Electric Drive

The next-gen Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive might have a hugely-increased range, but its drivetrain likely won't be supplied by Tesla.

Apparently, Chevrolet Volt battery covers make suitable homes for bats. As part of an Eagle Scout project, Matthew Netherland created 30 bat houses out of scrapped Volt battery covers donated by Chevy. 22 of the bat houses will be set up near hydroelectric dams in Michigan. Each bat house will accommodate 100 bats, and divert the scrapped materials from the landfill. The batt

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé Electric Drive may be powered by batteries, but it is a legitimate supercar. It has exotic supercar styling, supercar paint, and a 416,500 Euro ($550,600 at today's rates) supercar price tag. Now, it also has a sub-eight-minute supercar lap time around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

It's hard to not like the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT. The all-aluminum coupe is fitted with a wonderful naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 delivering 583 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Not only does the burly combustion engine launch the two-seater to 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds, but it does so with one of the world's greatest exhaust soundtracks as it roars, burbles and cackles down the road.

Development of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive is moving along smartly since we first saw the thing in shimmering-blue-concept form at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Now running about in prototype form, the B-Class ED is having some valuable cold-

Protean Electric has received noteworthy praise for its unique in-wheel electric drive propulsion system. Car and Driver named it one of the 10 Most Promising Technologies for 2013. This ranking accompanies the publication's 10 Best Cars Celebration, which has existed for more than three decades in the world's largest auto enthusiast magazine.

A philosophical question from your automotive enthusiast future: does a supercar need to make noise in order to be a supercar? The easy answer might be no. If they're more powerful, do everything faster, attract the opposite sex, cost a gang of money and look better in orange than actual oranges, what more are you looking for?

The Mercedes-Benz B-Class is a promising, small family vehicle, but Car and Driver is reporting that the new B-Class is only coming to the U.S. as the zero-emission Electric Drive model. It would appear that if Mercedes does proceed with this plan, it will likely be positioned as a premium alternative to dedicated green family vehicles like Jeffrey N. Ross

Mercedes-Benz showed off a number of alternative fuel B-Class models at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, including the B200 Natural Gas Drive and this machine, the B-Class Electric Drive. Using a 100-kilowatt (134-horsepower) electric motor, the hatch can whir to a top speed

The folks at Mercedes-Benz must have a guilty conscience when it comes to the SLS AMG supercar. Why else would the German automaker follow up the snarling V8-powered debut of the modern gullwing with the SLS AMG E-Cell, and now the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive? While the retina-searing E-Cell was a merely prototype, the veh

We already knew the next-generation Mercedes-Benz B-Class would be getting an all-electric variant, but instead of wearing the E-Cell name, it shall be dubbed Electric Drive. As a matter of fact, all future electric models from Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Jeffrey N. Ross

A group of specialist engineering technology firms is set to embark on the development of next-generation electric-drive systems that do not require rare earth metals. UK-based Sevcon will lead the collaborative project that includes Cummins Generator Technologies and Newcastle University's Power Electronics and Drives Research Group to develop traction drive units for use in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric-only vehicles.

Swedish automaker Volvo has teamed up with German engineering conglomerate Siemens to jointly advance the development of electric vehicles through an extensive strategic cooperation that will focus on electrical drive technology, electronics and vehicle charging units.

Peraves E-Tracer – Click above for a high-res image gallery

During the Paris Motor Show, Volvo confirmed that the C30 battery electric concept was bound for production. The automaker's first wave of electric C30s

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

MotoCzysz E1pc – Click above for high-res image gallery

MotoCzysz E1pc – Click above for high-res image gallery

A couple weeks ago, Remy International chief executive officer John Weber offered up his one-sided opinion regarding the shift towards in-house production of vital hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) components. As a discouraged Weber previously remarked: