Category Archives: Electric Cars

News and reviews of the latest electric cars (full electrics and plug-in hybrids).

Electric cars ready for free test drives in Milton Keynes (Image: T. Larkum)

Renault and Bolloré form EV partnership

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Renault

Renault and Bolloré are joining forces to promote electric vehicles (EVs) as part of three agreements relating to industrial cooperation, the founding of a joint-venture to sell EV car sharing solutions and a feasibility study on the development of a specific new Renault vehicle for car-sharing plans.

The Bolloré Group has commissioned Renault for its expertise in electric cars to gradually take over assembly of the Bluecar, formerly built solely in Italy. The vehicles will be assembled at the Renault plant in Dieppe (Normandy, France) from the second-half of 2015. For the Dieppe plant, this decision is an acknowledgement of its expertise and a promise for its future activity.

The Dieppe plant specialises in building vehicles in small series. It currently builds Clio Renaultsport and is set to build the future Alpine, scheduled for launch in 2016. The Dieppe plant will be able to rely on the expertise of the Renault group in electric vehicles to acquire the skills necessary to assemble this type of vehicle.

A new final assembly workshop will be set up specially within the plant to build these vehicles. The Bolloré group will thus have access to modern production tooling tailored to its requirements and delivering a significant reduction in costs.

Read more: Next Green Car

Diesel Car Selects Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV As 2014 “Best Alternative Fuel Vehicle”

Electric Cars, Mitsubishi, News, Reviews and Comment, Outlander PHEV

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Mitsubishi Motors in the UK happily announced that the Outlander PHEV was awarded Diesel Car’s ‘Best Alternative Fuel Vehicle’ for 2014.

“Mitsubishi Motors’ new and exciting Outlander PHEV wowed the judges, impressed them most thanks to its advance plug-in hybrid technology, practicality and its affordable purchase price [starting at £28,249 (post plug-in car grant)].”

Diesel Car’s road test team, after evaluating more than 200 models, decided that the Japanese PHEV is ahead of:

  • the Vauxhall Ampera in the petrol hybrid category,
  • the BMW i3 from the electric car category,
  • and Mercedes E-Class from the diesel hybrid category.

Ian Robertston, Editor of Diesel Car, stated:

“The Outlander PHEV is one of the most significant cars of 2014 thanks to its plug-in hybrid technology. There’s generous space for five people, including their luggage, and best of all, it costs the same as the regular diesel Outlander to buy.”

Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors UK responded:

“The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is very different to other hybrids in the market and we are delighted that it has won an award by such a well-respected publication such as Diesel Car, just weeks after its UK launch.”

“Having one of the first plug-in hybrids in the UK market that boasts 4×4 capability with an EV range of 32.5 miles and emissions as low as 44 g/km puts Mitsubishi at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.”

Source: Inside EVs

Renault-Nissan Alliance and Orange to Expand Electric Vehicle Partnership

e-NV200, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Kangoo Z.E., Leaf, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Nissan, Renault, ZOE
Renault ZOE and Nissan Leaf in Orange livery (Image: Renault-Nissan Alliance Blog)
Renault ZOE and Nissan Leaf in Orange livery (Image: Renault-Nissan Alliance Blog)
  • Renault-Nissan to supply 200 electric vehicles to Orange in France by 2015, mostly for car-sharing purposes 
  • Fleet will comprise Renault ZOE, Renault Kangoo Z.E., Nissan LEAF and Nissan e-NV200
  • Agreement expected to help contribute to Orange’s commitment to reduce its CO2 footprint by 20% by 2020

PARIS (Sept. 3, 2014) –The Renault-Nissan Alliance has signed an agreement with Orange, one of the world’s largest telecommunications operators, to supply it with a fleet of 200 electric vehicles for its needs in France.

Renault-Nissan, the global leader in sustainable mobility, will provide the 100% electric vehicles to Orange by 2015. Orange will use the electric vehicles mostly for car-sharing purposes between its buildings and installations in France. Orange currently has about 2,000 pool vehicles in France with about 100 cars (hybrid, electric, diesel, etc.) available for car-sharing purposes. Using the Orange Auto Partage application, employees can book a car for professional or personal use online or via a smartphone.

The Renault-Nissan electric fleet will comprise the Renault ZOE subcompact, the Renault Kangoo Z.E. van, the newly launched Nissan e-NV200 van and the Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling electric vehicle ever. Orange already owns a fleet of about thirty tandem 2-seat Twizys it has acquired from Renault since 2012.

Read more: My Renault Zoe

Tesla to build Battery Gigafactory in Nevada

Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Tesla
A concept photograph of the new Gigafactory site in Storey County (Image: Tesla)
A concept photograph of the new Gigafactory site in Storey County (Image: Tesla)

The marriage of Tesla Motors and Nevada — pending legislative review — experienced a coronation of sorts today during a press conference at the Nevada Capitol in Carson City.

In announcing the deal, Nevada Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval called it a “monumental announcement that will change Nevada forever and set in motion the creation of thousands of new jobs” and bring billions of dollars into Nevada’s economy.

He said it “emphatically” passes the “Is this good for Nevada?” test. To get the deal, Nevada proposed a $1.25 billion tax incentive over 20 years to Tesla. If the deal is approved by the Nevada Legislature, Tesla will operate in the state essentially tax free for 10 years.

Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO, said Nevada didn’t present the biggest incentive of the five states in the running for the company’s gigafactory. He said:

“This is not just about the incentives,”

In exchange, the company must invest a minimum of $3.5 billion in manufacturing equipment and real property in the state—a threshold that is much lower than the $10 billion state officials expect the company to invest in Nevada over the next two decades.

Steve Hill, executive director of the governor’s office Economic Development, said Tesla must stay with its side of the deal, or lose incentives. He said:

“If they don’t do that, those incentives don’t exist,”

Musk said

Nevada is a “really get things done state. That was a really important part of the decision.”

Source: Reno Gazette Journal