What you see above is not the T.27, it's the latest mule version of the aforementioned T.25, but the newest member of the growing Gordon Murray Design family will borrow heavily from the lessons learned with that project. In order to achieve their target of "most efficient EV in the world," they plan to ditch a lot of what we take for granted in EV's. and are partnering with Zytek, one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of electric motors in the world, to develop and all-new motor and gearbox for the car. It'll also use simplified lightweight construction the same iStream manufacturing process planned for hte T.25. In other words, when we cut through all the hullabaloo of a formal announcement, it's probably an EV version of the T.25. [DailyMail]

The new EV entry is planned for production in Eugene, Oregon and delivery start in late 2010 (which is when everybody is pegging their EV/super green car deliveries) with a planned list price under $20,000. That price is remarkably lower than most announced EV offerings mainly because the company is using tried and true lead-acid batteries rather than a more exotic chemistry with hefty development costs. Motivation comes from a DC motor able to deliver 80 lb-ft of torque with a top speed of 55 MPH. The companies website just went live with all the details you might be interested in, should you be looking for a way to get from your sustainable organic hemp and algae farm to your reclaimed Portland warehouse condo and art gallery. [Arcimoto]

This latest announcement brings news of the Tesla Model S, the company's long-planned affordable electric sedan, which will get a prototype rollout on March 26th. Helping keep the development, and therefore final, cost of the Model S down, Musk announced some funds from the company's $350 million loan request to the Department of Energy to be released in the next six months.

What he didn't say is that their application was approved. He didn't specifically say how much, if any, money is coming to Tesla. We've contacted Tesla for a comment so we'll know for sure whether this vague statement of some funds going somewhere was merely a rhetorical miscue or an actual attempt to mislead people as to the future financial state of the company.

UPDATE: We've gotten an update from a Tesla spokesperson confirming they have not received funding, though they're in the later stages of applying. No one has yet to receive an approval, so it isn't as if they have been left out. According to Tesla's Rachel Konrad: "It's important to note that we have NOT received final confirmation from the DOE that we will receive funds. None of the 75 applications have received final approval. However, we are in the later stages of the loan application process, where the DOE is evaluating Tesla's financial viability and technical merits. The DOE is doing its due diligence, and we are very optimistic about a relatively expedient timeline for disbursal of funds."

For future customers, Musk further announced the opening of shops in Chicago and London's Knightsbridge district, with more stores coming in Manhattan, Miami, Seattle and Munich. The news from Tesla has been mixed lately, as the company has had to deal with the Carpocalypse, layoffs, lost court cases and other assorted bad news. On the other hand, the company has also announced strategic partnerships and new models.

Musk once again reiterated his belief the company will be profitable by mid-year, which seems like a more reasonable statement when you raise the price on already ordered Roadsters. Full news in the press release below the jump.

Tesla to be Profitable by Mid Year

The $40M financing round completed in December was twice the amount Tesla needed to reach profitability. Moving forward two months later, we remain on track with our cost reductions and production ramp, so it appears highly likely that Tesla will meet the goal promised to those investors of becoming profitable by mid year.

The main reason for this confidence is that Tesla is already in the fortunate position of being sold out until early November, something few automakers can claim, and will soon be sold out of all 2009 production. While we have had some cancellations due to buyers experiencing personal financial difficulties, new orders continue to flow in every week from the United States and Europe. We have now produced more than 200 Roadsters for customers and there are more than 1,000 customers still awaiting delivery.

Due to our order backlog, it seems that owning a Roadster can be a good investment. Last September, as the financial and real estate markets began crashing, a Roadster was sold at the Sonoma Paradiso in California wine country for $160,000, well above the current list price of $109,000. Many Roadster owners who have taken delivery of their cars have already decided to purchase a second Roadster or Roadster Sport because they like the first one so much.

The continued strong demand is driven by the fact that the Tesla Roadster has no direct competitors. It is faster than almost any sports car on the market (our Roadster beat a Porsche GT3 on the Top Gear test track) and yet uses less energy and has a smaller carbon footprint than a Toyota Prius, even if you assume the worst possible case where all electricity comes from coal.

I expect sales demand to strengthen further as this awareness grows. After all, what's the point of driving another exotic sports car when it is slower than a Tesla and damages the environment? Already, the Tesla Roadster is the car of choice among the technology, business and Hollywood A lists – this year's Academy Awards will be a lineup of Teslas – and we have never had to give a discount to anyone.

Many customers also appreciate the fact that profit from their purchase goes towards helping Tesla develop more affordable, mass market electric cars. The same cannot be said for those who buy gas-guzzling sports cars from other automakers.

And owners aren't the only ones impressed with the Roadster. Road & Track was the first auto enthusiast magazine to perform third-party, instrumented testing on the Roadster; they were "pleased to see its extravagant claims confirmed." The Washington Post's Warren Brown gushed, "Wheeeeeee! If this is the future of the automobile, I want it." Dan Neil of the Los Angeles Times had perhaps the most colorful description we've seen to describe the Roadster's scorching acceleration: "God has grabbed me by the jockstrap and fired me off his thumb, rubber band-style. Wow." And we've also had a torrent of reviews in Europe, where deliveries begin this summer – including a Le Monde story with our favorite headline: "Le chic électrique."

Unveiling the Model S and DOE funding

On March 26th, at the Tesla design studio located within the SpaceX rocket factory, we will unveil a street-drivable prototype of the Model S four door sedan. Our objective with the Model S was to create one of the most functional, intuitive and beautiful vehicles on the road. Tesla Roadster customers and select VIPs invited to the event will have an opportunity to judge for themselves firsthand whether we have succeeded.

Regarding funding, I am excited to report that the Department of Energy informed Tesla last week that they expect to disburse funds from our $350M Model S loan application within four to five months. The Obama administration has thankfully made it a top priority to move quickly on the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing loan program, as this will both generate high quality jobs in the near term and lay the groundwork for a better environment in the future.

This will keep us on track for production to start in 2011. As a gesture of gratitude for their early support, Roadster owners will receive a $10,000 discount off the price of the Model S Signature series and automatically be first in line for the sedan.

Daimler Partnership

We announced last month at the Detroit auto show that we have been working with Daimler (maker of Mercedes) for over a year to create an electric version of the Smart car. Daimler has contracted with Tesla to build the battery packs and chargers for an initial run of 1,000 cars. Pending the results of that test fleet, the relationship could expand to tens of thousands of cars per year.

This is a very significant endorsement of both Tesla's technology and our financial strength by one of the world's most respected automotive companies. Daimler would not feel comfortable depending on us for this program if they felt that either our technology was easily replicated or that we were in financial danger.

Daimler was the first company to commercialize the internal combustion engine and has become a benchmark for automotive quality and reliability. It is an honor that they chose to work with Tesla after a thorough investigation of other options. The deal is likely to be the first in a series of strategic partnerships between Tesla and other auto manufacturers to engineer and produce electric cars.

My goal for Tesla from the beginning was to do whatever we can to help end the world's addiction to oil. We'll do that by making cars directly, helping other automakers develop cars, and serving as an example to the rest of the industry. Although the Roadster is still the only highway capable production electric car for sale in the United States, it was very encouraging to see that the central theme of the Detroit auto show this year was electric transportation. J

New Tesla Sales & Service Centers to Open

We have reached agreement on Tesla store leases in Chicago and London's Knightsbridge district, and we are close to finalizing locations in Manhattan, Miami, Seattle and Munich. All six facilities will open this year, and in the following months we'll provide details about individual store opening parties. These new stores will offer prospective customers the chance to see and drive the Roadster in person – and they underscore Tesla's commitment to looking at the auto industry with fresh eyes. Unlike traditional franchise dealerships, Tesla owns its stores and controls the customer experience. We think you'll agree that our stores are a refreshing change from the way most people have bought cars for the last 50 years.

Roadster Sport

Tesla is now taking orders for the Roadster Sport, an even higher performance car that does 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. It comes with a hand-wound stator and increased winding density for lower resistance and higher peak torque.

The tires are upgraded to Yokohama Ultra High Performance and the suspension features adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars tuned to the driver's preference – allowing for both softer and firmer rides than the standard Roadster. Deliveries are expected to begin in late June.

Upgraded Roadster Interior and Other Options

Tesla will soon offer an Executive Leather Interior that raises the level of luxury in the Roadster's cabin. We are also offering a Clear Carbon Fiber Exterior Package to add an additional level of sportiness and highlight the lightweight material that makes up the Roadster's body. Currently, the only exterior clear carbon fiber touch on the base model is the roll bar cover – but many customers and fans have asked if we could reveal more of this exotic, braided material. These packages will be available starting in June.

Battery Replacement Program

One of the top questions customers ask about the Roadster is, "How long will the battery last and what will it cost to replace?" Tesla engineers have determined that a Tesla battery pack should last approximately seven years or over 100,000 miles under normal use.

Customers may pay $12,000, €10,000 or £9,000 up front and in return receive a replacement battery pack after seven years. Customers will also have the option of replacing the pack earlier at a premium or later for a partial refund. With the low production volume of the Tesla Roadster, the current replacement price of the pack is almost three times that number. The main reason for the relatively low cost up front — and why this is a smart purchase — is that we are arbitraging the relative cost of capital between Tesla and our typical customer.

Extended Warranty to Double Standard Period

Many customers have also asked to purchase an extended warranty. We now offer a doubling of the standard warranty, which means an additional 3 years and 36,000 miles or 60,000 kilometers, for $5,000, €4,000 or £3,800.

This covers everything on the car except the battery pack. Should the motor, power electronics, HVAC or any other major system need to be replaced, this will be money well spent, and it provides peace of mind to many customers.

Thanks for your support!

— Elon —

The cars will be part of New York's "Street Condition Observation Unit" or SCOUT (which should really be SCOU, but we're just being pedantic) and used to hunt for taxi-swallowing potholes or the scourge of the city — graffiti. They'll be part of a one year program to beat the ever-loving crap out of the electric MINI's to see how they do in harsh, real-world situations. The conditions in New York will be matched against testing and conditions in Los Angeles, Berlin, and London and will serve to provide BMW's valuable data on the cars, and aid in plans to take over the world with incredibly expensive and almost useful compact cars.

Details on the program below:

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Announces Use of MINI E Electric Cars provided by BMW Group to City of New York in State of the City Speech

The MINI E is a zero-emissions fully electric car

New York, NY – January 15, 2009, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced in his State-of-the-City speech that BMW Group will loan a fleet of 10 MINI E electric zero-emissions cars to the City of New York. These vehicles will be used in its Street Condition Observation Unit, known as SCOUT, and will be among the 500 MINI Es the BMW Group is producing as part of a one-year pilot field study to determine the viability of electric vehicles in real life use. The MINI Es will be used by SCOUT inspectors who drive New York City's streets in search of street conditions, such as potholes and graffiti. The vehicles are scheduled to begin arriving in April.

The MINI E is the first product of BMW's Project i, a program designed to research and develop transportation strategies and new types of vehicles specifically to meet the needs of the world's growing mega-cities, of which New York is one.

"We are delighted to work with New York City in developing this new form of sustainable transportation," said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. "Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC initiative has demonstrated a keen understanding of the importance of sustainability and we fully share the same vision and enthusiasm for developing new ideas, technologies and forms of transportation to make it a reality. This MINI E zero-emission vehicle is only our company's first step."

The MINI E can travel more than 150 miles on a single charge and provides the agility and handling of a MINI Cooper. It is powered by a 150 kilowatt electric motor with the equivalent of 201 hp. The energy supply comes from a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The vehicle, which debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph. MINI will install a special wall box into each MINI E customer's garage that can fully recharge a completely drained battery in just two-and-a-half hours.

The 500 MINI Es will be deployed in New York and New Jersey and Los Angeles metropolitan areas with additional vehicles being tested in Berlin, Germany and London, England. Of the 500 U.S. vehicles, 450 will be leased to customers that applied online at MINIUSA.com to be part of the one-year field study. The others will be dedicated to full-time extensive and intense daily use in select fleets, such as the NYC SCOUT fleet. Those selected will be asked to provide ongoing real world use feedback to BMW on their experience with the zero-emission electric cars. More than twice the number of people applied as there are cars available in the U.S.

BMW has also arranged to provide MINI Es to the city of Los Angeles to test the MINI E in conditions different from those in New York City.

In New York City, the MINI Es will serve as SCOUT vehicles and be deployed across the five boroughs beginning this spring for one year. The vehicle operators help identify problems on New York City streets and ascertain whether complaints logged into the City's 311 phone system are being adequately addressed. SCOUT vehicles log nearly 100 miles per day.

[Source: MINI]

We thought the Lada Revolution 3 from last years Paris Motor Show was the tops in Russian supercars, but the Marussia completely crushes that notion with a supercar we'd be caught alive in.

According to Russia Today, the Marussia is the brainchild of ADD-addled Nikolay Fomenko, who's got his fingers in everything from racing to theatrical acting. The Marussia starts with a tube-frame chassis onto which composite body panels are attached. The modular nature of the body means changes can be made easily to tweak the look of the car. That modular nature carries over in the engine bay, where the car will initially launch with a 240 to 300 HP version of the Nissan VQ V6.

However, they are working on an all-electric version set for unveil sometime in the middle of this year which would debut a nanotech battery sourced from a mysterious "Russian construction bureau." This EV version of the Marussia would ticket for around $100k and run for a claimed 248 miles on a single charge and even work in Russia's frigid climate. Some bold claims to be sure. Even if an electric version never comes, and the gas motor version doesn't exactly have barn-burning power numbers, it does look pretty cool, and with bargain pricing it might be a perfect option for all of those Russian oligarchs which find themselves only stinking rich, instead of filthy rich these days. [EnglishRussia, RussiaToday]

If it hadn’t been sporting the huge Dodge graphics, we could have easily mistaken this for a Lotus Europa; which it really is, yet isn’t. Seriously though, which is it? Chrysler feels your pain (and lots of its own) and has fortunately taken the time to give the little EV a recognizable face comprised of the signature Dodge cross-hair grille, a pair of foglamps and unique headlamps. We expect the Dodge EV to take inspiration from the 2007 Dodge Demon concept in its front-end styling and remain virtually unchanged in its side profile. Fortunately for Chrysler, the Europa somehow managed to resemble a Dodge from the rear, so we’re not expecting any changes from the original Lotus design of the tush-end.

Will this piece of putative vaporware actually make it to production? We can’t say. Given Chrysler’s current financial situation, we don’t think a two-seat electric sports car is the best plan for a Pentastar that, given a few months time, could be Penta-gone.

The plan calls for the replacement of typical base vehicles with low speed electric runabouts on Forts across the US. The plan will kickoff next year with 800 EVs being commissioned for service at Fort Belvoir and then expanded to 4,000 of the little buggers over the next three years. This should save an estimated 11.5 million gallons of fuel. The Air Force and Navy have expressed interest in getting on board with the program, so we may have an entire military driving stealthy, nerdy, fuel efficient vehicles. [Army Times via Treehugger]

Update: The contest got a shot in the arm when GEM offered an iPod Touch to the winner. As a result we've reopened the contest to all interested. For details and rules check out the new and improved GEM Peapod Photoshop Contest: Now With iPod Touch Grand Prize

• Recharge on standard home 110/220 current — full charge in four hours on 220 or eight hours on 110.
• Eschews the Hemi engine for a lithium-ion battery pack.
• 0-to-60 time in under five seconds.
• Range of 150-200 miles.
• Unlike the Tesla, based on the Lotus Elise, the Dodge ev looks to be based on the Lotus Europa.

The car Renault unveiled Sunday in Tel Aviv with Silicon Valley start-up Project Better Place was just a prototype with a cobbled-together battery, but the French automaker reportedly is prepared to spend as much as $1 billion developing EVs. Company CEO Carlos Ghosn hasn't confirmed that figure but says Nissan, which Renault owns, will offer an electric vehicle in California by 2010.

"This will not be a Star Wars prototype," he says. "It will be a car for sale."

Ghosn told the Telegraph he wants to build "a sexy electric car that will be fin to drive and without the environmental hit."

The Nissan joins BMW, Audi, Mitsubishi and Subaru in developing EVs for America in part to meet California rules that automakers put 7,500 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2014. But the automaker doesn't plan to make electrics a mere sideline - Ghosn says Renault and Nissan are committed to "becoming a global leader" in the production of affordable electric cars.

They're off to a strong start. Renault and Nissan signed a deal with Project Better Place in January to bring EVs to Israel. Renault will build the cars and Project Better Place will install 500,000 charging stations and 150 battery exchange depots throughout Israel.

The cars will use lithium-ion batteries developed by Nissan through its joint venture with NEC, although some may be fitted with batteries from A123 Systems. The batteries weigh about 400 pounds, and Renault says they'll provide a range of about 125 miles. The company plans to have several hundred EVs on the road in Israel within a year. Shai Agassi, who founded Project Better Place after leaving software giant SAP, says the start-up plans to use solar energy generated in the Negev Desert to power the vehicles.

Project Better Place has raised $200 million to finance the project, and the Israeli government has promised big tax breaks for electric vehicles. Denmark has signed on to Agassi's plan and hopes to begin offering electric cars by 2011. The Israeli newspaper Globes says an undisclosed Persian Gulf state is negotiating a similar arrangement.

These deals will only help Renault and Nissan develop the "range of electric vehicles" Ghosn has promised. According to the Sunday Times, he considers EVs the most important development within the auto industry and says Israel is the ideal place to launch them because it's a small country where people make short trips. He expects the first electric Nissans to be available to fleets in 2010 and to the mass-market by 2012.

Main photo: Associated Press. Second photo: Project Better Place.

That's a pretty good day out in the dunes and with power like that available at the base of a grade it's no wonder the announcement sparked substantial interest. According to the company, after announcing the all electric car, requests for quote have skyrocketed 1,056% in the week since. We see only two problems with all of this. First, Xtreme went out of their way to create the extremely tiresome ZES acronym — of course, Zero Emissions Sandcar, ugh. Second, it's going to be awfully spooky when a mid-flight sand car sails overhead in complete silence. [Xtreme Motorsports]

With Ferdinand at the wheel, the four motor car was a race winner and reached speeds of 37 mph. He would go on to add an on-board generator to another car to provide unlimited range and also predate the Chevy Volt by about 100 years. [CNNMoney] [Porsche]

On the hardware side, the HY-DRA operates on a A123 supplied Li-Ion battery pack good for 180 kW. The four motors deliver a peak output of 61 HP and a shocking 811 lb.ft. of torque. That kind of deity-like power will run this sucker up to 60 MPH in a short 6 seconds and go for a range of 25 clicks in all-electric, silent recon mode. This is only a demo vehicle and unfortunately no production is planned at this point, but this certainly opens up another option for the traveler on tomorrow's zombie infested highways.

At the heart of the system will be a battery capable of being swapped in and out repeatedly at a service plaza. In a press event on the topic, DONG brought an example of the battery which will be used in the cars, but would not allow photographs of its unit. [Treehugger]

What's the biggest problem with electric cars? Sure, some would say it's that they're too quiet, making them a danger to pedestrians, but that's been solved by a simple technology called Baseball Cards in the Spokes (or something like that). The real biggest problem is battery technology. But one company is testing a new formulation of lithium-ion batteries, using nanotechnology, which may offer e-cars a longer range and charging times acceptable to those who don't have all day to spare. Could they be the answer to the electric-car conundrum?

The Lithium-Ion Car [Technology Review]

Related:
More on the BlueCar: Batteries Up! [internal]

We can't help but be in the CalCars guys' corner on their quest to give the Toyota Prius hybrid full-electric capability. After all, as someone once said (Mark Twain? Henry Ford?) "tinkering is the best revenge over those who'd just as soon spit in your eye as say hello." (Hmm, that doesn't sound quite right). CalCars is a non-profit group of "entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and consumers" who take on projects that promote its interest in national security, jobs and global warming. At an upcoming MAKE magazine event, CalCars engineers plan to hack a new Prius to make it plug-in capable, installing a battery pack and tweaking hardware and software so it can go all-electric. We won't tell if you don't. Oh, wait...

CalCars.org to modify Toyota Prius to "plug-in" hybrid at Maker Faire [MAKE]

Related:
Steve Lapp s Photovoltaic Prius Project [internal]