electricity

Tesla Motors today said that it has signed an agreement worth $100 million to supply electric power train equipment to Toyota.

In a regulatory filing, Tesla said that it will supply the battery, charging system, inverter, motor, and related software to power Toyota's planned electric version of its RAV4. Toyota plans to sell the small SUV to both consumer and residential customers next year.

Toyota took a $50 million stake in Tesla last year and signed an agreement to use Tesla's electric power train in the electric RAV4. In Tesla's filing, it said production of the electric … Read more

Electric motorcycles have been around for a while, but most of them look like glorified dirt bikes where styling takes a backseat to function.

The upcoming Orphiro electric motorcycle is pretty, oh so pretty. Rounded lines, spoke wheels, sliver paint, and bronze accents harken back to the days when motorcycles were gorgeous creatures, long before the Honda Gold Wing came around.

What's missing is the big chrome gas engine. The Dutch-designed, fully electric Orphiro has a range of 60 miles and a top speed of 75 miles per hour. This is definitely meant for laid-back cruising on scenic roads (near an electrical outlet).

The bike is expected to launch this fall, but the official price tag hasn't been announced. Don't expect to find one at your local Harley dealer. Production will be very limited.

Just as the Tesla Roadster brought glamor to electric cars, the Orphiro is bringing class and slick styling to electric motorcycles. That makes this creation a shoe-in for celebrity buyers from Hollywood. You get both a rebel image and an environmentally conscious glow at the same time.… Read more

Toyota affirmed today that an electric version of its Rav4 small SUV would go on sale to the public in 2012. Other reports had suggested the vehicle would be available only for fleets.

The new Rav4 EV will use a Tesla-built drive system, and get 100 miles of range in real-world driving. Toyota showed off a concept version of the Rav4 EV at last year's Los Angeles auto show.

Earlier this month, Toyota announced an electric version of its Scion iQ city car. With the Rav4 EV, Toyota says it will be the only automaker offering two electric cars … Read more

OKAZAKI, Japan--Mitsubishi Motors Corp. aims to sell 2,000 units of its new i electric car in North America by April, the automaker's electric vehicle strategy leader says. The i arrives at North American retailers in November.

North American sales of the i, known in Japan and Europe as the i-MiEV, are then expected to rise to 20,000 units annually by the Japanese fiscal year ending in March 2016, says Yoshikazu Nakamura, senior executive officer of Mitsubishi's electric vehicle business office.

By then, Mitsubishi will have launched at least three electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles in the … Read more

How do you market a small, quirky electric vehicle on a shoestring budget?

For Mitsubishi Motors North America's i all-electric car, the answer is social media and digital marketing, the brand's U.S. marketing boss says.

Greg Adams, vice president of marketing and product planning, says more than half of the i's launch budget will be spent on social media and digital advertising. That compares with roughly 15 percent for the brand's overall marketing budget.

The Mitsubishi i will be available for retail sales in January.

Mitsubishi has a Facebook profile for the i, with interactive … Read more

Some of New York City's finest will soon be driving some of New York City's cleanest vehicles.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday from a press conference in Queens that the city is adding 70 electric vehicles to its municipal fleets.

New York City departments participating include: Citywide Administrative Services, Correction, Environmental Protection, Parks and Recreation, Sanitation, Transportation, Fire, Police, and the Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The addition of the 70 electric vehicles--50 of them Chevy Volts--will bring the city's EV total up to 430 vehicles.

This latest move is part of New York's push to curb … Read more

Recognizing that work and family time often overlap, Renault announced plans to debut an electric compact van that doubles as a family car at the Frankfurt auto show this fall.

The Renault Frendzy concept combines the utility of a cargo van with a comfortable interior that works for personal use. A sliding door on the passenger side and carriage doors on the driver side give the Frendzy the look of a Ford C-Max and Honda Element mashup. The front passenger seat and rear two-seater bench stow away to make room for cargo, and the Frendzy's fabric roof stretches to … Read more

Toyota's tiniest car could also be its first electric car in the U.S., according to news reports. The carmaker told its dealership franchise owners last month that an electric version of its Scion iQ is scheduled to hit showroom floors in 2012.

The Scion iQ is a pint-size city car currently being sold in Japan and the EU under the Toyota brand. Using a 1L engine, the iQ achieves an impressive 65 mpg. Toyota introduced the car to the North American market last year, and doubled down on the city car this year by revealing an electric prototype … Read more

The Nissan Leaf is, so far, leading the race in the electric-car space.

In June, Nissan sold 1,708 Leaf units in the U.S., easily overshadowing Chevrolet's Volt, which tallied 561 unit sales. In May, Nissan sold 1,142 Leaf units while Chevrolet sold 481 Volts.

Nissan's Leaf is a fully electric vehicle and is capable of driving for about 75 miles on a single charge. The Volt, by contrast, is a hybrid that lasts about 35 miles on a single electric charge before its gas engine kicks in.

Although the Volt is far behind in sales, … Read more