Toyota announced that as of January 31, it has sold over 10 million hybrid cars. Business has been strong in recent months, as one million of those sales have come since the end of April 2016.
Saving the world is a lot of work, but it can be done one step at a time. Electric cars are rapidly improving, and now Tesla’s Model 3 is the one that pushes the envelope the furthest.
Electric cars and hybrids, in a lesser way, are the way of the future if we plan to leave an inhabitable planet for the next generation, but they hadn’t really been viable up until now. Either because they just have short ranges or extremely high entry points, the common user chose to sacrifice the well-being of the planet for usability. This might soon change, though, as Tesla’s $35,000 Model 3 is the first of its kind with a long, useful range, and a decent price if you factor that you won’t need gas anymore as you can recharge for free it at any Tesla Supercharger stations. A price of $35.000 is less than half of previous models, which ranged between $100,000 and $70,000 anyways, and factoring in how much this car’s battery lasts (you can actually plan roadtrips!), this is a steal.
Tesla Motors’ had their patents go open source recently, which is a great thing for consumers as more companies might opt for alternative energy sources if this model does well, and it should, as the Model 3 is everything an electric car should be.
Via The Mary Sue
In a move that could prevent electric cars running out of power without any way to charge, high tech manhole …
Can you imagine a time when there was no such thing as hybrid cars? Do you remember when self-parking cars … 
Having been riddled with setbacks, including a major recall of faulty batteries supplied to Fisker Automotive, Michigan's favorite EV battery maker A123 Systems has filed for bankruptcy. It has also announced the sale of its main business units to rival Johnson Controls in a deal pegged at $125 million -- a sad fraction of the billion dollars it raised since it launched in 2001 (not least from government grants). It seems that neither fresh lithium ion innovations nor a potential deal with Chinese investors were able to keep the company out of the red, which leaves A123 on the road to nowhere -- right behind that other DoE-sponsored hopeful, Ener1.
Continue reading A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy
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A123 Systems becomes America's latest EV battery maker to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fisker has had more than its fair share of teething troubles with the Karma, but it has to be given credit for going out of its way to listen to early adopters. The hybrid car builder has confirmed to Autoblog that a question and answer session making the rounds is the official result of town hall discussions that have both acknowledged problems and promised fixes where they're possible. The answers we've been given are a mix of sober realities and practical remedies. Drivers hoping for outright hardware upgrades to improve performance with existing Karmas will have to keep wishing; thankfully, a host of firmware fixes are on the way to improve at least the sedan's Command Center system and mirrors. PR lead Roger Ormisher even hints that there could be an in-person council that would tackle concerns more directly than the remote pep talks. We're mostly hoping for the day when Fisker stamps out the bugs and doesn't need the Q&A to put Karma owners' minds at ease.
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Fisker confirms Q&A outlining Karma woes and fixes, may establish council to talk issues in person originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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"I don't think very highly of Henrik Fisker," Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told Automobile magazine in a recent interview. Musk was recalling events leading up to a 2008 lawsuit in which Tesla accused Fisker of pilfering its hybrid technology to build the Fisker Karma. Musk isn't a fan of the automobile, and suggests its creators put form over function. "It's a mediocre product at a high price," he says. "[Fisker] thinks the most important thing in the world -- or the only important thing in the world -- is design, so he outsourced the engineering and manufacturing." Still, Musk concedes that Fisker's eye for aesthetics paid off in some respects. "It looks good," he said. "Particularly from the side it looks good."
The magazine gave Henrik Fisker a chance to respond, who said that he was "delighted that Elon thinks the Karma is a good-looking car," and stressed that Tesla and Fisker are targeting different customers with two "totally different technologies." He was quick to address the firms' previous legal squabbles too, "to set the record straight, Fisker won in court... a judge threw out the case and awarded costs to Fisker." True enough, but in light of recent events, we can think of at least one Karma owner who might agree with Musk.
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CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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"I don't think very highly of Henrik Fisker," Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, told Automobile magazine in a recent interview. Musk was recalling events leading up to a 2008 lawsuit in which Tesla accused Fisker of pilfering its hybrid technology to build the Fisker Karma. Musk isn't a fan of the automobile, and suggests its creators put form over function. "It's a mediocre product at a high price," he says. "[Fisker] thinks the most important thing in the world -- or the only important thing in the world -- is design, so he outsourced the engineering and manufacturing." Still, Musk concedes that Fisker's eye for aesthetics paid off in some respects. "It looks good," he said. "Particularly from the side it looks good."
The magazine gave Henrik Fisker a chance to respond, who said that he was "delighted that Elon thinks the Karma is a good-looking car," and stressed that Tesla and Fisker are targeting different customers with two "totally different technologies." He was quick to address the firms' previous legal squabbles too, "to set the record straight, Fisker won in court... a judge threw out the case and awarded costs to Fisker." True enough, but in light of recent events, we can think of at least one Karma owner who might agree with Musk.
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CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Most hybrid car drivers will tell you that their world is all about being gentle on the throttle, spending as much time as possible in that electric-only speed range even if it makes a family minivan look speedy. Volkswagen has just claimed a record for doing precisely the opposite: the 2013 Jetta Hybrid is reportedly the fastest production hybrid in the world, having come just shy of a verified 185.4MPH after an all-out assault on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The company did have to modify the sedan to reach the breakneck pace, tweaking the powertrain, wheels and interior to run safely on that atypical surface, but it isn't known to have bumped the 150HP output of the gas engine or the 27HP of the electric motor. We have a hunch that VW's title won't last for long, whether or not we see the claim as valid -- there are a few decidedly more performance-oriented hybrids rolling off assembly lines now and in the future. Still, until there's a more direct challenge, one of the world's more ubiquitous commuter cars is the hybrid speed leader.
Continue reading Volkswagen 2013 Jetta Hybrid sets speed record, gives new meaning to hypermiling
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Volkswagen 2013 Jetta Hybrid sets speed record, gives new meaning to hypermiling originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Aug 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Fisker hasn't had what you'd call the best year so far, but it may have found the ticket to turning its hybrid vehicle business around. Meet Tony Posawatz, Fisker's new CEO -- and, until just weeks ago, GM's Vehicle Line Director. Despite being the second new chief executive at Fisker since Tom LaSorda arrived in February, Posawatz needs little explanation for his sudden rise to power. He's an original member of the Chevy Volt leadership structure and could very well know a thing or two about developing a hybrid car from start to finish. His influence might only be keenly felt when the Atlantic wheels its way towards driveways in 2014, but there's no doubt he's onboard to right the good ship Karma and improve Fisker's reputation in the short term. We wouldn't want to be in GM's shoes as it watches one of its EV-friendly veterans so publicly jump ship, however.
Continue reading Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO
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Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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