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Here comes that law of unintended consequences again. Global Warming Moonbats believe that electric cars are one of the major solutions to the problem of man made CO2 emissions causing the snow caps to melt, animals to die and blockbuster video to run out of your favorite videos. New research show electric cars are not the answer. The Environmental Transport Association in the UK, believes that electric cars could increase the rate of climate change, depending on how the electricity is created. In many countries when people plug in their electric car they would be plugging into a lump of...

America, are you ready for Rush Limbaugh in an electric car? The conservative talk show host has agreed to take Jay Leno's "Green Car Challenge." In the segment airing next Thursday on NBC's "Jay Leno Show," Limbaugh will race an electric Ford Focus around a custom-built track beside Leno's studio, the show's representative confirmed. The "Green Car Challenge" segment makes its debut on the primetime show tomorrow night. Celebrities who participate drive two times around the twisty track, which takes a little less than a minute to complete. By the time Rush gets behind the wheel of the zero-emission vehicle,...

DETROIT — The announcement of a new plant employing just 100 workers might seem like a long shot to attract the chief executive of General Motors, two senators and a raft of state and local officeholders from across Michigan. But in a state that has lost 800,000 jobs this decade, 18 percent of its work force, the Aug. 13 official opening of a G.M. factory to build electric-car batteries in Brownstown, about 20 miles southwest of Detroit, was a can’t-miss event. “The phrase ‘new plant’ isn’t one we’re used to hearing these days,” said John Cherry, Michigan’s lieutenant governor, as...

The push for conversion to plug-in electric cars will do nothing to stop carbon emissions, a report by the GAO warns, throwing cold water on a push by Democrats to get more plug-ins on the road. In fact, the problem could be made worse as demand goes up at coal-fired electrical plants. Plus, the need for batteries may just have the US changing the dictators to which we’re chained, as IBD reports...

Alternative Energy: A government report says reliance on electric cars will do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and may merely shift our dependence on foreign sources from one set of dictators to another.It's a beautiful theory — highways full of electric cars emitting no greenhouse gases or pollutants after being plugged into an outlet in our garages overnight. The problem, according to a new Government Accountability Office report, is that the effort may only shift the problem somewhere else. "If you are using coal-fired power plants, and half the country's electricity comes from coal-powered plants, are you just trading...

Alternative Energy: A government report says reliance on electric cars will do little to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and may merely shift our dependence on foreign sources from one set of dictators to another..."If you are using coal-fired power plants, and half the country's electricity comes from coal-powered plants, are you just trading one greenhouse gas emitter for another?" asks Mark Gaffigan, co-author of the GAO report. The report itself notes: "Reductions in CO2 emissions depend on generating electricity used to charge the vehicles from lower-emission sources of energy."

You could call electric car company Coda Automotive the anti-Tesla. The company, formed by fleet vehicle provider Miles Electric, on Wednesday unveiled the Coda, a plain-looking electric car that's designed for everyday use. The highway-capable four-door sedan can go between 90 and 120 miles on its lithium ion battery pack. It will be available to consumers in California in the fall of 2010 at a price of $45,000. The cost can be offset by about $10,000 from a federal tax credit and state incentives, the company said. Coda is marketing the car as a way to kick the oil habit...

In tonight's news conference, President Obama said he wanted US to produce an electric "plug-in" car. Actually, he said a "hybrid plug-in car" and that is a contradiction in terms, but let’s go with what he probably wanted us to believe, (which is what the MSM does all the time....) Obama says he wants GM to produce an electric car, but at the same time his Presidential Task Force on Automobiles says "GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt." and that "while the Chevy Volt holds promise, it will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in...

So when Buffett's friend and longtime partner in Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB), Charlie Munger, suggested early last year that they invest in BYD, an obscure Chinese battery, mobile phone, and electric car company, one might have predicted Buffett would cite rule No. 3 above. He is, after all, a man who shunned the booming U.S. tech industry during the 1990s. But Buffett, who is 78, was intrigued by Munger's description of the entrepreneur behind BYD, a man named Wang Chuan-Fu, whom he had met through a mutual friend. "This guy," Munger tells Fortune, "is a combination of Thomas Edison and Jack...

Battery technology is still not good enough to jumpstart an electric car revolution "I am absolutely committed to working with Congress and the auto companies to meet one goal: the United States of America will lead the world in building the next generation of clean cars," declared President Barack Obama this week when he announced his administration's plan to nationalize the American automobile industry. What does he mean by "clean cars"? During the presidential campaign, candidate Obama promised to enact $7,500 tax credit for new plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) cars, vowing to "put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars—cars that can...

