Corporate Jets Aren’t Just For Fat Cats   21 Oct 2009 13:00 GMT
‘No Plane, No Gain.’ That’s the motto adapted by the sector of the aviation industry hit hard over the last year in the wake of the economic collapse and the public perception of corporate aviation. A new study out this month shows the use of business jets and other small aircraft is more about companies [...]
Source: wired.com

Survey Says: To Sell Plug-Ins, Make ‘em Affordable   21 Oct 2009 12:01 GMT
The first mass-market plug-in hybrids roll into showrooms late next year, and a new study suggests they must be affordable if automakers expect them to sell. The survey, released today by the University of Michigan, shows there is “widespread” consumer interest in the vehicles, but the potential purchase price plays a much bigger role in predicting [...]
Source: wired.com

Nissan’s Wild Land Glider EV May Yet Fly   20 Oct 2009 18:54 GMT
The Land Glider concept car Nissan’s bringing to the Tokyo Auto Show on Wednesday could one day appear in showrooms wearing an Infiniti badge. Company insiders tell Automotive News the electric two-seater, which leans into turns like a motorcycle, “is under serious study” and “is intended to look five to 10 years into the future at [...]
Source: wired.com

Fisker’s Got a Place to Build 100K Cars   20 Oct 2009 16:53 GMT
Fisker Automotive says it has selected a site in the United States for the factory that will produce the $39,900 plug-in hybrid codenamed Nina. Founder and CEO Henrik Fisker  said the company has reached a deal to build as many as 100,000 of the cars annually and he will announce the specific location of the [...]
Source: wired.com

Secretive Startup EEStor Worth More Than $1.5 Billion   20 Oct 2009 13:00 GMT
EEStor, the ultracapacitor company that has produced more obscure technology milestone announcements than evidence of a working energy storage unit, may have an implied market value of more than $1.5 billion. The secretive startup in Austin, Texas, claims to have developed a new kind of capacitor that can store enough energy to propel an electric car [...]
Source: wired.com

eRinGo EV Concept Is a Three-Ring Circus   20 Oct 2009 12:00 GMT
An Iranian designer has imagined a wild drum-shaped electric vehicle with two steering wheels, proving that freedom of automotive design is alive and well around the globe. The eRinGo, dreamed up by Tehran-based CG artist Mohammad Ghezel, features a passenger compartment in the middle of a giant wheel hub. An electric motor drives three rings that [...]
Source: wired.com

Zero Motorcycles Recalls 200 Bikes   19 Oct 2009 19:41 GMT
Zero Motorcycles is recalling about 200 Zero X and Zero MX electric motorcycles with faulty throttles that could become stuck or disconnected. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the throttle on the recalled motorcycles “can become stuck in the open position or become disconnected. In the ‘Easy’ or the ‘0-25′ mode, this can unexpectedly lead to [...]
Source: wired.com

Mitsubishi Evo May Get an Extension Cord   19 Oct 2009 19:14 GMT
The Mitsubishi Evo has long been a sweet ride, and now comes word from Japan that the tarmac terror may soon come with a cord. Mitsubishi is rolling into the Tokyo Auto Show — always a showcase of the purposefully weird and wonderful — with an attractive plug-in hybrid based on the Outlander called the Concept [...]
Source: wired.com

Congress Says Aptera’s EV Is a Car   19 Oct 2009 18:10 GMT
Congress has decided three-wheelers like the Aptera 2e are cars, at least when considering who gets money from the Department of Energy. A bill that would make super-efficient three-wheelers eligible for DOE loans passed the Senate late last week. It is now headed to President Obama, who according to Automotive News is expected to sign it. [...]
Source: wired.com

Go to the Dark Side With BMW Night Vision   19 Oct 2009 14:00 GMT
BMW packed the new 7-Series sedan with optional gadgets ranging from radar-assisted cruise control to blind spot detection. There’s even a heads-up display. Pick all the high-tech options and you’ll add $26,000 to the car’s already hefty price tag. But the coolest feature is the new night vision system that likens a twilight drive to [...]
Source: wired.com