Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 3:49:12 AM CST


electric cars

electric cars news stories

1 - 20 of 32 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

Neil Young: Detroit's Dinosaurs Can Go Electric

Rocker makes the case for drivers going big and going green

(Newser) - Motorists considering electric cars can hang on to their Cadillac dreams as well, writes Neil Young at the Huffington Post. Barack Obama's plan to get a million electric vehicles on American roads within a decade is possible—and the cars don't need to be tiny or even have new designs, writes the rock legend, pointing to his own converted 1959 Lincoln Continental as proof. More »

More about:  auto industry car fuel efficiency electric cars SUV Neil Young vehicle

Falling Gas Prices Could Put Electric Car Back in Neutral

Surge got automakers in gear, but economic downturn makes new projects tougher

(Newser) - Car companies are revving up work on alternative energy vehicles, responding to higher oil prices that, well, don’t actually exist just now. New cars take about 5 years to roll out, meaning the auto industry can’t nimbly react to price changes: Oil, which cost $130 a barrel just 4 months ago, now hangs close to $70, creating fears that $2.50 gas will quash demand when the cars eventually roll off the line, the Washington Post reports. More »

More about:  Financial Crisis auto industry gas prices electric cars alternative fuels

 Chrysler Goes Electric 

Firm to offer hybrid and pure-electric models in 2010

(Newser) - Chrysler is hopping on Detroit's belated eco-friendly bandwagon, a source tells the Wall Street Journal, with a full stable of electric cars and trucks that it plans to market starting in late 2010. While most of the planned models are hybrids, at least one will be a fully electric car which will go 150-200 miles on a charge. More »

More about:  auto industry Chrysler hybrid car fuel efficiency electric cars battery minivan

 Volt's Looks Kill Some GM Buzz 

Plug-in electric car finally unveiled today; production model too ordinary for some fans

(Newser) - GM offered its first official look today at the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, CNNMoney reports, the electric car slated to go on sale in 2010. Its tame appearance drew the ire of gearheads hoping it would look more like the futuristic concept version. "A lot of people are saying they're very disappointed and 'take me off the [waiting] list,' " said one blogger. More »

More about:  environment General Motors gas prices hybrid car electricity cars electric cars Chevrolet Chevrolet Volt

GM Rolls Out Volt Tomorrow; Hopes for Game-Changer

Automaker sees battery-powered car as
turning point for company, Detroit

(Newser) - General Motors will unveil its new Chevy Volt tomorrow, hoping that the battery-operated car will reverse its long reputation as a gas-guzzling industry dinosaur and attract devotees of competitors' hybrids, reports the Wall Street Journal. GM hopes the Volt, a lithium-ion-powered car due to hit the market in 2010, can help the company regain some cred as an innovator. More »

More about:  General Motors gas prices alternative energy electric cars automaker Chevrolet Volt

 SUV Apocalypse Nears

Sales fall off as Americans opt for leaner, greener cars

(Newser) - America’s obsession with super-size cars seems to be running out of gas. The Daily Green reports on the seven signs of the SUV apocalypse: The numbers: Sales of small cars were up 11% in the first half of the year, while SUV and truck sales were down by 14% and 23%, respectively. The demand: The unofficial waiting list for GM’s new electric offering, the Chevy Volt, is 33,000-strong. More »

More about:  gas prices electric cars SUV used cars gas consumption Jeep Grand Cherokee

Small Dips in Gas Prices Send Drivers Back to SUVs

Consumers viewing fuel efficiency as 'one factor' again

(Newser) - Oil prices have been falling since mid-June, and though it’s debatable whether speculators or market fundamentals drove the boom (and now possible bust), it is clear that $4 a gallon gas crimped demand. But for how long? With prices now again below that psychological threshold but still $1.19 more than a year ago, auto industry data suggest that even mild relief could reverse the trend toward fuel efficiency, the LA Times reports. More »

More about:  gas prices oil price gas oil prices hybrid car fuel efficiency electric cars SUV

 Cute EV
 Coming to Cali

Mitsubishi is bringing the i MiEV

(Newser) - Mitsubishi is sending some of its new i MiEV electric cars for testing in California, Wired reports. The Japanese company has signed deals with two Golden State power companies to add a few of the nimble jellybean-shaped vehicles to their fleets for a three-year demonstration. More »

More about:  electric cars Mitsubishi Southern California Edison Company

 Even Texas Is Going Electric

Gas costs make 'golf carts' smart choices

(Newser) - High gas prices are forcing Americans to seriously pursue other transportation options—even in Texas, the heart of oil country. Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcar division, which sells tiny, utilitarian vehicles, has seen dealerships triple sales. The Wall Street Journal visits a Texas family that’s embraced the cost-efficiency of their 25-mph miniautos, which resemble golf carts. More »

More about:  Texas gas prices gas electric cars gas consumption golf cart

OPINION

 Let Innovators
 Light Way Out
 of Energy Crisis

Washington should learn from entrepreneurs

(Newser) - As oil-addicted America looks to its energy future, the nation would be wise to follow in the footsteps of two innovators offering straightforward solutions to the crisis, writes Thomas L. Friedman in the New York Times . “The Jewish Henry Ford” has a plan to turn Israel on to electric cars, while an 80-year-old oilman is creating the largest wind farm on the planet. More »

More about:  electric cars Thomas Friedman alternative fuels wind power T. Boone Pickens wind farm clean fuel Shai Agassi

 GM, Utilities Join
 to Speed Plug-Ins 

Three-dozen utilities agree to help integrate electric cars with their grids

(Newser) - General Motors and three dozen electric utilities in nearly 40 states have agreed to work together on the transition to plug-in electric vehicles that are expected to begin rolling out within 2 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. With GM’s Chevy Volt and Saturn Vue  expected to hit the market first, cooperation is needed to make sure recharging cars don't overwhelm the power grid. More »

More about:  General Motors hybrid car electric cars power grid green transportation Chevrolet Volt utility companies

 BMW to Zap Calif. With 
 500 Electric Minis 

Test will comply with state law requiring automakers to offer no-emission vehicles

(Newser) - BMW will roll out an electric model of its iconic Mini in California, which has mandated that automakers in the state must offer no-emission alternatives, reports Automotive News. The cars will be mostly assembled in BMW's England plant, but sent to Munich for electric powertrains. The initial 500 electric Minis will be leased and are the brain child of BMW's new division, Project i, which is developing low-emission city cars. More »

More about:  electric cars BMW Mini Cooper vehicles

OPINION

 Volt Could Spark GM Bailout 

Electric car may be speedy route to green image—and help

(Newser) - GM is about as likely to turn a profit with the Chevy Volt as the Edsel is to make a comeback, Holman W. Jenkins Jr. writes in the Wall Street Journal. But the ailing automaker may be aiming to improve its image rather than sell cars. With the automaker's image suitably greened, a federal bailout may become more politically acceptable, Jenkins suggests. More »

More about:  auto industry General Motors automaker electric cars Rick Wagoner Chevrolet Volt

 Uno: Cooler Than Segway 

One-wheeled 'motorcycle' goes green with electricity—and stylish to boot

(Newser) - Looking like a tricked out motorbike, the Uno is electr