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The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid car that seems to have everything the rich and famous — and environmentally correct — look for in a set of wheels. Sleek silhouette? Check. Green cred? Check. Six-figure price tag? Check. Reliable battery? Not so fast. In a test conducted Wednesday by Consumer Reports magazine, the niche-market $107,850 sports car conked out completely, after a short ride at 65 miles per hour on a Connecticut test track. “Our Fisker Karma … is super sleek, high-tech — and now it’s broken,” Consumer Reports wrote on its website late Thursday. “We have owned our...

Envia has figured out how “to improve energy density at the anode and cathode and store more lithium.” In short, he claims to have doubled energy density and halved the cost of lithium-ion batteries. And he says that his breakthrough isn’t theoretical—packs are already built on an automotive scale and are being tested by automakers around the world. It’s impossible to verify all that, and Kapadia won’t tell me which automakers he’s working with, though GM is presumably one of them. Specifically, Envia says it has reached an energy density of 400-watt-hours per kilogram in auto-grade lithium-ion cells, and achieved...

With the auto industry pining for a battery breakthrough to lower electric vehicle costs, Envia Systems has some interesting performance data to share. The five-year-old company today is expected to disclose technical details of its batteries which executives say could lead to cutting EV battery pack prices in half in three or four years. Envia Systems' batteries are being evaluated by a number of automakers, including its largest investor General Motors, according to CEO Atul Kapadia. Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57384864-76/startup-envia-battery-promises-to-slash-ev-costs/#ixzz1ncFoCgDL

The Chevy Volt's batteries hold the same amount of energy as one gallon of gasoline—one single gallon. Would you buy a car that held only one gallon of gasoline? Neither would I. Yet, we've invested billions of dollars developing and promoting a car with a “gas tank” (the batteries) that only holds one gallon's worth of energy. I've heard that new super batteries are just around the corner. All we have to do is invest enough money and they'll appear. Just like computers (in the 1950's they were the size of rooms, today they can be held in the...

Electric car company that received a $529M federal loan recalls vehiclesBy Andrew Restuccia - 12/30/11 10:31 AM ET An electric vehicle manufacturer that received a $529 million loan from the Energy Department is recalling 239 vehicles. The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Thursday that the company, Fisker Automotive, will recall its Karma vehicles made between July 1, 2011, and Nov. 3, 2011, because of a faulty electric battery component that could cause a fire. “Within the high-voltage battery, certain hose clamps may have been positioned incorrectly during assembly. If positioned incorrectly, the batter compartment cover could...

Charging stations not getting much use NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Charging stations in Tennessee outnumber electric cars and many aren't used for hours or even days at a time, according to a newspaper investigation. State data analyzed by The Tennessean show that about 270 all-electric cars were registered in Tennessee in 2011 while there are about 500 charging stations set up in public areas to serve them (http://tnne.ws/s2Mldg). The Tennessean said it visited more than 12 charging units over a 2-day period this month and found multiple cars refueling at only one site - Nissan's automobile plant in Smyrna. Nissan...

In his January 2011 State of the Union speech, President Obama called for ”more research and incentives” so that America could ”become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.” In yesterday’s Washington Post, Carol Leonnig and Joe Stephens report that the Obama Administration “has poured roughly $5 billion dollars in taxpayer funds into the electric car industry, offering incentives to manufacturers, their suppliers and even car buyers who might want to go green.” This included $2.4 billion in Stimulus support to develop advanced batteries for all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. How’s it all...

Last week Frito-Lay, the $12 billion snack foods division of PepsiCo, boasted it would add 10 all-electric delivery trucks in Orlando, Fla. , as part of its plan to deploy 176 such vehicles in the U.S. and Canada by the end of year. As is custom with corporate announcements that proclaim their eco-accomplishments, so as to pacify persistent climate alarmists , Frito-Lay said the vehicles would emit “zero” pollutants from tailpipes and release 75 percent fewer greenhouse gases than diesel. The ETs (electric trucks) can allegedly run 100 miles on a single charge, and Frito-Lay says the groundbreaking new...

The smart grid has been one of the most talked-about issues in energy policy. Experts — and manufacturers of equipment and software — have promoted the idea that “smart meters” could enable utilities to flip household appliances on and off to ease the load of summertime electricity demand and that the devices would help homeowners manage their refrigerators, lights and air conditioning, even controlling them remotely with cellphones, laptops or tablets.

Duke Energy urges electric car owners to stop using charging stations after fireUpdated: 1:37 pm EST November 9, 2011 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy officials are asking customers who own the company's electric car charging stations to stop using the product after a house fire in Mooresville last month. A representative from the company has confirmed to Channel 9 that an email was sent to about 125 customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana who have the same type of charging station installed in their homes.

