Our friend John McElroy isn't the only person out there who thinks that General Motors should dust off the old EV1 program and re-release it for public consumption again. Apparently, a passionate electric car enthusiast copied Mr. Bob Lutz himself on a letter suggesting that the EV1 needs to be brought back with its original lead-acid batteries. Remember, though, that Lutz is extremely involved in the Volt project, so it's not too surprising that he had plenty to say in response to the letter. In fact, Lutz echoes many of the sentiments expressed by our own Sam Abuelsamid, who recently wrote about the difficulties of reviving the long-dead program. Lutz highlights the fact that the General lost one billion buckaroos on that program the first time around and balks at the suggestion that lithium ion batteries are not yet ready for primetime. According to Lutz's response, the Volt's battery pack will not delay its launch. For our part, we're content to see the Volt picking up the pieces left by the loss of the EV1.

[Source: LA Times]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme

A while back, there were rumblings from Opel that the European brand from GM was considering entering the micro car segment currently occupied by vehicles like the smart fortwo and the upcoming Toyota iQ. That rumored vehicle was to be powered by a repurposed motorcycle engine, much like what has been said concerning the budding Toyota model. Now, though, it sounds as if those plans have been scrapped as Opel now sees the largest growth markets coming from normal entry-level vehicles and über-luxury vehicles, classes which bookend the auto industry.

According to GM of Europe's leader, Carl-Peter Forster, Opel is still hard at work on its hybrid model, which was previewed by the Flextreme concept. GM's head in America, Rick Wagoner, echoed that comment but added that there could be more electric vehicles coming from Opel than just the Flextreme. All of these electric vehicles would be based on the E-Flex drivetrain which will underpin future GM vehicles like the Flextreme and Chevy Volt.


[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

Subaru's electric kei car, the Stella plug-in, is about to be introduced at the G8 summit in Hokkaido. When the initial release went out, it was said that five cars would be built, four of which would shuttle various dignitaries around the summit while the last one would sit on display. According to a report on Just-Auto (sub. req'd), though, there is yet another vehicle which will be delivered to Japan Post. You may recall that the Japanese mail delivery service had recently announced that it will switch over to a fully electric fleet as soon as possible. Though the Stella uses the same powertrain as the R1e, it houses it in a much more practical body style. Reading between the lines a little bit, which doesn't always prove all that accurate... but whatever, we wonder if Subaru specifically had the mail carrier in mind when it decided to show off this particular electric vehicle.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

Click on the image for more high-res shots

Up for auction today on eBay is an extremely interesting 1981 Ford Fairmont. It's not interesting because it's a Ford Fairmont... 'cause they're not all that interesting in and of themselves, are they? What makes this one special is that it's electric. While the seller claims that it was converted by NASA, we can't seen to find any evidence to support this claim via the internet, which usually at least sheds a little light on most any subject. We did, however, locate a DOE document which shows that the vehicle underwent testing by the Army Mobility Equipment Research and Development Command. Whatever the case, the seller also says that it has a "top speed around 65 to 85 easily," a claim we also find to be a bit dubious, especially considering that the current owner has never driven it or even seen it run.

Still, this car is so peculiar that it managed to make it onto Jalopnik's Project Car Hell series, which has to at least count for something right? Not only that, but the car it's up against was another one of our awesome eBay finds too, the electric AMC Hornet which, like the Fairmont, has no batteries. How very meta. Even if you have no interest in the car, you owe it to yourself to check it out just to read the description. Enjoy!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsuibshi i MiEV

News comes from the Japan Post Service Co, which is the mail delivery unit of Japan Post Group, that the mail carrier plans a switch to completely electric vehicles as soon as possible. This announcement comes as record-high gasoline prices sweep the world. Major Japanese automakers have big plans regarding all-electric cars, with manufacturers such as Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi all readying introductions of their first models in 2010. Stocks of each of these companies soared with the news from the Post, along with battery makers which have relationships with those auto companies. Mitsubishi and its partner Yuasa appear to have benefited the most from the announcement, with shares of those companies jumping a surprisingly strong 3.7 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

In an effort to start saving money on gas right away, the Post also suggested that it will start testing hybrid vehicles, which could fill in until the fully electric vehicles and the associated necessary infrastructure are ready.

[Source: Bloomberg, Reuters]

Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli seems to recognize that the automaker he's at the helm of needs to reduce its dependence on trucks and SUVs and begin offering more fuel efficient cars. Remember that Chrysler recently made a deal with Nissan to get a new small car in exchange for a full-size truck platform. Nardelli would be interested in more of these cooperations, according to the Detroit Free Press. Nardelli said, "We are accelerating our technology in response to the environment. We can't bet on every technology as some companies can. Hybrid, electric -- if you're at the roulette table, those are the two numbers we're betting on."