When Tesla Motors launched its all-electric Roadster sports car, celebrities lined up to order one — including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now we hear he's been trying to return it for months. Like Detroit, cash-strapped Tesla is currently a supplicant to the government, counting on money earmarked for alternative energy to carry it through its trying times. In other words, a good time to have a political celebrity in their corner, right? Alas, no. Schwarzenegger frequently cited Tesla as an example of California's nascent green industries in speeches in previous years, and appeared with Tesla CEO Elon Musk at various events....

What defines a sports car? Until recently, it was design, performance and sound — the deep, throaty rumble of a Corvette's V-8, for example, or the machined purr of a Porsche 911 Turbo. Then came the electric and electrifying Tesla Roadster. A half-day spent thrashing a Tesla on the curvy ribbons of road above Palo Alto and Woodside was enough to convince me that silence is golden. And breath-taking. And scary.

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – US automaker Tesla Motors unveiled its state-of-the-art five-seat sedan here Thursday, billed as the world's first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the company, which last year released a breakthrough two-seater roadster, aims to have its sleek "Model S" sedan rolling off assembly lines by 2011. The futuristic zero-emission vehicle will be powered by lithium-ion battery packs capable of between 160 and 300 miles (257 and 482 kilometers) per charge. The car has an anticipated base price of 57,400 dollars but will cost less than 50,000 after a federal tax credit of...

Remember last spring, when Seattle's mayor rolled out the city's first car that could be "filled at the plug instead of the pump?" It's called a plug-in hybrid. They are all the green rage — "possibly the most sought-after technological innovation since Captain Kirk first flipped open his communicator," says The New York Times. You may have seen the city's cars around town, painted with an eye-catching claim on the rear bumper: "This plug-in hybrid gets 100+mpg." Also, a greener boast: "150+City MPG!" Not exactly, it turns out. Not even close. Try 51 miles per gallon, city and highway combined....

HETHEL, England — British sports car maker Lotus will build a battery-powered performance car, according to a Thursday report in the Financial Times. The technology used in the Lotus car will be similar to that in the Chevrolet Volt, with a fuel-powered range extender that works after the battery charge has depleted. The car is reportedly expected to achieve 300 to 400 miles on a single tank of gas. The Financial Times quoted chief executive Michael Kimberley as saying: "Don't be surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly. We are working on the technologies that will go behind it." Lotus...

After yesterday's good news regarding delivery of the 100th Tesla Roadster, it's back to number-crunching reality. Tesla CEO Elon Musk told the Detroit Free Press that if the electric car maker doesn't get a $350 million loan from the government, then the Model S will be delayed and San Jose plant won't open. Just two weeks ago, Tesla opposed the Big Three getting any bailout money from the government. So, Musk's statement may seem contradictory, but it's not. We just need to look at the details. Tesla's Vice President of Business Development, Diarmuid O'Connell, blogged about how it was a...

Bay Area Mayors Gavin Newsom, Chuck Reed and Ron Dellums want to turn California into the Detroit of green cars with their new public-private initiative (See "California E-Car Dreaming.") Now, I'm a conservationist, but I'm also a libertarian. So while I'm all for bringing green business to Silicon Valley, I have to ask: Does that mean rescuing a business that shows no evidence of being able to make it on its own? Electric car maverick Tesla Motors, of San Carlos, Calif., is asking the U.S. Department of Energy for $400 million in direct loans. To me, it seems like a...

I’VE just driven the electric dream green machine the world’s been waiting for. Forget about milk floats and little city cars, the Tesla is a sexy two-seat roadster that makes no emissions and has the performance of a supercar. The Tesla is so sexy Hollywood heart-throb George Clooney will be one of the first to take delivery of one. That is likely to be the only thing George and I ever have in common as I recently had one delivered — unfortunately, only for a day. Sadly, the Tesla will set you back more than £78,000 for the privilege...

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Larry Horsley loves that he doesn't buy much gas, even though he drives his '95 Chevy S-10 back and forth to work each day. Larry Horsley's pickup has a set of neatly arranged electronics where his engine once was. 1 of 2 Horsley, a self-described do-it-yourselfer, simply plugs his truck into an electric wall outlet in his Douglasville, Georgia, garage and charges it overnight, instead of buying gasoline refined from mostly imported oil.

I don’t really know many people who have not looked up GM’s Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle and what it might be able to offer. And it seems that most people have two key concerns. The potential price of the, which appears to be climbing and may be closer to $40,000 than to $30,000 and the tiny range of just 65 km – about 40 miles. 40 miles would make the Volt a car almost useless for a typical use. You may make it to work or the grocery store and back, but you may have to take another car for...

