Chris Paine, maker of the famous (at least in these parts) documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car," is planning a revival of the topic for his next film. Tentatively scheduled for a 2009 release and titled "Revenge of the Electric Car" (does the sequel look to get some inspiration from the Star Wars franchise?), it certainly wouldn't be a shocker if the electric car in question were none other than the Chevy Volt. While the first documentary focused on the destruction of the EV1 from General Motors - despite the fact that many past EV owners wanted to purchase them outright - the second film appears ready to welcome the electric car back from the dead.

We're not at all certain what the movie will focus on, but it is definitely true that electric cars are seeing a reincarnation of sorts. Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and General Motors all have plans to create new electric or hybrid vehicles in the coming years, along with many other major automakers. Even if it isn't the beloved little coupe, we join Mr. Paine and the throngs of ex-EV1 drivers in welcoming the electric car's return.

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

At the big unveiling of the Chevy Volt, GM said the vehicle would be able to hold 12 gallons of liquid fuel and be able to go 640 miles on that energy and what was stored in the batteries. Well, that announcement was 18 months ago and things have changed since then. The latest that we've heard about is that the liquid fuel tank will be something smaller than the original estimate.

Kicking Tires quotes "a source" that says that the exact size of the smaller tank is not yet set but that, "We're working on that." The new goal is to give the Volt a range of 360 miles without any help from the initial charge, so that would imply a tank of maybe eight or so gallons - still plenty for most drivers most days in a PHEV like this. While the aerodynamics of the Volt have proven to be much more important than weight when it comes to increasing the miles per gallon number, every bit counts. We're waiting on a reply from GM to see if the smaller fuel tank move is official.

UPDATE: GM's response was that they will share "the detailed technical information on the production vehicle at the appropriate time."

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Travel options in Paris just got a happy new addition. A scooter taxi service (yes really!) that goes by the name of City Bird has just added a pair of Vectrix electric maxi-scooters to its fleet. Now, instead of riding to your favorite cafe or tourist attraction on the back of a Suzuki Burgman or Honda Goldwing, you can now travel carbon and noise pollution free on a stylishly painted (n'est-ce pas?) Vectrix.

If this whole two-wheel taxi thing seems a little strange to you and your French literacy is adequate (or you have Google translate) you can check out the company blog and learn everything there is to know about the concept. From what we understand, the prices are decent and you don't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic jams like you might in a four-wheeled taxi. You can order up your ride via the Internet or telephone. If you happen to have an excellent knowledge of Paris and its environs and are a licensed and experienced driver looking for a unique employment opportunity you might want to get in contact with them for that too. Thanks to Mike W. for the tip!

[Source: City Bird via Bikes in the Fastlane]

Click above on the Ego concept for more images of VW's 2028 concepts

Apparently, Volkswagen thinks its time for another weird and wacky look into the future. This time, the German automaker is gazing just twenty years ahead. The results of its future look are three virtual concept cars. Yes, all three are capable of driving themselves, as you would likely imagine. As would be expected of any self-respecting gaze into the future, petroleum is not part of the picture. In its place are biofuels for those who simply must have liquid fuels and, of course, electricity. We feel pretty confident that these projections are possible, but that's right about where any semblance to reality ends.

After taking a leisurely stroll through the über clean park, a father and his son are reminded that it is time to leave by a hologram. What car to have delivered? The VW One wouldn't do, as it only seats a single occupant. The VW Room is overkill, as it is intended for an entire family. So, the son chooses to summon an Ego, a two-seater sportscar concept complete with user-defined green flames.

[Source: Volkswagen 2028]

The first installment of Transformers pushed some serious gas guzzling on movie audiences by way of the upcoming Chevy Camaro (with V8 power, naturally) and a Hummer. Our esteemed Mr. Blanco was less than impressed by the movie's lack of green credentials. After all, being nothing more than a movie, a perfect opportunity presented itself to introduce the movie-going world to clean transportation. It now sounds as if Mr. Bay and General Motors have seen the green-tinted light, as rumors now suggest that GM's upcoming green poster-child will indeed make an appearance in the highly-anticipated Transformers sequel. We anxiously look forward to seeing the Chevy Volt in production form in the next Transformers movie, and it would be some serious icing on the cake if we witnessed it transform into some kind of awesome gas-guzzling-robot butt-kicker along the way.

Remember too that GM will be showcasing another gas-saving vehicle in the upcoming flick in the form of the Chevy Beat. For our two-wheeled fans in the reading audience, Mr. Bay will also be featuring a female robot in the form of a Pepto-pink Buell.

[Source: Reuters]

Until a couple of months ago, Mike Donoughe was a vice president at Chrysler and had been put in charge of the crash program to redesign the automaker's mid-sized sedans. Donoughe left Auburn Hills after 24 years and is now heading west to join Tesla Motors as Executive Vice President for vehicle development and manufacturing. In his new role Donoughe will be responsible for ongoing development and production of the Roadster as well as bringing the new Model S sedan to fruition sooner rather than later. Tesla has learned from the experience of trying to build the Roadster that while the fresh eyes of Silicon Valley may be helpful in creating new innovations, some experienced hands can be helpful with the more traditional parts of the process like dealing with suppliers and figuring out how to manufacture the all the bits and pieces and bolt them together. During our recent interview with Tesla Chairman Elon Musk, he indicated that several industry veterans would be coming aboard in the near future and Donoughe is just the first. The Tesla press release is after the jump.

[Source: Tesla Motors]

The Autoblog Green Podcast has finally reached our second dozen! Sebastian and Sam kicked it just before the July 4th holiday, and touched on the Tesla sedan, fuel prices making a possible case for economical vehicles to consumers, ethanol from invasive species, and the possibility of GM dusting off the EV1. Most importantly, the new design of AutoblogGreen is discussed a little bit, too. Thanks for listening, see you again soon!

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Why do so many people want to be hatin' on home electric vehicle conversions? When we featured Andrew Angellotti and his DIY Mazda pick-up truck conversion, a lot of people felt the need to criticize what this boy had done. Granted, there were some who defended him as well, but the very fact that people took the time to denegrate what he'd done was strange to me. Guess I shouldn't be surprised that something similar happened to Travis Gintz, the guy behind the eVFR (above).

It's taken quite a while to get to this stage, but Gintz wrote in to let us know that his electron-powered Honda VFR is finished. The other day, he took it to EV Awareness Day in Portland, Oregon. As Travis writes on his blog:

The first question out of everyone's mouth was "How far does it go"... to which I replied "15-20 miles on crappy used UPS batteries I got for free". I initially wanted to go with larger lead [acid batteries], but since these were free, I wanted to develop/test the mechanical first, and then upgrade to lithium in the fall. Its all working and now I can shop for alternatives to lead. Most people scoffed a little, I didn't care, Its quite a feat in a motorcycle, especially keeping it stock looking. I know what the end result will be.... LiFePo and AC will eventually find their way into that bike. It will perform well, and range will be 30-40 miles.

Compare this positivity to the negative comments some people feel the need to leave. Gintz said that the bike is now completely assembled, except for the turn signals and will be registered to be street-legal soon. We talked a bit with Travis about his project and you can read our interview after the jump.

UPDATE: picture updated at Travis' request.

Right now hardly seems like the time for General Motors to be planning a celebration. Its market share has dropped below twenty percent and it's burning through cash at a rate that has financial analysts everywhere warning of bankruptcy. Nonetheless companies don't turn 100 years old every day. With that in mind, GM is apparently planning something special for the big birthday party this September. In a bid to get people looking forward to the future rather than focusing on the apparent financial meltdown of the present, the guest of honor at the birthday party may be the production version of the Chevy Volt.

We all know that the design team lead by Bob Boniface has had to rework the Volt in order to get some decent aero numbers. The big question is how much will the design have to change from the original concept? However, even while looking ahead another two years to Job 1 for the Volt, the question of financials still can't be ignored. With battery packs that are expected to cost upwards of $10,000 per car at start of production, GM has already acknowledged that the price of the car will be higher than they hoped at launch and they are still likely to sell it at a loss. Unfortunately, GM doesn't have the luxury of profits elswhere in the company to subsidize the Volt the way Toyota did when they launched the Prius a decade ago. Regardless of the cash situation, this remains probably the most anticipated GM car in decades. Hopefully, it won't bankrupt the company in process of coming to fruition.

[Source: Reuters]

The rich folk of Hollywood, it's probably fair to say, switch out their bling mobiles on a pretty regular basis because, well, because they can. There are, however, a few who have embraced green transportation alternatives like Ed Begley Jr. (bicycle) and Darryl Hannah (former biodiesel El Camino owner). While George Clooney doesn't see himself as an environmental spokesperson per se, (he did, after all, make use of a private jet recently to get himself to the Venice film festival) he is pretty big on electric cars and believes they are the way of the future.

He's been driving his Tango by Commuter Cars since sometime back in 2005. That's like a decade in Hollywood years. Despite the strange looks and limited space it provides, Clooney hangs tough with his Tango while he waits somewhat impatiently for his ordered Tesla Roadster. He tells the Times Online that it can be a bit embarrassing sometimes driving it though, "...There's nowhere to hide, because it's just me behind the wheel and there isn't enough space for anyone else." Luckily the Tango is about as fast as the more traditional looking Tesla so when he feels the desire to make an exit, he can do so quickly. He should feel more relaxed in his Roadster, as well as less lonely, with its side-by-side seating, when it arrives later this year.

UPDATE: Typo fixed thanks to John M.

[Source: Times Online]

The U.S. Department of Energy today took the wraps off of an online Alternative Fuel Station Locator that should make it a bit easier to find the right fuel if you need something other than gasoline or diesel. Just put in your address, the fuel you're looking for, how wide a radius you'd like the database to include and presto. Instant results. As I still drive a gasoline-powered car (an efficient one, mind you), I can't personally judge the accuracy of the information for local pumps, but if you're knowledgeable about these sorts of things, give the online station locator a test and see how it does.

