We Obsessively Cover the Green Scene…

If you've been saving up pennies to buy a Tesla Model S, you're going to need a bigger piggybank. The California automaker has just announced the price will be going up by $2,500 for US customers ($2,600 in Canada). That comes out to $59,900 for the base version with the 40 kWh battery and $94,400 for the top end Model S Performance with the 85 kWh pack.

Of course, that's before taking the $7,500 federal EV tax credit into account, so in the end those two examples would cost you $52,400 and $86,900, respectively. We had feared the increase might be higher when we first heard it was coming and possibly impact sales, but we don't think the additional dollars will deter many prospective buyers. Especially not since receiving its recent accolades.

Still, if you want to avoid paying the extra amount there's still time to get in on the original deal as the increase only impacts reservations taken after January 1, 2013. Deliveries are said to take place several months after reserving, though with approximately 16,455 already ordered (according to the Tesla-obsessed at Tesla Motors Club) and only about 1,000 of those delivered, it might be August before new customers see this ground-breaking all-electric hatch in their driveway. Scroll below for the official press release.

Across the Do-It-Yourself electric-conversion landscape, there is perhaps no EV drivetrain more longed for than that comprised of a liquid-cooled AC motor mated to a single-speed gearbox. Unfortunately, they are difficult to come by, as the motors are typically only made available to automakers and are usually quite expensive. Gearboxes? Fuggedaboutit.

Now though, a window of opportunity appears to have opened. Azure Dynamics, the bankrupted company behind the drivetrain that powered the ill-fated Ford Transit Connect Electric, has had its assets liquidated and many of the components that were destined for those vehicles have made their way to the open market, courtesy of the folks at EVTV.

You see, what began as a weekly show about converting vehicles to electric drive has expanded to include an online store that sells, as one might imagine, the components necessary to turn gasoline burners into electron sippers. So now, alongside its usual inventory of DC motors, controllers and lithium batteries, one can find an AC induction Siemens motor capable of putting out 150-kW peak power along with the Borg Warner eGearDrive. They also have Brusa 3.3-kW chargers and Azure Dynamics inverters.

If sales of this limited stock go well – and it should, considering some of the very reasonable prices – there is a possibility EVTV may carry the motors and gearboxes direct from the manufacturer in the future, though the prices will likely be higher.

Interested? You can read about the EVTV score on their blog or just scroll on down to watch the Azure episode in its 2-hour entirety.

CRP Racing first revealed its Energica electric superbike concept at the epic 2011 edition of EICMA. Now, a year later, a prototype version is on display at that same venue with promises of a finished product in 2014 with sales in both the US and Europe. It should be worth the wait.

The Energica packs a 100-kW (134-horsepower) punch from an oil-cooled permanent magnet AC motor that sends its damage through a single-speed gearbox. No official performance testing has been done, but chief engineer Giampiero Testoni calculates it should swing up to 100 km/h (62 miles per hour) in about 3.3 seconds. Top speed is computer-limited to 220 km/h (134 mph).

The lithium battery nestled within the tubular trellis frame is said to hold 11.7 kW-hours of energy. That should be enough to propel the bike for 150 kilometers (93 miles) at 80 km/h (50 mph), though range will vary with terrain and by which throttle map you've selected by a switch on the left handlebar.

As much as possible, CRP has stuck with high-end Italian components – Brembo brakes, Marchesini wheels, Schedoni seat – but have managed to keep the price down to a relatively reasonable 18,000 Euros ($22,940 at today's rate). The company says it will have a number of options available and also offers some amount of customization, so be prepared to pay a bit more.

Also, don't bet that the bike will look exactly like this prototype. While we suspect that it will have a lot in common, including the front fairing with its twin LED lights, we imagine there will be some further refinement before the final product emerges, perhaps at next years EICMA.

Scroll below for a promotional video featuring the Energica in action on some spectacular cliffside Italian roads, along with a more lengthy clip featuring a pre-show unveiling with more technical details.

Lightning Motorcycles is no stranger to setting land speed records. It laid down a 173.388 mile-per-hour marker for electric motorcycles in 2010 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and then upped the ante significantly in 2011 with a 215.960 mph performance on that same crystalline stage.

For 2012, however, it's switched venues and brought its superbike to the 1.3-mile course that runs downs the El Mirage dry lake bed. Now, that's a lot less real estate than the five-mile stretch available at Bonneville, but the team still managed to achieve something special.

In an effort sponsored by solar technology company SMA, and with LSR veteran Jim Hoogerhyde gripping the handlebars (tightly, we imagine), Lightning flashed down the dusty trail at 189.086 mph. That speed gives the company the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) record for production motorcycles – electric or gas-powered – for that venue.