Nissan Motor Co. unveiled a new prototype electric vehicle Wednesday with batteries twice as powerful as conventional technology, aiming to take a lead in zero-emission cars. Japan's third-largest automaker said the front-wheel drive, boxy-shaped car has a newly developed 80 kilowatt motor with advanced lithium-ion batteries installed under the vehicle's floor to avoid taking up space. The laminated batteries, jointly developed with electronics giant NEC Corp., pack twice the electric power of conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries currently used in hybrid and electric cars, it said. Nissan aims to start selling an electric car in the United States and Japan in...

You would think a car that didn't make loud engine sounds and offered a calm and silent ride would be a commercial winner. But supercar firm Lotus is putting the noise back into their electric and hybrid motors because of road safety fears. The company has started a project to synthesise the sound of a traditional engine in otherwise quiet vehicles and have installed speakers in their Toyota Prius. They are concerned that silent cars could pose a threat to pedestrians and cyclists who may not hear them coming. Despite their environmental credentials, electric and hybrid vehicles have come in...

<p>One of the Big Ideas that's gotten a boost from the recent oil price shock is the notion that the energy for transportation should come from the electric grid, not an oil well in the Middle East.</p> <p>A number of big, established car makers have announced plans to produce cars that will pull from the electric grid all or part of the energy needed to make them go. They join a flock of upstart companies, such as Tesla Motors, trying to prosper by defining a new generation of mobility technology starting with a blank sheet of paper - or rather a blank video display screen.</p>

In the wake of an economic downturn, General Motors Corp is hurrying production of its Chevy Volt. It now hopes to unveil a showroom-ready model in September, according to sources close to the project.

"The eyes of the world are now on the Volt," McCain said at a meeting... McCain: Electric car 'vital' to oil independence (AP) At GM plant, McCain calls for an electric vehicle tax credit Los Angeles Times, CA - 4 hours ago Trying to inject hope into a struggling auto industry, he says a $5000 credit should be given to consumers who buy cars like the Chevy Volt, now a prototype ... McCain Talks with GM workers Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago By Juliet Eilperin WARREN, Mich.--Speaking to a group of General Motors Corp. employees, Sen. John...

<p>Israel's new electric car initiative was presented to a US congressional committee this week in hopes of garnering investment in a project that could ease financial troubles caused by rising oil prices.</p> <p>Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi, who has teamed with Renaul/Nissan to introduce electric cars to Israel on a massive scale in the coming years, told the congressional Committee on Energy Independence that investing in the Israeli initiative will be good for America in several ways.</p>

What Is GM Thinking? "Violent change" in consumer tastes is not a new challenge for the car business. The phrase is Lee Iacocca's, from his autobiography, referring to public demand for small cars after the 1979 oil shock. Less violently, a sudden shift in taste for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars amid the recession of 1958 helped doom the Edsel. The 1950s also happen to be the last time GM's share price sank as low as $11 per share. Two morals must be drawn. One is that GM's ability to avoid bankruptcy has again become doubtful in the minds of investors....

FRANKFURT - Daimler AG (DAI) plans to introduce a purely electric version of the Mercedes-Benz A- and B-class models, Daimler executive board member Thomas Weber told weekly magazine WirtschaftsWoche in an interview distributed Sunday ahead of publication. Asked which electric versions of Daimler cars other than the electric version of the smart model are currently being planned, Weber said "one option would be our current Mercedes A- and B-class." Given the models' sandwich construction technique, these cars would be well suited for alternative power trains, Weber told the magazine. Separately, weekly Automobilwoche reported that U.S. car supplier Tesla Motors is...

General Motors will den Chevrolet Volt schon 2010 für rund 30.000 Dollar auf den Markt bringen. Was wird ein Steckdosen-Smart kosten? General Motors intends to market the Chevrolet Volt as early as 2010 for around $30,000. How much will a plug-in Smart cost? Wir planen für das Jahr 2010 einen Elektro-Smart und für dasselbe Jahr auch ein Mercedes-Modell. Über den Preis ist noch nicht endgültig entschieden. Das hängt davon ab, ob wir die Autos mit den Batterien verkaufen oder ob die Batterien geleast werden. We are planning an Electro-Smart for the year 2010, and for the same year also a...

News rolled in yesterday that Republican presidential candidate John McCain has called for a huge increase in the number of nuclear power plants in the U.S.: 45 new plants by 2030, and another 55 after that. That's almost twice as many new plants as are operating in the U.S. today (104, according to the AP). What benefits does nuclear offer? According to McCain, "Every year, these [104] reactors alone spare the atmosphere from the equivalent of nearly all auto emissions in America." Of course, there's a lot of uncertainty about nuclear power, as we recently discussed, and McCain's call to...

General Motors is back at the scene of the crime. When the Detroit automaker pulled the plug on its unprofitable electric-vehicle program in 2000, it became known, in the words of a popular documentary, as the company that killed the electric car. Its love affair with the Hummer didn't help either. Now the company is betting big bucks — most of its current research-and-development budget — that the internal-combustion engine's time is running out. By spearheading a new generation of electric automobiles, the beleaguered giant also is hoping it can reclaim from Toyota the title of world's top carmaker.

To Southern Cal Freepers: Wanna See Some Electric Cars? (Vanity)

Affordable Electric Car Design Just in Time for Record Gas Prices Xebra Electric Sedan Reservation $100 Xebra Electric Truck Reservation $100 As gas prices hit new record highs, an entrepreneurial mother has bought a golf cart business (Golf Carts of Lincoln) and transformed it into an electric car dealership in Rocklin, California called Electric Car Living. On May 30th and 31st she is introducing a new affordable electric car design called the ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) Xebra.....[snip] Miki DeZorzi, a mother of two young children (Tatum, age 6 and Wesley, age 3), has opened an electric car dealership in Rocklin in...

KENNEDALE, Texas -- With gas pushing $4 per gallon, many people are looking for ways to save some green at the pump. One North Texas man found a way to help the environment and commute to work for just pennies a day. Video: Man Converts Junkyard Car Into Electric Vehicle David Murray may drive the quietest car in North Texas, powered only by a small electric motor, and not creating any emissions. "The most common question I get is, ‘Is this an electric car?’ and then they're like, "Is it a hybrid?’ Nope, it's a real electric (car)," Murray said....

We love our green sports cars here at Inhabitat, and we have plenty of room on our favorites list for more than one. While we’ve been raving for the last two years about the Tesla Roadster, the Fisker Karma has been doing the one thing Tesla has yet to do: bring a hybrid sports car to market. Created by noted car designer Henrik Fisker, the ultra cool Karma is a sleek, power packed eco-luxury ride. The Karma’s performance specs rev out at 0-60 mph in 6 seconds, and a top speed of 125 mph. At $80,000 USD, The car...

CASCAIS, Portugal (AFP) - The head of French automaker Renault, Carlos Ghosn, said Thursday that a country in the Gulf region is interested in his company's environmentally friendly electronic car project. "We are negotiating to launch an electric car with a Gulf state," Ghosn told a news conference here near Lisbon.

Duke Energy and smart grid company GridPoint said on Thursday that they have found a way for people to charge plug-in hybrid cars in a way that won't bring the power grid to its knees. "If suddenly you have 20,000 or 30,000 rechargeable cars--with maybe 50,000 in a few years--plugging into the grid at night, utilities have to react to that or you'll have serious problems," Lewis said in an October interview. "You see plug-in hybrids becoming a big issue; it's a tidal wave coming at utilities."

Transport Canada confirmed Friday it has authorized a Toronto-based electric carmaker to produce a vehicle for the Canadian market. The ZENN (zero emissions, no noise) electric car has received the National Safety Mark, a legal label that indicates the vehicle meets Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The ZENN electric car seats two people and is roughly the size of a Mini-Cooper.The ZENN electric car seats two people and is roughly the size of a Mini-Cooper. (Courtesy ZENN Motor Company) Toronto-based ZENN Motor Company makes the 100 per cent electric car, which is built in St. Jerome, Que. Roughly the same...

Tesla Motors has set a production goal of 50 electric Roadsters in the first quarter of 2008, followed by an additional 600 cars for the remainder of the year. Tesla is currently engaged in intensive durability and validation testing of the final prototype cars. As part of this final testing, a Tesla Roadster ran for 245 miles on the combined EPA cycle on a single charge (236 on the EPA highway cycle, 255 on the EPA city cycle). In an announcement earlier this year, Tesla notified customers that the EPA range of the car was not likely to reach the...

Nissan will introduce the Mixim, a three-seat, all electric, all-wheel drive concept vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Mixim is powered by two Nissan Super Motors (earlier post), one for each axle. Nissan also used the Super Motor in the Pivo concept introduced in 2005. Lithium-ion batteries provide the power. In April, Nissan Motor, NEC Corporation, and NEC TOKIN Corporation, signed an agreement to establish a joint-venture company—Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC)—to develop and market lithium-ion batteries for wide-scale automotive application by 2009, including applications such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and electric vehicles. (Earlier post.)...

Shuttling between Oslo and California, Willums has raised $78 million from Silicon Valley and European investors captivated by the genial, soft-spoken Norwegian's vision of a carbon-neutral urban car.

