Electric vehicles have quickly caught on in the last several years to the point where the industry is now awash with a wide variety of electric models, conversions, and plans for future adoption of the green technology. While some electric vehicles remain a bit out of reach for the ordinary consumer, many companies are taking steps to make electric vehicles affordable and easy to find. (more…)

Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp, promoted his “Prius Family” with the unveiling of the Prius v and Prius c at the Detroit Auto Show on January 10, 2011.

The Prius hybrid came to America in 2000 as “a misunderstood concept struggl[ing] for acceptance”. Now, with nearly 1 million (more…)

Chinese company BYD will bring its electric and plug-in vehicles to North America in 2011 as one part of a threefold strategy for exporting technology. BYD’s first plug-in car, the F3DM, has arrived in California where it will be used in a pilot project by the Los Angeles Housing Authority. The F3DM has 40-60 miles of electric range and 300 miles of gasoline range, and in a unique (more…)

South Korea is a country with a lot on her mind as of late. The recent debacle with North Korea continues to have ramifications within the country’s political and military arenas and all the while they are still working towards developing a strong renewable energy policy. Currently, South Korea has a series of plans that would provide their nation with a wide variety (more…)

Of all the renewable energy sources that car manufacturers have been trying to harness to make the latest electric vehicles, the one most people would never think of is probably wind power. The idea of using wind to power a car seems like it would be impossible or at the very least (more…)

Between the recent 2010 Australian International Motor Show and the upcoming 2010 LA Auto Show, electric vehicle enthusiasts are a-flutter with the electric concept cars offered up by two major manufacturers.

Nissan, which only recently made headlines by revealing the LEAF, the most affordable (more…)

As electric cars continue to become a prominent method of alternative transportation, companies are continuing to find new ways to make their vehicles more efficient and longer lasting. Recently, Ford has joined the ranks of other electric car manufacturers who are trying to tackle the issue of a loss of charging power in batteries when the temperature outside the (more…)

Ford’s goal of electrifying its fleet appears to be running on all cylinders. The company is creating battery electric versions of both of its award winners –2009 Car (Focus) and Truck (Transit Connect Van).

Because energy storage will make or break the arrival of electric vehicles, Ford has joined GM in bringing the battery pack assembly and management under its tent.

Ford is investing nearly $1 billion in manufacturing facilities in Michigan that will include hybrid, battery-electric and plug-in vehicles as well as the lithium ion battery packs. Ford manager of global electrified fleets Greg Frenette explained that “there’s a strong tie-in marrying battery control…. to the rest of propulsion, and we’re in the best position to manage that.”

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A Swiss company has introduced a rechargeable zinc-air battery that has three times the storage of lithium ion batteries and costs only half as much.

ReVolt plans to commercialize a small version of the battery for use in hearing aids by next year, and then continue introducing larger versions, including batteries for cellphones and electric bicycles — and, perhaps eventually, electric cars.

The technology is based on a battery designed by the Norwegian research institute SINTEF.

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A U.S. company and its Chinese partner will test electric buses using ultracapacitors that would be chargeable at stops every few miles. The latest ultracapacitors store only 5 percent of the energy that lithium-ion batteries can hold, making them impractical for passenger vehicles. But proponents say the fact that buses have to stop frequently — and at predictable locations — make them a more logical use of the technology.

Virginia-based Sinautec Automobile Technologies and Shanghai Aowei Technology Development Company, a partnership that has run 17 similar runs outside Shanghai for the last three years, will test the technology this week at American University in Washington, D.C.

Unlike traditional trolleys that stay connected to electric lines throughout their route, there is a collector on top of the Sinautec vehicle that would connect to a re-charging line at bus stops every two or three miles. Within three minutes, banks of ultracapacitors located beneath the seats of the bus would re-charge.
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