This is the first clear look that have been released of the production version of the electric Renault Fluence saloon. This car, which will go on sale in in Europe this year and in the UK in 2011, is based on the Megane saloon. It boasts a theoretical range of 99 miles, a top speed of 84mph and 167lb ft of torque. The Fluence saloon will be joined in the electric vehicle lineup by an electric Kangoo van, which will go on sale sometime in the first six months of 2011. This van will have the same... 

Before the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid debuts late this year, General Motors Co. is doubling the size of its battery lab located in the Technical Center in Warren, Mich. In a statement, GM said that the facility will expand from 30,000 square feet to 63,000 square feet, increasing its space to develop chargers, build batteries for trials and run tests. The new space will begin to be built later this month and it is scheduled to end this summer. The lab, which opened in January 2009, is part of... 

Mercedes-Benz has agreed to collaborate with Build Your Dreams (BYD) to develop electric vehicles intended for the Chinese market. BYD is starting to get quite a reputation for electric vehicle technologies. Before BYD made cars, it had produced batteries. Mercedes-Benz is believed to be eager to gain local knowledge in China. Under the agreement struck between Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BYD, the two firms will create a new brand to sell a vehicle designed for the Chinese market. Mercedes-Benz... 

Purchasing Nissan’s Leaf pure-electric vehicle is a four-part process and the carmaker wants to make sure that potential customers how to go about it by announcing an outline. Delivery is set to start in December in some markets. Registration can be made online. Customers can then reserve a Leaf starting in April and order one in August. Nissan has yet to reveal which markets will be the first recipients of the vehicle. Interestingly, the process coincides with the end of a 24-city U.S. and... 

As you may know already Audi is working hard on its upcoming electric cars, but today we find out something new regarding these cars. It appears that the German manufacturer is planning to use e-Tron designation for its electric vehicles, just like the current vehicles bear the “quattro” designation. According to the latest reports, Audi will produce an initial run of 100 units of its e-tron electric sports car at the Ingolstadt factory in 2012, but an expansion of the production... 

The New York Times reports: "A FEW blocks from the Tesla Motors dealership here is one of California’s public charging stations for electric vehicles. But the Tesla Roadster, just the sort of vehicle that planners had in mind when the statewide network was conceived, cannot be charged there. “It’s an inductive charging system,” Jeremy Snyder, general manager of the Tesla showroom, said of the facility. Translation: the inductive connector is not compatible with the Roadster,... 

Finally, the Tesla Roadster electric car is available in right-hand drive, in order to bring some joy for the Queen. Also, it appears that the car is available with some improvements over previous left-hand version such as a new sound system and new noise-reduction materials. The model is available now at Tesla’s Knightsbridge showroom in London with a price tag of £86,950. The Tesla Roadster will be followed by the Model S saloon, set to debut in 2012. “The right-hand-drive model... 

MINI’s electric venture, one of the steps in BMW’s Project i, has been receiving an intriguing response from customers who have piloted the innovative MINI for six months. Generally, they are happy with one exception. As one would predict with an electric vehicle and an underdeveloped infrastructure, customers have what is being called "range anxiety." Basically, they feel as though they are being controlled by an "electric leash," that prohibits how far they can... 

This is the production version of Tesla’s Model S luxury electric hatch that will go on sale in 2012. The Model S is a five-door car that has the same size as the BMW 5-Series. It will likely be sold in the UK after its launch. Incidentally, Tesla’s European HQ will open in London later this year. According to Tesla’s engineering boss, former Jaguar and Lotus man Peter Rawlinson, the car is “deep in the design and engineering phase.” It is claimed that the Model S is... 

Audi’s E-Performance initiative, which it set up late last year, has released its second car – the new e-tron. An affiliate, Audi Electronic Venture (AEV), oversees the project. The AEV works with universities, research institutions and start-up companies in the areas of electronics, mobility and design. Frank van Meel, head of Audi’s vehicle electrification strategy, said that the company is seeking to establish concepts that can be put into production. Van Meel said that instead...