It goes zero to 60 in about four seconds. Its top speed is 130 miles per hour. And it doesn't use an ounce of gasoline. It's the Tesla Roadster, a new car that's fueled entirely by electricity and could be hitting the lot just in time. Today the Energy Department reported that the average gallon of regular gasoline is now $3.10 -- a new nominal record price for the United States. Meet The New Electric Car! The Tesla Roadster is named after Nicola Tesla, the largely forgotten genius inventor of alternating current electricity, and it's the brainchild of Martin Eberhard,...

Tesla Motors Sets Auto Industry AbuzzBy : Steve Schaefer :: Auto Editor : 4/19/07 San Mateo-based electric car maker offers sporty roadster. When you think of electric cars, what do you picture? A golf cart? A meter maid? Do you recall the GM EV-1 or Honda’s EV-Plus? Maybe you picture a Toyota Prius Hybrid, which is only partially electric. What you probably don’t imagine is the high-performance Tesla Roadster. The Tesla Roadster is an exceedingly quick lithium-ion powered electric sports car that looks good, handles well and is a joy to drive. It’s also priced below most high-performance sports...

The KAZ (Keio Advanced Zero-Emission Vehicle) is a Japanese-designed Italian-built limousine prototype with eight wheels. The KAZ is not your average limo though. The all-electric KAZ can travel at 300kph and it handles more like a sports car than a 6.7m-long whale thanks to its computer-controlled eight-wheel drive train and low centre of gravity for added stability and handling around curves. On top of that, four-wheel steering in front is augmented by the two extreme wheels angling in the opposite direction making the KAZ more nimble around corners than one would expect for a vehicle of its size. But are...

A fire at San Francisco's Crissy Field sparked by an electric car was the second blaze in just over a year at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that was caused by an apparently defective electric vehicle, a parks spokesman said today. The vehicle was not plugged in when it caught fire while parked outside the Warming Hut, a historic building in the Presidio of San Francisco renovated as a showcase for sustainable design. UPDATE: ELECTRIC CAR WAS NOT PLUGGED IN BEFORE SF FIRE 01/26/07 4:20 PST SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A fire at San Francisco's Crissy Field sparked by an...

Breakthroughs in battery technology could make 2007 the year that electric cars finally come into their own. The company claims that their battery shows a cycle life in excess of 20,000 charges and discharges while still retaining 85 per cent of its capacity to store energy. Altairnano's data show that their battery has a power density of 4,000 w/kg and the ability to safely operate from -50° C to 75° C. Each credit is worth US$5,000 (about AU$6,500), so a type 3 vehicle is worth US$200,000 (about AU$260,000) in California. Carmakers either have to build their own type 3 vehicles...

DETROIT (Reuters) - Struggling auto giant General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) on Sunday revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new "concept" car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline. Introduced at the North American International Auto Show here, the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine -- if the technology is ready in two or three years. "We have a thoroughly studied concept, but further battery development will define the critical path to start of production," said Jon Lauckner, a GM...

Phoenix Motorcars has developed what could possibly be the perfect electric car. Classified as a Sport Utility Truck (SUT), this vehicle “can cruise on the freeway at up to 95 m.p.h. while carrying five passengers and a full payload.” The Phoenix Motorcars SUV will be introduced in late 2007, having a range of 130 miles, and can be recharged in less than 10 minutes with an off-board charging unit or trickle-charged overnight when plugged into a 220V power source, similar to the SUT. The estimated cost to recharge the battery pack is a small fraction of equivalent gasoline costs. Phoenix...

HyPower Fuel has equipped a Volkswagen GTi with an H2 Reactor (H2R) hydrogen system that it claims can produce sufficient hydrogen on-board, on-demand to power the vehicle using only water. Company management is quick to point out that these are preliminary laboratory results using prototype H2R units and will require considerable improvements before any practical transportation application can become a reality. The company plans to host a number of live demonstrations in early 2007 with independent experts in attendance to monitor and verify resulting data. HyPower believes that its H2 Reactor’s electrolysis process is the most efficient to date. Currently...

Zytek, in conjunction with Lithium Technology Corporation (LTC), has launched a demonstration diesel-electric plug-in hybrid version of a smart for four in London. The lithium-ion battery pack from LTC subsidiary GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke can be charged by either the internal combustion engine (ICE) and by regenerative braking or by household mains (plug-in hybrid). The vehicle has a fuel economy of more than 84 mpg Imp. (3.36 l/100km or about 70 mpg US) and an all-electric range of 20 miles. The battery pack has an output of 288 V, a capacity of 7.5 Ah (or about 2.2 kWh of energy) and...