Electric Vehicles

Tesla Electric SUV Coming

Tesla Motors has started designing the Model X SUV, a sporty crossover model that will be no larger than your typical compact SUV, while offering the interior space of a full-size passenger van, reports Edmunds.com's GreenCarAdvisor.

The electric vehicle company is able to achieve the space, according to the report, because Tesla, unlike traditional automakers, isn't hampered by a large internal combustion engine and most of the most space absorbing systems that accompany it.

The vehicle could launch by 2014.

Tesla, which went public last year and is set to receive hundreds of millions in federal loans if it meets certain milestones, is known for its Tesla Roadster, which costs in excess of $100,000. Actors George Clooney and Brad Pitt ore among its customers.

The company, which counts German automaker Daimler and Toyota among its stake-holders, is supposed to start building a $40,000-$50,000 Model S (pictured) electric vehicle next year at its 5 million square foot factory in Fremont, CA next year.

That car, notes GreenCarAdvisor, is about as big as a BMW 5 Series, but seating for five adults and two children plus cargo.

Tags: Daimler, electric vehicles, SUV, tesla motors, Toyota

Luxury EV Maker Tesla To Do EV Toyota RAV4

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green

Luxury electric-vehicle maker Tesla will develop and electric version of the Toyota RAV4 compact SUV. Toyota took an equity stake in Tesla earlier this year, giving the EV maker its NUMMI manufacturing plant in Fremont, CA. Now, it will pay Tesla $60 million to leverage its battery know-how to create a 100% electric version of the RAV4.

Toyota makes the number-one hybrid, Prius, as well as hybrid versions of the Camry sedan, Highlander SUV, as well as hybrid versions of Lexus luxury vehicles.

Tesla sells an EV roadster today for $100,000-plus. The company had its initial-public offering last June, and the stock is up 21% since then in part because of the investments and deals with Toyota and Daimler.

The gas version of a RAV4 ranges in cost between $22K and $28K and up depending on added features. The EV RAV4, due in 2012, won't be priced until then. Given the cost of batteries, it's hard to imagine that the starting price wouldn't be close to $40K, but then come down to around $30K after government subsidies for zero-emission vehicles.

Tags: Daimler, Electric Vehicles, RAV4, Tesla, Toyota RAV4

$41,000 Chevy Volt Draws Controversy for Engineering Claims

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Green

The Chevy Volt extended range electric sedan is critical to the new General Motors that has emerged from bankruptcy last year, and is about to try and sell its initial-public-offering to investors. But as it unveils the car to the media this week, some critics are blasting the automaker for over-stating the car's fuel efficiency and innovation.

GM has long called the Volt an 'extended age electric vehicle." That made it decidedly different from the Toyota Prius and Toyota's and Honda's other full-hybrids. The key difference, GM has said for three years, is that the gas-fed motor in the Volt never directly drives the wheels of the car. The motor in the Volt, GM has said, powers the battery after its charge runs down, eliminating the risk of the driver running out of power before reaching their destination or a recharging station.

But GM executives confirmed this week that the Volt can use the internal combustion motor under its hood to power the wheels. This fact was first reported by MotorTrend.com, which was allowed to test the car for three long drives. The magazine discovered "...when going above 70 mph in 'charge sustaining mode,' and the generator gets coupled to the drive-train, the gas engine participates in the motive force. GM says the engine never drives the wheels all by itself, but will participate in this particular situation in the name of efficiency, which is improved by 10 to 15 percent."

It may not seem like much, but this does fly in the face of what GM officials have been saying for the last three years as it has hyped the Volt as being an industry leading innovation. The fact that the gas-powered motor can directly power the wheels of the Volt makes it much closer to traditional hybrids already on the market.

Gallery: Chevy Volt Launches and Stirs Controversy

Tags: Brad Pitt, Chevy Volt, Electric Vehicles, extended range electric vehicle, fuel economy, General Motors, George Clooney, Nissan Leaf

Continue reading “$41,000 Chevy Volt Draws Controversy for Engineering Claims”

Mercedes Announces All-Electric Version of Upcoming SLS Gullwing Supercar

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

There's been a horsepower war being waged between German automakers for years, and Mercedes has been one of the biggest armies on the front line. An endless succession of big V8 and twin-turbo V12 engines have seen to Benz's dominance, housed in everything from station wagons to sportscars. Following the likes of the SLR McLaren and SL65 Black Series, the latest of the latter is almost here. But while the SLS "gullwing" will shout the battle cry of the horsepower wars with typical zeal, confirmed reports now indicate that it will also offer a more peaceful solution in the form of an all-electric version.

While the conventional SLS will be powered by a 6.3-liter V8 producing 563 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, the electric version will produce the equivalent of 526hp and 649 lb-ft, offering potential buyers no excuse for sticking to the fossil-fuel-burning version once the electric model makes its debut. The electric Mercedes supercar promises to accelerate to sixty in four seconds flat, that motivation being delivered courtesy of four individual electric motors and a 48 kWh lithium ion battery pack. Given Mercedes parent company Daimler's recent investment of $50 million in Tesla, it's safe to say that the California startup will be helping out in the development, but while a launch date for the electric SLS hasn't been revealed, sources expect to see it on the road by 2015.

Source

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