Tesla Roadster to bid adieu in 2011, successor coming in 2013

Much like the replicants of Philip K Dick’s fertile imagination, it seems like Tesla’s Roadster will live a famous, but short life. In its pre-IPO filings to the SEC, the company has cited “tooling changes at a supplier” as the reason it will stop selling its current gen Roadster and Roadster Sport EVs after 2011. Given that all Roadsters are built at the Lotus factory in England, this probably suggests new Elise or Exige models are on the way and the manufacturing facilities are being updated accordingly. It also means Tesla will be left without any product to sell until the planned 2012 launch of the Model S sedan, while its next generation of two-door sporty supercars won’t be arriving until 2013. Sigh.

Tesla Roadster to bid adieu in 2011, successor coming in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors to manufacture electric motors, with first coming in 2013

Looks like General Motors is ready to make a sizable investment in its electric future. The company’s announced it’ll be sinking $246 million into a high volume motor production facility for designing and manufacturing electric motors — the first U.S.-based automaker to do so, according to the press release. It’s gonna be awhile until we see any results, however: the fruits of the labor won’t be shown until 2013 with two-mode hybrid engines. Let’s hope no one beats them to that “first” claim before then.

General Motors to manufacture electric motors, with first coming in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plugless Power gearing up for production of its hands-free EV charging stations

Continue reading Plugless Power gearing up for production of its hands-free EV charging stations

Plugless Power gearing up for production of its hands-free EV charging stations originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Dec 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kepler Motion brings 800bhp using dual-engine hybrid magic

Since we’re already on the topic of fairy dust, how about a new all-wheel drive supercar that can purportedly thrust you from nought to sixty in 2.5 seconds? New startup Kepler Motors is about to unveil its first vehicle and its ambition is nothing short of staggering. Employing a 550bhp Ford Ecoboost petrol engine to drive the rear wheels and a 250bhp electric motor for the front pair, this machine also comes with a carbon fiber chassis and carbon ceramic brakes to really make the theoretical numbers look ridiculous. Of course, it’s still only a concept for the Dubai International Motor Show, but production plans are already set for 2011. You’ll just have to make sure to be among the 50 richest people interested in owning one, because that’ll be the entire production run.

Kepler Motion brings 800bhp using dual-engine hybrid magic originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Think Electric returns from the brink, begins production of Think City two-seater

Think Electric returns from the brink, begins production of Think City two-seater originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capstone’s CMT-380 hybrid supercar does 150MPH with batteries and a jet engine

Step aside, Tesla — we’ve just spotted the hottest Earth-lovin’ supercar since the Lightning GT. Shown off to wide-mouthed onlookers at the LA Auto Show this month, the Capstone CMT-380 prototype is an automotive beast unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Rather than mixing batteries and a conventional engine, this whip combines the former with a diesel / biodiesel-powered microturbine, which is — for all intents and purposes — a jet engine. Reportedly, the car can reach 60MPH from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds, hit 150MPH before being cut off by the electronic limiter, cruise 80 miles on battery power alone and drive from Idaho Falls to Spokane on just a single tank of fuel. It’s being bruited about that the company is considering flipping this bad boy into the production line, but with an estimated asking price north of $200,000, there’s sufficient evidence to think that the volume here would remain relatively low. Hit up Autoblog Green’s gallery of shots from the show floor below, but only if you love peering at high-resolution images of stealthy, sexy things.

Capstone’s CMT-380 hybrid supercar does 150MPH with batteries and a jet engine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy Volt shows up at fast food joint, practices lines for LA Auto Show

You might’ve seen the Volt make a guest appearance on the futuristic Surrogates movie already, but now Chevy’s taking the opposite approach by looking toward the past to promote its PHEV. Bob’s Big Boy fast food restaurant in California got treated to a surprise visit by a production model of that most bodacious Chevrolet, and as you can see above, it doesn’t look horribly out of place seated in among its elders, a 1969 Camaro and an Impala SS. Joining in the weekly classic car meetup hosted by the restaurant, this appearance was a prelude to the production Volt being shown off at the LA Auto Show, which kicks off this coming Friday. So if you wanna see it, you can either attend the event or wait for the car to roll up at your nearest Wendy’s.

