electric cars

Toyota Prius plug-in tops April plug-in sales

Prius is hybrid and plug-in king in April

Chevy Volt recedes a bit from last month’s big numbers

Sales of both GM and Nissan plug-in cars declined last month compared to the month before. However, the Toyota Prius plug-in achieved its best month of plug-in sales yet at 1,654 units.

GM claimed limited California supplies. Nissan stood by its 20,000 sale’s target. And Ford, well Ford just decided not to sell any plug-ins in April. Read more…

Where is the auto industry taking us?

Energy density according to Exxon.

Hybrids, EVs, fuel cells. Or gas-guzzlers forever?

I was cleaning out some bookmarks and came across this graph in an interesting article regarding energy density. The article and the graph come from Exxon, which used the graph to explain why by 2040, 90 percent of transportation would still be fueled by liquid fuels.

Now, there are countless arguments to make as to why Exxon is wrong, and I’m not going to make any of them. Instead, I wonder just one simple thing: Where is the auto industry taking us? Read more…

Ford explains lack of hybrid, plug-in pickup trucks

No Ford hybrid pickup trucks anytime soon?

The costs of hybrid trucks are just too heavy

Ford has owned the title to the best selling vehicle in America, well, almost forever. While that’s great for this American company, it’s terrible for US fleet fuel economy. If Ford’s top selling F150 Series came in a hybrid or plug-in option, on the other hand, it would be a game changer thanks to the incredible amount of gasoline such vehicles could save.

Unfortunately, Ford CEO Alan Mulally squashed any hopes for a major move to battery-powered pickup trucks any time soon. Read more…

Hybrids, plug-ins dominate best cars for An American Terrorist

The best car for An American Terrorist

Fighting foreign oil dependence one car at a time

As I’ve argued numerous times, the only thing that is really going to change American energy policy and consumer purchasing is a revolution in consumer psychology, outside of either force, or an almost miracle technological breakthrough. That’s the idea behind An American Terrorist. To shake up the energy independence conversation.

Anyway, the Nissan Leaf took top honors amongst the 5 best cars for An American Terrorist. Read more…

The funny thing about plug-in and hybrid car haters

This is America and the key to ending foreign oil dependence

Haters matter far more than battery car advocates realize

Electric cars are so Audi 5000.

No they’re not. They really make sense if you objectively analyze the data.

Analyze this. Only a moron would pay extra for a car that has a range of less than 100 miles.

Moron? Fox News watching neanderthal.

Tree hugging fascist.

There, problem solved. Read more…

Coda will offer most affordable EV around 2014

Coda makes huge EV promise

Prices similar to a conventional gas-guzzler

Around mid-2014 Coda will begin assembling electric cars, sub-assembled by China’s Great Wall Motors, that Coda promises will result in the “most affordable EV on the market.”

Still, there are some red flags in this project, such as the fact that Great Wall Motors has not yet even built an electric car. Read more…

Chinese dreaming – BYD is China’s only electric car hope

BYD Daimler Denza electric car

China’s EV plans solely dependent upon foreign automakers

These days, China seems to be a tale of two countries. On the one hand, there is the rising middle class with money in their pockets buying up Buicks, SUVs, and luxury cars, but not hybrids or plug-ins. On the other hand, there is China’s working poor riding bikes, and if they are lucky, upgrading to e-bikes and three-wheeled electric vehicles.

And China’s goals of becoming a major automotive power, led by the battery, are facing significant headwinds. In fact, outside of BYD, few automakers seem ready according to many Chinese observers. Read more…

It really is the stupid American consumer

'We the People' is the only label that really matters.

It all comes down to the people, and you’re either with us or against us

Several years ago the uncle of a friend of mine won around $10 million in the lottery, when you couldn’t accept a lump sum. Before he won the lottery he, like most of us, struggled to pay his bills. A few years later — after winning the lottery — he was again struggling to pay his bills, and had to sell all off his future lotto payments to payoff his after-lottery-acquired debt. Today, he lives pretty much the same way he did before the lotto. Lotto stories like these are actually common, and they represent just how the American consumer is so often their own worst enemy.

The American consumer is also the biggest roadblock when it comes to energy independence and switching to fuel efficient choices like hybrids and plug-ins.

Maybe freedom isn’t such a good thing? Read more…

Study – No plug-in car game changers through 2020

A lithium-ion battery pack for the Chevy Volt.

And plug-in hype could even stunt development

Earlier today I read about a study that claimed that lithium-ion battery prices had declined from $800 kWh last year to $689 this year because “production capacity exceeded demand”. So, if demand had met expectations, prices would have been $800 kWh?

If true, that matches up pretty well with a study commissioned by the UK Committee on Climate Change that finds through 2020 no major breakthroughs in lithium-ion prices are expected. Read more…

New study – Plug-in cars and emissions across the US

Plug-ins help clean up dirty coal

Plug-ins are cleaner than gasoline, but not always hybrids

Do plug-ins just transfer CO2 emissions from the tailpipe to the coal plant? No, according to a new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Plug-ins are often much better than any other option, and almost always better than most conventional gasoline powered cars.

But, there are issues lurking — when plug-ins mainstream. Read more…