The inspiration for the world’s fastest electric scooter can trace its origins to a singular moment in Brad Baker’s life. After cresting a hill on his cross-country bicycle ride from Virginia to Oregon, while soaking in the beauty of the Teton Mountains for the very first time, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a vision: A […]
Read more "Rocket Sled"“It’s the battery, stupid.” Everyone who designs and builds electric vehicles understands this axiom, John Wayland included. “It’s all about the battery.” But John isn’t just anyone involved with electric vehicles. He’s the man behind the legendary White Zombie, the all-electric Datsun 1200 that has been blowing the doors off of gas-powered competitors at the […]
Read more "Beyond The Zombie"Los Angeles, near the Staples Center. A Chinese automotive manufacturer has opened a showroom for its electric car. The showroom is empty, except for a few displays which are verboten to photograph. Look, but do not click. The woman manning the reception portal is polite and somewhat bemused by my arrival. Behind her and to […]
Read more "Invisible Chinese Cars"I am in the land of the automobile. The City of Angels and McLarens. A place where you ARE what you drive. A city with more exotic luxury and sports cars per square mile than there has a right or need to be. Cars are king. They are everything. From Pinto to P1, if you […]
Read more "Ions in La La Land"Chinese automaker Build Your Dreams (BYD) has recently cracked open the U.S. market in a deal with Uber where drivers can lease the e6 for a week at time. Where can you take this electrified Uber ride? Chicago, at the moment. Here’s the boilerplate e6 information, right off of the website: The e6 is a […]
Read more "What Dreams May Come (Here)"In “Fisker Falling, Detroit Rising” – published in July of 2012 – I wrote about Fisker Automotive and the then undecided fate of the company. On October 29 Hurricane Sandy helped seal that fate with 6 to 8 feet of seawater. Fisker’s entire European shipment of 338 Karmas were destroyed at Port Newark, New Jersey. […]
Read more "Rising from the Ashes"Indian company Mahindra has been selling tractors in the U.S. since 1994. Because I am American, and apparently know nothing about the rest of the world, I was surprised to discover how large of a global company Mahindra is, and what they’re up to in the way of electric vehicles: the Mahindra REVA e2o. But […]
Read more "The $13,000 Solution"An all-electric bike from the Netherlands that evokes the birth of Harley-Davidson? Above is a photo of the oldest Harley-Davidson in the world – the “Serial Number One” at the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Below, the Motorman electric bike created by Dutch designer Ronald Meijs, of Maastricht NL. Unlike a moped, there are […]
Read more "CHANNELING HARLEY-DAVIDSON"I have sinned, and it’s Elon Musk’s fault. I covet the Tesla Model S P85D. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Chevy Volt. I think the Zelectric Bug is the best thing on earth. But Tesla has hooked me with this two-motor model that makes me want to go out and race a Ferrari. […]
Read more "T • is for Torque"