Category : Features
In Detail: The Mercedes-Benz Intelligent HYBRID system
What is it? Debuted on the S-Class hybrid and now available on the C-Class Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz has developed a system designed to take full advantage of topography for charging and discharging a battery through … Read More »
Smarter Charging
What is My Electric Avenue? My Electric Avenue is an 18-month, £9m project which will investigate how demand from electric vehicle charging will impact on the electrical grid by 2030, and how this can … Read More »
What does the demise of the Renault Fluence Z.E. say about new technology?
It’s a reflection of how quickly technology is evolving at the moment, particularly within the sphere of electromobility. Renault quite rightly investigated battery swap technology ahead of the Fluence Z.E.’s launch in 2011, but … Read More »
Nissan LEAF Road Trip: The end of range anxiety?
You’d be forgiven for expecting that, in a day which included a 200-mile all-electric trip from Leeds to London, the long recharge stops would be the source of the longest delay. Yet, ironically, the … Read More »
Free home charging offer provides powerful EV incentive
Ask anyone, from the European Commission to the man on the street, what the main barriers are to electric vehicle take-up and the same answers keep coming up: charging infrastructure, public acceptance and vehicle … Read More »
Fuelling the alternatives
Blue skies, palm trees waving in a gentle breeze, the shining sea lapping gently against beautiful beaches… the US state of Hawaii can lay claim to being a paradise on earth, at least so … Read More »
Building bridges, removing barriers
Among its previous projects, Cenex has supported several large-scale demonstrator programmes for electric, hybrid and biofuel powertrains, ranging from cars through to heavy goods vehicles. From its head office in Loughborough, the UK’s first … Read More »
Changing Perceptions
Electric vehicles mark a new venture for British Gas. One of a number of new companies to take an interest in motoring as electromobility begins to gather pace, it’s found the emerging sector to … Read More »
Nissan’s electric shock
Nissan’s electric shock The revamped LEAF could broaden Nissan’s appeal to smaller fleets, reports Curtis Hutchinson, editor of Motor Trader. Every now and again carmakers launch a car they know will have legs in … Read More »
The drive for a renewable future
The onus on EV adoption is most certainly growing. Central to this is the fact that the UK is moving towards a much greater renewable and nuclear future, whereby energy could potentially become totally … Read More »
Are fuel cells closer than we think?
In February, Hyundai claimed a world first when it began assembly line production of its first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the ix35 FCEV, at its plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Manufactured on the … Read More »
The hype has gone
If there is no pressure from the market and/or no pressure through governmental directives (just like it used to be in California), the future is on the side of range-extenders. E-vehicles? Do you remember … Read More »
A Different Approach
Tesla's Model S may look like a concept car, but it’s less than a year from UK showrooms and the fleet sector is firmly on the manufacturer's radar. Annual volumes of 20,000 globally won’t … Read More »
No cars in cities
Similar events occur in cities throughout the world, such as Mexico City, where it is not uncommon to see birds falling dead from the sky. The EU calculates that 300,000 premature deaths occur in … Read More »
The Future of Fleet
Chevrolet Spark EV Type: Battery-electric vehicle Why it’s important: The Spark EV will be Chevrolet’s first pure electric vehicle when it launches in selected European markets during 2014. Some 75% of its drivetrain components … Read More »
Can leasing speed up LEV uptake?
It’s probably true to say that the motor industry has never been faced with as much change as it has been for the past few years, at least, not since its beginnings in the … Read More »
An unusual advert for the benefits of telematics
The California-based carmaker is a few months away from launching its electric Model S executive car here in Europe, and there's a right hand drive version coming to the UK at the end of … Read More »
Revealed – 2013's big electric and hybrid model launches
Ford Focus Electric The Focus will become Ford’s first electric vehicle when it goes on sale late this year, kick-starting an expanding range of models in the near future. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions … Read More »
Alternative cooling solutions
As we move increasingly towards low emission vehicle use, particularly in an urban delivery environment, alternative methods of powering fridge and freezer compartments incorporated in vans will need to be found. Simply running the … Read More »
