Electric Vehicle News - Liberty Plugins Electric Vehicle News, Reviews, and Reports (page 4674)

Tesla Autopilot now suggests moving out of passing lane as human drivers should do

There are very simple things that drivers should do and often learn in driving classes that would help alleviate traffic but some people often lose the habit of doing them, like moving out of the passing lane when appropriate.

Now Tesla Autopilot’s latest feature, Navigate on Autopilot, actually suggests you move out of the left lane when it makes sense. more…

The post Tesla Autopilot now suggests moving out of passing lane as human drivers should do appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Road Test: 2019 Chevrolet Volt

Get it While You Can

During the very week I was testing the 2019 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, GM announced that it was closing the Detroit-Hamtramck plant where it’s built, in March, 2019. That’s unwelcome holiday news for the plant workers, but reflects business reality—the Volt has never been a big seller. It may be good news, though, if GM does what it promises and doubles its investment in the all-electric vehicles it will introduce in the next decade.

The Volt is a hatchback that looks like a sedan, which puts it at a disadvantage in the American car market, where crossovers are becoming king. Now in the fourth year of its redesigned and improved second generation, the Volt, despite its high-tech powertrain, is the latest in GM’s long history of compacts, from the Corvair to the Chevy II, Nova, Cavalier and Cobalt.

A hatchback masquerading as a sedan

Electric vehicles entered the automotive marketplace at the beginning of this decade, when Nissan’s all-electric Leaf and GM’s first-generation Volt arrived with big fanfare. While the Leaf jumped into the EV market with both feet, the Volt was a calculated compromise. Based on research that said that most car owners don’t drive more than about 40 miles a day, GM provided the Volt with a compact battery pack and included a small gasoline engine as a range extender.

Unlike a traditional hybrid, the car was essentially an all-electric powered car, but when it ran out of juice, the small engine kicked in to charge the battery, not to drive the wheels. You could use this arrangement to go hundreds of miles, so the range anxiety of the Leaf’s 73-mile range was not a factor.

An All-Electric Commute

The interior is upscale and filled with tech

My test Pacific Blue Metallic 2019 Chevrolet Volt proved the point. My 18-mile-each-way commute was easily handled, using the ChargePoint Level 2 (240-volt) chargers at work and household current at home overnight. I didn’t take any long weekend trips, so during my week-long test I used exactly zero gasoline. Chevrolet claims that “on average, new owners of the Volt travel 1,100 miles between fill-ups with regular charging (based on 2016-2018 model-year owners.)”

The Volt comes in two levels—LT and Premier. My Premier tester had the upgraded features you’d expect and felt much plusher than the first-generation car. The swirls of matte-finish plastic and tasteful chrome accents convey motion and excitement, while the colorful dash panels provide all the information you need to monitor your driving.

A Better Charge

First-gen Volts charged on Level 2 at 3.6 kiloesydd (kW) per hour, but for 2019, only the LT soldiers on with that, while the Premier gets a 7.2-kW system that cuts charging a drained battery from 4.5 to 2.25 hours. Charging at home on 120-volt current, using the supplied cord, takes around 13 hours—approximately overnight—depending on ambient temperature.

Faster charging is an option

Much of driving an EV efficiently is managing your acceleration and braking, and a floating ball display lets you see at a glance whether you’re charging or discharging the battery. You get current and cumulative range projections and can monitor how much you have in both your battery and fuel tank.

The 2019 Chevrolet Volt is a hatchback that looks like a sedan. You can fit plenty in the rear, for that reason. Rear seat accommodations are not overly generous, however, and a center console limits the middle position to a car seat (a belt is provided). The Volt is lower and smaller inside than its all-electric Bolt EV sibling, even though it is stretches longer nose to tail.

Smooth Electric Driving

Driving electric is a joy—it’s smooth and quiet. The Volt’s motor provides 149 horsepower versus the Bolt EV’s 200, but 294 pounds-feet of torque enables exuberant driving without undue drama in the 3,549-pound car. The only sound is a high-tech whine programmed in to project at low speeds to warn oblivious pedestrians.

The most all-electric range of any PHEV

EPA range numbers are 53 miles for electric only and 420 miles total with a full battery and gas tank. Fuel economy stats are 106 MPGe for electric only and 42 mpg for gasoline only (combined city and highway). EPA Green scores are a perfect 10 for Greenhouse Gas but a 5 for Smog. If you don’t use the gas engine much, you’ll likely do better.

