Items tagged with Electric Car
If Apple wants to quell speculation about its rumored efforts to develop an electric car, the consumer electronics behemoth is going about it the wrong way. Apple hired quality manager Doug Betts from Fiat Chrysler this month and is keeping mum about his role in the company. This comes after Apple hired a key researcher from Mercedes-Benz earlier this year. Apple is working on a car-related project known as CarPlay, but the industry has been awash in speculation that the company is working on more than just a complex entertainment system for your vehicle. The rumored car project is believed to be called “Titan.”Apple appears to have hired a number of auto-industry experts and is rumored...
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Goodyear isn't necessarily reinventing the wheel, but it is attempting to improve upon tire design for a new generation of electric vehicles. The company showed off two concept tires at the 85th Geneva International Motor Show, one of which could charge the batteries of electric cars, both while in motion and when parked. The charging tire is codenamed "BHO3" and it incorporates a number of clever technologies designed to generate electricity. Part of that entails a heat absorbing tread that consists of an ultra black texture. Underneath the tread is a thermo-piezoelectric material that transforms captured heat into electricity. What's ingenious about the design is that the tires...
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If you can't beat 'em, and you don't want to join 'em, then what can you do? Settle, of course! Apple is currently in discussions with electric car battery maker A123 Systems on a settlement over a lawsuit the latter initiated, in which it accuses the former of poaching engineers and other top level talent to build a battery division.It's been rumored that Apple is working on an electric car of its own to compete with Tesla. Reports have Apple pegged to release its first model in 2020, which is an incredibly short time frame. However, it's believed that Apple's been working on this project for several years now, and by poaching talent from rivals in the industry, it might have been able to skip...
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One of the hottest rumors in tech right now is that Apple is working on an electric car. Word all over the web Apple is approaching the project hyper aggressively with hopes of launching an electric vehicle as early as 2020. If Apple pulls it off, it would mean that this is something the Cupertino company has been working on for several years now, or was able to skip some steps in the R&D process by poaching talent and seeing what other manufacturers have done to this point.Building a car typically takes five to seven years. An electric car is a bit more complicated, though Apple has plenty of incentive to get this done as quickly as possible, if in fact it really is working on an electrical...
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It looks like Tesla Motors isn’t the only company in the electric car industry to notice the occasional employee slipping over to Apple. A123 Systems, which makes batteries for a variety of applications, including electric cars, has had it up to here with its PhDs jumping ship and recently filed a lawsuit against Apple and some former employees.A123 Systems claims that its engineers are being poached by Apple and are breaking employment agreements when they go. “Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123,” the lawsuit alleges, reports Reuters. The lawsuit may shed some light on the debate surrounding Apple’s somewhat-secret interest...
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It’s not just any electric car that Apple is reportedly designing in secret. Apple has built an empire with its design prowess and – if it really is the entering electronic vehicle market – the company best known for its smartphones will face an equally design-conscious and well-established competitor in Tesla. Under these circumstances it only makes sense that Apple is pulling out all the stops to build a marketing-busting electric, uh, minivan. That’s the word on the street, anyway, and by that we mean the Wall Street Journal. Apple is known for keeping product development secrets better than traditionally leaky tech companies, so there is a lot about the vehicle that is a mystery. For one...
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General Motors raised more than a few eyebrows when it unveiled the quirky-looking Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle concept last month at the Detroit Auto show. In a world where most “affordable” EVs have a driving range of around 80 to 90 miles before they must be recharged; an EV for the “everyman” that can travel 200 miles on a charge was music to the ears of many people. Well, GM today committed to the production of the Bolt, although an exact production start date and on-sale date wasn’t provided. The vehicle will be produced at GM’s Orion Assembly facility, which is located just outside of Detroit, Michigan. “The message from consumers about the Bolt EV concept was clear and unequivocal:...
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Despite certain states trying to block the direct sale of its electric vehicles, Tesla Motors continues to impress the consumers that do manage to get their hands on a Model S. According to a recent Consumer Reports buyer survey, Tesla drivers were more likely to say that they would purchase their cars again than Porsche owners, which came in second, or anyone else for that matter. For a second year in a row, the Tesla Model S luxury electric sedan was at the top of the U.S. survey. The Model S scored 98 out of 100, down from its score of 99 last year, with Porsche coming in second place with a score of 87. Overall, the average satisfaction score of all 280 vehicles surveyed was 70. “Not only...
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As electric vehicles continue to make their way to consumers, the issue of range and being able to conveniently recharge tend to come up. While there are gas stations aplenty, charging stations for electric vehicles are another matter. But that will change for travelers driving through one section of Route 66, as a new $1 million investment will help establish a series of charging stations along the highway through the state of Illinois. “We are building a 21st century infrastructure across Illinois and we need to make sure that it is sustainable for future generations,” said Illinois Governor Pat Quinn. “This new project exemplifies Illinois’ place as the innovation capital of the Midwest,...