There two significant things about this achievement. First, the energy for the three runs was supplied courtesy of the sun. Its rays fed a 48-kWh battery pack attached to a mobile solar array, which in turn, fueled the bike's on-board batteries. This is no coal-powered motorcycle.

Second, though wearing a streamlined fairing, the bike is essentially the same machine that the first handful of customers will begin receiving within the next 60 days or so. Yes, Lightning Motorcycles is turning that hard corner from race team and technology developer to actual manufacturer. And that is no small feat.

The Toyota Prius has pretty much ruled the hybrid roost since popularizing the super-efficient market segment over the last decade, but that doesn't mean other automakers aren't trying to catch up. Ford, in particular, has been dabbling with gas/electric drivetrains for some time – think Ford Fusion and Escape hybrids – and now has its own dedicated hybrid model: the C-Max.

If you've ever wondered how the domestic newcomer stacks up against the ensconced champion, wonder no more. Motor Trend has taken Toyota's super-sized Prius V and put it up against the new Ford in a head-to-head video comparison. Not only that, they've had fun doing it.

"Fun in a hybrid?", you ask quizzically. "Yes", we reply, "fun." While the C-Max has inherited the sportiness of the Ford Focus chassis that underpins it, the Prius V has also improved driving characteristics, proving that gas-sipping doesn't necessarily have to come at the expense of ride experience. No, they still aren't canyon-carving sports cars, but they certainly aren't your grandparents family haulers either.

Besides fun, MT also gets down to the serious business of fuel economy. Driving in the style of host and senior features editor Jonny Lieberman (somewhat spiritedly, we imagine) returned mile per gallon figures that were slightly lower in the V than what Toyota advertises, with a bigger drop in the C-Max: 39 and 37 mpg, respectively.

Scroll below to move beyond performance numbers on a sheet and see how the two really stack up against each other. Watch 'till the end where Mr. Lieberman lets slip a sweet little hint about what one might expect from the next Prius.

If variety is the spice of life, then Tesla's Model S should have even more zest next year. Speaking during the company's third quarter financial results conference call, CEO Elon Musk dropped a bit of news that has raised our curiosity to levels of unmitigated distraction. Said Mr. Musk whilst speaking of R&D efforts currently underway:

There are a few other variants of the Model S that we'll come out with next year that I think are going to be pretty exciting, in addition to, of course, really getting into the Model X and starting the initial design work of the 3rd generation mass market vehicle.

Sounds interesting, right? While we can only speculate as to whether these variations on the Model S theme might include changes as drastic as a drop top, we wouldn't be hugely surprised by the addition of all-wheel drive and, perhaps, a more energy-dense battery (100-kWh packs, anyone?).

What is clear is that these future alterations will go beyond just the addition of more options, since those are also in the works. While speaking about the uptake of options in the current offering, Musk revealed that in response to customer demand, the automaker will make available additional features that could be ordered with the car, as well as others that could be installed retroactively.

So, join us, if you will, in an exercise of conjecture and tell us what kind of Model S you would like to see in your garage? A superleggera? A gran turismo? A cabriolet? Go ahead, surprise us!

It was a small field of five. The stands were completely empty. And yet, the 2012 TTXGP World Championship was pretty frickin' awesome.

For the first time ever the event was being held on American shores – at the historic Daytona International Speedway, no less – and, with the winners from the North American, European and Australian TTXGP series in the paddock, there was a true international flavor.

You've already seen the results and video from the race, but there was so much more going on. Luckily, we had access and snapped shots in the garages, trackside and in the victory lane for the post-race celebrations. We've got a gallery for each of the three days we were in attendance and have kept the images in the sequence in which they were taken so you can follow exactly how things went down. Enjoy clicking!

"It may very well be the most important new car since the Model T."

That's the summation of the latest video from Motor Trend and its Ignition video series, speaking of the Tesla Model S. Though the buff site had previously released a video featuring a range-testing excursion from LA-to-Vegas (and back), this time its cameras were out to capture whether it proves its worth as a car.

For MT's Carlos Lago, the criteria involved in the equation includes important things like, "How fast is it, how fun is it to drive." And while he does spend some tire-smoking time testing the five-door hatchback's performance parameters, the approach overall is more holistic than some we've seen.

Adding up the performance, style, technology and price, Lago compares the Tesla favorably with the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and Porsche Panamera. He says it feels "like car 3.0." It all kind of gives us hope our favorite fastback will come out on top when MT reveals its Car Of The Year sometime in November.

