The NHTSA released a detailed report of the Chevy Volt crash test and forensic investigation last week prior to this weeks House Oversight committee hearing. On Wednesday this week the House Oversight Committee will take up the question, “Volt Vehicle Fire: What did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know…
You may have noticed a hyped-up controversy attached to the Chevy Volt, the current round of which is the battery pack fire plus side issues like the amount of federal support behind the Volt. The controversy, irregardless of whether there’s a real danger, is causing some to suggest that GM…
We are at a chicken-and-egg moment where prospective electric car owners want to see electric charging stations, but prospective charging station owners want to see electric car owners using their stations. The parking situation for electric car owners seems to have inspired a case of “EV Envy” in the mind…
Some promote natural gas as a clean fuel for transportation that can solve both the climate change and energy security crises, but a paper released yesterday in Climate News casts doubt on that direction. Some have proposed Natural Gas to be used as a supposedly clean “bridge fuel” to address…
The firestorm over the Chevy Volt battery pack fire is moving next week to a hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the hearing is to feature Dan Akerson, GM’s CEO. In May 2011 a Chevy Volt underwent extreme crash testing by the NHTSA, and three weeks later…
After ten years in an electric car like the Nissan Leaf, its battery pack might still have 70% of its original capacity, theoretically making it reusable in the smart grid. One of the questions related to electric vehicles is the disposition of the battery packs after a few years when…
Today President Obama’s administration rejected the Keystone XL pipeline project, and we can expect a chorus of jubilation from the environmental groups. My email has already received statements from 350.org and the NRDC applauding this decision. I’m happy it came out this way, that the pipeline was rejected, but the…
NRDC’s Luke Tonachel testifies in joint EPA and Dept of Transportation hearings that the proposed CAFE standards upgrade would produce huge economic and environmental benefits. Today in Detroit was the first of three public hearings on the Obama Administrations proposal to increase CAFE standards to 54.5 MPG equivalent fuel efficiency…
In an op-ed published on Australian website businessinsider.com.au, Ross Blade makes an effort to tell us how large electric vehicles will cook the planet, while small electric vehicles won’t. Ross Blade, for those who don’t know, is the Chief Executive of Australian based companies Blade Energy Solutions and Blade Electric…
The ActiveE is phase two of BMW’s project i which is developing an electric car technology leading to launch of the BMW i3 and i8 in 2013. In July 2009 BMW launched the Mini-E program in which several hundred “Pioneers” who would lease a converted electric Mini Cooper in exchange…
Instead of showing that “federal investigation of three fires that occurred after Volt crash tests lowered demand for the Chevy Volt” a recent report instead shows interest in the Volt has fallen due to its price. A number of news reports are circulating a claim, credited to CNW Market Research,…
What’s a car company Chairman doing at CES, in Las Vegas, when one of the largest auto shows in the industry (NAIAS) is happening the same time in Detroit? This week the big deal in the automotive industry is not only the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit,…
Via Motors unveiled today their “extended range electric” truck meant for commercial fleet customers, such as their partner Pacific Gas and Electric. Via Motors today unveiled their plug-in hybrid (a.k.a. extended range electric) trucks today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. Joining Via Motors was a…
Last week GM announced plans to fix the battery pack fire risk, over the weekend NHTSA says they approve of the fix. Last week GM unveiled plans for fixing the identified problem which caused the fire in a crash tested Chevy Volt last summer. In an interview over the weekend…
The NV200 is Nissan’s flexible multi-purpose vehicle, with the e-NV200 slated to be its zero emission electric model starting in 2017. Nissan’s e-NV200 electric “multi-usage vehicle” (a.k.a. commercial van) was unveiled today in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. It is an all electric version of Nissan’s popular…
