Jalopnik: Electric Car

This Electric Car Was Invented In 1932 And Looked Like A Giant Hamster Wheel

Lauren Davis — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

If this electric car had caught on in 1932, our roadways would have looked very different. Instead of little boxes sitting on four wheels, the roads might have been filled with giant hamster wheels that rolled over us as we drove. More »

Are electric cars safe?

Wes Siler — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:00:00 EST

After a Chevy Volt caught fire in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) junkyard three weeks after it was crash tested, the agency's now investigating the safety of Lithium-Ion batteries in all electric cars. Is an environmentally-safe vehicle safe for your family? In a word, yes. More »

Electric Porsche in red

Tom Joslin — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:00:00 EST

Currently for sale on Ebay, this Porsche replica has the body of a 356 Speedster and an electric heart. This electric Speedster is your chance to be green in style without leaving a long lasting impact on anything aside from your wallet. More »

Nissan cross-breeds sports car with electric car for new concept

Justin Hyde — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:45:00 EST

It'll be harder to make fun of electric cars if Nissan actually build the ESFLOW concept — a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive EV. It's the car you'd get if a 370Z ravished a Leaf — and God, do we want it. More »

BYD And Daimler Finalize Design For Joint-Electric Car

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 08:30:00 EST

Daimler, BYD finalize design for joint-electric car that probably doesn't look like a Corolla. [WSJ] More »

Toyota Revives The Electric Car With New RAV4 EV

Justin Hyde — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EDT

Toyota will revive the electric car they once killed with a Tesla-powered electric RAV4-EV at November's LA Auto Show, about the time that pesky Chevrolet Volt hits the market. Lay bets now on which will be recalled first. [Toyota] More »

For $79,900, You Can Rock Down To Electric Avenue

graverobber — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT

In the nascent days of the electrical age, Nikola Tesla got turned on by Alternating Current while Edison called Direct Current his bitch. Whatever, today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Tesla rocks it AC/DC, but will its price shock you? More »

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell: Gullwing, Electrified

Sam Smith — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:00:00 EDT

This is the factory-built electric Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell. It's a prototype sporting four electric motors with a combined output of 525 hp and 649 lb-ft of grunt. Also, it's yellow and has funky doors, but who cares? Torrrrrrrrrrrrque! More »

Will The Chevrolet Volt Be Available Nationwide In 2011?

Sam Smith — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EDT

According to conflicting reports from GM officials, the Chevrolet Volt may not be available for purchase nationwide by the end of next year as originally promised. Backpedal much? [GM-Volt.com] More »

1976 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar

Murilee Martin — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles found parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. 500+ vehicles into this series, we've finally got an electric car! More »

2011 Reva NXG: Like A Smart Car, But Electric

Wes Siler — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:30:00 EDT

The fully-electric 2011 Reva NXG tops out at 80 MPH, can travel 125 miles between charges and seats two beneath a removable targa top. Does that make it smarter than a Smart car? More »

Project Car Hell, Non Compos Mentis Edition: Electric Colt or Citroën CX Pallas?

Murilee Martin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Today we've got a couple of cars with just one thing in common: insanity! More »

Ikea Leko Actually A French Car-Sharing Service

Wes Siler — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:30:00 EDT

Remember last week's Ikea Leko secret concept car? Had your hopes up for a super-cheap electric car? Maybe even one that you assemble yourself? Sadly, the reality is far from as entertaining as the rumors. More »

RUF eRuf Greenster Electric Porsche Zaps Geneva

The Auto Insider — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 06:30:00 EST

You're probably asking what RUF is thinking, developing an electric sports car, but remember way back when you asked the same thing about that small startup in Silicon Valley. RUF might be onto something. More »

2011 Opel Ampera: Screw The Schedule, Here's The Full Reveal

The Auto Insider — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:00:00 EST

The Opel Ampera had its coming out party a wee bit early for the Geneva Motor Show. Don't fret, our European breathren, your emo-ecomobile is here and we've got all the photos, and details below. More »

Opel Ampera Officially Unveiled!

