A family of Tesla patents and pending applications relating to a hybrid battery system has been generating a bit of buzz (see, e.g., Cleantechnica’s story here).
The patent family includes U.S. Patent Nos.
There have been a few recent developments in Chinese eco-marks (my term for marks used in connection with green goods or services), both in China and in the United States.
Starting with by far the weirdest news item, a small Chinese electric car technology company called
Electric vehicles will catch on when there are enough charging stations to make their widespread use really practical, and manufacturers will offer more EV’s for sale when there is a market for them! I love driving my Tesla Model S, but have to admit that for some overnight trips I take an older internal combustion engine powered car since it is still hard
Jiminy Cricket, Tesla Motors is really standing the automotive industry on its ear. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded the Tesla Model S a 5-star safety rating, not just overall, but in every subcategory without exception; it’s the highest safety rating of any car ever tested.
Sometime in the past week, the 100,000th plug-in electric car was sold in the U.S. That means it’s only a matter of time before a vibrant market for electric cars begins to emerge. Already, we can see a few dozen used EVs on eBay Motors—so it’s a great time to evaluate what’s on sale for the electric car shopper.
Here’s a cool infographic called “The Fastest Electric Vehicles on Earth” that I thought readers would enjoy. What they say here is certainly true: we tend to think of EVs as slow, glorified golf carts. Yet those of us who have driven a Tesla have quite a different impression; they’re little rockets, with better acceleration than Porsches.
Researchers from the University of Michigan said this month that the crop of new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. in October are the most efficient ever to hit American roads. Their average fuel was 24.1 mpg combined. That’s a four mile-per-gallon improvement from five years ago.
This gain in fuel efficiency equates to a collective
Over the last few years, electric cars have seen a significant surge in popularity. With the launch of popular models such as Nissan’s LEAF and the Chevy Volt, EVs would seem ready for their close-up. But is it really the case?
The New York Times has run a thought-provoking
Though many startup companies in the electric vehicle (EV) industry have either struggled to survive produce a profit, or insure investors of their products’ worth (or all three), one company has consistently bucked the trend of disappointing news: Tesla Motors. In 2008, the company first began selling its first-generation all electric Tesla Roadster and since then
The most common narrative spun by opponents of regulating of carbon dioxide is that doing anything to intentionally raise energy prices is tantamount to crushing the American economy. Some of the loudest supporters of that narrative are titans of industry who argue that putting a price on carbon would effectively drive America back to the age of the horse and
Tesla Motors may be a front runner in the electric vehicles (EV) industry compared to its competition, but the company faces substantial challenges as it works to reinvent the 100-year old auto industry and win the trust of millions of consumers.
Not uncommon to the automotive industry, Tesla is
The recent projections of $4 – $5 gasoline this summer has been flooding the news, with repercussions predicted for everything from vacation trips to the housing market. This may be especially hard for consumers to stomach after 2011, which saw the most expensive average cost ever for a gallon of gas, at $3.513 per gallon.
Recently many EV observers have been disappointed by pricing for two plug-in electric vehicles. First, the Toyota Prius plug-in announced a price of $32,760 (including destination charge), which is about $3,000
No one will deny that quite possibly one of the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions is vehicles. There is no denying that traveling is important, however, the damage being done cannot be fixed so easily. Although numerous cities around the world are making public transportation and alternative