Gas 2.0

The Chevy Volt is costing GM a pretty penny to produce, and GM execs like Bob Lutz think the company will continue to lose money on hybrids for years to come. But one way of offsetting those costs is to delegate the Voltec technology across brands to other markets. We already know GM is planning on making the Cadillac Converj. And now GM has just unveiled another voltec platform-based concept for its Euro-brand, Opel, ahead of the Geneva Auto Show.

Called the Opel Flextreme GT/E, it is a very muscular looking sedan with a sleek drag coefficient. The GT/E seats four and incorporates some rather surprising performance enhancers, like a rear spoiler that deploys at high speed to keep drag down.

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For many years, electric cars didn’t look so much like cars, as they did… well… they didn’t much look like anything anyone would want to drive. I never understood half-covering the rear-wheels (that has never been cool) or the funky lines and shapes electric cars inevitably filled out. And so, in recent years, electric cars have begun to look more like… well… cars. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but Protoscar apparently thinks electric cars should look funky.

Hence the undramatic unveiling of the Protoscar Lampo 2. An awkward name for an awkward car that actually has some impressive features, like a ten-minute charge good for about 60 miles and a 0-62 mph time of under 5 seconds.

So why the horrid name?

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Well Jag has taken the plunge—making yet another luxury auto maker to jump on the electric bandwagon. It really makes you wonder… what were all these knuckleheads doing five years ago?

Anyway, Jaguar has supposedly come up with an electric version of its new XJ sedan. The rumor mill seems pretty specific as far as rumors go, painting a picture of a car with almost 300 ft-lbs of torque and a supposed range of 600 miles in a luxury-laden sedan that weighs nearly two tons in petrol motor configuration. Since this is supposed to be an extended-range EV, it also has an on-board, petrol-powered generator motor, plus the electric motor, plus battery pack, and all that high tech stuff is gonna suck up a lot of electricity. Needless to say, I’m skeptical.

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The Chevy Volt is in many ways GM’s flagship into the future. Many people are critical of the car, saying it doesn’t go far enough on electric power. Others are critical of its cost, which—between media speculation and hints from GM execs—has ranged from below $30,000 to more than $40,000 before tax breaks. In the past, even GM has seemed rather resigned to lose money when the Volt first comes out, rather than expect to turn a profit.

But in a recent interview with GM-Volt.com, GM CEO Ed Whitacre revealed that GM will sell the Volt in the low $30,000 range, and they will make money off of it. Imagine that… GM making money!

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A major obstacle standing in the way of many electric car start-ups is volume. Making money on cars is difficult, all the more so when you’re appealing to a niche market (for now). You’ve got to convince people to place pre-orders for cars they can’t even test drive too, not exactly an easy sell. That just means electric car dealers have to get creative.

Meyers Motors is offering a unique approach to pricing their two-seat electric car, the DUO. For every 200 pre-orders they get, they’ll knock $1,000 off of the MSRP of $29,995, all the way down to their goal of $24,995…and that is before any federal or local tax credits.

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I love trucks. To me they represent everything America does (or at least used to) stand for. Rugged, capable, the workhorse of the working man. So much praise to heap on a very basic and oft-uncomfortable vehicle. But where do those gas-guzzling, stump pulling, trucks with all the aerodynamics of a brick fit in the future?

Electric Motor Corporation has an idea, and is teasing photos of their F-150-based “Flash” pickup truck. The name could use some work; but how does the rest of the truck shape up?

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Henrik Fisker and his California-based Fisker Coachbuild company have been in the news a lot lately, promoting their upcoming Karma extended-range hybrid electric sports-sedan.  Recently, Fisker released a detail “teaser” shot of their upcoming Karma Sunset roadster – but freelance design firm KORS shows us what the whole thing might look like using their best guess.

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Battery provider Southern California Edison (SCE) has demonstrated a lithium ion battery with a lifespan of more than 180,000 miles, a major milestone in advanced battery performance that opens the door to a new generation of electric cars.

Since the average U.S. family car travels less than 15,000 miles each year, the battery could easily provide more than ten years service before it needs replacing. When you factor in the relatively low servicing costs of electric cars, this means that there is now a compelling case for such technology to power future plug-in vehicles.

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