Beijing is having a serious rethink over its ambitious electric vehicles policy. The central government has assembled the top experts and policymakers on electric and hybrid cars at a meeting in Wuzhen, in Zhejiang province , this week. One expert attending the meeting said the government was increasingly concerned about problems in the industry, including its cost-effectiveness, technological difficulties and the uncertain benefits to the environment, according to the 21st Century Business Herald. It said Beijing was reconsidering its support for pure electric cars and may rethink how to spend the 100 billion yuan (HK$122.6 billion) fund set up to...

Figures show that only 106 electric cars were bought in 2011 third quarter through 'plugged-in car grant' scheme. Hopes that £5,000 government grants would make 2011 "remembered as the year the electric car took off" have been dashed with the release of new figures showing uptake of the greener cars has sputtered out. ... The number of electric vehicles in the UK stands at just 1,107, a tiny chunk of the country's 28.5m cars. But the government had hoped to incentivise take-up with the launch of grants of up to £5,000

(snip) Mr Wynne's DeLorean Motor Company (DMC) has teamed up with eco-experts Epic Electric for this newer model, taking a standard DMC12 model and ripping out the V6 petrol engine before fitting it with an electric powered version that produces the equivalent of 260bhp. Once on the road it will accelerate from 0-60mph in just 4.9 seconds. Mr Wynne said he 'got the idea for the battery-powered DeLorean after seeing the success of the Tesla Roadster, and think it would be a fitting tribute to the movie version of the car which famously needed 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to travel...

Herman Cain: Electrify the Border Fence Doug Powers October 15, 2011 It’s now a “9999� plan: 9 percent personal income tax, 9 percent national sales tax, 9 percent business tax, and a 9 amp jolt if you try to illegally cross into the US.New York Times: Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Saturday that part of his immigration policy would be to build an electrified fence on the country’s border with Mexico that could kill people trying to enter the country illegally.The remarks, which came at two campaign rallies in Tennessee as part of a barnstorming bus tour across the...

It seems few consumers want range-extending gas engines in their electric vehicles. General Motors plans to sell an electric version of the Spark, a mini-car that it currently sells outside the United States. GM will sell the gasoline version of the Spark in the U.S. starting next year, and will follow with the electric version in select U.S. markets and around the world in 2013. The electric Spark will be powered by batteries made by A123 Systems, based in Waltham, Massachusetts. The car is a departure from GM's current strategy for electric vehicles, exemplified by the Chevrolet Volt. For short...

Meet the Roberts electric car. Built in 1896, it gets a solid 40 miles to the charge — exactly the mileage Chevrolet advertises for the Volt — the much-touted $31,645 electric car General Motors CEO Dan Akerson called “not a step forward, but a leap forward.” The executives at Chevrolet can rest easy for now. Since the Roberts was constructed in an age before Henry Ford’s mass production, the 115-year-old electric car is one of a kind. But don’t let the car’s 115 years let you think it isn’t tough: It’s present-day owner, who prefers not to be named, told...

The city is promoting two new plug-in hybrid electric cars available for use by members of the Hourcar vehicle-sharing organization in St. Paul and Minneapolis. This fall and next spring, St. Paul will install 20 public stations where drivers can charge the vehicles. The two new hybrid cars were bought with a $30,000 contribution from Xcel Energy. Hourcar is run by the Neighborhood Energy Connection, a St. Paul nonprofit. The vehicles are in the Lawson and Lowertown parking ramps in downtown St. Paul. There are 13 Hourcars at nine locations throughout the city. Charging station locations, rates and details can...

NWI communities get keys to electric cars By Carrie Napoleon Post-Tribune correspondent Last Modified: Sep 22, 2011 02:01AM Kathy Kazmierczak is looking forward to retiring the city-issued older model Ford Crown Victoria she drives when performing her duties as Hammond’s recycling director. “It gets 11 miles per gallon,” she said. The THINK City all-electric vehicle Hammond and eight other Northwest Indiana municipalities took possession of Wednesday, facilitated through South Shore Clean Cities, will mean an end to the recycling director’s gas-guzzling ways and a chance to enlighten residents about alternative fuel vehicles as she tools around the city in the...

Oxford scientists believe that applying a small current to a specific part of the brain helps people learn. Nick Collins tested their deviceI’ve got rubber pads strapped to my head and someone is about to fire an electric current through my brain. It’s meant to make me cleverer, but this doesn’t feel too smart to me. My palms are sticky, my fingers are trembling and it’s hard to tell if that’s sweat pouring down my temples or water from the sponge that will conduct the charge through my skin.

