Hasta La Gadget!

Curvy, sumptuous concept and prototype electric vehicles are definitely easy on the eyes, but if you’ve been searching for something a touch more “real,” fresh-out-of-bankruptcy Chrysler has one car that’s not going back to the drawing board. Our compatriots over at Autoblog report that the all-electric Fiat 500 EV — which saw a limited run of 100 in Europe and made a cameo at this year’s Detroit Auto Show — will actually be produced and sold in the US starting in 2012. Since the automaker’s not talking specs, it’s hard to say how it’ll compare to a Volt or a Leaf, but history (peek the ‘More Coverage’ link down below) tells us the original electric Fiat 500 got up to 120 miles on a charge. We’d caution you not to get too worked up by that hot hatch action, though — despite the fact that the Peapod made it briefly to market, this isn’t the first time Chrysler’s told us to expect a commercial vehicle we can charge. Here’s hoping for better results this go ’round.

Chrysler says all-electric Fiat 500 will carry Americans, American Touristers in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that was quick. Just weeks after hearing that Tesla would be nixing Roadster production prior to the world ending, it looks as if those planning to blow their life savings in the next 18 or so months took issue with the intentions. So much so, in fact, that Tesla has now “negotiated agreements with key suppliers that will increase total Roadster production by 40 percent and extend sales into 2012.” Better still, the iconic electric supercar will soon be hitting Australia and Asia, so even if you hit the relocate button in the next little while, you should still be covered should you choose to buy (or lease) in.

Tesla switches gears, plans to keep Roadster till 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concept cars are like unicorns — they’re so prevalent and vaporous, they’re hardly worth remarking upon. Every so often, though, one pops out into the ether that’s really worth a second look. Lotus’ Evora 414E Hybrid concept certainly fits into that category.This plug-in car boasts (or would boast, should it come into existence), 1.2 liter, three-cylinder engine, independent electric motors for the rear wheels, with a range of about 300 miles. The glass engine cover pictured above, however, is just one of the features we find ourselves double-taking here. The Evora 414E would also pack some ‘vroom vroom’ noises by way of its audio system to take care of the ever-pressing danger of silent auto engines. The engine can operate on alcohol-based fuels or regular old gasoline, and the battery-only range is in the neighborhood of 35 miles. The Lotus Evora 414E hybrid will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

Lotus outs wild Evora 414E Hybrid plug-in concept car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW‘s first all-electric regular series production vehicle, the Megacity EV, has now been set in stone and inserted into the company’s roadmap for a commercial launch in 2012 or 2013. The Bavarian automaker has gone official with word that it plans to use its Leipzig assembly plant to produce the car and further notes that it’ll feature a similar setup to the ActiveE concept (pictured above), which is set for field testing in 2011. Essentially a 1 series that feeds off the electric grid rather than the nearest diesel pump, the ActiveE runs off an array of lithium-ion batteries á la the well liked but recently troubled Tesla Roadster, and will serve as a test mule for refining the underlying technology. Generating up to 170bhp might not sound all that impressive, but it should be more than sufficient for the urban commuters these vehicles will be aimed at. Now we just need Mercedes and Audi to match that release schedule and the electric car should finally have its day in the mainstream sun.

BMW commits to Megacity EV by 2013, will start by testing ActiveE all-electric 1 series next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve already discussed the seemingly suicidal situation Tesla finds itself in with relation to its 2011 Roadster production cessation, but that SEC submission for the company’s IPO is a long, long affair (which you may read below), and there were more nuggets of madness to be found. Apparently, CEO Elon Musk is a busy man — with CEO and CTO functions at SpaceX and a chairmanship at SolarCity to attend to — and so he couldn’t possibly be expected to focus his full attention on ensuring that the half billion dollar state loan his company received gets spent as wisely as possible. Add Musk’s corporate bigamy to an expectation of “continuing losses” and dwindling waiting lists and you have to wonder who, other than the US government, will be buying shares when this offering goes public.

Tesla Motors CEO ‘does not devote his full time and attention to Tesla’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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