Electric cars start to Hit the roads in the U.S.

external links;

Pru External Battery Trailer Adds 700 Extra Miles of Range to Electric Cars

 Link & Article By Dan Nosowitz  rs

Pru External Battery Trailer Adds 700 Extra Miles of Range to Electric Cars

 Link & Article By Dan Nosowitz  33 Comments

Modern electric cars are still in their infancy, and one of the most onerous growing pains has to be their limited range--even the otherwise-pretty-awesome Nissan Leaf can only go about 100 miles on a charge. In answer to that issue, the Pru trailer concept offers a 700-mile boost in range, extra storage space, and sweet details like topographical analysis via Google Earth.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > accessories, batteries, cars, electric cars, electric vehicles, ev, EVs, hybrids, pru, pru trailer, storage, trailers

Cars

The Nissan Leaf: Nicely Done, Not for Everyone

Nissan has produced a quick, fun-to-drive, technologically sophisticated pure-electric car. But inevitably, limited driving range makes it a daily commuter, not a road-tripper

By Seth Fletcher  13 Comments

The Nissan Leaf is the first of its kind: a truly mass-market battery-electric car. Starting in December, Nissan will begin selling and leasing the car in North America, Europe and Japan. Globally, it will build 50,000 Leafs for the 2011 model year.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > cars, electric cars, nissan, nissan leaf

Cars

Four Driverless Vans Complete 8,000-Mile Transcontinental Trek From Italy to Shanghai

By Clay Dillow  12 Comments

Back in July, two all-electric, driverless vans set out from Italy bound for China, an 8,000-mile trek through two continents, several countries, and endless driving variables like traffic, weather conditions, and roadway conditions.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > auto-diy, concepts, driverless cars, electric cars, energy, environment, VisLab

Cars

Never Mind the Naysayers: The Chevy Volt is Excellent

Behind the wheel, we find that GM’s highest-profile concept car has become a refreshing, radically different kind of production vehicle

By Seth Fletcher  67 Comments

That the Chevy Volt exists at all is something of a miracle. The project, which was announced at the Detroit Auto Show nearly four years ago and goes into production next month, has survived two CEO shakeups, major bankruptcy, and an unprecedented rescue by the Federal government. For every wave of goodwill, the Volt has endured a backlash of bile and skepticism. By now, the car has become a political football, a proxy for anger over the bailout of GM and Chrysler and a symbol of the future of the American auto industry. That’s a lot of baggage for a compact car to carry. And it’s a remarkable amount of baggage to accumulate before anyone even knew how the finished car would drive.
Now, after several hours and nearly 200 miles driving and riding in saleable Volts, we know how the finished product drives. And the news is very good.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > chevy volt, electric cars, electric vehicles, reviews, test drives, volt

Cars

Automotive X-Prize Honors Two Electric Models, But a Super-Efficient Gas Engine Takes Top Prize

By Clay Dillow 18 Comments

It was something of a photo finish, but the winners of the Automotive X-Prize are in. Taking top honors: Edison2’s “Very Light Car No. 98,” a single-cylinder gas/ethanol burning four-seater that gets 102 miles per gallon of fuel. Edison2 took home half of the $10 million prize while two other teams split the other half.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > concepts, edison2, electric cars, progressive automotive x-prize, x-prize

Cars

Mass-Market Electric Cars Are Mere Months Away—And That Has Charging-Dock Companies Scrambling

By Lawrence Ulrich  2 Comments

Next year the number of electric cars and plug-in hybrids in America will increase by an order of magnitude, and all of those cars will be able to draw electricity from any 120-volt wall outlet. Just not very quickly. Charging from the wall can take longer than 16 hours. A faster fill-up involves installing a dedicated 240-volt “Level II” home charging dock, and to combat range anxiety—the fear of being stranded with no electrons and nowhere to plug in—automakers want to see these same charging docks installed for public use across the country. So far, the Department of Energy and state and local governments have announced plans to install more than 11,000 public chargers in 19 states. Here’s what’s coming.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > chargepoint 3 fast charger, charging docks, electric cars, ge wattstation, nissan home charging dock, October 2010, What's New

Technology

Chicago Garage Fires Up Helical Wind Turbines for Attractive, Earth-Friendly Parking

By Rebecca Boyle  12 Comments

Chicago was nicknamed the Windy City because of its blowhard politicians, not the powerful gusts off Lake Michigan. But a new parking garage took the name to heart regardless and installed this amazing helix-shaped wind turbine system inside the building, making urban turbines not only cool, but functional.
This summer, 12 turbines started spinning at Greenway Self-Park, which bills itself, somewhat oxymoronically, as Chicago's first Earth-friendly parking garage.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > chicago, electric cars, energy efficiency, parking, wind power, wind turbines

Science

Finland Plans to Build the World's First 'Green Highway'

By Clay Dillow 4 Comments

Green cars require green roadways, and to that end Finland is planning the world's first "green highway," an 81-mile stretch of pavement dotted with electric charge stations and pumps pouring locally made biofuel that will hopefully stimulate the adoption of next-gen auto technologies.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > electric cars, energy, environment, green highway, green tech

Cars

China's Two-Lane-Wide "Straddling Bus" Carries Passengers Overhead, Lets Traffic Pass Underneath

Each 3D Fast Bus can carry over a thousand passengers

By Clay Dillow  22 Comments

Public transit in a metropolitan area is all about balance; if there aren't enough public transit options, too many people choose to drive, clogging roadways and adding to pollution. But trains are expensive (and, if above-ground, contributors to traffic) and adding more buses to the road can magnify traffic woes further.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > 3d fast car, beijing, buses, china, concepts, electric cars, green tech, public transit

Cars

Future Nissan Cars Will Spray Vitamin C to Keep Passengers Healthy

Cars will dispense vitamins and helpful reminders

By Rebecca Boyle  20 Comments

Never mind running on electricity -- cars of the future will be so helpful, they'll spray us with vitamins and make sure we never forget another anniversary.
That's the future envisioned by the people at Nissan, who announced today that their next-generation cars will be designed to make drivers feel they are better off staying in their cars instead of stepping outside.

[ Read Full Story ]

read more about > electric cars, future of the car, memory, nissan, nissan leaf, nutrition, vitamin c, vitamins

33 Comments

 

©Copyright. These images are trademarks of Popular Science company. Some of the text in this article is also a trademark of  Popular Science company. The other part of this text has been edited and re-desgned by Rainbow Posts.