Here’s some proof that American automakers need to get their green movement on — Recent reports have surfaced that say 76% of all “electric propulsion vehicle” patents come out of Japan.

Now, this would make sense considering they have all sorts of hybrids and what not internationally and domestically but let’s hope we see some more patents being awarded in North America in the coming years. Because, you know, gas prices are bound to skyrocket once the economy fully recovers.

via tech-on

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The Fiat 500 itself is a fuel efficient car with its compact design and small engine but it seems that Chrysler has not deemed it fuel efficient enough. And what are they going to do to remedy this? Show off an all electric Fiat 500 at the Detroit Auto Show.

Unfortunately, the sources who revealed this information also said that Chrysler has no plans to actually bring the car to production. However, depending on the reception it receives at the Detroit Auto Show, that may change.

via autopia

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Most cars are not cheap and that’s no secret. However, if you live in Oklahoma you will reportedly be able to buy a brand new fully electric car for $865. How, you ask?

Well, the car in question is the Chinese manufactured Kandi Coco which features a top speed of 25 miles per hour and the ability to carry two people. But, the reason it is so cheap is because the federal government will subtract $4,435 from its $10,599 retail price while the state of Oklahoma will subtract an additional $5,299.

The result? A $865 fully electric car.

via kandi

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Earlier this month we got our first glimpse of the Nissan Land Glider, a concept vehicle that features the unique ability to lean into turns for increased stability. While we’re sure to hear more about the concept during this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, there have been no words on North American availability.

However, reports have just surfaced that say the vehicle may be coming to the U.S. with an Infiniti badge. Considering Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury line and the Land Glider is an all-electric vehicle, it most definitely won’t come cheap.

We’ll keep you posted.

via autoblog

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Recent reports have surfaced that let us know MINI has finally selected a group of people to test drive and lease their MINI E all electric vehicle. The group is by no means big, only 40, but they do get off a bit better than us Americans by only having to pay around $640 while we are stuck paying $850.

MINI says MINI E lease shipments will be completed sometime before this holiday season with most of the vehicles being delivered to places like Oxford and London.

via autoexpress

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While the United States has been working on a green campaign for some time now, other countries are still working to catch up with their own campaigns for more environmentally friendly vehicles. The French, in particular, have just announced a 10-year plan in which they will pump €2.5 billion into the production and deployment of all-electric-vehicles.

The French government hopes that with their efforts there will be 1 million charging stations around the country by 2015 and 4 million by 2020. Furthermore, they hope that by 2020 electric vehicles will make up for 16% of new car sales while 2025 will see 27% made up of the environmentally friendly vehicles.

Let’s hope that this plan works and that more national governments across the world hop on board.

Read (Reuters)

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It seemed that Tesla did a bit of planning ahead with their Model S as it was recently announced that the car was designed with the ability to have its battery swapped out from the get go.

What’s even better is the design allows for a very fast swap so a potential driver would be able to do it in less than 5-minutes. Just imagine, you’re cruising along and your battery runs out of juice but no worries because you have another fully juiced up battery in the trunk that you can swap out in under 5 minutes.

Of course, this also means that Tesla can sell different batteries for the Tesla Model S that could potentially make for a cheaper purchase price tag while still leaving room for a hassle free upgrade.

via autoblog

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What you see above is supposedly a production render of an Aptera 2e. In other words, if this vehicle were to ever roll of the production lines, this is exactly what it would supposedly look like. If you’re familiar with Aptera’s vehicles you’ll know that this looks very similar to previous iterations of the 2e except for a few changes such as updated wheel housing and larger windows.

If/when the all electric Aptera 2e does make it off the drawing board and into production it is expected to be made available for purchase at Best Buy sometime before the end of 2009.

via aptera forum

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It seems that Auto Express recently sat down with an anonymous spokesperson who told them that Rolls-Royce is in fact working an all electric version of this iconic Phantom. There aren’t many details regarding the fabled car but reports suggest that it will feature a very large lithium-ion battery (similar to the ones found in the BMW’s Mini E) along with a range extender (as found in the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept).

Now before you get too excited and started whipping out your Black AmEx, make note that this is just a rumor which means we won’t put my stock in it until we hear official word from Rolls-Royce or anyone involved.

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We’ve already seen Volkswagen showcase their L1 Concept at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and already they have again taken center stage to show us their E-Up! Concept.

This concept measures just 10.5 feet long and is big enough to hold 4 passengers including the driver. Despite being small, the E-Up! is said to be able to reach speeds of up to 85mph while being able to sprint from 0-60mph in 11 seconds or from 0-30 in 3.5 seconds. The vehicle is to be powered by a 18kWh lithium ion battery that gives the E-Up! a range of about 80 miles. Even better, the battery pack will be able to reach an 80% charge in under an hour.

No word on when the E-Up! Concept will go into production, if ever.

via autoblog

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We’ve been hearing of Toyota manufactured plug-in hybrids for some time now but have yet to have any official word of them being ready for production. Luckily, Toyota is gearing up to debut a modernized version of the Prius at the Frankfurt Motor Show that does in fact let you charge the car by plugging it in.

Other details were also released today that state the car is getting updated to allow the car to go from a dead stop up to 62mph on electricity alone for a maximum range of 12.5 miles. This will make for an even more environmentally friendly car as the most gas is used when you are first accelerating.

That’s all we have for now but we’ll keep you posted as more details arrive.

via autoblog

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Have you been eyeballing all electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt but want something with a bunch more muscle? Well, what you see above is the work of electronic controls engineer Tom Leitschuh; an all electric, fully functional El Camino.

Mr. Letischuh said that the entire project cost him right around $30,000, including the cost of the ‘81 El Camino, when it was all done. The car is powered by 46 lithium-ferrite phosphate batteries furthermore, the car is said to have a maximum power output of 100 horsepower which, coupled with a 3 speed manual gearbox, is awesome, to say the least.

via autopia

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Those who fanc electric vehicles, MINIs and live in the UK will be happy to hear that BMW has begun accepting applications to lease one of 20 of their MINI Es.

What’s even better is BMW will be offering the £550 monthly lease for just £330 courtesy of a £25 million grant from the Technology Strategy Board. According to the press release, those who lease the car will be supplied with a 240V/32 amp charging unit that will make for a total charging time of just 4.5 hours. Additionally, BMW will supply a 13 amp socket adapter for those who request it.

The application to lease the above vehicle is located here.

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What you see above is the Robert Lange’s Balanced-Over-Battery fully electric, tilting vehicle. Sure the car features a cool DIY look but the real gem is that Lange reportedly only spent $500 over the 3 years it took him to build this car. Of course, its made of recycled components but it’s still ridiculously cheap for the outcome.

Another interesting feature of this car is the tilting which is used for steering; the car will tilt left to right up to 45 degrees as the driver leans into turns while its batteries act as a counterweight. Also, the car uses a creative gear-box like system where it can be switched from 36 to 72 volts for added power.

via jalopnik

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Sure, it’s not a car but it gets you from point A to B and doesn’t require any fossil fuels which is OK in my book. What you see above is Brammo’s Enertia all electric motorcycle that has recently been put up for sale at select Best Buy stores on the West Coast.

If you haven’t been following this particular vehicle, the Enertia will start at $11,995 and feature a 50 mile range per charge in addition to a 55mph+ top speed.

According to Autoblog, all you need is a drivers license with motorcycle endorsement to test drive one of these bad boys.

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