla Model S, Goodbye Tesla Roadster
I’m sitting behind the wheel of this new Tesla Model S wishing that I could drive it away. I can’t. This prototype does not have a drive system. It is on display at the Clean-Tech Investor Summit, getting serious interest from attending CEOs and venture capitalists that can afford the $59,400 starting price. The price starts at $79,400 for the model with a remarkable 300-mile electric range. Tesla plans to ship 5,000 of the Model S in 2012 starting this July.
Electric Car and Hybrid Car Sales will Triple in Next Six Years
Pike Research’s John Gartner forecasts that global sales of hybrid and electric cars will grow from 995,000 in 2011 to 2,870,000 in 2017. Half the hybrid cars and all of the EVs will use lithium battery packs by 2017. In fact, the latest hybrid cars from Ford, Buick, Honda, Hyundai and Kai use lithium batteries. In six years, cars with advanced batteries will triple and lithium automotive battery packs will grow over 100 fold.
From Sedans to SUVs, 2012, Year of the Electric Car?
2012 will see the introduction of a myriad of plug-in electric vehicles: sports cars, an SUV, compacts, hatchbacks, sub-compacts, and sedans. Over the next several years, up to 40 plug-in models will be introduced. Later this week, the California Air Resources Board will vote on improvements to strengthen the state’s Zero Emission Vehicle program that will provide automakers with the long-term certainty necessary to ensure this proliferation of vehicle choice continues. Soon, there will be a zero emission vehicle to fit every lifestyle, budget, need, and desire.
100,000 Electric Car Sales in U.S. in 2012
Gartner, the largest technology market research firm, presented a scenario for 100,000 electric car sales in 2012 in the United States. Yesterday, I took in the presentation at the SV Forum and then talked with Thilo Koslowski, Vice President of Gartner’s Automotive and Vehicle Practice. He acknowledged that 100,000 is quite a jump from the 18,000 sold in 2011.
