In San Francisco last week I happened to bump into a Tesla Roadster outside SF Green. The pictures are below, but I also wanted to highlight something Daryl Siry, VP of sales marketing and service for Tesla Motors said during the event.
Daryl commented that yes, $100K is a lot to pay for an electric car (he also mentioned the new Whitestar sedan would be around $70k), but he reiterated how expensive the technology is for small companies.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Nissan plans to sell electric cars in the US in 2010. Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, said the company was motivated to accelerate the development of battery-powered vehicles by high gas prices and environmental concerns. Nissan expects to expand to a globally-marketed fleet of 60 electric vehicles by 2012.
John O’Dell, senior editor of GreenCarAdvisor.com, noted that this was a major announcement for the auto industry: “Nissan is upping the ante tremendously. They are the first to put it on the line and say we’re going to have an all-electric vehicle for a certain market by a certain date.”
It looks like VW won’t be sending a diesel hybrid to the US after all. VW announced the 70 MPG diesel-hybrid electric Golf at the Geneva Motor Show, but turned around in the March 27 edition of Auto, Motor und Sport to say they wouldn’t be building the car because it would be “too expensive.”
Electric and hybrid electric car manufacturer Aptera has been turning heads since the first announced their space-age looking Typ1 prototype. The sub $30,000 electric version of the Typ1 has a range of 120 miles and is expected to be ready for limited release later this year.
Take a look at the latest video from Aptera, a guided tour of their factory:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Ogy6_KHE4A" width="425" height="355" wmode="transparent" /]
You can also see pictures of the facility here.
Related […]
It had to happen, just when we were beginning to think that plug-in hybrid and electric cars were the best things since sliced bread, someone has intimated that there may be a health risk involved in driving those vehicles.You remember, the power line scare back in the ’70’s (which really hasn’t gone away) and of course the more recent flap about cell phones emitting dangerous electromagnetic fields to the brain. In case you want to read more on these issues, a specific Google entry should suffice.Now, before you go somewhere else, hang on, there’s more to this electromagnetic field issue than you may think. That’s coming up, along with a short tip of the hat to the man who got us started on our way to the world we live in.
As Benjamin reported on EcoGeek last week, even if all plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) were recharged by coal-based electricity, they would still be an improvement over regular cars. Take a look at this graph from Technology Review, who reported that “plug-ins always result in lower emissions than conventional cars.” They beat hybrids too, unless power is coming exclusively from coal:
While we love hearing about sweet rides like the $100K Tesla Roadster, a functional and economical electric car made for the rest of us would be even cooler.
This could be it: the Th!nk City electric car, a four-seater with 110 mile range and top speed of 65 mph, priced under $25,000, made from 95% recyclable materials, and available in the U.S. in 2009.
2008 Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster is the upcoming Electric Sports Car: 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds, 200 mile range, and NO gasoline involved. We’re aware that it isn’t publicly available just yet, but that doesn’t mean Huddlers can’t Want It and talk about it in the forums and wikis. Post pictures if you see one on the road and let’s keep the buzz going for this exciting innovation!
From the Tesla site: When you build a car that’s electric, […]
State-of-the art, fast-charge lithium batteries power this two-seat electric car, capable of speeds up to 105 mph and a range of up to 54 miles.
Based on Subaru’s R1 minicar now being sold in Japan, the R1e was developed in partnership with the Tokyo electric Power Company, Inc.
An AC permanent magnet synchronized motor produces 54 hp, and can be quick-charged to 80-percent capacity in 15 minutes while connected to a standard household outlet. A full […]
It’s been almost 2 years since Tesla debuted the prototype in July of 2006, but Tesla had to delay release until now due to problems with the Roadster’s two-speed transmission. The vehicle will go into production anyway with in interim transmission, and Tesla is offering a free powertrain upgrade, when it becomes available, that will boost acceleration to 0-60 in 4 seconds.
There’s been a lot in the news recently about the Tata Nano, the world’s cheapest car, which also has a lot of green features. However, just recently, Tara International announced that it will be selling two electric vehicles for even cheaper than the Tata Nano.
These two cars will be priced at approximately 99K Rupees (2,475 USD), and are built in partnership with a Chinese company named Aucma. To compare, the cheapest Tata Nano comes in at just about 100k Rupees. Not much of a difference on the face of it, but the Tara vehicles being electric compared to the Tata’s gasoline powertrain would make you think the Tara would be much more expensive.
More after the break!
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