The U.S. Department of Energy is expected to shift more of its research spending into the development of electric vehicle technologies, a strategy that officials hope will significantly reduce oil imports and greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. (more…)

In the past ten years, environmentally friendly cars have become a fixture in advertising. First came the Prius. Then BMW claimed its electric batteries boost performance, great for boosting the entire BMW brand. Chevy Volt, an electric hybrid, hypes range, innovation and American values, trying to minimize its (more…)

The U.S. Air Force recently announced that its Los Angeles base would be the first federal facility to replace 100 percent of its general purpose fleet with electric vehicles.

This switch will mean all 40 vehicles owned or leased by the base, including passenger sedans, two-ton (more…)

BMW is seeking 700 so-called “electronauts” to test a fleet of 2012 BMW Active E vehicles. While BMW is not shy of flaunting the phrase “ultimate driving machine”, one would not necessarily attach that phrase to the auto industry’s current crop of electric vehicles. With the Active E, BMW seeks to change all (more…)

The Mitsubishi Group is a large Japanese conglomerate that contains a number of businesses sharing the Mitsubishi brand, legacy and trademark. Probably most well known are the Mitsubishi manufactured vehicles. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a multinational automobile manufacturer with (more…)

The U.S. Department of Energy announced last week the 16 winning projects in 24 states that will receive funding for projects that support community planning for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. The projects won funding as part of the Clean Cities initiative, a competitive program that (more…)

This week, Air Force officials unveiled a plan to establish Los Angeles Air Force Base as the first Federal facility to replace 100% of its general-purpose fleet with Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEV’s). This is the start of a broader Department of Defense (DoD) effort toward large-scale integration of PEV’s into its fleet. (more…)

Arguably, the most complicated piece of machinery in the automotive world is a transmission. Transmissions transmit the power from the motor to the wheels in a way that prevents the engine from damaging itself while maximizing the power of the engine. Some battery electric vehicles may be able (more…)

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman this week announced that funds are being made available to the public and private sectors to help pay for conversion of fleet vehicles to alternative fuels.

The Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) program opened on Tuesday (September 6) and applications will be (more…)

Although still being outpaced by the all-electric Nissan LEAF in terms of North American sales, the new Chevy Volt from General Motors is bringing fresh faces into dealerships around the country — or at least at dealerships in the seven states where the Volt is currently being sold. (more…)