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Batteries

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tesla roadster

A Peek Under The Tesla Roadster’s Hood

Ever been curious what takes place under the Tesla Roadster’s hood in the absence of internal combustion? Well, here’s an explanation of what the parts are and and what they do, conveniently numbered so you can follow along at home. Make the jump to see why "Tesla mechanic" would be a totally cush job.

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3:30 PM on Fri Aug 29 2008
By Wes Siler
5,348 views, 53 comments

Latest by scrubnick: Jewce has a really good point. And that's assuming your charger is 100% efficient! Houses usually get a 100 Amp more »

alternative energy

John McCain Thinks We'll Have 100-Mile-Per-Charge Batteries By Election?

So we had the Today Show on in the background this morning while getting ready to run over to NPR when we heard some story about gas prices. We glanced up and noticed a guy who looked exactly like John McCain talking to Matt Lauer. We mean, it looked like McCain, it sounded like McCain — he even moved his cheeks like McCain! But the words coming from his mouth were like those from a crazy man. This nutty doppelgänger told Lauer he thought the possibility existed that we could have a car battery capable of running a car for...wait for it...100 miles on one charge. By November. And, of course, that this new "magic superbattery" would change the gas prices game. Huh? Wait. What? Does he know something we don't? Who is this crazy old coot? We've got the transcript below from the above clip — judge for yourself. More »

10:20 AM on Wed Jun 11 2008
By Ray Wert
3,274 views, 105 comments

Latest by SweetZombieJesus: I want my cars politics-free. more »

gas prices

Toyota Building Hybrid Battery Plant In Japan

The current state of gas prices may not be as big of a ball-buster for Prius owners, but recent reports suggest that there aren't as many Priuses on the road as there could be because of manufacturing shortages. One move by Toyota to try and combat this shortage is by building a $192 million battery plant in the Japan city of Shizuoka. Toyota is partnering with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. for a plant that will produce nickel-metal hydride batteries, the same batteries used in the Prius hybrid. Maybe they'd save on materials if they made smaller keys. [Wired] (Image via Getty)

1:00 PM on Fri May 23 2008
By Travis Hudson
1,772 views, 22 comments

Latest by FuzzyPlushroom: @creigs9:+ Watch video more »

industry news

Nissan Partners With NEC For Battery Factory, Claims Of EV by 2010 Maybe Not BS?

Nissan has announced a strategic partnership with tech giant NEC for a lithium ion battery factory in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The facility will operate under a new company dubbed Automotive Energy Supply and will be capable of putting out 16,000 batteries by next year, and 65,000 at full rate by 2011. With this $115 million announcement, Nissan's claims of putting EVs on the road by 2010 don't seem so far fetched. If Carlos the vanquisher says it will be, it will be. [Wired]

11:20 AM on Tue May 20 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
575 views, 9 comments

Latest by morrisseyscoot: more likely than the chevy volt! more »

novelties

Sometimes Yesterday's Today is Eerily Accurate

It's always fun to look back at publications which predict what the future will be like - especially if that future is already the past. Most of the enjoyment comes from seeing just how far we haven't progressed. In the case of this 1979 book, The Usborne Book of the Future - A trip in time to the year 2000 and beyond the predictions are remarkably prescient. Take for instance the car of the future; The book offers two distinctly different and yet remarkably familiar predictions - the hybrid, and the ever elusive electric car. More »

11:45 AM on Mon Feb 4 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
2,324 views, 22 comments

Latest by MELIKIEDACARZ: That's actually a GREAT series of books more »

alternative energy

First Lithium-Ion Auto Battery Plant To Open In France

Johnson Controls and Saft Advanced Power Solutions have teamed up to open the world's first lithium-ion battery plant—for cars. The plant will be in Nersac, France and will churn out 5,000 batteries per year for clients such as GM, Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz. More »

4:45 PM on Thu Jan 31 2008
By Travis Hudson
1,503 views, 9 comments

Latest by MadHungarian: I think I would rather be driving a Pinto -- while being tailgated by a semi -- that a car more »

industry news

Chevy Volt Battery Cell from A123 Systems

First of all, our good buddy Autoblog Sam is now writing for Hydrogen Forecast. Go Sam! Second, A123 Systems showed off their new "prismatic lithium-iron-phosphate cell" at the twenty-third Electric Vehicle Symposium in Anaheim, CA. This new battery cell was developed for General Motors' E-Flex development program, and that means it will wend its way into the 2011 Chevy Volt. Those of you in the snow belt will be happy to know that the the cells work in -40 degrees. For those living in the sun belt, they are good at temps as high as 120. What does that mean for those days in Vegas when it's 125 in the shade? We don't know. But we do know that these cells will be in Volt mules by 2008. [Hydrogen Forecast]

3:15 PM on Wed Dec 12 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
1,367 views, 12 comments

Latest by kbarrett: But is calling in individual cell a "battery cell" correct if it is a cell from a given battery? more »

alternative energy

Tesla Roadster Spotted in Santa Monica

Location, location, location. Er, make that timing is everything. Whatever the clichĂ©, we were sitting on our butt talking to some friendly Honda folk when in rolls Autoblog Sam and Tesla's Darryl Siry. They had just whipped the all-electric, Elise-based Roadster up and down Latigo Canyon — which is a hell of a road. So, not only is the Tesla for real, but according to Sam it kicks some major butt.

10:00 PM on Fri Nov 16 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
2,673 views, 24 comments

Latest by CARBONFIBER: @Turboner: * :D Ah-ha! U guys kill me! I agree. I'll wait & see what results Car & Driver gets outa the more »

news

Israel to Back Electric Car Plan

Isreal's cabinet is set to endorse an aggressive plan to convert the country to all electric cars, which is a decent idea if you're surrounded by oil-producing countries that kind of hate you. The idea is to spread charging points (500,000 of them) across the country and let people buy the cars and lease the batteries at a low cost, similar to cell phones. It's a fascinating proposal and may have legs thanks to the endorsement, which comes with major tax breaks and other forms of support. Renault has been mentioned as a possible partner, but the plan hasn't gotten quite that far.
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4:00 PM on Mon Nov 12 2007
By Matt Hardigree
1,298 views, 17 comments

Latest by Stoatmaster: Hopefully they'll rename their cities to reflect this brave new world. Starting with Tesla Viv. more »

industry news

Oops: New York Times Erroneously Reports Tesla Delays "Battery Related"

OMG! Ann Coulter is right. Just like when Dale Sr. took one for the team and the New York Times failed to put it on the front page, once again the Gray Lady gets it all wrong when it comes to cars. Oh wait, the New York Times actually did run Earnhardt's death on the front page and Coulter is a freaky looking drag queen/performance artist. Exhale... Anyhow, in a profile on Silicon Valley "technologist" Shai Agassi, who is planning on sticking battery recharging stations everywhere, Times writer John Markoff mistakenly reported that the delay in the much anticipated electric Tesla Roadster was due to "battery related issues." Tesla's VP of Sales, Marketing and Service — Darryl Siry — was all over it and the New York Times issued a retraction. Funny how that works. Turns out that the delay was and is continuing to be caused by transmission woes. Having spent some time behind the wheel of an Elise, the car the Tesla is based on, we can see how the tranny — the Elise's Achilles' heel — would be an issue. [Update:: Now I have to publish a retraction. What I meant by my bad tranny comment is that the worst part of the Lotus Elise by far is the transmission. Therefor, even though the Tesla has a totally different 2-speed gear-swapper, I'm not shocked because... oh, forget it. I'm just going to re-read Godless: The Church of Liberalism.]

9:30 AM on Tue Oct 30 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
1,081 views, 19 comments

Latest by JWilly48519: @rgseidl: "There is no absolutely safe car." True, but the world discounts the ways you can be killed in existing more »