GM and Nissan tout systems to reuse the expensive battery packs. At $10,000 a piece, electric-car batteries are too expensive to throw out or recycle into scrap materials. And even after a decade of use, when they can't perform well enough to meet the vehicle's demands, they could still be valuable for other uses. Nissan and GM have both recently announced ways they might make some money from them. Many issues remain unresolved, not the least of which is whether the automakers would need to buy back the batteries from car owners, or whether dealers would simply lease the battery...

Washington is implementing the nation’s first “Electric Highway,” a basic network of public access electric vehicle (EV) recharging locations along Interstate 5. Once implemented, Washington will have the first border to border highway to offer fast charge technology. The electric highway will support mass-produced plug-in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus, and Chevrolet Volt now rolling off the assembly lines.

In an effort to curb air pollution in downwind states, the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered utilities to either clean up or shut down older coal-fired power plants in 27 states in the eastern half of the U.S. The order, which comes in response to a court ruling, requires utilities to install devices that slash emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides — byproducts of burning coal that react with the atmosphere to form the particles that cause soot and smog. "No community should have to bear the burden of another community's polluters, or be powerless to prevent air...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized stronger regulations for Wisconsin and 26 other states aimed at curbing air pollution from long-distance sources. The rules will help those states fight ozone and particle pollution caused by power plants in Illinois, Indiana and other states. But Wisconsin utilities - whose pollution can contribute to air-quality problems elsewhere - will also need to find ways to reduce their own emissions. The likely result: Higher electric bills in the coming years. A group of power companies known as the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity called the action one of the most...

The Kentucky Utilities Electric Power Plant in Ghent, shown here in a 2002 file photo, is one of some 600 coal-fired power plants in the US. At least 86 older plants will be forced into early retirement as a result of a new EPA rule, unveiled Thursday. The EPA’s tough new air pollution regulations will force scores of older, dirty, inefficient plants to shut down. Those that remain open must dramatically clean up their emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency hopes these and other measures will improve air quality across 27 states. Effects should appear relatively quickly. Under the new Cross-State...

Silicon Valley startup gives details about its technology for making highly efficient yet inexpensive solar cells. A startup that has been working in stealth mode for several years says it has achieved a record solar-cell efficiency of 28.2 percent, nearing the theoretical maximum of 33.5 percent. The mark is roughly 2 percentage points higher than a record set last year—a major advance in an industry that typically measures improvements in tenths of a percent. Alta Devices, founded in 2007 and based in Santa Clara, California, says its innovative techniques lend themselves to large-scale manufacturing. Improving efficiency is essential if solar...

ELECTRIC cars could produce higher emissions over their lifetimes than petrol equivalents because of the energy consumed in making their batteries, a study has found. An electric car owner would have to drive at least 129,000km before producing a net saving in CO2. Many electric cars will not travel that far in their lifetime because they typically have a range of less than 145km on a single charge and are unsuitable for long trips. Even those driven 160,000km would save only about a tonne of CO2 over their lifetimes. The British study, which is the first analysis of the full...

A recent USA Today-Gallup poll shows that 57 percent of American drivers won't buy an electric vehicle (EV) – no matter how much a gallon of gas costs. That compares to 12 percent of respondents who will consider owning an EV if gas tops $5 per gallon; ten percent if gas prices reached the $6 to $8 range; and nine percent who might be willing to buy a battery-powered vehicle if gas prices soar to $8 to $10 per gallon.

Unico Properties has opened four new electric vehicle charging stations in the parking garage at Rainier Square. ~snip~ The charging stations do not accept credit card payments. Users will need to set up an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device) tag account online — the same technology that’s being used for the SR-520 bridge tolls — to use the stations. For more information,

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...

Talkin to me?  The hyperactive administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg has seen fit to replace the sixteen different models currently allowed to operate in the Five Burroughs as NYC cabs -including ubiquitous American sedans like the Crown Victoria (soon discontinued by Ford)- with just one centrally-planned choice (this guy used to call himself a Republican?): a Japanese minivan (built in Spain) that looks like it was styled over the telephone- and the designer's dog helped.  It was bad enough when we lost Checker... who needs to see Times Square packed with 200 of these butt-ugly grocery-getters? And although it's hard to deny...

BMW North America chairman and chief executive officer, Jim O'Donnell, told the Detroit News that he's "far more optimistic" about diesel vehicles boosting the automaker's U.S. market share than electric vehicles (EVs) and added that the U.S. government should cancel its $7,500 tax credit for electrified autos: "I believe in a free economy. I think we should abolish all tax credits. What they are doing is putting a bet on technology, which is not appropriate. As a taxpayer, I am not sure this is the right way to go." But that's not all that O'Donnell had to say. The CEO...