Scroll down to watch one of the best-looking Model S video reviews to date, and let us know in Comments if you agree with its conclusions.

Here's a story with an ironic twist.

Jeremy Dory is a Chevy-Volt-owning, AutoblogGreen-reading guy (Hi, Spiffster!) who, after falling in love with the Brammo Empulse electric motorcycle, started up a blog called Empulsebuyer and became something of a brand evangelist. Now, Brammo has rendered that domain name, well, completely inaccurate, and Jeremy couldn't be happier.

You see, the software engineer won't be buying an Empulse R after all. He doesn't need to. Brammo has recognized the work he's done and the devotion he's displayed and is giving him one. Yes, giving. Like, for free. If that's not cool enough, the company flew him to Daytona for the TTXGP World Championship to tell him.

This is not the first time the Oregon-based company has made such a move. In 2010, it turned Brammofan into a Brammo man by awarding that evangelist of the year an Enertia. It may, however, be difficult to top the efforts of these guys in the future.

Consider that, besides tracking all the Brammo news in his blog and being the voice of reason in countless internet discussions, Dory is also the author of the Electric Motorcycle Price & TCO Calculator. This tool allows you to compare costs of electric and gas-powered motorcycles over time. If that doesn't impress you, we can only add that he has also posted a pic of the cutest Brammo babe ever. Top that!

"Empulsebuyer" expects to receive a white Empulse R sometime early in the new year and, thereafter, will be known as Empulserider. We, of course, look forward to reading his many tales of Empulse ownership on his new blog. Scroll below for the official press release.

Polaris is traditionally known as a powersports manufacturer, selling a range of ATVs and snowmobiles. Lately, however, the North Star brand has begun to move into the electric vehicle space. They now own neighborhood electric vehicle maker GEM, and have also made a significant investment in Brammo. And now, its extended its empire into the realm of electric bicycles.

Leveraging technology developed by EVantage, the company recently launched a range of bicycles with great looks and quality construction. With a couple of examples of the Vector model making an appearance in the paddock at the TTXGP World Championship, we took the opportunity for try it out for ourselves.

After a quick explanation of the simple controls, we were off for a short, but very fun ride. The electric drivetrain springs to life with a simple push of the pedals and it felt as if someone was giving us a slight push as we made our way down past the row of garages, working our way slowly through the gears and picking up steam. Around the back of the building, the spacious parking lot offered lots of space to play around and we enthusiastically began testing out the throttle.

The Polaris/EVantage system is different from most others in that it not only operates as a pedelec – using torque sensors to decide how much assist to dish out – but also offers a stand-alone throttle system that, once you are moving, can take over all the locomotive work from your tired (or lazy) legs.

Had we not been having so much fun making high-speed loops around the parking lot, we might have checked out the various readouts available from the display on the handle bar, such as speed, battery range, and carbon footprint impression. We also might have paid a bit more attention to the regen function, which kicks in – subtly, we think – when you stop pedaling and/or pressing the throttle. It also comes into play when the bikes speed reaches 20 miles per hour.

Sadly, our time in the saddle was all too brief but it did give us hope that someone is working hard at bringing the same electric bicycle experience to America that is proving popular in Europe and Asia. The bicycles are already in some shops, with the company focusing on retailers in urban areas to begin with. You can check out the dealer locator on its website and make friends with them on Facebook. Scroll below for additional information on the official press release from the launch.

In a drama-filled race that saw certain electric motorcycles hitting speeds of 165 miles per hour on the demanding Daytona International Speedway, Steve Atlas was first to pass by the checkered flag, giving Team Icon Brammo the win in the 2012 TTXGP World Championship. The previous two season-topping events had been won by Münch Racing.

Starting from the second position on the grid, Atlas immediately took the lead and never looked back. His teammate Eric Bostrom followed closely behind and looked similarly strong, until his Empulse RR was suddenly struck by an electronic gremlin while going through the chicane on the first lap of the five-lap, 17.55-mile race (21.06 miles, if you include the warmup lap). The bike dramatically slowed, allowing Münch's Matthias Himmelmann to move up into second place. Although the German team had been a few seconds behind Brammo all weekend, the TTE-2 performed perfectly every time it took to the track, suffering none of the worrying glitches experienced by both Brammo racers in qualifying.

Happily, Bostrom's ride recovered its mojo early into its second lap, and was soon hitting the same high-performance heights as the race leader. It wasn't enough, however, to catch the reliable Münch machine, leaving Brammo to settle for the top and bottom spots on the podium.