Wes Siler — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:45:00 EST

GM has officially unveiled the Opel Ampera, Europe's version of the Chevy Volt. In a reversal of usual practice, the Ampera is mechanically identical to its American cousin but is much better looking. More »

Apple Should Design An Electric Car... Interior

The Auto Insider — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST

Only 21% responding to a recent survey claim they would buy an Apple electric car. 48% would buy one from BMW. Good. Apple shouldn't design an electric car. They should design the interior of one. More »

Ultimate Aero EV: SSC Plans To Build World's Fastest Electric Production Car

The Auto Insider — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:46:00 EST

Shelby SuperCars already has the world's fastest production car title belt, now they're planning to up the ante, introducing the Ultimate Aero EV: The world's fastest electric production car, with a ten minute charge time. More »

Eliica Eight-Wheeled Electric Car: Heading To Production Because The Tesla Isn't Fast Enough

The Auto Insider — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST

Is the Tesla Roadster not exotic enough for you? Does the six-wheeled Covini C6W have two few wheels? Try a four-door eight-wheeled electric car. It's called the Eliica and it may be heading for production. More »

Tesla Schooled By Tango In Electric Car Drag Race

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:30:00 EST

In what may be the first ever drag race between production electric cars, the geeky Tango electric cruiser edged out the trendy Tesla Roadster electric sports car. How fast were these electron-fueled warriors going when they crossed the finish line? More »

Neil Young's Lincvolt: An All-Electric 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:20:00 EST

Neil Young has decided to make himself an example of how hybrid electric cars can be produced with existing technology and without the loss of style with his Lincvolt, an all-electric version of the awesome 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Convertible. He's been working with noted alternative energy nerd Johnathan Goodwin and his company, H-Line Conversions, to develop the car, in current form an electric with an on-board compressed natural gas generator. Young wants the 5,000 pound, 19.5 foot long convertible to be an example to everyone that you can convert any car to run cleaner. More »

Sam's Club Offering $100k Electric Sports Car From Hybrid Technologies

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:30:00 EST

Make room in the shopping cart next to the family-sized toilet paper and ten-gallon jug of industrial apple juice, as Sam's Club is now selling a new all-electric sports car from Hybrid Technologies for the bargain price of just $100,000. Hybrid Technologies, if you remember, builds lithium battery-powered versions of the Mullen GT like the one we drove at the New York Auto Show. This will be a new and improved version which does away with the 'ugliness' and adds 'generic mid-engined supercar hotness,' along with a 200-mile range, 0-60 time of five seconds and a top speed of 150 MPH. More »

Mythbusters: Gas Vs. Electric

Andrew Stoy — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Popular Mechanics enlisted the help of Mythbuster Jaime Hyneman to answer that all-consuming transportation question: gas or electric? Using a collection of prototypes and production vehicles, the team set out to test compact cars, ATVs, motorcycles and go-karts head-to-head on-road and on the course to find out whether electrics could stand up to tried-and-true gas engines. The answer? Without spoiling a really good read, sometimes yes, sometimes no, but it's sure got us jonesing for an electric-conversion project in the Jalopnik garage. [PopMech] More »

A Peek Inside The Soon-To-Be-Dead Tesla Motors Detroit Office

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Given the situation with Tesla Motors lately, you know, Ze'ev Drori getting the boot and Elon Musk taking the reins as CEO, word of firings of "25-30% of their total staff of 300 employees and contractors" and the closing of the Detroit location (more accurately, the Metro Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, MI) via blog post, it's no wonder an anonymous reader decided to head out to their Rochester Hills office and take a look. The Rochester Hills facility was opened at the end of January 2007, and was to be the development facility for the Tesla Model S electric sedan, so the closing is a foreboding indicator of the future direction Tesla is heading on that project. Let's take a look inside this essentially doomed location... More »

Jalopnik Is Not Jim Cramer, Please Do Not Buy, Buy, Buy On Our Recommendations

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT

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In the course of a normal day we receive dozens of emails from readers who have questions about what we've written, praise for our prose or a desire to see us murdered in various ways for daring to impugn the good name of the Chrysler Sebring. It is therefore a special moment when an email actually catches us off guard. Today we received such an email from an individual whose family invested $1 million in a Chinese company based partially on research that involved something we wrote. Seriously. More »

Electric Mini Spotted Again Without Camouflage

Andrew Stoy — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:45:00 EDT

We've reported on the planned electric Mini before. Now one has cropped up uncamouflaged, wearing only "HYBRID: Erprobungsfahrzeug" stickers, which obviously means "no exhaust pipe." Or something like that. You can see the lower rear valance has a blanking cover over the cutout that would normally frame chromed exhaust tips, indicating there's no noxious output to contend with. Supposedly 500 of these electric Minis are going to be offered to California residents, and this tester is further evidence that the project is still in full swing — unlike certain other electric vehicle ventures we can think of. [WCF] More »

Fuel Up Only With Free Stuff You Find Along The Route: Berkeley To Vegas, No Petroleum!

