Electric Car Insider, a publication crowd funded to get it into 1000 North American newsstands this year, of which, the first 2015 issue has been available since sometime in February. I ordered a subscription a couple weeks ago, but, I couldn’t wait for the mail, so, I picked up my first issue at my local B&N bookstore last night, (available at other newsstands as well). This issue has an EV Buyer’s Guide, and more issues will be available quarterly. They cover plug-in vehicles, including BEVs and PHEVs (& EREVs), with articles on charging (EVSE) and other related subjects.
From their website: “Electric Car Insider is the definitive guide to plug in vehicles. We don’t review concepts or vaporware. These are cars you can buy or reserve a position on now.”
Here are a couple pics from my copy, the cover page, From the Editor and Contents, (click on the pic, then click again to zoom in to larger version.) Each vehicle has a full page with high res. photos and specs. Retail $5.95 or yearly subscription $20. (More on this issue here: http://www.electric-car-insider.com/2015-electric-car-buyers-guide.php)
How often do issues come out? Are they always the Buyers’ Guide format?
Electric Car InsiderWe print quarterly. You’ll see more in-between content on the web this year. First quarter is buyers guide, other issues usually more in-depth reviews with buyers guide supplement pages (new mid year releases). Last year we had two buyers guides, one included used still for sale.
Below is from 2011…Tesla’s beginning production of Model S at the former NUMMI factory they bought from Toyota (It was formerly a place for large scale production of GM/Toyota joint vehicles…GM defaulted to Toyota when having troubles in 2008, since abandoned.)
National Geographic’s Mega Factories — Supercars: Tesla Model S
Note that Coda has had problems, the BMW Active E is not coming to production, but the i3, which is more of a compliance vehicle (due in US next spring). Would like to see some more of these types of tests, now that there are more all-electric cars available.
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Track Tested: 2012 Tesla Model S — Edmunds.com
This is a video from one of the first production Tesla Model S P85 performance sedans
Ok, so, I’m a new EV enthusiast and I was all confused when I found out EV race cars were at the Pikes Peak event (I already posted that a BEV placed 5th), and REFUEL EV event was going on the same weekend, I couldn’t find live coverage, I didn’t understand what was going on and my head was spinning O_o. Why have these events at the same time? In any case, the REFUEL event is open only to clean powered vehicles and has several categories, cars, 2-wheelers, karts and sport electric TT (see: http://www.speedventures.com/the-line/SV_schedule_2013-06-30_refuel.pdf & http://www.refuelraces.com/register.php )
So, I got ambitious and thought I’d make youtube playlists from the REFUEL events, however, I found plenty of coverage after the event, so, instead I have decided to post a single video here (let’s promote the little guys) and give you links to some coverage I came across, and let you peruse on your own. Maybe next year I can attend or maybe even race! 🙂
(Watch the subtitles : )
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Electric Vehicle Stereotypes Smoked at REFUEL 2013 Race at Laguna Seca Raceway
I finally saw “Revenge of The Electric Car” last week of June. It goes all the way up to the pre-production version of the Tesla Model S. This movie gives insight behind the scenes of what it takes to get EVs on the road. I highly recommend it.
Trailer:
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(If you haven’t seen it yet, in my blog posted march 13 you’ll find the full movie (free) “Who Killed The Electric Car”. Watch first, or, if only have time for one documentary, just get Revenge….)
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Get it, rent it, stream it, borrow it (from local library?), just find a way to watch it, here are a few links:
Note: Anything you read or hear about DC quick charger taking 20 mins. to 80% charge…these are commercial chargers that are yet to be installed anywhere, using a huge SAE combo connector, not available for home charging. (IMO, they are trying to set a standard outside of Tesla superchargers, which, I think, all would be better off licensing from Tesla, as Tesla has a head start and more on the way, but, who am I to make sense?) So, looks like multiple charging standards abound, sucks for consumers again. More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1084771_gm-bmw-complete-testing-of-new-ccs-quick-charging-stations-for-electric-cars
Check out this Customized Matte Blue Metallic wrapped Tesla Model S with 22 in. Matte Graphite Machined Vossen CV1 rims (…don’t miss the door handles):
Thursday, June 20th, 8pm PDT (5pm EDT), Elon Musk will demo a new battery pack swap for Tesla Model S. @ElonMusk . @TeslaMotors
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Honda Apologizes…
While the all-electric drive Honda Fit EV did sell out of current inventory in dealerships upon changing their lease deal, and they do have waiting lists, they have NOT pre-sold all that have yet to be delivered to dealerships. While they won’t be increasing the 2013 production number of 1,100 Fit EVs, dealerships in several states, (CA, OR, NY, NJ, MA, MD, RI, CT), will continue to be shipped inventory. See Los Angeles Times article:
Elon Musk interview on Tesla, Solar City, Space X:
When asked about why Space X, he didn’t have kid dreams of being an astronaut, he says it’s more from the standpoint of “What are the things that need to happen in order for the future to be an exciting and inspiring one.” My favorite quote.
Tesla Model S & BMW M5
A Video Showing the Tesla Model S (w/Performance Package) and the BMW M5 as tested by Edmunds (Two separate tests edited into one video, not a race). Pretty close! It’s obvious Telsa had the M5 in mind when designing the Model S w/Performance Package. Gas/electric aside, if you think about the fact that this is Tesla’s first production car and the M5 has decades of development behind it, the Model S is pretty impressive! Now think about the fact that this is an electric car, and what that means for the future.