You can extend your range by selecting Eco for the climate system instead of Max. I used Max because it was cool during my test week. You can also increase the car’s electric regeneration by setting the transmission in “L,” as in the Bolt EV. This enables one-pedal driving, where pressing on the accelerator moves you forward and lifting your foot slows you down. Unlike in the Bolt, the regen drops off at the last couple of mph, requiring a touch to the brake pedal. With the lever in “D” the transmission behaves like a normal automatic. You can also use the left steering wheel paddle to add regeneration regardless of the L or D setting.

The Price Factor

Pricing is still a factor in electric cars, although the Volt’s lithium-ion battery pack is only 18.4 killowatt-hours vs. the Bolt’s 60. The LT starts at $34,395 and the Premier at $38,995 (both prices include shipping). My test car included the optional Driver Confidence Package ($990) with lane keep assist, forward automatic braking and other safety features. It also came with adaptive cruise control–Advanced ($595), which lets you set a following distance and use forward automatic braking (to maintain the distance).

Bye, bye, Volt, we loved you while you were around

My tester’s price came to $40,580, including shipping. Some state and federal rebates and tax credits apply, but the federal (larger) amount could go down soon, unless the rules are changed by Congress. Still, total incentives can lower the purchase price by as much as $10,000.

If you drive less than 50 miles a day and charge regularly, the 2019 Chevrolet Volt is a great choice for all-electric driving, with the option to take off wherever you want using the gasoline range extender. Of course, you will have to pay for an occasional oil change and carry the extra weight of an engine. But no other plug-in hybrid vehicle offers that large of an electric-only range. If you want a Volt, go grab it now.

[See image gallery at www.cleanfleetreport.com]

Related Stories You Might Enjoy—Our Time with the Volt Through the Years

News: Say Farewell to the Chevrolet Volt

Road Test: 2017 Chevrolet Volt

Road Test: 2016 Chevrolet Volt

News: 2106 Chevrolet Volts Nabs Green Car of the Year

Personal: 2016 Chevrolet Volt Replaces Nissan Leaf

Road Test: 2014 Chevrolet Volt

Comparison: Prius Plug-in Hybrid vs. Chevrolet Volt

News: Chevrolet Volt & Open Ampera Voted 2012 EU Car of the Year

News: Early Owners Love Their Chevrolet Volts

News: Chevrolet Volt & Nissan Leaf Earn Highest Safety Ratings

News: Chevrolet Volt Wins Motor Trend Car of the Year

Test Drive: 2010 Chevrolet Volt

Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.

The post Road Test: 2019 Chevrolet Volt appeared first on Clean Fleet Report.

Source: Electric, Hybrid, Clean Diesel & High-MPG Vehicles

BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s da Costa Wins Saudi Formula E Opener

Green Motorsports: Patience Pays Off For Portuguese Driver

After a chaotic day caused by heavy rain on Saturday morning, BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Antonio Felix da Costa won the very first race of a brand-new season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Saudi Arabia by fending off Formula E’s world champion Jean-Eric Vergne.

While the race saw a new car, a new race format and a new location, the opener to season five of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Ad Diriyah was just as incident-packed as ever with crashes, overtakes and some very unexpected rain causing chaos in the desert. Twenty-two Gen2 cars lined up on the grid for the first-ever Formula E race in Saudi Arabia, with the Portuguese driver da Costa starting on pole.

Da Costa took the pole and retook the lead to finish first

The city-based single-seater series began its new season on the 1.55-mile Ad Diriyah street circuit with Formula E’s all-new Gen2 race car. Virtually everything is new from the car’s design to the electric drivetrain and the lithium-ion battery. The Gen2 car can hit a top speed of 150 mph and has sufficient battery power to last an entire race. Previously, drivers have had to stop and change cars half way into the race because of battery size limits.

A new race format this season calls for 45 minutes of racing rather than a number of laps. When the time is up, there’s one more lap to complete before the checkered flag falls. After five minutes in the first race the “attack mode activation zone” opened for the first time in Formula E’s history. Drivers must activate the higher power mode twice during the race, with each burst lasting four minutes.

The Race

Pole sitter da Costa overcame an awkward start after misjudging his grid spot and had to position his car at an angle pointing towards the barriers. Having held the lead all race,

the BMW team driver fell victim to DS Techeetah’s Vergne’s attack as the Frenchman took him at the halfway point on the outside of turn 18.

Sandwiched in between two DS Techeetahs, da Costa did his best to fend off Techeetah assault from Lotterer, who engaged attack mode, hunting down da Costa. Shortly after passing him, both he and race leader Vergne lost the lead while serving a drive-through penalty in the pits. Rejoining the race in fourth, Vergne went back on the attack.