According to reports, Chrysler would like to offer something in the same vein as the upcoming Chevy Volt, an electric car with a small engine which recharges the battery for additional range. Chrysler has plans to introduce its first hybrid vehicles, which are, oddly enough, full size SUVs which use similar technology as the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon hybrids.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Click on the image for more shots of the Electrek electric car

Good old eBay strikes again with another unusual but very interesting electric vehicle up for auction. Before seeing this auction, we were not really familiar with the Unique Mobility Electrek electric vehicle at all. As usual, the internet proves our friend, as a test of the vehicle was done by the DOE way back in the early eighties, and it's been made available online. So, we know that the Electrek uses a Soleq controller, a specially modified General Electric shunt wound 32-hp electric motor, and 16 6-V Globe-Union batteries. Those lead-acid batteries have been removed from the vehicle, as they are rather old and needed to be replaced. A fiberglass body, which may not be the prettiest design in the world, lies atop a custom-designed chassis with a central battery-tunnel running the length of the vehicle. Top speed is claimed to be seventy-five miles per hour and the range, when new, varied between seventy-five and one-hundred miles per charge (at 30 mph or so).


[Source: eBay Motors]

Click on the image for more shots of the Solargen Electric Hornet

Information about the Solargen Electric Motor Car Company and its conversion of old AMC models is pretty scarce, but we've been able to glean a few things about the company through the internet. Started in 1979 in Cortland, New York, Solargen used lead-acid batteries to power small electric motors which replaced the classic inline six cylinder engines of AMC models like the Concord and Hornet. Apparently, the vehicles were only capable of about 30 miles or so of range and couldn't quite reach highway speeds. Not surprisingly, therefore, the company didn't last very long. Apparently, the Solargen's president ran to Africa shortly after losing a lawsuit against AMC and General Motors. After that comforting introduction, perhaps (or, perhaps not) you'd be interested to see one of the Solargen AMC Hornet wagons on eBay right now. Unfortunately, this particular vehicle is not a runner, having had its batteries removed some time ago. On the positive side, the owner reports that the vehicle has only seen fifty-one miles of action. So far, no bids have been placed, so the opening mark of $3,500 could make you the next owner.


[Source: eBay]

Lots of Nissan electric car news today. Shortly after hearing that Nissan intends to be a global leader in affordable electric cars, news comes that the company is looking at a few cities to trial some of their new electric vehicle technology. One such city on the short-list is reportedly London. Carlos Ghosn says, "We have not yet got to the level of talking to the mayor's office. At this stage it is just a feasibility study, but London is definitely among the cities interested." London seems to be a rather obvious choice, considering the cities controversial new congestion charges which would offer zero-emission vehicles a big advantage over their gas or diesel-consuming cousins.

Let's recap the other recent news. Israel and Denmark want in on the electric car craze too. In fact, What Car reports that Israeli authorities have struck a deal with Nissan allowing the automaker exclusive rights to sell electric cars in Israel for a period of ten years. California is slated to be the first stop for an upcoming Nissan electric car in the U.S.

Interestingly, Nissan hopes to get 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of range from a single battery pack, which could then be swapped out or recharged at an EV station -- sorta like an electrified version of today's gas stations and part of the Project Better Place idea. Ghosn says that Nissan is fully capable of offering an EV, sans battery, for the same cost of a normal gas-powered car. After the initial purchase, the cost of the battery and the amount of money spent keeping it charged will be less than the cost of gasoline. Ghosn also says that Nissan's electric cars will be sexy and attractive. That seems to cover all the bases rather well. Nissan, you've got our attention... we're waiting!

[Source: What Car]

James Wang, director of the Intelligent Mobility Technology division of the Taiwan Automotive Research Consortium (TARC), believes that Taiwan is the perfect testing ground for small, low-speed electric vehicles. The fact that huge numbers of people live centered around large urban areas means that most people don't need to travel long distances to get what they need. Additionally, Taiwan's warm weather is favorable for batteries. So, TARC has created what it is referring to as a light-electric-vehicle (LEV). TARC envisions these two-seat vehicles, with their odd wheel arrangement of three in the rear and one in front, zipping around the urban Mecca's that make up emerging countries.

