Posts Tagged ‘Electric Cars’

Powering The Grid With Electric Cars

Monday, May 13th, 2013

The University of Delaware is experimenting with a fleet of electric vehicles (EV) that they say are not only good for the environment, but can be used by consumers to make money by supplying power back to the power grid. (more…)

Fisker Auto Forced Into Bankruptcy

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

Additional financing and the transferring of executives could not save Fisker and the fact that consumers are reluctant to purchase electric vehicles (EV). With a $104,000 price tag, the Fisker Karma lost out to other auto makers like Ford and Nissan who offer a more affordable EV. At the 2012 New York auto show, Fisker unveiled a smaller, less expensive concept model it hoped to build in an abandoned G.M. plant in Delaware, but production never started because of lack of funds. (more…)

Bankrupt Battery Maker A123 Systems Sold

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Bankrupt American battery maker, A123 Systems, has been auctioned off to Chinese auto parts maker Wanxiang Group, for $256 million. The sale includes A123’s automotive and commercial operations including three factories in the United States. (more…)

Green Car Of The Year – 2013 Ford Fusion

Friday, November 30th, 2012

Ford’s all new 2013 Ford Fusion has been named Green Car of the Year at this years Los Angeles Auto Show. The winner is selected by an eleven member panel comprised of automotive and environmental experts who’s mission is to promote environmentally friendly and more fuel efficient transportation. (more…)

LA Auto Show Debuts Latest Technologies And Greenest Cars

Wednesday, November 21st, 2012

As the first major North American auto show of the season, the 2012 LA Auto Show will host some of the industry’s most important new vehicle debuts setting the tone for the rest of the year. (more…)

Wireless Charging For Your Electric Vehicle

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

Wireless company Evatran will soon be offering Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf owners an option to have wireless charging installed in their vehicles. The company is expected to announce a partnership with SPX Service Solutions, early next year, making them the official charging supplier for the Chevrolet Volt.

(more…)

Chevy Volt Software Glitch Stalls Engines

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

General Motors (GM) has announced a customer satisfaction campaign affecting approximately four thousand 2013 Chevrolet Volt electric cars. A software glitch in the delayed charging function could cause the vehicle to unexpectedly stall. Drivers will still have steering and brakes, but in order to restart the engine, they must stop the vehicle, turn it off, and wait five minutes before restarting.

According to GM spokeswoman, Michelle Malcho, the glitch only affects the small number of owners that have used the delayed charging option. All drivers are recommended to switch to immediate instead of delayed time charging until the problem can be fixed. GM has already sent letters by Federal Express explaining to customers that the repair requires the vehicle’s control system software to be re-flashed. The repair is expected to take less than an hour.

Nissan Leaf Lemon Law Buyback

Friday, October 5th, 2012

Two recent lemon law buybacks of Nissan Leaf vehicles in Arizona have Leaf owners in California questioning whether their vehicles can be repaired, replaced, or bought back under the California lemon law.

Approximately 400 Nissan leaf owners in Arizona are claiming that after only a year of driving in warmer than normal temperatures have contributed to a significant loss of driving range in their electric vehicles (EV). One owner said that after only 15 months, his vehicle lost almost 30% of battery capacity giving him a maximum of only 42 miles on a single charge.

In a statement released by David Reuter, Nissan’s vice president of corporate communications, the problems are limited to “a small handful” of Leaf owners, and the vehicles in question were impacted by extreme heat, high speeds, high mileage, and charging method and frequency. He added that there is no defect in the Leaf, but in the interest of customer satisfaction, Nissan bought the cars back. According to Reuter, there have been over 38,000 Leafs sold around the world and the majority customers are very satisfied owners.

Tesla Supercharger Stations Unveiled In California

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

Tesla Motor’s highly anticipated charging network has finally been unveiled to the public with the revelation of it first six supercharger stations. According to Tesla, the stations will safely deliver up to 4.5 times more electricity to the battery giving approximately half a charge in half an hour. It will do this by using special cables that connect directly to the battery, bypassing any on board charging equipment. The most unique thing about these charging stations is that many will be equipped with solar cells mounted on the weather canopy that will generate more energy over the course of a year than is consumed by Tesla vehicles using the supercharger stations, resulting in a positive transfer of power back to the electricity grid. Current active stations in California can be found in Barstow, Hawthorne, Lebec, Coalinga, Gilroy and Folsom. By 2015, Tesla hopes to expand their supercharger network to over 100 stations.

Fisker Karma Fire Risk

Friday, September 14th, 2012

Fisker Automotive is alerting drivers of certain 2012 Fisker Karma vehicles, built between June 15, 2011 to July 9,2012, about an electrical problem in the low temperature cooling fan. According to Fisker, a short in the fan could ignite the fan housing, shroud and surrounding components, causing a vehicle fire. Owners will be asked to bring in their vehicles to the nearest Fisker dealership to replace both low temperature cooling fans with improved fans. Owners wanting more information about the problem can contact Fisker consumer affairs at 1-855-575-7577, option 2.