The winner is no surprise, but 2nd place might be.
Hurricane Sandy and CNG fueled vehicles
2013 Nissan Leaf
First Look:
UK Review:
2013 Toyota Rav4 EV (CA only for now)
Translogic test drive w/Toyota
A full review:
One Year Driving the Nissan Leaf
For those seriously interested in this or other all-electric vehicles
(from description: “My good friend Chris Emerson has driven a Nissan Leaf for the last year, and we spent an afternoon chatting about his experiences driving an electric vehicle. Friendly warning that this is a long video, but Chris is a pretty insightful guy. If you’ve been curious about EV’s in general (and the Leaf specifically) this is a pretty in-depth look at what owning one in Los Angeles is like”)
I hope to blog more often in the near future, enjoy these videos for now. 🙂 -Benji
Did you know that in the early 1900s there were more electric cars on the road than gas? There were three types of cars on the road at the turn of that century: steam-powered, electric-powered, and gas-combustion powered. While steam cars were the fastest, steam cars ran out of steam because it had a very long warm-up time. While electric cars were favored among women, gas combustion won because, at the time, they were able to make gas cars faster than electrics, began making gasoline available and the cars were easier to mass produce. Ford had innovated mass car production with the first conveyor-belt assembly line for the Model T. And you know the rest. …Or do you?
Innovation…
Anyone remember the Japanese car that changed auto-making history?
1982 Honda Accord Sedan
The 1982 Honda Accord looked very similar to BMWs of the day.
1982 BMW 3 Series Sedan
This was no coincidence. This car (Sedan & Hatchback) was a game-changer for the auto-industry. Although it had a similar look to the BMW, the front grille had sleeker styling w/rectangular headlights instead of the old round ones. (However, Honda changed the grille every year until the next redesign–perhaps it was too similar?). But, it was not only the sleek looks, this pre-Acura/Lexus/Infinity Japanese car had upped the ante not only on looks and the overall quality of the mainstream car, but also on interior quality/refinement and fit & finish. No, honda didn’t have a six-cylinder option yet, but, it combined the quality of an expensive european luxury car and the astuteness of a compact japanese car in such a way as to shake up the auto-industry. They raised a new standard for mainstream automobiles. The result was, Honda became the best selling Japanese nameplate in the US, holding that position for 15 years. We would not have the cars today from the US that we do, if it was not for this one innovation that stirred up the competition, because, it outsold them.
Today, there is a new car innovation, beyond previous innovations because it does away with the one factor they are all afraid to let go of, that has stirred up the auto-making industry once again (and most of them are pissed, like a hornet’s nest that’s been stepped on). One word. Tesla.
But, before we get to Telsa, you need to know that GM had the chance to become what Tesla has. They were given the first opportunity to re-invent the car and make the first viable electric car, over ten years ago, and could not get past Big Oil’s stranglehold on the automotive industry, politics and their own old vision/profit path. GM was given a bit of a head-start on California’s 1996 laws governing that a certain percentage of automobiles be emission-free. But, Detroit, Big Oil and lobbyists fought it….
Did you know…
Did you know that from 1996-2004 there were all-electric cars made by GM, Honda, Ford, & Toyota in use in the state of California? Until a few years ago, I did not. Not many of us outside of CA did. They were not for sale, only on lease contracts, and only in the state of California. GM was given a bit of a head-start and made an all-electric car called the EV-1, and, to the people that drove them, they were a perfectly usable car, that drove as well as any car, without gas, for their daily driving. Now, you will find GM talking about the marketing hyped Chevy Volt as if the electric car lives on. Deception. The Chevy Volt is not an all-electric car, but, an electric/gas hybrid. This would be considered a plug-in hybrid or PHEV vehicle, while the former car, the EV-1 was a true EV (Electric Vehicle) or ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle). The Volt still has all of the things that gas-combustion cars have, because it still has a gas-combustion engine. Yes, you can drive it on the electric motor alone, for up to 40 miles max., then the gas engine kicks in. (Go to wikipedia, in the first sentence you will see what GM does not want you to see, it is a plug-in hybrid vehicle.) Hybrids (all types) are a compromise car for an ignorant american society. And they want to keep you ignorant. However, on the other side of that coin, the success of hybrids (especially the Toyota Prius) has helped pave the way for EVs.
Who Killed The Electric Car?
Without further ado, for those who haven’t seen it yet, I would like to present to you the documentary made in 2006 about this subject, called “Who Killed The Electric Car?”. If you scroll down you will find a trailer for this video, followed by the movie, presented to you for free on youtube. (It is also available on DVD and on-demand.) If you watch the DVD, be sure to check out the special features. If you think that electric cars are not green enough because you have to use electricity to charge them and that means using a coal-power plant, that is a well over-exaggerated argument those against EVs use. To charge your car has much, much less damaging effects to our environment than some would lead you to think. For one thing, not all power-plants are based on coal. There are natural gas, hydro, and (ugh) nuclear powered plants. Some power companies are starting to also source their electricity from renewable sources as well. Plus, the nay-sayers never take into account how much electricity is used to process oil into gas, which far outweighs any charging argument.
Alright, if you haven’t seen this, watch this must-see documentary, it is enlightening, not only for what happened in California not too long ago, but it will reveal to you why there is still so much debate about electric cars today.
Driver Benji 