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A full-size van replacement and a Ford Maverick competitor—both of them EVs—have been canceled. * Sources tell us plug-in hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are headed to market, in a hurry. * General Motors had been fully committed to all-electric pickups, but problems towing and hauling heavy loads have made EV pickups less attractive to traditional truck buyers. * GM’s change in plans creates uncertainty for Detroit’s Factory Zero, which has been retooled solely for production of battery-electric vehicles such as the GMC Hummer (pictured above). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ While zero-emissions enthusiasts wait for mass production of General...

As their company was swirling around the financial drain in the early 2000s, General Motors executives came up with an idea to counter its gas-guzzling image and point the way to transportation of the future: an electric car with a gas-engine backup that could travel anywhere. […] … On Tuesday, the last (Chevrolet) Volt was built with little ceremony at a Detroit factory that’s now slated to close. Sales averaged less than 20,000 per year, not enough to sustain the costly undertaking. The Volt wasn’t the first electric car, but it was the first to conquer anxiety over range at...

More pics at link. The Koenigsegg Regera is the latest supercar from the small, Swedish brand, and its specifications will blow your mind as easily as the car can blow you away. The two-seat, mid-motor, carbon fiber machine, whose name means "to reign" in Swedish, features a unique plug-in hybrid powertrain with a total output of 1,500 horsepower, and can reach its top speed 249 mph in less than 20 seconds. And it does it with just one gear.

Porsche Japan KK will start accepting orders for its "918 Spyder" plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) May 13, 2011, in Japan. It will start production of the PHEV Sept 18, 2013, and shipment in November 2013. The company will produce 918 units of the vehicle and ship them in the order of orders received. The vehicle will be completed at the Zuffenhausen Plant in Stuttgart, Germany. The 918 Spyder is a two-seated vehicle having a monocoque structure made of CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) and will be sold at a price of 684,800 euro (approx US$997,548). The displacement of its V-8...

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....