Close to a quarter of electric cars sold in U.S. by 2020 will be in Cali
Almost one in four electric cars sold by 2020 in the U.S. will be in California, according to a new report from Pike Research. Read more »
Tesla needs to gear up to meet Model S shipment goal
Tesla Motors needs to make a profit and is counting on the Model S to get it there. The electric car company began shipping the sedan last month, and it has collected about Model S 12,200 reservations now, compared with roughly 11,500 by the end of June. Read more »
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Electric vehicle outlook: 2012–2017
Overall, between 2012 and 2017, more than 900,000 light-duty PEVs will be sold in the United States. But there remain hefty inhibitors to mainstream plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) use, including limited vehicle driving range and large battery packs, not to mention steep prices. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Green Overdrive [video]: Test driving the electric Ford Focus
Ford is finally showing off its biggest push to date into the electric car market: an electric version of its Ford Focus. For GigaOM TV’s Green Overdrive show, we bring you a test drive! Read more »
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Ups and downs for cleantech in Q1
This quarter the EV market struggled to find its footing. Meanwhile, the smart-grid sector solidified and low-power technology proved itself important in the data center. Read more to learn what these news pieces and others mean for the larger space over the next few months. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Electric car charging: Let’s not make this more complicated
When it comes to electric cars, it’s already slow going, so why make electric car charging more confusing, says GigaOM Pro analyst Adam Lesser, who takes a look at the early emerging market for electric car charging networks. Read more »
Fisker electric Karma was pushed to market before it was ready
Updated: Electric car startup Fisker Automotive pushed its long-delayed inaugural electric car to market before it was market-ready in order to try to meet government milestones, according to a former Fisker employee that left the company. Read more »
Coda ships its first electric sedan (finally)
Electric-car startup Coda officially drove its first ready-to-ship electric car off the assembly line at its plant in the Northern California city of Benicia, California, on Monday morning, saying that the move is the start of its customer sales. It’s been a long time coming. Read more »
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12 tech leaders’ resolutions for 2012
If you’re like many of us, you’re already thinking over some New Year’s resolutions that will make you a better “you” in 2012. But how are the tech industries’ thought leaders approaching the new year? We asked 12 of them for their resolutions. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
GM won’t meet its Chevy Volt 2011 sales goal
Whether you like the Chevy Volt or not, if you are a supporter of electric cars, you should be disheartened by the news that the Volt won’t meet its 2011 sales goal after all. Not hitting the goal will have a greater impact beyond GM. Read more »
Obama’s 1M electric car goal could be difficult
I look at the numbers for whether the DOE and Obama will be able to meet the goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Read more »
GM to launch all-electric city car
Looks like GM is planning to compete even more directly with Nissan’s all-electric LEAF. According to reports, GM is supposed to announce on Wednesday that it will start selling an all-electric city car, designed for urban markets in the U.S. and based on its minicar Spark. Read more »
LG joins forces with GM to design electric cars
The team approach is becoming popular in the electric car development space. General Motors and LG Group announced Thursday a plan to co-develop electric vehicles in order to speed up their deployment. Read more »
What utilities should know about electric cars
Utilities know by now that they need to adopt steps manage electricity supply and demand if electric cars become popular. The trick is to figure out what to do. The Electric Power Research Institute released a report on Tuesday that addresses the utility concerns. Read more »
A weapon for electric vehicle range anxiety: GPS
GPS can provide an important function for the emerging electric car industry: battling so-called range anxiety. On Monday, electric car charging company Coulomb Technologies announced that it has partnered with navigation company TomTom to offer charging locator, reservation and information services for plug-in car drivers. Read more »
Nissan LEAF Ad: If Gas Powered Everything
Nissan’s got a new ad out that shows a world in which gas powers everything instead of electricity: Gas-powered hair dryers, gas-powered MP3 players, even gas-powered dentist drills (scary). Read more »
Toyota Teams Up With WiTricity for Wireless Car Charging
Wireless charging is an appealing concept for many of us who loathe the sight of messy power cords or the need to find outlets in public. Carmakers like it, too. Toyota announced a deal Wednesday with WiTricity to bring wireless charging to cars. Read more »
Green:Net: Connected Cities Are Sustainable Cities
At Green:Net next week, we’ll be exploring how adding IT technologies to anything from the power grid, to data centers, to buildings, to lighting can lead to energy efficiency and a more sustainable consumption of increasingly-constrained resources. Read more »
Freescale, Fuji Join Forces for Green Car Tech
Freescale Semiconductor and Fuji Electric Systems are forming a new partnership focused on hybrid and electric vehicle tech. The two companies announced plans to collaborate on a type of power semiconductor for electronic powertrains, as well as other products for green cars down the road. Read more »
How Plug-In Hybrid Cars Could Be Game Changers
With my daily commute, Nissan’s all-electric LEAF car isn’t a good fit for me, but GM’s extended range electric car the Volt isn’t exactly an inexpensive car. Here’s how the economics work out and why a plug-in hybrid car could be a real game changer. Read more »
Detroit Auto Show: 7 Green Moves to Watch
It’s that time again, when automakers haul their wares out to Detroit for the North American International Auto Show. The event, which kicks off on Monday, will include an array of concepts for more efficient and less polluting cars, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Read more »
Top 10 Green Overdrive Videos of 2010
After 6 months and close to 30 shows on green vehicles, we’re ready to ring in 2011 with a brand new year of eco-vehicle content for the Green Overdrive. Here’s my personal favorite 10 (+1) episodes from the Green Overdrive Show in 2010: Read more »
Climate Lobbying Numbers: GM vs Nissan
According to filings via the Lobbying Disclosure Act Database, GM outspent Nissan North America when it came to climate and energy-related lobbying in 2010. Will that give either company an edge in the U.S. market with their inaugural EVs? Read more »
10 Greentech Predictions for 2011
Yep, it’s that time of year again; get ready for the flurry of end-of-the-year market prediction posts. Here’s 9 predictions from Jeff St. John (plus 1 from me) laying out what the greentech sector will look like in 2011. Read more »
How Much You’d Save With An Electric Car
Would you save money on your commute if you bought an electric car? Here’s a handy dandy Facebook app that will help you figure it all out: Read more »
Electric Cars Could Thrive in the Second Car Market
A variety of auto makers are vying for the second car market for electric vehicles, so instead of competing head-to-head with traditional car makers for an internal combustion engine replacement, they’re offering EVs as second and even third cars. Read more »
Still Baby Steps for Big Auto & Electric Cars
With the launch of Nissan’s LEAF and GM’s Volt this year, the first mainstream electric cars are finally reaching customers in the U.S. But it’s clear that Big Auto as a whole is still in the baby step stage. Read more »
Coda Pushes Back Sales Date of Electric Sedan
On the heels of management changes at Coda Automotive, the electric car startup has decided to push back the sales date of its inaugural all-electric sedan to the third quarter of 2011 from December 2010, interim CEO Steven “Mac” Heller told me in an interview. Read more »
Consumers Might Not Want Electric Cars All That Much
New flash: Consumers aren’t so quick to embrace electric cars. After creating a flurry of news reports and test drive videos to get the word out, the carmakers, media and the government haven’t convinced the masses that alternative-fuel cars are the more environmental-friendly choice. Read more »
VIDEO: The New Volt Ad, “This Is America, Man”
While the Nissan LEAF folks turned to cute animals and bear hugs for its ads to sell Nissan’s all-electric LEAF, GM is going for the more, um, patriotic angle. Read more »
How Robot Cars Could Be More Sustainable Cars
While the Google’s recently revealed robot car project is being looked at as an example of just how far outside of its core business Google has been reaching, the prospect of self-driving, computerized cars are compelling for their ability to make driving more sustainable. Here’s how: Read more »
Coda Unveils Electric Car Pricing at $45K, Above Volt & LEAF
Electric vehicle maker startup Coda has finally released the pricing of its inaugural vehicle, and at almost $45,000 it’ll cost you almost $4,000 more than GM’s Volt, and over $12,000 more than the Nissan’s all-electric LEAF. Read more »
Electric Car 101: Lease or Buy?
If you’re sold on a plug-in car, one of the next questions to answer is whether to lease or buy your chosen model. Here are five things to consider as you hunt for a plug-in car deal that fits your budget, driving habits and preferences. Read more »
10 Things to Know About the Nissan LEAF
Nissan is reportedly taking its first official orders on Tuesday for the all-electric LEAF, which will basically be the first mass-produced mainstream-targeted electric vehicle on the market. Here’s what you need to know about the Nissan LEAF. Read more »
The Answer to Electric Vehicle Range Anxiety: Mobile Tech
Mobile technology, including vehicle navigation systems and mobile apps, will act as a safety net to beat back “range anxiety” for the first generation of electric vehicles. Read more »
Green Overdrive: The Nissan LEAF On the Road!
We took (arguably) the most affordable, mainstream, soon-to-be-released all-electric vehicle the Nissan LEAF out for a test drive for this week’s episode of Green Overdrive (where if it’s green we’ll drive it.) Read more »
Design Battle: How The Plug-In Car Chargers Compare
How important will the design of some of the first charging stations be for the success of plug-in cars? Here’s how GE, Better Place, Ecotality, AeroVironment, and Coulomb Technologies stack up. Read more »
Waiting for the Electric Car Price War
As plug-in hybrid and all-electric cars gradually make their way to dealers’ lots over the next 12 months, we are likely to see more aggressive price cutting and hardcore marketing deals in an attempt to lure consumers away from their good ol’ gasoline vehicles. Read more »
The Nissan LEAF: Why It Will Be Profitable From the Get-Go
Check out this video interview from our Green:Net conference with Mark Perry, Nissan North America’s director of product planning and strategy. He details who’s signing up to buy the electric LEAF and why Nissan expects to make money on it from the get-go. Read more »
Renault-Nissan Charges Ahead With Electric Cars in China
As Google mulls pulling out of China, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is digging in. The French-Japanese auto duo has just detailed its first deal with a Chinese city to develop electric vehicles and infrastructure. Under the pilot program announced Thursday, Nissan will roll out 25 electric vehicles in Wuhan starting in 2011 with the Nissan LEAF sedan. The Wuhan government will build 250 electric vehicle chargers, and two additional “quick chargers,” for installation in the city. Both Wuhan and Nissan plan to work on marketing, collaborating on “education and awareness programs.” Read more »
