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
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
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
What the committee said about… …plug-in car grants The Plug-In Car grant was launched in January 2011. In 2011 1,052 eligible plug-in car grant vehicles were registered, compared to 111 in 2010.
Charging appears to be the main issue. Technically this isn’t an issue for most Volt owners, as it’ll keep driving as long as you can find petrol stations, and is likely to
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing EV adoption in the UK? Fundamentally, the most obvious challenge is the current cost of EVs. Even with the government subsidy which is
IMA has since been found not only in the second-generation Insight, but also in the Jazz Hybrid, the now discontinued Civic Hybrid and with a larger engine in the sporty CR-Z coupe,
A cornerstone of Carlos Ghosn’s plans for Renault is electric vehicles. You could argue he’s betting the farm on it. Renault has launched an extensive EV programme, seeing the launch of four
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) Battery electric, or pure electric, vehicles are only ever powered by electricity, meaning zero CO2 emissions at the point of use. The drivetrain usually consists of one or
Nissan broke new ground last year when it brought its first electric vehicle, the LEAF, to the UK. Though rivals were already offering electric cars, the LEAF’s blend of practicality and unchallenging
Instead of carrying a large on-board battery, hydrogen fuel cells use a chemical reaction to generate their own electricity, and this then powers an electric motor. Refuelling takes less than five minutes,
Green Illusions, a book by a California-based scholar, claims the process of manufacturing electric and part-electric cars is carbon-rich. Factor in the mining of rare-earth metals, used in batteries, and the book
Unlike some other hybrid systems, this is completely modular and very compact. It adds 100kg to the kerb weight of the E250 CDI on which the model is based, and fits an
City cars Traditionally a bread and butter segment for electric cars, the city car segment has near mechanically identical battery-electric offerings from Mitsubishi, Citroën and Peugeot. Renault’s futuristic Twizy two-seater will also
Last year, UK sales were dominated by hybrid technology, with some 77.3% of all cars sold here featuring Lexus Hybrid Drive. Contributing heavily to the carmaker’s 33% sales uplift in 2011 was
Designed to bridge the gap while hydrogen fuel cell and public charging infrastructure develops across Europe, both vehicles feature an efficient petrol engine to maintain battery charge once it drops below one
But is it a sensible ambition for the average fleet manager? No – at least, not as an aspiration in isolation from other key considerations. Sure there is an impressive crop of
By the time you read this the Geneva Motor Show will be over and the motoring journalists will have attended all the launch events and published their first impressions. Of course, missing
The main issue is a complete lack of neutrality about electric vehicles, in all forms, which I think is breeding blurred perceptions of the whole market. While the concept itself isn’t new,