China, Nissan Strike Electric Car Deal

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

(NEWSER) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of countries, not only for copyright restrictions but for potential unintended hilarity: see Mazda’s “Bongo Friendee” van and Daihatsu’s “Naked” minicar. The result is the green-sounding Leaf. More»

Sensor glitch derails electric car's launch

(NEWSER) - Nissan’s much-anticipated all-electric Leaf is having a hard time getting started—literally. Yesterday, Nissan revealed that the car had a technical glitch which sometimes caused it to have trouble turning on, CNBC reports. “This is not a safety issue as the vehicle will not stop running while being driven,” the automaker stressed in a statement. But it “may not restart after being turned on.” 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»

(NEWSER) - As the US moves away from a gasoline-only auto culture, researchers and the government are investigating alternative taxes to fund road-building and maintenance, the Kansas City Star reports. The leading idea to supplant the gas tax is a by-the-mile approach endorsed by a federal commission. “If you’re committed to the system being improved then it was a no-brainer,” the chairman said. More»

(NEWSER) - As US automakers continue their late push into the market for hybrids and electric cars, they may soon have a major new competitor to worry about: China. Beijing, which barely registers in the auto world today, has begun a major investment push and plans to join the world leaders in making electric vehicles in three years and pass them after that, the New York Times reports. More»