Some big OEM names are competing this year

Restarting the race with only three minutes to go after a full course yellow, nine cars activated attack mode in a final attempt to improve their positions in the opening race of the season. Still challenging to the end, Vergne made one last effort, but it wasn’t enough; da Costa crossed the line, clinching the win. Behind him, Vergne finished second, with Jerome D’Ambrosio completing the podium for Mahindra Racing.

“I’m a little bit Latin so I’m very emotional so I’m just so happy with the win,” da Costa said after the race. “When I crossed the line I was happy obviously, but I was just assimilating everything. It was when I saw everyone’s faces and felt all the emotion from the rest of the guys that it all really came to me.”

Patience

The 27-year-old da Costa has been in Formula E since Season 1 and won the fourth ever Formula E race in Buenos Aires back in January 2015. He had yet to even make a podium since that point 41 races ago.

Da Costa moved from Team Aguri to the Andretti team in 2016 with the knowledge BMW would be taking over the team in Season 5 to form the current BMW i Andretti Motorsport team. His patience looks to have been rewarded, with the new German manufacturer entrant sending an early warning to rivals Audi, Jaguar, Nissan, Mahindra and DS Automobiles.

With an exciting new era of electric racing underway, Formula E returns to Marrakesh on January 12, 2019 for round two of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Related Stories You Might Enjoy—Look Back at Last Season

Green Motorsports:

The post BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s da Costa Wins Saudi Formula E Opener appeared first on Clean Fleet Report.

Source: Electric, Hybrid, Clean Diesel & High-MPG Vehicles

Tesla to release new service scheduling from mobile app next week, says Elon Musk

With its rapidly growing fleet, Tesla is going to have to handle a much higher volume of service requests and it’s turning to its mobile app to help. more…

The post Tesla to release new service scheduling from mobile app next week, says Elon Musk appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Volvo’s Polestar Divulges New Details On Its “Disruptive” Electric Cars

Polestar 2 will be the size of a Tesla Model 3 and priced to compete.

We speak with Polestar’s US chief about the Scandinavian-designed 300-mile EV, to be revealed in the spring.

Tesla, Audi, Jaguar and a host of Chinese car companies garner the most attention for introducing new, capable, long-distance electric cars. But the spotlight in early 2019 will soon turn to a new EV brand: Polestar.

Polestar is Volvo’s new dedicated brand of premium plug-in electric cars. InsideEVs spoke with Greg Hembrough, the North American chief of Polestar, to learn about Polestar’s go-to-market strategy and how it will shake up the electric-car market. “There is a credible new EV contender coming to the marketplace in 2019,” Hembrough told us. “And it’s coming with 91 years of engineering prowess behind it,” referring to Volvo.

The brand’s first offering is the Polestar 1 (shown above). It’s a high-performance, ultra-luxe plug-in hybrid providing more than 90 miles of all-electric range. With that amount range, drivers will seldom use the vehicle’s internal combustion engine. But when they do, the combination of its 2.0-liter supercharged and turbocharged engine, two 163-kW motors, and a single 35-kW integrated starter/generator will produce more than 600 horsepower. “It’s a halo product,” said Hembrough. “If you look at the specifications, acceleration, and handling, it’s in supercar territory.”

Because it’s also priced like a supercar at $155,000 (with a limited annual production run of 500 units), it’s easy to dismiss the Polestar 1 as a niche product. Hembrough confirmed that the first year’s output is already spoken for – and the company will produce the plug-in hybrid for at least two additional years. The first year of production begins in mid-2019.

But the company has much bigger electric aspirations. Of course, to have any role in disrupting the EV space, Polestar will need a more affordable model. Enter the Polestar 2, a 300-mile all-electric five-passenger four-door fastback. Hembrough said the Polestar 2 will be about the size of a Tesla Model 3, Audi A4, or BMW 3-Series. “We can’t confirm pricing at this point, but I can tell you that the car will be competitive in that segment,” he said. Previous reports indicate a price tag of between about $40,000 and $65,000, with annual production of 50,000 units.

“It will be the first battery-electric vehicle in the Polestar portfolio,” said Hembrough. “From then on, every vehicle that we bring out will be a dedicated full-electric model.” The Polestar 2 will be revealed in late Q1 2019.