The DOE's map includes pumps/stations that offer:

• Biodiesel (B20 and above)
• Compressed Natural Gas
• Electric
• Ethanol (E85)
• Hydrogen
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane)

The database should be fairy accurate, as the DOE gathers it's information "from trade media, Clean Cities coordinators, and the submittal form on the AFDC Web site." Then, each station is contacted twice a year to make sure the fuel listed is still available at the site. Happy hunting.

[Source: DOE]

It's the "(Coming!) that gets us. In a funny and disrespectful Sunday comic about the high price of gasoline, Opus creator Berkeley Breathed illustrates the feelings of a lot of people in fine color. Sometimes you just want to gloat - it's too bad that we can't all do so quite yet. I've snipped a corner of the one-panel comic for our mostly family-safe viewing here on AutoblogGreen (you never know when someone will take issue with bare comic character butts in profile), but you should really check out the whole thing over at Salon. Breathed's fantasy PHEV doesn't quite look like any vehicle we know will hit the road in the next few years, but the fact that a plug-in hybrid is indeed Coming! is true (see: Saturn VUE)

If you've got a few more minutes, check out these other related green car cartoons:

• Dilbert
• CARtoons
• Diesel Sweeties

h/t to Paul S.

[Source: Salon]

While we've featured many alternatively-powered cars on AutoblogGreen, this may be the first one that is fueled by the imagination. If you've been perusing the iMiEV microsite we told you about the other day you may have noticed a paper craft section. It's a special place that fans of the Mitsubishi iMiEV (other Mitsu models are also there) can go to and download a PDF file containing a magical pattern that was conjured up by Akira Mizorogi. This can then be printed out, cut out, folded and glued to become a mini version of the micro electric car. Although the cutting may be achieved with scissors, an exacto knife and cutting mat is recommended. Small, childlike fingers and a grandparent's patience may also come in handy.

Because of the inexpensive properties of paper automobiles, we were able to get our hands on three of these little beauties, instead of the usual single model, to put through their paces. The cars were pretty much identical with each having unlimited amounts of power and speed. A few runs through the cones revealed handling that was superb as long as you kept a gentle grip. One car had a little better fit and finish which was chalked up to assembly by a different team. We expect the electric versions to be more uniform and also more silent, since the vehicles we had were for some reason equipped with some sort of sound effects device that reproduced the noises of a gas-powered car.

The trio were driven across varying terrain including a redwood forest (pictured above), a grassy savanna, as well as the usual concrete and asphalt. A word of caution. It's a dangerous world out there for paper cars so beware of puddles and large furry beasts who might mistake your iMiEV for a mouse. Check out the gallery of our paper iMiEV adventures below. Many thanks to Yanquetino for the tip!


[Source: Mitsubishi]

An attentive Tesla fan happened to be driving past the site of the future Tesla store in Menlo Park, CA recently and took a photo while sitting a traffic light. Closer inspection revealed an unusual Dodge Magnum sitting at the site. Now a Magnum with a steel wheel might not draw much attention on it's own. However, closer inspection of the image also revealed an absent tailpipe and license plate. Since development is going hot and heavy on the new Model S sedan, the photographer realized he might have stumbled across something interesting. I checked with Darryl Siry (Tesla's Marketing VP) and he confirmed that the Magnum in Question is indeed one of several different car platforms being used as mules for the WhiteStar/Model S program. As is typically the case, car makers use other existing vehicles that are similar in size and weight for various early hardware tests. In this case, the Magnum is being used for powertrain development. The Magnum body shouldn't be taken as any kind of indicator of the shape of the Model S. However, there are other clues. The Magnum has a 120 inch wheelbase and weighs in at 3,800lbs. Strip out the existing power train and other hardware and replace it with a battery pack and motor and you might be in similar range for the Model S. Since a Roadster weighs over 2,700 lbs with a carbon fiber body, the aluminum-bodied Model S is likely to be somewhere close to 4,000lbs with a battery pack in place. More hints as they become available.

[Source: Tesla Motors Club]

The gang from Tesla left their Silicon Valley home base to pay a visit to the vicinity of the Big Apple this week. Part of the purpose of the trip was to spend some time with some of the people in the area who've plunked down cash toward a Roadster but haven't yet taken delivery (which would be almost everyone on the customer list at this point). One interesting note in the article from Greenwich Time is the length of time required to charge up the Roadster's battery. They note that charging the battery from a normal household outlet could take up to 30 hours. The Roadster's battery has a capacity of 53kWh. Tesla quotes a charge time of 3-3.5, but that is based on charging from a 220V 80A circuit. If, on the other hand, you plug the car into a typical outlet in your living room, you would only have 15A flowing at 110V. That's 53,000W / (110V * 15) = 32.12 hours. So if you plan to get yourself a plug-in electric car with any kind of serious range, be prepared to have an electrician install a high current outlet to charge it. At the very least you'll want a 220V/40A circuit for overnight charging in 6-7 hours.

[Source: Greenwich Time]