Hasta La Gadget!

Tesla Model S will support third-party apps and text-to-voice, red lights will never be the same originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve heard rumblings of BYD coming to America before, but it seems it won’t be making a big deal of its Stateside entrée — at least not yet. According to the Los Angeles Times, China’s sixth-largest car maker is quietly making its presence known in the US, occupying the offices of Cars 911 — a dealership in Glendale, CA — and solidifying plans to open 10 American dealerships by the end of 2011. BYD is also in the process of building its US headquarters in downtown LA, and has been servicing a fleet of its F3DM hybrids, leased to the city’s housing authority, from the Cars 911 lot. BYD’s e6, which is slated as a Leaf competitor, is suspected to appear on the American market, alongside the F3DM, by year’s end. Considering the Leaf’s recent woes, this might be just the right time for BYD to strike.

BYD Motors sneaks on to American market, could make US debut official by year’s end originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 06:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If electric cars are ever going to replace their gas-guzzling ancestors, we’ll inevitably need a few more places to plug in and charge up. Cue Google, who’s just added a database of EV — that’s electric vehicle for you non-green folk — charging stations to Google Maps, enabling drivers to locate places to get their juice on while on longer trips or when out of town (though without the social flare of PlugShare). We’ve gotta say, a future of self-driving cars that can automatically charge themselves doesn’t sound too bad to us — and spending less on gas only makes the deal even sweeter.

Google adds EV charging stations to Google Maps, but you still have to drive to them yourself originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tesla took the opportunity just before CES to reassure potential buyers that its Model S wouldn’t follow the competition by creeping up in price ahead of release, and now we have what looks to be final confirmation: a full MSRP, complete with prices for all the different battery options. A base Model S, with an estimated 160 miles of range, will retail for $57,400 and will of course be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit. The 230 mile range version will carry a $10,000 premium, and if you want a chance at making 300 miles on a charge it’s another $10k on top of that.

So, $77,400 then if you want the top of the line Model S 300, which initially will be called the “Model S Signature Series” in the US, a limited edition run of 1,000 autos with big batts. Deliveries are expected to begin sometime around the summer of 2012, with the 230 and 160 versions coming later in the year. Tesla hopes to produce 5,000 of the cars in total in 2012, a whopping 20,000 in 2013. Oh, and should you live in a market that requires a right-hand drive model you have about a two year wait ahead of you. That’s what you get for driving on the wrong side of the road.

Tesla Model S pricing and delivery details confirmed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s going to be a little while before you’re able to recharge your battery-electric EV as quickly as you can refuel your gasoline-powered machine. Until then there’s Better Place, offering a suite of options including traditional recharging and fast battery-swapping. The idea is you don’t buy a car with a battery you buy a car then lease the battery, and now we’re getting an idea of what that lease is going to cost. It’s launching first in Denmark with the Renault Fluence Z.E., a €27,496 ($38,500) car. If you’re okay with driving less than 20,000km per year you can get by with monthly battery fees between €199 and €249 ($278 to $348), which includes recharging at Better Place locations or five-minute battery swaps if you’re in a hurry. For €399 monthly ($558) you get unlimited mileage, but all plans get stuck with a €1,341 ($1,874) up-front fee to install a home charging station — a bit steep compared to Ford’s $1,500 option but not bad overall.

Renault is also announcing Better Place support for its Twizy, which is featured in a video below. It’s a tiny little thing that will cost just €6,900 ($9,640) and is due to ship this year. That’s astonishingly cheap for an EV but, of course it comes without a battery pack, so you’ll need to be leasing one. However, we’re told there’ll be a 7,500km lease option for just €45 ($63) per month. It also won’t be coming to the States, planned only for a European launch, a land of smaller roads that’ll be better suited to this flea-sized creation. And now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be sending our poor currency-converting intern on break. Poor gal really needs a coffee.

Continue reading Better Place swappable EV batteries priced, Renault is definitely onboard

Better Place swappable EV batteries priced, Renault is definitely onboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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