Hembrough didn’t give many hints about the Polestar 2’s design. “When I sit in the showroom at Polestar, as recently as two weeks ago, to see the design language of the vehicles, they are refreshing and surprising but not polarizing,” he said. According to Hembrough, the product of a “Scandinavian pen” suggesting Volvo-like lines. Hembrough threw in a shot at the Jaguar I-Pace’s looks. “The I-Pace has a very polarizing design,” he said. “People either love it or wonder what planet it comes from.”

It’s uncertain how the Polestar 2 will strike the balance between being “a disruptor in the industry,” as Hembrough put it, and “not shocking or polarizing.”

“We will start with a West Coast strategy,” said Hembrough.

Hembrough promised that the Polestar 2 will eventually be offered with different powertrains and battery packs – another innovation started by Tesla and being adopted by newcomers. “As the product involves, we will offer different variants,” said Hembrough. He also teased that the Polestar 2 will have “very unique touches and attributes that have not yet been brought to the marketplace.” He said that it will be the industry’s first car to have an interface built using Google Android technology. That means Google Maps and Google Assistant will be core functionality.

Get One at the Mall

How will you get your hands on a Polestar 2? “We will start with a West Coast strategy,” said Hembrough. He said the first cities will be Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. That’s where you might see the first so-called Polestar Spaces – retail environments between about 2,500 and 3,000 square feet and co-located in stores such as a Restoration Hardware or a high-end clothing store.

Consumers will go there to learn about the car and arrange a test drive. Shopping experiences are likely to start online, followed by a visit to a Polestar Space, where consumers will use a kiosk to initiate a purchase.

While Volvo dealerships form the backbone of the experience, Polestar customers might not have any interaction with the Volvo brand. They will never set foot in a dealership. Maintenance and repairs will be conducted through a concierge service. “With the simple press of a button on an app, you will have the car picked up and brought to a Volvo facility where a Polestar technician will repair the vehicle,” explained Hembrough. “Then the vehicle will be delivered back to you.”

Geely, the Chinese carmaker, owns Volvo/Polestar. All Polestar cars will be manufactured in Polestar’s new factory in Chengdu, China. Hembrough pointed to the need to produce electric cars for the Chinese market, which is the biggest EV market in the world. Polestar said the Chengdu factory, expected to be the most eco-friendly car factory in China, is built from the ground up to produce electric cars. The Polestar 3 is expected to be a large, all-electric SUV.

Source: Electric Vehicle News

Opel Wants 1,300 EV Chargers In Its “Electric City”

One public charging point will fall on just 72 inhabitants

Opel has announced a new initiative (in partnership with Rüsselsheim and the RheinMain University) to convert its hometown – Rüsselsheim am Main in Germany – to an “Electric City” through installing up to 1,300 charging points by 2020. The federal government approved a €12.8 million grant for the project.

When the project is completed, Rüsselsheim will have highest charging point concentration in the European Union. Each publicly accessible charging point will service 72 inhabitants. Not bad for a city with well below 100,000 inhabitants. For comparison, Hamburg – the city with the highest number of charging points in Germany – has 785 public charging points for 1.8 million people.

By the end of 2020 Opel should have 4 new plug-in electric cars (including Grandland X PHEV and Corsa BEV) on the market, besides the Opel Ampera-e (European version of Chevrolet Bolt EV), which will be probably kept on until EVs from PSA take off.

The project envisions several charging farms – three with 200 and one with 90 AC charging points, as well as 350 charging points at Opel. The rest seems to be spread around the city.

“Sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics, the installation of around 1,300 charging stations across the city will commence in the upcoming months. These will then be located in all districts and residential areas, on the Opel premises, on the campus of RheinMain University, in residential estates of gewobau Rüsselsheim, on the parking areas of selected supermarkets and shopping centres and on the premises of the municipal clinic (GPR). The ambitious project, for which the partners have received the official grants totalling around €12.8 million, will be realised in multiple steps by 2020.Going forward, each publicly accessible charging point will service 72 inhabitants, thus creating the highest density of charging stations in relation to the number of inhabitants not only in Germany but in all of the European Union. In addition, another 400 charging points will be installed on privately owned land – 350 of these on the Opel premises. In comparison, Hamburg, currently the leading German city with regards to charging infrastructure, has 785 publically accessible charging points for its 1.8 million inhabitants (city ranking of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industry).”

“Opel’s contribution to the project includes parking areas, which will be fitted with 600 charging points and be accessible to the public after completion of the work. Furthermore, charging points will be installed at 350 parking spots for the Opel company car fleet.”

