China

Chinese electric carmaker BYD has won a contract to supply 500 E6 pure electric police cars to the city of Shenzen, China. For BYD, the deal signifies that the "promotion of BYD new energy vehicles has reached a new height." The BYD e6 can reach a maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour (about ...

Plug-in cars may be a lot larger than electric scooters and e-motorcycles, but when it comes to numbers sold, two-wheelers will outnumber four-wheelers by a huge margin by the decade's end, Pike Research says. It's a global trend that will be led by big organizations. Demand from fleet operators ...

Chinese parent company Zap Jonway has ousted top executives at California-based Zap, a maker of specialized electric vehicles. On the last day of 2012, Zap's board of directors removed Priscilla Lu as chairman and all other duties Lu had been responsible for at any of Zap's subsidiaries or joint ...

Nissan, BYD and Toyota are among companies that may soon be supplying plug-in vehicles to Hong Kong's taxi fleet, the publication Energy and Capital reports. With cabs accounting for more than 18,000 of Hong Kong's approximately 550,000 vehicles, adding plug-in vehicles to the city's fleet could ...

Johnson Controls isn't taking the bankruptcy sale of A123 Systems to the Chinese company Wanxiang lying down. Wanxiang won the bankruptcy court sale for $256 million on December 11 and, today, Johnson Controls has filed an appeal against the sale because it "objects to delay in payment of ...

Bankrupt lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems may have gained a new owner, but will lose a lot of money in the pending sale to China-based Wanxiang Group, Reuters reports, citing an unidentified US Energy Department official. Specifically, A123, which filed for bankruptcy in October, will ...

First, we thought it was going to be called the Sail EV. Then we thought it'd be the Springo EV. Now we know that the first electric vehicle developed by Shanghai General Motors, the partnership between GM and SAIC, will officially be called the Sail Springo EV. So, that's settled. Shanghai GM ...

Nissan, which earlier this year said it would start making an all-electric car in China under the Venucia brand starting in 2015, is getting a jump on the promotional front for the EV. Venucia, a joint-venture between Nissan and Dongfeng, will run pilot programs in 15 China cities starting next ...

And then there will be three – hybrids, that is. Honda, which started selling its CR-Z hybrid in China in July, is planning to debut two additional hybrid models there in the near future. Honda presented its plans at the China International Automobile Exhibition, saying it will soon start ...

Saab's new owner is maintaining its plans to re-start sales of the brand in 2014, but it's not ruling out an earlier coming-out party. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), which acquired the iconic but bankrupt Swedish automaker this summer, is about 18 months away from debuting an ...

Sail, we can translate: Springo. That's the renamed version of the Chevrolet compact electric vehicle that will debut in China later this year after its production version is unveiled at the Guangzhou Auto Show later this month. Shanghai GM, which is a 50/50 partnership between General Motors ...

Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems continues to be a source of drama and intrigue, from bankruptcy and court filings to investor relations and national security. Two US Senators want the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), led by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, ...

Faced with a history of slow plug-in vehicle sales in China, BYD has a new plan to move electric metal: free emission-free cars. Sort of. Called "Zero vehicle purchase price, Zero costs, Zero emissions," BYD's new plan involves the company's all-electric e6 and its electric bus in China. Instead ...

Think of it as a refi going to the highest bidder. Bankrupt lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems is looking to access a $50 million loan from China-based auto-component maker Wanxiang, which is offering terms at an interest rate that's three percentage points lower than competing bidder ...

The Eco has landed. In this case, the first US EcoCentre, which specializes in selling neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) made by China-based Liuzhou Wuling Special Purpose Vehicle Manufacturing Co., has opened for business, Plug In Cars reports. The EcoCentre, which is operated by Lincoln ...

How does one say "batteries not included" in Chinese? Kandi Technologies' Zhejiang Kandi Vehicles Co. division, which reached what's regarded as the largest-ever electric-vehicle distribution agreement in China with the city of Hangzhou in July, has settled on a price and delivery date for the ...

The time difference between California and Beijing is quite a bit less than 11 months, but we doubt plug-in enthusiasts in China will quibble with that. Fisker Automotive, which in late 2010 reached an agreement with China Grand Automotive Group to have its Karma extended-range plug-in sports ...

FAW-Volkswagen, the China joint-venture that includes the giant German automaker, will begin testing lithium-ion batteries made by China BAK for use in upcoming electric vehicles. The program starts slow, with China BAK delivering three lithium-ion batteries to FAW-Volkswagen by the end of next ...

Paranoia or well-founded fears? Some U.S. auto executives are expressing concern that the Chinese Wanxiang Group's investment in struggling lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems may put trade secrets at risk. China may get first dibs on lithium-ion battery technology advancements if Wanxiang ...

A message to Bob Lutz, former General Motors vice chairman, and proponent of the Chevrolet Volt and Via Motors' plug-in electric vehicles. Regarding your guest column in Forbes lambasting the federal government for granting battery maker A123 Systems a Department of Energy grant and allowing a ...