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) -- Drivers of electric cars may have left the gas pump behind, but there's one expense they may not be able to shake: paying to maintain the roads. After years of urging residents to buy fuel-efficient cars and giving them tax breaks to do it, Washington state lawmakers are considering a measure to charge them a $100 annual fee - what would be the nation's first electric car fee. State lawmakers grappling with a $5 billion deficit are facing declining gas tax revenue, which means less money to maintain or improve roads.

A fire apparently reignited inside the battery of a new Chevrolet Volt car early Monday, less than five days after the Volt, an electric hybrid, was involved in a blaze that destroyed a Barkhamsted garage where it had been plugged in for recharging.Local authorities have been investigating whether Thursday's blaze was sparked by the Volt, but had not yet determined a cause when the fire rekindled."The rekindle this morning really adds to the mystery," Barkhamsted Fire Marshal Bill Baldwin said today.Representatives from General Motors, the vehicle's manufacturer plan, are scheduled to arrive in Barkhamsted this evening to examine the car,...

Kia Motors Corp unveiled the "Naimo (KND-6)" electric concept car at Seoul Motor Show 2011, which opens for the public from April 1 to 10, 2011, in Seoul, South Korea. The electric vehicle (EV) has a lithium-polymer (Li-polymer) rechargeable battery with a capacity of 27kWh under its trunk. Its drive range is about 200km per charge. Its battery cells seem to be manufactured by LG Chem Ltd. The release date of the EV has not been determined yet. The Naimo has a permanent magnet synchronous motor in the front side of the vehicle. The maximum output and maximum torque of...

SIM-Drive Corp, a Japan-based start-up, announced that it has developed the "SIM-LEI" electric vehicle (EV). The four-seat EV is expected to be released in 2013. It is equipped with a lithium-ion (Li-ion) rechargeable battery with a capacity of 24.9kWh, and its drive range is 333km under the JC08 test mode. It measures 4,700 (L) x 1,600 (W) x 1,550mm (H) and weighs 1,650kg. The SIM-LEI uses in-wheel motors, motors that are for driving and stored in wheels. Unlike normal electric vehicles that use inner rotors and outer stators, the new EV uses outer rotors and inner stators. In 2004, Hiroshi...

Electric wands could allow future firefighters to extinguish flames with a wave of the hand, recent experiments suggest. Currently, firefighters use water, foam, powder, and other substances to tame flames. But a team from Harvard University's Whitesides Research Group has shown that electric fields can snuff out fires too (Snip) Based on this principle, the wand in the experiments essentially uses electricity to push the flame away from the burner, "detaching it from the fuel source, so it goes out." The scientists now want to move to suppressing fires both farther away and wider in scope by experimenting with the

Leo Burnett Chicago Kicks Off the Next Generation of Earth Hour, Activates Global Social Media Campaign Reaching 128 Countries CHICAGO, March 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today and for the fifth year in a row, Leo Burnett and the World Wildlife Fund have partnered to launch Earth Hour, the biggest climate awareness campaign ever, challenging the world to switch off their lights for one hour. This year, Earth Hour and Leo Burnett are encouraging individuals to extend their commitment beyond the hour - "EarthHour+" - and take action in their daily lives against climate change. To support the evolution of the...

Ford's chief financial officer has warned predictions of a surge in electric car sales are "very ambitious", as next generation vehicles dominate the Geneva Motor Show. Lewis Booth, a Briton, raised concerns about their viability without state subsidies. Most leading car makers have unveiled new electric or hybrid models in Geneva, while BMW and Peugeot have confirmed a €100m (£85m) joint venture to develop electric technologies. However, Mr Booth said: "Electric vehicles at the moment are still very expensive and have limitations. There is a question mark about how long governments can subsidise vehicles when they are under so much...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co's mostly electric Chevy Volt turned in a lackluster performance for efficiency in its first series of road tests by product raters at Consumer Reports. "We would have really liked to have loved it," David Champion, director of Consumer Reports auto test center told Reuters on Monday after announcing the organization's top picks for 2011. "It was fun to drive and the ride quality was pretty good. But when you look at the finances, for us it doesn't make any sense," Champion said. He said consumers seeking value and top fuel efficiency would be better...

The enviros have succeeded in destroying both the environment and jobs with their radical legislative successes. First, it was their complete stranglehold on our nation’s energy policy: no new nuclear plants, a complete ban on exploring for natural gas domestically or for drilling for oil near our coasts. This forced us into the more hazardous and more expensive deep water drilling. This time they’ve succeeded with the outlawing of the lowly light bulb. The incandescent light bulb, the one Thomas Alva Edison invented in 1879, will be put to death in the US due to federal energy regulations. A law...

<p>WASHINGTON – Car companies like General Motors and Nissan are slowly rolling out rechargeable electric cars. But that didn't stop thousands of U.S. taxpayers, including prisoners and some IRS employees, from incorrectly claiming lucrative tax credits for the electric vehicles last year.</p>

MEXICO CITY — Mexico will provide electricity to Texas to help the state weather an ice storm that has forced rolling blackouts. Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission says it has agreed to transmit 280 megawatts of electricity to Texas between Wednesday and Thursday night.

Every day more than 285,000 FedEx team members deliver some 7 million packages to 220 countries. Every 24 hours our aircraft fly 500,000 miles, and our couriers travel 2.5 million miles. We accomplish this with 670 aircraft and 70,000 motorized vehicles worldwide -- nearly every single one of which is fueled by oil, the lifeblood of today's mobile, global economy. We are all dependent upon it, and that dependence comes at a significant cost. U.S. armed forces expend enormous resources protecting chronically vulnerable oil transit routes and infrastructure around the globe. Oil dependence influences U.S. foreign policy, requiring us to...

One of the side effects of not having a combustible engine is that electric vehicles are quiet. Very quiet. So quiet, in fact, that police in California will soon be using electric motorcycles to improve their stealth. The bikes, produced by Zero Motorcycle, are currently being employed by the Scotts Valley Police Department, reportedly the first California police force to utilize electric bikes.

Electric Cars May Accelerate Global WarmingBy WILLIAM PENTLAND Jan. 5 2011 - 12:09 pm Electric cars are not a silver bullet solution for global warming, but could they actually be part of the problem? In some developing countries, the answer is likely “yes,” according to the results of a modeling exercise conducted by Oxford University’s Reed Doucette and Malcolm McCullocha. The results, which appeared in a paper published in Energy Policy last Fall, found that for countries with dirty power supplies – like India and China – widespread adoption of electric vehicles could lead to more – not less –...

Car-rental giant Hertz Corp. said it planned to offer the Smart fortwo electric vehicle as part of a car-sharing program in three metropolitan areas starting later this month. Hertz will make the tiny vehicle -– a two-seater smaller than a Mini or even the new Fiat 500 that’s about to hit the U.S. auto market -– as part of the Connect by Hertz car-sharing program in New York later this month. It is part of an effort by Hertz to offer a variety of electric and plug-in hybrids worldwide.

PARKLAND, Fla. -- A South Florida doctor has died after authorities say she was accidentally strangled by a electronic neck massager on Christmas Eve. Kenneth Gegerson called 911 after finding his wife's body on the bedroom floor next to the neck massager. Paramedics pronounced 37-year-old Michelle Ferrari-Gegerson dead at the scene. Authorities believe her necklace got caught in the massager and it quickly tightened around her neck. According to Broward Sheriff's authorities, Ferrari-Gegerson spent the evening wrapping gifts and getting ready for work while using the massager to relieve neck pain. Detective did not specify the type of massager, saying...

Even if they aren't always terribly accurate, EPA fuel economy estimates have at least made it easy to compare the gas mileage of one car to another. But now that plug-in cars are entering the market, things are about to get much more complicated. How do you compare the fuel efficiency of a car that runs on gasoline to one that plugs into an outlet? ... Q: So what's the fuel economy for the Chevrolet Volt? The question is, which fuel economy are you talking about? The Volt gets 93 MPGe when running on plug-in electric power. The EPA estimates...

Iceland, after making a big push toward hydrogen-powered cars just a few years ago, is now turning its focus to electric vehicles (EVs), and an Ohio company is a big beneficiary of the shift. AMP Holdings, based in suburban Cincinnati, has announced a five-year deal to sell 1,000 of its SUV electric conversions to Northern Lights Energy (NLE) of Reykjavik. As AMP CEO Steve Burns explained in a press release, Iceland, with its vast geothermal resources, is perfect for EVs. “Everything is present — a low cost of electricity coupled with the high cost of gasoline, the inherent short commutes...

General Motors says it will hire 1,000 engineers and researchers in Michigan during the next two years to work on the development of new electric vehicles. The car maker says its plans include vehicles ranging from hybrids to electric models with extended-range capability, such as the Chevrolet Volt that is to go on sale shortly.(Snip)“We have to stay invested in this technology because we’re not sure where it’s going to go,” he said.