China Plans to Lead Way in Electric Cars

Nissan will create fleet, charging station network in Wuhan

(NEWSER) - China has tapped Nissan to set up an electric-car program in the city of Wuhan, relying on the automaker to set up a fleet of electric vehicles and charging stations, the Wall Street Journal reports. Beijing plans to produce 500,000 “new energy” vehicles by 2011, and recently selected 13 cities—including Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing—to collectively put 60,000 such vehicles on the road within four years. More»

Except for a few models, hybrids and electric cars take years to pay off

(NEWSER) - Thinking of buying a hybrid or electric vehicle to ease the pain at the pump? You may want to think again: A TrueCar.com study commissioned by the New York Times shows that, except in three cases, fuel-efficient technology is so expensive that these types of cars take years to pay off at today's gas prices—and that remains true even if gas were to hit $5 per gallon. In some cases, the average driver would take more than a decade to see savings over comparable conventional vehicles, which is a problem since the average person owns a car just six years. Most fuel-efficient cars will be more expensive to purchase and to drive for five years, at minimum. More»

Electronics maker to do more than just provide batteries

(NEWSER) - Hot on the heels of news of the Ford-Toyota deal , we’ve got word of a far stranger electric car pact: General Motors has agreed to a deal to co-develop cars with LG Group, the Wall Street Journal reports. The consumer electronics company already makes the battery for the Chevy Volt, but now it’ll apparently be expanding its role beyond that. The companies didn’t elaborate on any specific plans, or indicate when their first jointly produced cars might hit showrooms. More»

Walter Russell Mead: Let China take the lead on this

(NEWSER) - Walter Russell Mead has some interesting advice for those (and he's looking at you, Thomas Friedman ) who think the US is making a horrible mistake by falling behind China in the development of electric cars: Ignore the problem. That's right, let China do the heavy lifting (and spending) on this, and when its engineers perfect the electric auto, we can just piggy-back off them, he writes in the American Interest . More»

Time offers tips for buyers considering CARS

(NEWSER) - Cash for Clunkers has become a smashing success—but is it right for you? Time explains how to get the most out of your clunker:

• First, make sure your vehicle really is a “clunker”: Cars that get more than 18 mpg, don't run, haven't been registered and insured over the last year, or are more than 25 years old don’t qualify.