TARC's goal is to reach a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles) and a top speed of 40 miles per hour. Those targets shouldn't be too difficult to reach. The LEV is powered by four removable lithium ion batteries which can either be recharged in the vehicle or replaced when discharged. We think that the specifications are fine, but question why the design of their LEV is superior to a more conventional arrangement (Remember the Ecooter?). Regardless, the vehicle is currently being tested in in rural areas, and plans are in the works to bring it into urban settings shortly.

[Source: Wards Auto]

Click on the image for more shots

Here we have an electric car which is not an electric car. When the current owner got the car, is was stripped of its motor, batteries and other assorted bits. For that reason, in went a Ford 2.8 liter V6, meaning that the vehicle you see here is a Detroit Electric in name only. The vehicle has gone through a complete overhaul, with a new custom chassis underpinning the aluminum body. While it's not uncommon to see a previously gasoline-powered vehicle converted to electric, we collectively shed a tear that this particular piece of motoring history is no longer powered by electrons. It's a bit ironic that the seller points out the good gas mileage of the small V6 engine. Thanks for the tip, Dad!


[Source: eBay Motors]

Despite the fact that European buyers have a penchant for choosing diesels over hybrids (and everything else for that matter), Chinese manufacturer BYD (Build Your Dreams) is planning on testing out the Euro-hybrid waters. Their hybrid sedan, which was shown off in Detroit at the Auto Show, uses ferrous batteries and features plug-in capabilities. The vehicle is capable of traveling on electricity alone for treks of up to 60 miles before the gasoline engine is required. Still, hybrid sales in China have yet to set the world on fire.

"Savings on running costs [in Europe] are higher than in China because of high European fuel prices," according to company president Wang Chuanfu. "The emphasis in Europe is on the environment. So we will first bring our hybrid models to Europe. Start of sales in 2010 would be ideal." Chuanfu also hints that European production is also a possibility for their line of vehicles. A video of the BYD FD DM PHEV is pasted after the break.

[Source: Automotive News China - sub. req'd.]

Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.

The New York Times Wheel's Blog has posted an interesting question along with a lousy answer. The question is: what is the car of the decade? The writer goes on to suggest a few selections, namely the Tesla Roadster and the Porsche Cayenne. We'll happily just dismiss the Cayenne from our list and move on. At some point, history may look back at Tesla and consider their initial offering, the Roadster, to be the most significant vehicle of this decade, but a much more obvious choice would have to be the Toyota Prius. Few would argue that the Prius almost single-handedly ignited the wave of hybrid cars (sorry, Insight), and whether or not you believe that hybrid vehicles make fiscal sense, the fact is that hybrids sell and nearly every manufacturer now has at least one to offer. All of this has taken place in the last decade and it has molded today's automotive landscape for the foreseeable future, as even those automakers which have chosen not offer hybrids are considering other fuel-saving alternatives in order to compete.

Now that we've discussed a few options, we'd be interested to hear what our readers think. Any Cayenne takers? No? OK, how about between the Tesla or the Prius? You certainly don't need our permission to name you personal favorite.

[Source: NY Times Wheels Blog]

Last week, the French postal service La Poste announced it's intent to buy a lot of electric vehicles for mail carriers to use. Newteon, the company that works with Micro-Vett and Fiat on vehicles like the all-electric Fiat Doblo and Fiorino, now says its vehicles have made La Poste's short list of potential additions to the fleet. A prototype Doblo EV will be delivered to La Poste this summer and then four or five more will be tested in the fall. Micro-Vett converts the Fiats and Newteon distributes the vehicles exclusively in France and other EU countries. Since La Poste is interested in at least 500 EVs, and potentially 10,000 in five years, getting on the short list could propel Mirco-Vett and Newteon into the big(ger) leagues. Thanks to Fabien for the tip.

[Source: Newteon]

When Porsche decided to move on from its very successful 356 line, there was a faction of people who were concerned that the 911 would be too expensive and wished the German automaker would stick with its successes -- four-cylinder sports cars to be specific. While history will look back at the 911 as being the quintessential sports car, regardless of manufacturer, Porsche was hedging its bets by also introducing the 912, which had the body of the 911 along with the engine from the 356. The 912 turned out to be a sales success, outselling the 911 for the first two years they were both on the market. Ultimately, though, the faster and more expensive 911 won out and the 912 was discontinued.

Now that history class is over, take a look at this Porsche 912, which has had its four-banger tossed in favor of an 88-horsepower electric motor. The lead acid batteries allow for a top speed of 100 miles per hour and a range of about 55 miles at a steady 62 mph cruising speed. While this car might be a nightmare to some die hard Porschephiles, it's a really well done and very nice-looking conversion. Thanks for the tip, Christian!

[Source: German Car Blog]