Opel’s Hometown to Become “Electric City”: Rüsselsheim to Have Highest Charging Station Concentration in the European Union

“Thanks to the involvement of RheinMain Univeristy, the city of Rüsselsheim will become an urban laboratory for electro-mobility unparalleled in Germany. In the process, technical topics such as supply stability and network integration, along with socio-economic aspects such as mobility behaviour will be examined. The data on the charging behaviour will enable the scientists to predict future demands placed on the electricity network and help them identify the individual needs of electric car drivers. In addition to up to 20 charging points, RheinMain University will also install energy storage systems. These are designed to improve the use of renewable energies and therefore minimise the necessary network extension.”

Lord Mayor Udo Bausch said:

“The transition to electro-mobility is creating opportunities for Rüsselsheim. The city can take on a leading role for charging infrastructure, for electric vehicles and for electro-mobility in Germany thanks to this unique partnership. The project will strengthen the city as an industrial location and increase our capacity to innovate,”.

Opel CEO Michael Lohscheller said:

“Opel goes electric! This promise is a core pillar of our PACE! strategic plan. And obviously a massive extension of the charging infrastructure at our Rüsselsheim headquarters is important. This is the consistent continuation of our electro offensive,”.

Prof. Dr. Detlev Reymann, President of RheinMain University said:

“The university is making an important contribution to the urban development of Rüsselsheim with its project-specific research. This underlines the approach we chose, which is to further strengthen the strategic role of universities in regional innovation systems,”.

Source: Electric Vehicle News

Tesla is introducing a new 5-minute buying and delivery program

Tesla has been trying to reduce delivery time for quite some time and just in time for its end of the year delivery rush, the automaker is introducing a new 5-minute buying and delivery process. more…

The post Tesla is introducing a new 5-minute buying and delivery program appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Uber’s new Jump electric bicycles just fixed everything wrong with shared e-bikes

Jump, an electric bicycle sharing service, was scooped up by Uber last year. The ride-sharing giant used Jump as its first foray into the booming micro-mobility industry.

Now Jump has released a totally redesigned electric bicycle that focuses on usability, reliability and user interface upgrades. This new model could change the way people think about shared electric bicycles.

more…

The post Uber’s new Jump electric bicycles just fixed everything wrong with shared e-bikes appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Elon Musk Stars In Interstellar Parody Mashup Video

We laughed, we cried, it is better than Cats.

If you ever watched the movie Interstellar starring, among others, Anne Hathaway, then some of the footage in the video above may ring a bell. What might not seem familiar, however, is the presence of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company on the flight deck during a particularly dramatic moment in the film. Thanks to the magic of modern digital image manipulation and inventive editing, the entrepreneur and acclaimed actress work together to save themselves (and, possibly, humanity) in a new, short video. It’s pretty hilarious.

The clip’s creator has placed the image of Musk’s head discussing various things and placed it over that of the original actor’s (Matthew McConaughey) in the scene. Some of the more comedic moments come from footage gleaned from the billionaire’s infamous appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. Interspersed are snippets of a Falcon 9 first stage as it plummets back to earth.

If you watched the recent SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services mission (CRS-16) webcast, you may have already been witness to the drama that gets mashed up with Interstellar clip. After it had successfully gotten the upper stages headed toward orbit, the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket headed toward a drone ship landing pad.

Alas, after many similar successful landings, this one turned out to be less so. As it descended toward Earth, the ship started to rotate off-kilter, and it appeared to be headed for complete destruction. Apparently, a hydraulic pump operating one of three grid fins had stalled. Luckily, control was regained before splashdown, but the rocket eased itself into the Atlantic Ocean, rather than the waiting craft.

That moment, mixed with the successful landing on Miler’s planet and another infamous quote from Musk, all come together for an uproarious ending.

You can watch the original Interstellar clip, along with two perspectives of the first stage of the Falcon 9 losing control and making a water landing below. Enjoy!

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Source: Electric Vehicle News

Watch how Tesla Autopilot detects lane-splitting motorcycles

Tesla Autopilot is increasingly starting to be able to detect and understand some “corner cases” that it encounters on the road and now we get a good look at how it detects an interesting situation: lane-splitting motorcycles. more…

The post Watch how Tesla Autopilot detects lane-splitting motorcycles appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Get it While You Can

An All-Electric Commute

A Better Charge

Smooth Electric Driving

The Price Factor

Green Motorsports: Patience Pays Off For Portuguese Driver

The Race

Patience

Polestar 2 will be the size of a Tesla Model 3 and priced to compete.

Get One at the Mall

One public charging point will fall on just 72 inhabitants

We laughed, we cried, it is better than Cats.

Cost Effective EV Charging