After various leaks hinted at a newly redesigned version of its all-electric car, Nissan finally announced the 2018 Leaf. The 2018 Nissan Leaf is a much-needed update to the outdated design Nissan first debuted in 2010, which was pudgy with an awkward saggy back bumper. A far cry from the more modern Chevy Bolt EV or Tesla Model 3 that land squarely in the same market as the Leaf....
Ultra-luxury automaker Bentley will enter the pure electric car race, an engineering executive recently confirmed. The company has so far only expressed interest in hybrid vehicles that run on both electric and gasoline, but it’s researching a more pure electric approach, Drive said recently. “We are currently in the stage where we are evaluating all possibilities, but there are so...
We've already seen cars with solar panels on the roof (Fisker Karma), but how about all of the windows acting as solar energy conductors? That may be a reality sooner than later. New Energy Technologies Inc. and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have uncovered a way to produce more economical and durable see-through solar cells. These glass window-bound see-through solar cells...
Call it the USB of the auto world. Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and Volkswagen have jumped on board with the SAE on a new universal charging interface for European and American electric vehicles. This charging system will be showcased next week at EVS26 (26th Annual Electric Vehicle Symposium). We don’t have specifics on potential charging times, though the proposed...
I love my 2010 Nissan Frontier. It’s got a V6 for towing, 4WD for hellish New England winters, Crew Cab for full seating and a spray-on bed liner with adjustable anchor points for strapping motorcycles and other toys in the back. When it comes to a decent pickup truck, no vehicle is more versatile. But there’s one thing I’d love to change about my Nissan Frontier, and that’s the fuel...
The new BMW i8 Spyder has dropped its top at the Beijing Auto Show, looking sleek and stylish as ever. It now bears the eDrive badge, which will adorn all future plugin or Hybrid BMW vehicles. The BMW i8 is claimed to offer a “unique driving experience” as the electric motor provides 100% torque off the line for gut punching performance, aimed at propelling the car all the way to top...
In our world today, the environment dominates our concerns. We want to keep it lush and green for our children, so they’ll have a world to live in that is rife with natural beauty. In the auto industry, companies are being pushed to make cleaner burning cars. Hybrids and EVs were born to grace the earth with all their environmentally friendly goodness. However, there is a problem. The...
Toyota President & COO Yoshi Inaba said some fairly sobering things at the Economic Club of Chicago earlier this month. Citing a recent study, Mr. Inaba proclaimed “if everyone in the U.S. drove a Prius, we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 70%!” Sit back and let that saturate for a moment. According to Toyota’s big cheese, the Prius has saved 1.1 billion gallons of gas...
The emergence of an automobile department on a tech blog like TechnoBuffalo may seem baffling to some readers. After all, Mr. Lakers got his start unboxing MacBooks and smartphones and we as a site have focused mainly on mobile technology since the incipience of TechnoBuffalo. But why have GM and Ford invited me out to Detroit several times to cover their new vehicles? How come the...
Panasonic announced today that it will supply enough automotive grade lithium-ion cells to furnish 80,000 Tesla Model S electric sedans. In 2009 Panasonic entered a supply agreement with Tesla, prompting a $30 million investment by the “world’s leading battery cell manufacturer” in 2010. Now we have a figure on how many Tesla Model S vehicles will be running Panasonic batteries, and it’...