Murilee Martin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:20:00 EDT

The City of Berkeley is now a maximum security statist dystopia… Cars are illegal… Petroleum is a controlled substance… Now, geeks and gearheads unite to escape from Berkeley by any non-petroleum means necessary! That's right, a 600-mile race in vehicles not only prohibited from burning petroleum-based fuel but prohibited from buying any fuel whatsoever along the way- it's all got to be obtained free along the route. Steam-powered cars burning wood chips left behind by tree-cutting crews! Gasifiers converting dead possums and heaps of fast-food wrappers into go-go-gas! Batteries charged by sweet-talking locals into allowing power-outlet access! Mules eating grass! Whatever it takes! The race starts tomorrow morning and I'll be making the jaunt from nearby Alameda to check it out- come back tomorrow and you'll see some of these dystopia-fleeing machines. More »

Tazzari Zero Electric Car Recharges In 45 Minutes, Offers 93-Mile Range

Wes Siler — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:40:00 EDT

New Italian company Tazzari aims to address one of the key shortcomings of electric cars — recharge time — by offering a vehicle capable of taking a full charge in just 45 minutes. Tazzari hasn’t clarified what kind of outlet is required for this compressed recharge time, but as it’s an Italian company, we’ll assume at least a 220v is needed, but likely not a commercial-grade three-phase unit like the one required by the Lightning GT supercar. More »

Joule MPV Brings South African Engineering To Paris Show Floor

Andrew Stoy — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:45:00 EDT

We brought you word of the Joule all-electric MPV yesterday, a South African entrant in the new electric car wars, and now we have live shots of the Joule on the Paris show floor. The little Afrikaaner is produced by a new tech company called Optimal Energy and was designed by a former Jag stylist — though we're going to have to take their word for it. According to Optimal, the Joule is all-electric with motor-driven front wheels and in-wheel magnetic propulsion at the rear, delivering a range of 125 miles on a single battery pack or 250 miles with two — impressive. We also like how Joule is a play on South Africa's notorious blood-diamond trade as well as a reference to energy — if you can't make fun of yourself, who can you make fun of? Presser after the jump. More »

Pininfarina B0 Electric Car: 153 Mile Range, 80 MPH Top Speed!

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:35:00 EDT

Design house Pininfarina, still mourning the loss of CEO Andrea Pininfarina, showed a stiff upper lip and brought their Pininfarina B0 to the Paris Auto Show. In the process, they created quite the stir — and almost eclipsing the buzz surrounding the Honda Insight Hybrid. The B0, pronounced B Zero, is four-seat, four-door electric hatchback created in partnership with Bolloré and is not, repeat, not, a concept car. According to Pininfarina, the B0will be a mass production model, with the first units coming off the production line at the end of 2009, after which production will be ramped up gradually based on the availability of the batteries. What about the range and power? Well, we're told the car has a range of 153 miles and a top speed of 80 MPH. How's that sound? Pretty good, right? You know what doesn't sound good? The double digit 0-to-60 time. Hit the jump for the full press release.
More »

South Africa Enters Electric Car Market With Joule MPV

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Detroit has the Chevy Volt, California has the Tesla Roadster, Japan supposedly will have a plug-in Toyota Prius at some point. Now South Africa has their first electric vehicle in the six-seater Joule MPV developed by tech startup Optimal Energy. This all-electric car, just revealed at the Paris Motor Show, claims to have a 125-mile range on one battery back or double that with two packs. The drivetrain includes motor-driven wheels up front and allegedly in-wheel magnetic propulsion in the rear. With an exterior and interior designed by a former Jaguar designer, the company hopes to launch the car in South Africa in late 2010 and export it to other countries shortly thereafter. Press release below the jump. More »