Chevy Volt shows up at fast food joint, practices lines for LA Auto Show originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is

The presenters of Top Gear, among the finer specimens of British television talent (Dr. Gregory House being another), were this past week engaged in designing and building an electric vehicle purportedly intended to compete with the Chevy Volt. Set a time limit of a mere 18 hours, they produced the marvel of rushed engineering and shoddy workmanship you see above. The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust (believe us, you’ll have no reason to remember the name) was even put through its paces by Autocar magazine, whose video “review” can be found after the break. We won’t spoil the details for you, but if you want a conclusion, this one’s pretty unequivocal: “there’s a really good chance you could kill yourself” riding in this car.

Continue reading Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is

Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla Motors IPO coming ‘any day’ now, says report

Word on the street — and by that we mean Reuters — is that Tesla’s looking to go public with the company “any day.” The luxury electric car make, whose Roadster still goes for a cool $109,000, would be the first US auto company to offer an IPO since Ford way back in 1956, says MSNBC. Quite a notable event, indeed, but earlier comments by Tesla investors (via Autoblog Green) suggest “any day now” might be any time between now and September 2010.

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Tesla Motors IPO coming ‘any day’ now, says report originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mavizen’s electric bike hits 130 MPH, ships with Linux and WiFi

Mavizen, the manufacturing arm of the TTXGP (the Time Trials Xtreme Grand Prix — a race for zero-emissions motorcycles) has just announced the TTX02 at this year’s SEMA. A shining example of “EVs as consumer electronics” (the buzz-concept going ’round the electric vehicle scene) this guy is being billed not as a bike, but as a development platform — shipping not only with a chassis and drivetrain, but with an open source Linux OS, web server, USB-based system bus, and WiFi connectivity. If you’re looking to give the gang from Mission Motors a run for their money at the next TTXGP, hit the read link — about $41,000 will get you in the game. Videos after the break.

[Via Asphalt & Rubber]

Continue reading Mavizen’s electric bike hits 130 MPH, ships with Linux and WiFi

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Mavizen’s electric bike hits 130 MPH, ships with Linux and WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aptera 2e three-wheeler deemed a car by the DoE, eligible for funding

Filed under: Transportation

Aptera 2e three-wheeler deemed a car by the DoE, eligible for funding originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla Roadster Sport gets taken for a test drive, photo shoot

Like the Tesla Roadster but think it’s just not expensive enough for you? Then fear not, person we’d like to get to know, ’cause the Tesla Roadster Sport is here complete with a $19,500 premium over its less sporty counterpart. Thankfully, according to the lucky folks at Autoblog Green, you will get quite a few bonuses for that extra cash, including an improved 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, a new suspension that can be set to one of ten different settings and, perhaps most importantly, a new set of black-finish forged wheels (paired with some Yokohama ADVAN A048 tires) that’ll ensure no one mistakes it for a “low end” Tesla. Be sure to hit up the read link below for Autoblog Green’s full report, not to mention plenty of pics inside and out.

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Roadster Sport gets taken for a test drive, photo shoot originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IBM kicks off Battery 500 Project to boost EV range, 500 miles or bust

Electric cars certainly can look nice and promise big things, but the ones we can actually buy today rarely top 50 miles of range. Those promised for the next few years probably won’t break 100, and they’re not going to find wide success until things get a lot better in that department. That’s the initiative of IBM’s Battery 500 Project, bringing together a number of the brightest minds in anode/cathode tech to boost battery storage density by a factor of 10. The focus is on lithium-air technology, which uses nanoscale semiconductors and an open design relying on the air around us for collecting positive ions. About 40 brains are involved in the project at this point, and we think their work is of vital importance. So, if you would, please stop posting funny things on the internet until they’ve come up with a solution. We’d like them to be able to focus completely without any LOLcat distractions.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Transportation

IBM kicks off Battery 500 Project to boost EV range, 500 miles or bust originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E-Wolf e1 electric race car could create new class of racing jockeys

There’s certainly no shortage of hurdles to cross in building a competitive, all-electric race car, with the weight of the vehicle (and requisite battery pack) being particularly high up on the list. While the folks behind this new E-Wolf e1 vehicle have indeed managed to get the weight down to an impressive 500 kilograms (or just over 1,100 pounds), they’ve also taken another somewhat unique step to ensure the performance is just right: limit the weight of the driver to 150 pounds. That, combined with a 110kW, quadripolar, liquid-cooled, AC induction motor, apparently allows the car to hit 0 to 100 km/h in less than five seconds, achieve a top speed of 230 km/h, and last a full 300 kilometers on a charge. Of course, it also costs €150,000 (or over $220,000), but it is apparently street-legal, and definitely won’t be mistaken for a Tesla Roadster.

[Via Autoblog Green]

Filed under: Transportation

E-Wolf e1 electric race car could create new class of racing jockeys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013

Volkswagen’s E-Up! concept vehicle has been making the rounds for a little while now, but it looks like the automaker has really stepped up its game (and hype machine) for its appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where it also took the opportunity to announce a launch date. That will apparently happen sometime in 2013, when Volkswagen hopes that the vehicle will become nothing short of “the Beetle of the 21st century.” A lofty goal to be sure, but the E-Up! does have quite a bit going for it compared to other all-electric vehicles, including a new “lightweight,” five hundred pound lithium-ion battery pack, a promised range of 130 kilometers, a full recharge in less than five hours, and even some solar panels on the roof and the sun visors to add a bit of extra power to the car’s electrical system. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown, and plenty of pics courtesy of our pals at Autoblog Green.

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Volkswagen E-Up! concept rolls into Frankfurt, hits the road in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mission One electric motorcycle surpasses 150 MPH, heading to Snake River Canyon

Continue reading Mission One electric motorcycle surpasses 150 MPH, heading to Snake River Canyon

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Mission One electric motorcycle surpasses 150 MPH, heading to Snake River Canyon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vice President Biden announces $2.4 billion in battery-related grants

It hasn’t been much of a secret that the US government was planning to dole out a couple of billion in battery-related grants to automakers this week, but we only got the details on who gets what today when Vice President Joe Biden made the big announcement himself in Detroit. As you might expect, the big three automakers all got a sizable chunk of the $2.4 billion up for grabs, with GM snagging $240 million for three separate grants, Ford getting $92.7 million (part of which will fund an electric-drive-parts facility in Michigan), and Chrysler receiving $70 million to develop and deploy advanced plug-in hybrid pickups and minivans. The single biggest winner, however, is Johnson Controls Inc., which got close to $300 million to produce battery parts for hybrid and electric vehicles. Chrysler partner A123 Systems Inc. was the next highest with $249.1 million, while EnerDel got $118.5 million that it’ll use for its Indianapolis plant that produces lithium-ion cells and battery packs.

[Image courtesy Wood TV8]

Filed under: Transportation

Vice President Biden announces $2.4 billion in battery-related grants originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T3 Motion goes third wheelin’ with its CT3 personal commuter EV

Don’t get too excited, the above picture’s only a render, but T3 Motion — the company that brought you the security-focused electric stand-up vehicle — is planning to bring this whip to life as the CT3 personal commuter / EV. As Autoblog points out, the lack of a fourth wheel should help this get classified as a motorcycle, meaning it won’t be relegated to zipping around the neighborhood but still will be kept to a 45MPH top speed. However, a 80MPH CT-S version is in the works and will be entered into the Auto X Prize that’ll get an envious 100 miles per gallon. Hit up the read link for the full presser.

Filed under: Transportation

T3 Motion goes third wheelin’ with its CT3 personal commuter EV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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