Hasta La Gadget!

San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto, California were all too happy to endorse Better Place’s electric vehicle infrastructure two years ago, but now the powers that be have invested some cash to get this show on the road. The Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission has dropped $6.9 million to purchase and build 61 electric taxis and four robotic battery swap stations to put freshly juiced cells in place — just like Better Place has been doing with Tokyo taxis since April 26th. Yellow Cab Cooperative and Yellow Checker Cab will operate the zero-emission vehicles, though CNET reports that they’ve yet to choose a particular type — perhaps we’ll finally see Mitsubishi’s i MiEV with a steering wheel on the left-hand side? PR after the break.

Continue reading Better Place’s electric taxis coming to SF Bay Area, thanks to $7 million grant

Better Place’s electric taxis coming to SF Bay Area, thanks to $7 million grant originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |   | Email this | Comments

26,000 people can’t be wrong, right? That’s the current tally of Leaf pre-orders that Nissan has collected from US and Japanese drivers excited by its all-electric hatchback. Yesterday, the car that’s built to plug into the same wall outlet as your toaster held its official pan-European launch party — with the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, and Portugal getting the first deliveries in early 2011 — and we were on site to grab a few closeup pictures and some precious time in the driver’s seat. American drivers should look out for a new set of keys in their mailbox this December, so there’s probably no better time than now to give them a preview of what they’re getting themselves into. Jump past the break for more on the Nissan Leaf.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf launches in Europe, takes us for a drive

Nissan Leaf launches in Europe, takes us for a drive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The Brammo Enertia has the honor of being one of the first electric motorcycles released to the public and easily available at retail, and now it’s getting a heck of an upgrade. When we test-rode one last year it was a little thing with an $11,995 MSRP and a 40 mile range. Today Brammo is announcing its successor, the Enertia Plus. That bike will manage 80 miles to a charge and do so for $8,995. That’s $1,000 more than the normal Enertia sells for today, though specs other than range remain the same. That means a weight of 324lbs, 30lb/ft of torque, and performance better suited to leisurely commutes than canyon carving — though optional saddle bags (shown below) will let you do more with that extra stamina. The bike will be shipping sometime in 2011 and current Enertia owners will receive a very welcoming $2,500 rebate. You can’t buy love, but that kind of treatment certainly should help with loyalty.

Continue reading Brammo introduces the Enertia Plus electric motorcycle with double the range (video)

Brammo introduces the Enertia Plus electric motorcycle with double the range (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Brammo  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading Nation-E’s electric Hummer H1 can power itself and others

Nation-E’s electric Hummer H1 can power itself and others originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |   | Email this | Comments

Best Buy is doing its part to improve the electric vehicle infrastructure in the US, by installing Blink EV charging stations at 12 different locations, including stores in Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle. The project will serve as an experiment and, based on its success, additional charging stations may be installed at additional locations as well.

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Best Buy to host Blink commercial electric vehicle charging stations as part of The EV Project and believe these locations will be an ideal destination spot for consumers purchasing electric vehicles,” said Don Karner, President of Blink creator ECOtality.

“We are eager to work with a forward-thinking company like Best Buy to better understand the true business case and value of offering commercial EV charging access to their customers. Together, we will work to grow our network of commercial chargers and speed the adoption of electric vehicles.”

This is just one part of The EV Project, an initiative managed by ECOtality that is expected to see over 16,000 charging stations installed in 16 cities and six states across the country. That’s enough to support 8,300 additional electric vehicles. The Best Buy stations are expected to be ready by March.

Via CNET.