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $100,000 Electric De Lorean!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Nice Price Or Crack Pipe, where you make the call on vehicle asking prices. On Monday, we saw the most one-sided vote yet, with over 92% of you judging the $41,000 VW Vanagon Syncro Westy's price tag to be ridiculously high. The Syncro is pretty cool, all right, but how about one of John Z's Irish-built machines with the PRV V6 torn out and replaced by a WarP 9 electric motor? Remember, an electric motor grunts out 100% torque at zero RPM, so this DMC-12 ought to move as well as sting-operation cocaine in '82… but well enough to have a Buy It Now price of a hundred grand? Make the jump, cast your vote! [eBay Motors] More »

DAF? No, QUICC! New Dutch Auto Brand To Launch In Paris

Andrew Stoy — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EDT

The DuraCar QUICC! DiVa finally brings the enthusiast world what it has long been clamoring for: A Dutch electric car made entirely of plastic. The QUICC! is intended primarily for European urban delivery markets and features an all-electric powertrain wrapped in a "cradle-to-cradle" plastic chassis and body. The press release jumps around in typical broken English fashion, but the QUICC! apparently employs lithium-ion phosphate batteries in conjunction with bipolar lead batteries and some sort of fuel-cell mechanism. However it works, DuraCar claims a range of 93 miles and a top speed of 75 MPH for the DiVa, with no CO2 emissions. We'll bring you more after the QUICC! gets its Paris Motor Show reveal, but in the meantime the full release is after the jump. More »

2011 Tesla Model S Electric Sedan To Be Produced In Silicon Valley

Wes Siler — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Priced around $60,000, capable of 240 miles on a single charge and producing no emissions, the Tesla Model S sedan will begin rolling off its new assembly line in California in late 2010. That’s only shortly after Chevy Volt’s scheduled mid 2010 production start date. Unlike the plug in Volt, the Model S will be fully electric. Tesla’s new factory will be located in San Jose and employ approximately 1,000 workers. Construction is expected to begin next summer. The Tesla Roadster will continue to be produced in England by Lotus, making the Model S Tesla’s first American-made vehicle. Full details follow the jump. More »

The Top Ten Design Elements Of The Chevy Volt

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Yesterday's reveal of the production Chevy Volt got us thinking we should take a closer look at the design features, both inside and out, that make GM's plug-in hybrid unique. We've picked out five exterior and an equal number of interior design elements we feel are most important, and taken a little deeper look at each. Without further ado, hit the jump for our top ten key design elements that make the Volt so...eclectically electric. More »

GM's Lutz: Chevy Volt Will Use GPS To Determine Distance From Home, Adjust Engine Accordingly

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT

At GM's "blogger town hall" at the end of yesterday's Chevy Volt unveil, the General's Vice Chairman and product czar, "Maximum" Bob Lutz, made mention to a Volt feature we hadn't yet heard about, and is even more techie-cool than the iPod-like interface on the center stack. Apparently, the Volt will "know how far you are from home" using what we're assuming is an on-board GPS system. The plug-in electric extended range hybrid's computer will then use that distance, along with route information, to determine how long the car needs to run the gas engine to charge the on-board battery pack, allowing the vehicle to truly maximize fuel economy. Even if you're not drinking the GM Kool-Aid, you've got to be wow'ed by a system like that — as long as it actually works. Read the full quote from "The" Bob after the galleries and the jump below. More »

Chevy Volt, Live And Unplugged!

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:01:00 EDT

The finale of GM's centennial celebration today was the official reveal of the production 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the first official plug-in hybrid production vehicle from a major auto manufacturer. Details are slim, but what we know is this — GM calls it an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), it has a top speed of 100 mph and 40 miles on all-electric based on the EPA city cycle. The rest of what we know, plus the official press release, are below the jump. More »

Tesla Finalizes Single-Speed Transmission, Ups Output, Range

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:30:00 EDT

The thorn in Tesla's side, the troubled single-speed transmission for its all-electric Tesla Roadster, has finally been approved for production, and with it comes an announcement of more power and better range. After durability problems with the original single-speed transmission, Telsa was forced to used a two-speed cog swapper for production. But now, after re-sourcing the business to transmission mega-star Borg Warner, the redesigned single-speed is ready to go and offers big benefits. Because of the additional capability in the transmission, the peak torque has been raised from 211 lb-ft to 280 lb-ft; a heady number considering peak torque arrives at zero rpm with an electric motor. Despite the higher output, the EPA estimates show a 10% increase in range. That's a pretty neat trick. Complete details below. More »