The Electric Car Blog

Electric Car News, Reviews, and Accessories!

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Companies
  • Sales
  • Books and DVD’s
  • Conversion Kits
  • Batteries
  • Insurance

BMW Mini Cooper

Posted by turnip in October 29th 2008  
Company: BMW Mini Cooper
Brands: Mini E
Pricing: $850 a month lease
Range: 150 miles on one charge
Speed: 95 mph
Batteries: Lithium Ion

BMW’s experimental electric car, the Mini E, is coming out next year.  500 vehicles will be made available to those living in the New York or Los Angeles area.   At $850 a month, the lease will cover “all required technical service and maintenance”.  The cars must be returned to BMW at the end of the lease, though options to extend will be available.

electric mini cooper cockpitThe Mini E features it’s own regenerative breaking technology.  When you take your foot off the accelerator, the motor reverses and acts like a generator, using the energy to recharge the battery.

Charging is performed using a standard wall outlet, or by a special charger installed in the customer’s garage.  The special charger can complete it’s job in only 2.5 hours. “Only customers with lockable garages or some other secure space in which to charge the car will be eligible to lease the Mini E.”

I really like the ideas presented in this car, even if it’s a 2 seater.  Leasing one for $10,200 a year is a bit much, considering I could buy the gas powered 2008 mini cooper for $18,000.  But for those looking for a temporary electric solution, this car might be perfect.  It looks sporty and fun to drive, just like the rest of the Mini Cooper family.  CNN reports the Mini Cooper to be reveiled at November 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show

2 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: bmw, Electric Car Companies
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Extraordinary Controversy At Tesla Motors

Posted by turnip in October 22nd 2008  

On October 15th, Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted an interesting message on the Tesla site titled Extraordinary Times Require Focus.  The following are the main points of his announcement:

  1. Due to the current economic situation, Tesla will try to  ”ramp up our production rate, improve Roadster contribution margin and reduce operating expenses”.
  2. Elon Musk’s own role in Tesla “will expand from executive chairman and product architect to CEO.”
  3. Tesla is ”ramping down and will close our Rochester Hills office near Detroit. Good communication, tightly knit engineering and a common company culture are of paramount importance as Tesla grows.
  4. Tesla will reduce activity on detailed production engineering, tooling and commitments to suppliers until our Department of Energy loan guarantee becomes effective.
  5. There will be a delay in start of production of the Model S of roughly six months to mid-2011.

Across the internet Tech people have bemoaned the heartless job cuts, always a morale killer for any company.  A “common company culture” smacks of corporate doublespeak to me. 

My opinion is that with the major automobile manufacturers entering the electric car market in the near future, Tesla just can’t compete at that level.  Sure, they can still produce an exotic luxury car, but wouldn’t be able to make an affordable mass produced car in the same price range.  By making tough decisions now, the company will stay out of debt during uncertain times.   Perhaps if they went into selling conversion kits using their advanced technology, those buying Chevy Volts in the near future could opt in for “Tesla Kits” to pimp their ride.  Either way, nobody I know is planning major purchases in the near future, so delaying things 6 month might be a smart move.

1 Comment
under: Electric Car News
Tags: Electric Car News, Tesla
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Think

Posted by turnip in October 3rd 2008  
Company: Think Think City
Brands: Think City, Ox, Open
Pricing: 27k to 34k, (20k-25k Eu)
Range: 111 miles on one charge
Speed: 62+ mph
Batteries: Sodium or Lithium Ion

[...] Continue Reading…

10 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: Electric Car Companies, think
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Chrysler

Posted by turnip in September 24th 2008  
Company: Chrysler Dynasty 2006 IT Electric Car
Brands: Dodge EV, Chrysler EV, Jeep EV
Pricing: Unknown
Range: 150-200 miles (sports car only)
Speed: 120+ mph
Batteries: Lithium Ion

[...] Continue Reading…

3 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: Chrysler, dodge, jeep
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Dynasty Electric Car Corporation

Posted by turnip in September 20th 2008  
Company: Dynasty Electric Car Corp. Dynasty 2006 IT Electric Car
Brands: 2006 IT (5 models)
Pricing: Starting at $19000
Range: 30.4 miles
Speed: 24.5 mph
Batteries: EV-31 Flooded Lead Acid

[...] Continue Reading…

3 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: Dynasty, Electric Car Companies
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

General Motors | Chevrolet

Posted by turnip in September 16th 2008  
Company: General Motors | Chevrolet Chevy Volt
Brands: Volt
Pricing: Unknown
Range: 40 miles
Speed: 100 mph
Batteries: T-Shaped Lithium Ion Pack

[...] Continue Reading…

8 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: chevrolet, chevy, companies, Electric Car Companies, general motors, volt
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Commuter Cars Corporation

Posted by turnip in September 15th 2008  
Company: Commuter Cars Corporation Tango T600 Electric Car
Brands: Tango T600
Pricing: $108,000
Range: 80 miles
Speed: 150 mph
Batteries: 19 Hawker Odyssey’s or Optima Yellow Tops

[...] Continue Reading…

5 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: commuter cars corporation, Electric Car Companies, tango
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!

Aptera Motors

Posted by turnip in September 14th 2008  
Company: Aptera Motors Aptera typ-1 Electric Car
Brands: Aptera Typ-1
Pricing: Starting at $27,000
Range: 120 miles
Speed: 85 mph
Batteries: 10 KWh battery pack (no detals given)

[...] Continue Reading…

6 Comments
under: Electric Car Companies
Tags: Aptera, companies, Electric Car Companies, typ-1
Add to Reddit.com RSS Feed Add to Technorati Favorites Stumble It! Digg It! Mixx It!
« Older Entries

Categories

Electric Car Companies Electric Car Sales Electric Car Books Electric Car Conversion Kits Electric Car Batteries Electric Car Insurance

Entrecard

Subscribers

  • stumble  twitter
  • technorati

Search

Featured News Sites

    • Turnip of Power | Social Networking

15 Most Recent Posts

    • BMW Mini Cooper
    • Extraordinary Controversy At Tesla Motors
    • Think
    • Chrysler
    • Dynasty Electric Car Corporation
    • General Motors | Chevrolet
    • Commuter Cars Corporation
    • Aptera Motors
    • American Electric Vehicle
    • Why Write About Electric Cars?
    • Site Under Construction!

Recent Comments

    • Electric Trikke Guy (3 comments) on General Motors | Chevrolet
    • Electric Trikke Guy (3 comments) on Think
    • Electric Trikke Guy (3 comments) on American Electric Vehicle
    • Beamer (6 comments) on Commuter Cars Corporation
    • Miniowner (1 comments) on BMW Mini Cooper

Top Commenters

    • Beamer (6)
    • zyriana (4)
    • Puneet (4)
    • StanHayes (3)
    • impNERD (3)
    • Paul (3)
    • Electric Trikke Guy (3)
    • Øyvind (2)
    • Doug Kueffler (1)
    • Natural (1)
Box-Tube Theme By Dezzain Studio
©2006-2008The Electric Car Blog using WordPress 2.6.2