22 February 2012

Electric cars / Electric vehicles

Electric cars were once expected to be the ultimate travelling option of the 21st Century only to be maligned when initial efforts such as the Ford Think failed to earn a sizeable share of the UK market. However, with further technological advancements, electric cars are once again emerging as a viable alternative to the fuel guzzling and polluting vehicles that most of us drive today.

Latest news on electric cars

AMAP to host low carbon vehicle conference

A new one day event exploring the challenges and opportunities for the low carbon vehicle industry is to take place at the end of the month at the The University of Sunderland’s Institute for Automotive & Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP). In collaboration with the The Energy and Environmental Industries Forum (EEIF), the conference and exhibition [...]

Toyota to reveal new FT-BH hybrid concept

With the Prius C to launch in the US soon and the Yaris Hybrid arriving in the UK from June, you would think that Toyota had a enough small hybrids on the way to keep the yummy mummys happy. But just for good measure, the Japanese firm is also set to reveal a new concept [...]

Nissan Leaf earns 2012 Euro NCAP five star safety rating

The pin-up of the electric car world, the Nissan Leaf, has been reissued a five star safety rating from Euro NCAP after being tested to new, more stringent crash standards introduced for 2012. It is not the only model to successfully pass the retesting, with seven other models also re-earning their five star ratings in [...]

E15 availability takes step forward

The widespread availability of E15 has taken a step forward after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved health effects testing. The health effects testing by the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy is a significant step towards the approval of a new fuel; and suppliers of ethanol and E15 are now able to [...]

Jeep to introduce Multijet engine in Grand Cherokee

There will be plenty of new vehicles on display at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show – but make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle is getting its European premiere at the event and will feature a new 3.0litre, V6 turbo-diesel engine with Multijet II technology that is [...]

Mitsubishi makes huge investment in natural gas

In a clear sign of the growing importance of natural gas in the transportation sector, Mitsubishi has decided to invest around C$2.9billion to take a 40 per cent interest in the Cutback Ridge Partnership. The Partnership has around 409,000 net acres of the undeveloped Montney-formation natural gas lands and under the terms of the agreement, [...]

Chevrolet plans diesel Cruze for US

Chevrolet is to introduce a new diesel version of its popular Cruze model to the US as it gambles on the rising popularity of oil-burners stateside. The American brand is to pull on the experience of the European arm of its parent firm GM in developing a Cruze diesel set for market introduction in 2013. [...]

Just who are Faam? Electric van grants available for Italian firm’s vehicles

This morning saw the announcement of the first seven vehicles which qualify for the Plug-in Van Grants (PiVG) worth up to £8,000. But among the list of electric vans was one name we are not familiar with; Faam. Whilst most of the list was fairly predictable, with vehicles such as the Renault Kangoo Z.E, Ford [...]

Veolia puts Auris Hybrid to the green test

The guys at Veolia Environmental Services have put their faith in Toyota’s hybrid technology after investing in no less than 28 Auris Hybrids. The sub-100g/km models have been added to the company’s sales fleet in a bid to shrink its carbon footprint and improve its environmental performance. With tailpipe emissions of 89g/km, the British-built Auris [...]

Electric van man to get £8,000 grant

Commercial vehicle buyers will be able to claim grants worth up to £8,000 towards the purchase of seven different electric vans. The list of first electric vans eligible for the new Plug-in Van subsidies have been revealed this morning, before the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) begins distributing the grants from March. Supplementing similar [...]

Road tests

Vauxhall Ampera Full Road Test Report

Vauxhall is first out of the blocks with a range extender electric vehicle with its Ampera. Far from being a loss leader or just a techno-geek-fest, the Ampera succeeds by being a very good car first and foremost and an environmentally friendly means of transport second. That it does this while elim [...]

Nissan Leaf Full Road Test Report

World Car of the Year 2011 the Nissan LEAF is the first mass production small family car powered purely by electricity. Designed from the wheels up as an electric car, the LEAF promises a new dawn in personal mobility. Protected from the upward spiral of petrol and diesel prices can this vanguard to [...]

Renault Kangoo ZE Full Road Test Report

Express - The first of Renault’s pioneering Z.E. range to launch in the UK, the Kangoo Express Z.E and its longer version, the Kangoo Maxi Z.E will arrive here at the end of October 2011. As the first mass-market electric commercial from a mainstream car maker, Renault is expecting the Kangoo Z.E. models to c [...]

Renault Fluence ZE Full Road Test Report

The Fluence, a model which retails on the European continent, is about to arrive in the UK for the first time, as an electric vehicle. Essentially a Megane in saloon body shape, it was previously deemed unnecessary for the UK market thanks to our preference for hatchbacks. However as part of Renault [...]

Peugeot iOn Full Road Test Report

2011 - The electrically powered Mitsubishi i-MiEV recently went on sale in the UK and it’s now been joined by the Citroen C-Zero, and the Peugeot i0N tested here. They’re all fundamentally the same car, but the Japanese brand is selling the i-MiEV in the conventional way, while the two French companies are [...]

Volvo C30 Full Road Test Report

Electric - Volvo’s C30 electric is as yet a limited production EV set for trials with authorities and government fleets in Sweden later this year. Volvo has yet to decide if production of its first electric car is to be increased and if the C30 electric is ever to become publicly available. Nonetheless, the ca [...]

Mini E Full Road Test Report

Electric cars are going to be a tough sell to car-mad Brits. We love our hot hatches far too much to be interested in reskinned milk floats. But the world’s oil supplies won’t last forever, so carmakers are looking to the future and starting to build electric-powered concepts and prototypes. So what [...]

Mitsubishi i Full Road Test Report

MiEV - The Mitsubishi i MiEV is the newest electric vehicle available in the UK and unlike some of its rivals- it is a proper car rather than a quadricycle. The name means Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle and according to the Japanese giant, it is hoped to do well in the business market and the priva [...]

Citroen C1 Full Road Test Report

evie - There’s a lot of scepticism about electric cars, not helped by the fact that the most commonplace model in the UK is the GoinGreen G-Wiz – which is less an electric car, more of a quadricylcing accident waiting to happen. However, things are looking up for drivers who don’t want to lose any pleasure [...]

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