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Know what happens when an armored vehicle company decides to go green? You get the Jo-Mojo, a lightly armored open-top electric low-rider with a top speed of 125MPH and a bulletproof exterior. Yep, this thing steers clear of gasoline, has a respectable amount of get-up-and-go, and can take a bullet, should the need arise. Or at least that's the idea. Dartz is collaborating with the Gray Design studio once again with the intention of converting its gas-powered Mojo roadster into an electric car with style and substance. According to Gizmag, the Jo-Mojo will sport an 80 horsepower electric motor with 90 lb-ft of torque. It will go from 0-60MPH in 9.5 seconds, and as mentioned, hit a top speed of...
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Electric vehicles may not be in the exact same playing field as USB drives, mainboards and SSDs, but there's still something whiz-bang-y about 'em that makes us drool. With Chevy's Volt inching towards production and a couple of other all-electric vehicles already leaking out to the wealthy, where are we common folk expected to fulfill our own fantasies of driving around on the open road without using a drop of fuel? JARI, we guess.The Japan Automobile Research Institute has developed and revealed the C·ta, which is being described as a "lightweight three-seater electric vehicle whose body is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). " There's no doubt that there is some question over...
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With the classic automakers struggling to make ends meet in America, it's clear that the time has come for a new regime to usher in a new wave of automobiles. With companies such as Tesla and Lightning doing their best to produce affordable, reliable electric cards, neither has actually shown an ability to craft a vehicle that the layperson could afford. Coda Automotive, however, is hoping to add a real option at the lower-end in the electric car space.Introduced this week, the simply named Coda -- a four door, five passenger sedan with an all-electric drive train -- has been pegged with a 2010 ship date in California. The car was originally designed by one Miles Rubin, and he's remaining an...
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It's still far, far away from production (Q3 2011, best case scenario), but Tesla Motors is looking to turn the automotive industry on its side. Not that said industry isn't already upside-down, but we digress. The company has just revealed its stylish 4 door sports sedan, the Model S. The vehicle is 100% electric and can purportedly travel up to 300 miles on a full charge. We're told that it can be fully recharged in around four hours, but a 45 minute "quick charge" option should give you enough power to get home from a night out on the town.What's somewhat ironic, however, is that Tesla is waiting on funds from the government that it has essentially mocked in order to make this beauty a reality....
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It's no Lightning GT, but you won't have to sell the roof over your head in order to afford it. Tata's Nano, which has been coined the "world's cheapest car" since debuting to high hopes last January, it just about ready to roll off the production line, but it won't be easy to get one. After suffering through months of delays, this tiny vehicle is now scheduled to ship to early buyers in July for around 100,000 rupees apiece, or just under $2,000. Unfortunately, the initial rollout is restricted to India, so Americans, Canadians, Britons, Australians (you get the point), etc. will simply have to sit this one out.It's stated that "hundreds of thousands are set to queue up to book, including motorbike...
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It seems that we Americans could learn a thing or two from Denmark. Not only are Danish citizens amongst the happiest in the world, but they're also amongst the most energy conscience. In a landmark deal announced today in Copenhagen, Better Place -- the same outfit responsible for planning an EV network in Hawaii -- has teamed with DONG Energy in order to begin deploying an electric car charging network in Denmark. The €103 million ($135.7 million) deal outlines obligations for DONG Energy to "assist in the Better Place Denmark network rollout as well as be the preferred supplier of renewable energy to power the network." The goal may be lofty, but the two are hoping to enable "widespread...
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Perhaps it is just a coincidence that we're starting to hear a lot more about electric cars these days now that gas prices have hit record highs. Coincidence or not, automobiles that offer alternatives to traditional fossil-fuel-based, internal combustion engines are gearing up to hit the streets. The latest entrant to this quickly growing field is U.K.-based, Lightning Car Company, which debuted its Electric Lightning GT today at the British Motor Show in London. Similar to the all-electric, high-performance Tesla Roadster that is now available the Electric Lightning GT will also be a high-performance vehicle--and carry a similar, high-performance price tag. News.com reports that the Electric...
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As the price of gas continues to rise, fewer folks are buying automobiles--especially gas-guzzlers like trucks and SUVs. Throw in a limping economy, record job losses, and a crippled housing market, and it's amazing anyone drives anywhere other than to work and the grocery store. There's also the growing environmentally conscious crowd who is concerned over the impact emissions from internal combustion engines have on global climate change. Short of everyone switching to bicycles as their primary means of transportation, what are cash-strapped, eco-friendly people to do? Philadelphia steel wholesaler Barry D. Bernsten thinks he has the answer: electric cars. Credit: BG Automotive...
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