Lightweight

Finally, success! Chris Anthony has been trying to launch a three-wheeled electric vehicle for years now – first, with the ill-fated Aptera Motors, which he co-founded, and now with his own Epic EV. Last Saturday, all that effort came together in a triumphant event that saw the Torq ...

The journey of the Torq roadster from Epic EV has been pretty low key for a three-wheeled bullhorn of a car that screams, "LOOK AT ME!!!" with its volume stuck at 11. There hasn't been a flood of press releases calling attention to the effort and there are no bizarre long-form commercials ...

General Motors isn't talking about how far the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV can go before it needs a charge, but par for the course for today's electric vehicles i2 around 70-100 miles. GM CEO Dan Akerson today confirmed that the company is working on a 200-mile EV (perhaps a Spark, perhaps not) ...

Toyota could integrate carbon-fiber components into some of its future models after shutting down production of its Lexus LFA supercar last month, Automotive News reports. Carbon fiber is both stronger and lighter than traditional vehicle-body materials. It makes sense for Toyota to take ...

Arnaud Montebourg, France's Minister of Industrial Recovery, was handed the keys to the first Renault Zoe electric car on December 17 by Carlos Tavares, Renault Group's chief operating officer. Renault calls the Zoe the "first broadly affordable full-electric car," and the EV qualifies for a ...

NanoSteel Company, a nano-structured steel materials designer, has announced that one of the most quotable characters in the auto industry, Bob Lutz, has joined its board of directors. The 10-year-old, Providence, RI-based company says that it "has achieved a significant breakthrough in the ...

You may have noticed that Mazda hasn't released a lineup of electric vehicles, hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles. So, how will the automaker reach the demanding 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 federal mandate? By going lightweight and utilizing its Skyactiv technology. As part of its Skyactiv ...

Cutting pounds while making cars safer and stronger is a pursuit of all auto companies. Creative uses of aluminum alloys and exotic materials like carbon fiber help reduce weight and increase fuel economy and/or performance. But both aluminum and carbon fiber are expensive. Steel has been around ...

Because he's quick like that. And lucky. Chip Yates has, in a few short months, converted a Burt Rutan-designed Long-EZ airplane to battery power and, at the same time, undergone all the flight training necessary to get his pilot's license. On Wednesday, he took his renamed Long-ESA (Electric ...

Once again, reports are out about a vehicle powered solely by the wind that can outrun the wind. And once again, we expect continued debates on the subject. Rick Cavallaro and his merry band of enthusiasts recently improved the upwind and downwind speeds of their Blackbird, their DDWFTTW ...