Scroll down for more, including a pair of awesome videos from Brammo telling the story of the weekend, with lots of footage from the race itself.

Daytona is a noisy place this weekend, with Biketoberfest happening concurrently with the Fall Cycle Scene. The streets echo with the potato-potato sounds of thousands of Harley Davidson cruisers, whilst inside the Daytona International Speedway, the air is filled with the screams of a few dozen assorted racing bikes.

One end of the paddock at the race track is an island of aural calm, however. Here, the teams contesting the TTXGP World Championship are going through the process of practice and qualifying for Sunday's big race. While there is the typical spinning of wrenches and plotting of strategy, the revving of engines is replaced by the click-clacking of laptops.

As expected, Team Icon Brammo is strong. Dominant even, with riders Eric Bostrom and Steve Atlas qualifying in the top two spots with fast laps of 1:58.648 and 1:59.397, respectively. Victory is not assured however, since both riders experienced worrying glitches while securing the lead positions. Sadly, their strongest American competitors, Barracuda Lightning, are a no-show after reportedly suffering logistical setbacks.

Münch Racing will be 3rd on the grid, after pulling down a 2:04.897. They were comfortable enough with the TTE-2 race machine that they sat out the last pre-qualifying practice opportunity, despite making a few tweaks after a bit of early-morning track time.

Catavolt will line up next, behind the Germans. Maybe. The Australian team had overcome a small leak in its hub motor's water cooling system that almost sent rider Jason Morris off the high side in early practice, allowing them to turn up the power to the controller of their torque monster. When it came time to put the bike to the test, though, the motor seemed to fail and it only just managed to make it around the track. As it was, their 2:33.732 qualifying time came from an earlier practice. When last we left the paddock, the boys were scrambling to resolve the issue.

Jeremiah Johnson will bring up the rear on a modified Zero S after experiencing an issue with the controller in his Be-Ev.com bike. Though his lap was slower than the others at, 2:50.624, he is confident it will hold up to the duress that only Daytona, with its long straights and steeply banked turns, can dish out.

You can see some great videos from the practice sessions by simply scrolling below. You can also follow this writer on Twitter for real-time photo tweets.

This weekend, the top electric motorcycle racing teams from around the world will be in Florida to contest the 2012 TTXGP World Championship at the Daytona International Speedway. This is the first time the race has been held on American shores and so, to mark the occasion – and also perhaps intimidate its competitors – North American champions Team Icon Brammo have released a sweet little video featuring one of its Empulse RR race bikes putting down some fast laps at the Oregon Raceway Park.

Whether it's the fancy camera work or the result of the significant improvements made over the course of the season, the RR's performance looks impressively threatening. And with riders Steve Atlas and Eric Bostrom each on their own example, the other teams should consider this as notice served: Brammo is playing for keepsies.

If the other teams are worried, they aren't showing it. Münch Racing was last seen lounging poolside, enjoying some welcome sunshine while awaiting the arrival of its European Championship-winning machine. Team Barracuda Lightning, as is its wont, has been maintaining radio silence, but no doubt is confident about its chances. It's bringing Miguel Duhamel – who, in his only race on an electric, edged out all the European teams – along with its long-time rider Michael Barnes, who beat Brammo at Laguna Seca earlier this summer and won't likely have to deal with any arm-grabbing interference.

Scroll down to watch the video for yourself, make sure to click HD, and place your bets.

A few years back, Mate Rimac replaced the internal combustion drivetrain in his 1986 BMW E30 with an electric one and dubbed it the bi-moto EV – it was originally intended it to have two motors. Then, in a quest to build the fastest electric car ever, he reconfigured that original setup four more times.

His patience and hard work paid off and the old Bimmer became a 600-horsepower, battery-powered monster capable of slingshotting from a dead stop to 60 miles per hour in 3.3 seconds. Indeed, it was fast enough to fulfill its maker's record-setting dream and, after taking about 17 months to dot i's and cross t's, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has officially recognized it as the quickest electric car in the world in its Category A, Group VIII (electric vehicle), Class 3 (above 1000 kilograms). Its respective 1/8 and 1/4-mile times of 7.549 and 11.808 seconds displaced the former record holder, the very lovely Peugeot EX1.

If the Rimac name rings a bell, you'll be well aware that the young Croatian has not been waiting for the FIA paper work whilst resting on some beach alongside the Adriatic, leafy laurels between his buttocks and the time-worn sand. No, he has taken what he's learned from that first project, started Rimac Automobili and built the (even faster) glorious Concept_One.

Scroll below to watch both of these cars in tire-smoking action as Rimac celebrates its latest achievement.