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Fisker Karma Review: A disappointing tale from Consumer Reports
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Product Reviews, Transportation, Videos,
The Fisker Karma was one the electric cars we hoped would have led the pack in design. Instead, it seems to be an example of what not to do. The guys over at Consumer Reports bought the EV for testing and they weren't able to get very far.
The Karma only made it 2,000 miles before breaking down. With a little more research, they found out that other owners had similar, if not more horrific experiences. There have been reports of differentials going out at 1,000 miles, cars stalling out while doing 35 MPH, and trouble with shifting. Obviously, these are issues a new car should not have, let alone a car that cost over six figures.
But, hey, these are our words--if you wanna get the story from the horse's mouth, check out the video above!
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General Motors officially opposes Washington State Electric Vehicle Tax
Posted by Andrey Malskiy Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
GM went on the record opposing Governor Christine Gregoire on Senate Bill 5251. For those of you not familiar with the bill, it would impose a $100 annual tax on electric vehicle owners to make up for lost revenue not paid in gas taxes.
GM’s Regional Director Howard Lenox, Jr. wrote "A fee which singles out electric vehicles will be a disincentive to the growth of the electric vehicle market in Washington State. As a practical matter, there are so few vehicles on Washington's roads today that their impact in replacing fuel tax revenues will, for now, be negligible."
Now, we understand where the Lenox is coming from, but has he sat through 405 traffic in the morning? Seattle area traffic is some of the worst in the nation. The bill is supposed to generate $1.9 million dollars in lost revenue by 2017. However, it's still subject to approval by Washington state voters. It’s reported that Arizona, Oregon, and Kansas are among other states to pass similar bills.
How about you? Would you oppose or support Senate Bill 5251? Leave your answers in the comments letting us know!
AAA unveils America’s first EV mobile charger
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Transportation,
AAA has announced their Mobile Electric Vehicle Charging vehicle, which aims to help you out if you're an owner of something like the Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt and you run out of power when driving. The mobile EV charger will provide 15 minutes of charge time, which should be enough for 3-15 miles of drive time to allow the user to get to a charging station to fill up, so to speak. They'll be launching these as a pilot trial in six markets, including Portland, Seattle, San Francisco Bay area, Los ANgeles, Tampa Bay, and Knoxville. The rollout will begin in the summer and continue into the fall.
Read More 
| AAA
BMW announced ActivE, their all-electric coupe
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
BMW has announced that it plans to lease 700 demo units of its first completely electric vehicle, the BMW ActivE. They'll start the trial this fall in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, and parts of Connecticut, the company said in a statement. Consumers will have to pay $499 a month for a 24-month lease, plus a down payment of $2,250. Reservations start at the end of this summer.
"Based on the 1 Series Coupe, the BMW ActiveE will accelerate from 0-60 mph in under nine seconds, making it the first electric vehicle to combine the dynamic characteristics typical of a BMW with the zero-emissions benefits of driving an electric vehicle," BMW said in a press release.
When fully powered, the car's lithium-ion batteries last around 100 miles. The batteries also feature heating and cooling and can pre-condition your car to maximize power during various weather conditions.
Furthermore the dashboard features a set of instruments that track the amount of energy being consumed. Instead of a tachometer, for instance, you'll find indicators for battery consumption and charge time. And because the car is apparently very quiet, BMW has also installed a needle to let you know when a car at standstill is ready to drive again.
Click to continue reading BMW announced ActivE, their all-electric coupe
Tesla Motors suing ‘Top Gear’ for libel
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
Tesla Motors is suing the BBC show "Top Gear" for allegedly falsely representing the performance of one of its electric vehicles.
In a segment that aired three years ago, "Top Gear" showed a Tesla Roadster running out of electric charge during a race with the gas-powered Lotus Elise, a car that the Roadster is based on. Tesla claims that neither of the two cars it loaned to "Top Gear" for the segment dipped below 20 percent charge. The company contends there's no way the Roadster ran out of juice, and it wants the BBC to stop airing the segment.
"When 'Top Gear' reviewed the Tesla Roadster, the episode that aired contained lies and misinformation about the Roadster's performance, behavior, and reliability," Tesla said in a statement. "Tesla reluctantly took legal action after its repeated attempts to contact the BBC, over the course of months, were ignored."
A spokesperson for "Top Gear" defended the show's integrity. "We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC. The BBC stands by the program and will be vigorously defending this claim."
Click to continue reading Tesla Motors suing ‘Top Gear’ for libel
Chevy Volt’s 230 MPG too good to be true
Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Design, Transportation,
Maybe I’m just getting sick of seeing those ads with the smiley-faced electrical outlet, but I figured that the 230 MPG touted for the Volt seemed a little too good to be true.
As it turns out, someone at Chevrolet is playing with numbers. According to DVICE:
Essentially, the Volt can drive 40 miles on battery power before kicking in the gas engine. So if you drive 10 miles, you’ll get infinite miles per gallon. If you drive 50 miles, you’ll get 250 miles per gallon. But if you drive 300 miles, you’ll be down to 62.5 miles per gallon.
This is hardly 230 MPG. Would the electrical outlet be frowning if it knew the real truth?
Read More | CNN
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