Car Throttle

Many delays have beset the Fisker Karma. It was originally supposed to launch in late 2009 (before the Chevrolet Volt), but that date has been pushed back to this year. Finally, production has started at Valmet Automotive's plant in Finland. According to Auto Car production is beginning with a paltry rate of just five cars per week, but that rate is expected to rise to 300 a week by November of this year. With 3,000 orders to fill, this should result in a wait until at least early 2012 for new customers (if all goes to plan). Fisker intends to sell around 15,000 cars a year of the Karma, which is a lofty goal. Its development was helped to a large degree by the

I'm on board with alternative fuel technologies like hybrids and electric vehicles because of their impact in ways like national security and practical matters like less spent on gas. However, there has to be room for performance in there. So in that regard, there hasn't been much promising news. Tesla? Definitely. They've shown us electric technology can be crazy fast and a whole lot of fun. Is the Prius fun to drive though? Not really. Chevrolet may be thinking more along the lines of enthusiasts with new Volt. As I've said before, it's not the technology that isn't fun for performance reasons; it's the way it's used that makes the difference.  How about handling? GM's chief engineer was recently asked how the Volt compares to "rivals" the

Compatibility can be a huge headache. You know, power cords, headphone jacks, etc. Wouldn't it be nice if everything was just standardized? Certainly would. Automakers are trying to avoid that same headache on a much bigger and more important scale; the future of the automobile. Because of that, the companies are working on a standardized electric vehicle charging plug. I'm glad it's something that's being discussed ahead of time before tons of non-compatible vehicles are out there on the road. This is exactly what needs to be done in order to help open the doors to electric vehicle adoption. Eliminating confusion over things like this will reduce anxiety and help break down barriers in people's minds. It's just makes sense. Say you're an potential buyer of either a pure

Chrysler is trying to show it's serious about it's ENVI Electric Vehicles division by releasing a minivan using their technology to a fleet customer. The announcement is designed to coincide with Earth Month (pictures were released on Earth Day). I was waiting to see if the company would have a press release on the program following the pictures, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Chrysler showed three electrified vehicles as part of it's ENVI electric vehicles program. I speculated at the time that the only model with a real chance at production was the Lotus Europa-based Dodge EV (Now Circuit). The others seemed just an attempt to show everyone that it was working on a family-friendly vehicles. The Circuit EV still will be the one going

Toshiba is an advanced technology manufacturer, making everything from laptops to power plants that power those laptops. The company had invested considerably into battery technology, which it currently sells primarily to electric bicycle manufacturers. Now the company wants to get into the automotive battery game, and Toshiba announced last-year their intention to manufacture 3 million cells per month by 2010. The company has developed a quick-charge technology that promises a lot for the future of electric vehicles. As recently as a few months ago, Toshiba was able to recharge their SCiB lithium batteries (Toshiba's name) to 90% capacity in as little as 5 minutes. Now, they've announced their ability to reduce that time to an incredible 90 seconds. 90% in 90 seconds. To me that seems just

It's no secret the two heavyweights in the alternative fuel realm are Chevrolet's Volt and Tesla's Model S. They're both practical vehicles with a (relatively) attainable price, seeking to be the car of the future. I love both of them and think each has merit for different demographics. Big surprise: Elon Musk doesn't. There was some talk last year of a Tesla range-extended electric vehicle but then the company quickly abandoned any thought of the idea and committed itself to all-electric vehicles. I think it was an important help in determining who the company is; they have the goal of being the first independent, full-line volume electric manufacturer. The site GM-Volt.com had a chance to ask Tesla's CEO Elon Musk about the whole situation. Here is their