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Leading up to the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Mitsubishi leaked a few renderings and dimensions of the slightly beefier i-Miev, which the manufacturer will reveal to the public next week. The 100-mile range electric vehicle is expected to go on sale in the U.S. next year, and is currently on sale in Japan.

Almost a foot longer and just over 4 inches wider than its Japanese counterpart, the i-Miev's proportions have been increased to accomodate additional safety features to help it comply with current and upcoming National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration regulations, such as more airbags, … Read more

For all their differences under the hood, the electric cars coming to market do a pretty good job of disguising their electric identities. That will make these vehicles more attractive to potential buyers, but don't expect auto sales to flip electric like a light switch.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to drive a number of electric vehicles at the Business of Plugging In auto industry conference in Detroit. I can report what many car reviewers will tell you: these are real cars. You really can forget that old notion of rickety golf carts.

Step into a … Read more

Mitsubishi announced on Twitter that the U.S. version of its 2011 Mitsubishi i-MiEV will be unveiled at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show next month.

Earlier today Autoblog posted online sketches it snagged from Mitsubishi's global corporate site of a wider-bodied i-MiEV. They're guessing that these drawings could be the beefed-up version of the compact EV that will enter the North American market next year.

The all-electric compact car that we've been seeing up to this point is the Japanese model that seats four and has a 100-mile range. The i-MiEV is expected to be upgraded for the North American market, … Read more

Ford just launched a new Web site to educate people about electric vehicles in an interactive way.

The site is designed to inform visitors about the differences between hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and pure battery electric vehicles like the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Ford Focus Electric, and other plug-in vehicles Ford has in the works.

Using videos and diagrams, the Web site demonstrates how gasoline, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles work and lets visitors make their own conclusions about which vehicle is right for them. The Web site also offers links to other sites, such as EcoBoost and MyFord Touch, … Read more

Electric taxis with swappable battery packs are slated to come to the San Francisco Bay Area next year through a U.S. Department of Transportation-funded project.

The $6.9 million, three-year project will result in 61 electric-drive taxi cabs and four stations where depleted batteries can be swapped in for fresh ones, according to Better Place, which was awarded the grant. Switching stations will be available in the corridor between San Francisco and San Jose, with the first ones installed by the end of 2011, according to Better Place.

It's part of $14 million in grants the Transportation Department … Read more

J.D. Power and Associates today forecast that 7 percent of new auto sales in 2020 will be hybrids or battery electric vehicles but a "mass migration" to electric cars is unlikely to happen in the U.S.

The auto review and research company said that despite interest by the media, environmentalists, and governments, electric-vehicle sales will take a back seat to gas-only cars for a variety of reasons in the next 10 years.

Specifically, the company does not project a sharp spike in oil prices between now and 2020, a technology breakthrough in electric vehicles, or coordinated … Read more

DETROIT--People in the auto industry are opening up a new chapter in its history by transitioning to electric vehicles but they're writing the book as they go along.

The technology to make fun-to-drive, well connected plug-in vehicles is already here. Now, auto and utility companies are grappling with how to make these electric vehicles a commercial success, speakers at the Business of Plugging In conference said here today.

Rather than see predictable and steady demand in the next few years, automakers should expect sales to spike and dip with the cost of gasoline and government incentives, said auto industry … Read more

DETROIT--The future of autos is electric. Or is it?

Even though the new big thing in the auto industry is electric cars, there is not a clear consensus on how big of a role electric vehicles will play in the coming years.

Auto and utility industry executives at the Business of Plugging In conference here today took pains to point out the significant hurdles to adoption that plug-in vehicles face in becoming mainstream.

In addition to the higher cost of components, such as batteries, there is also the question of building a charging infrastructure in public places and the customers' … Read more

In an increasingly crowded business of electric vehicle charging stations, a couple of companies are touting speed.

Ecotality and Coulomb Technologies today announced direct-current charging stations that can significantly refill an electric car's battery in around a half-hour. Both companies displayed their DC charge stations at the Business of Plugging In conference here.

Ecotality's Blink DC Fast Charger has the ability to blast 200 amps of current to a car's battery. The company expects to have 150 of the systems installed in public places as part of the EV Project public charge station network by next summer, … Read more