Faraday Future's Zero1 Concept: the Real-Life Homer

If you didn't catch the Faraday Future reveal of its ultra-secretive Zero1 Concept vehicle last night, you didn't miss much. I watched it online and immediately wanted that 45 minutes of my life back. The really sad part was I was excited to see what the company had in store, because I'm all for shaking things up and getting more electric cars out there.

What a Mysterious Car Fire Reveals About Electric Vehicle Technology

Tesla Model S. Photo courtesy of Tesla Motors.

Just over the weekend, a car at a Ken Garff dealership in Orem, Utah mysterious caught fire. It was given a little mention on the news here, with people wondering if someone was trying to vandalize vehicles on the lot. According to the news, the local police don't think it was a case of arson, and that's where the whole issue gets interesting.

Volkswagen Is Working On a New Image

2016 Volkswagen e-Golf. Images courtesy of VW.

Volkswagen's public image is a bloodied, disgusting mess as it should be. After all, it's not everyday that an automaker has systematically gamed governments around the globe, putting everyone's health at risk in the process. It will be living the whole Dieselgate scandal down for years to come, which is exactly why VW needs to work extra hard on creating a new image.

Jaguar Land Rover Working On Several Electric Vehicles

Photos courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover

While everyone's raving about the new Tesla Model X, few people took note of another important announcement in the quest to electrify SUVs: Jaguar Land Rover is working on several concept models that could one day lead to an electric off-road machine.

The 2012 Nissan Leaf

2012 Nissan Leaf. Photos courtesy of Nissan

Nissan jumped into the electric car arena with the Leaf, the compact hatchback providing average people a way to skip gas pumps altogether. Unlike the hybrid cars on the market which use a combination of an electric motor and a gasoline engine, the 2012 Nissan Leaf has only one motor and runs solely on electric power. The car provides a driving experience that closely mirrors that of driving a gas-powered car, including a brisk acceleration ability that comes in handy when merging on the freeway, tight handling dynamics as well as a top speed of 90 mph.

The 2012 Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S. Images courtesy of Tesla Motors.

The 2012 Tesla Model S is the electric luxury car that has proven many a critic wrong as it converts even more people into electric car believers. The Model S comes with stunning good looks both on the outside and in, along with the feel of an internal combustion car and the same modern conveniences.

Enough With the Tesla Fanatics!

Photos courtesy of Tesla Motors

I like Tesla Motors, I really do. Every time I see a Model S on the roads around here (which lately seems to be just about every other day) I stop and stare longer than normal and point it out to my kids. What Elon Musk has accomplished the past several years has been amazing and is commendable on many levels. 

Still, I'm getting tire of all the Tesla fanatics. 

Tesla Loses in Utah

Tesla Model S - photo courtesy of Tesla Motors

Just a quick update: you still can't buy a Tesla car here in Utah. I've lived in Utah for well over a decade and used to be under the impression that people here were all about free markets. That perception has changed in recent years as I've realized that such talk isn't as prevalent as I had previously thought.

BMW Gets Back Into the Game

With the Super Bowl approaching everyone is of course getting all excited about the most important part of the game: the commercials. I"m not just saying that because my team isn't in the showdown, but because there are many individuals who don't even like football yet they watch just for the ads. 

Tesla Versus Dodge Drag Race: My View

A video is spreading around the Internet like wildfire right now. It features a Tesla Model S P85D drag racing a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. The big deal is that the Tesla, which is an electric car, absolutely destroys the Challenger. Quite a few people without any real knowledge of both cars are throwing around ignorant, poorly-formed opinions about the race. Considering that and my expertise as an automotive writer, I cannot help but jump in and give my two cents, so here we go.

Proof that Germans are Weird

Photos courtesy of Daimler

As an automotive journalist I get all kinds of press releases and other things sent to me. Since I deal with companies spread around the world, that means the stuff is constantly pouring in at all hours, every day of the year. I have to ignore a fair amount of it, because it is an information dump. Every once in a while there's something just completely weird tucked in with new vehicle announcements, technological breakthroughs, and smiling PR photos. I received just such a thing recently from Daimler.

Apparently Driving an Electric Car is Good For Your Health

Photo courtesy of GM

It might seem odd, but there is some unscientific (read: anecdotal) evidence that suggests driving an electric car is beneficial to one's health. It doesn't have to do with EV owners eating more kale or other so-called "superfoods." Instead, it's a horrible habit that's cut out from their usual routine.

Chevrolet Looks to Make New Volt Easier to Charge

2016 Chevrolet Volt. Photos courtesy of GM.

Chevy's been pretty tight-lipped about the 2016 Volt, which launches a new generation of the controversial range-extended electric car. A few details have come out officially, and among what we know now is that there will be some interesting features that will making charging the car easier.

Why All the Hate for Fuel Cell Vehicles?

Honda FCV Concept. Photo courtesy of Honda.

There has been considerable push-back against fuel cell vehicles recently, leading some automakers that are pushing the technology to step up their efforts to educate the public about its benefits. One of the funniest things about the efforts being made against fuel cell vehicles is that they are coming from electric vehicle proponents.

Gas is Getting Cheap, and That's Bad

Photo by Markus Spiske

Everyone's getting excited that gas prices are dropping, because everyone knows that's just a good thing, right? Well, sometimes the truth is counter-intuitive and it sounds like that's the case with gas prices right now.

Tesla Model X Delivery Postponed. Nobody is Shocked.

2015 Tesla Model X. Photos courtesy of Tesla Motors.

At this point, it's pretty much a given that the Tesla Model X will be delayed. The Model S was as well, leading critics a few years ago to call the luxury electric sedan "vaporware." So anyone who has plunked a deposit down on a Model X is going to have to wait even longer, again.

The BMW i3 is Not What You Think

BMW i3. Photos courtesy of  BMW.

Most people admittedly know very little about the BMW i3. I'm not going to bore you with all kinds of information about the car's specs and technical data -- you can get that and more on BMW's website. Instead, I want to explain what the car is really all about, because I seriously doubt most people get it.

Surprise! The 2016 Chevy Volt Will Come with a Bigger Engine

Teaser image of the 2016 Volt. Image courtesy of GM.

One of the unique features of the Chevy Volt is that it uses a hybrid powertrain setup, although it's not like what you might be thinking. Instead of being able to drive using just the electric motor, the gasoline engine, or a combination of the two, the Volt is only propelled forward by the electric motor. The gasoline engine is really just a generator that replenishes the battery when it is depleted.

Electric Cars Are Dropping Like Flies!

Is it just me or does the Coda Sedan look a little too much like an old Civic?

There are many critics of electric cars, especially people who work in the petroleum industry (that's slightly a joke, but only slightly). People cite the limited range of electric cars as a concern as well as battery problems, battery replacement costs, extra strains put on maxed-out electricity delivery systems, etc.

The Second Coming of Saab

Saab PhoeniX Concept Car

People love a good comeback story, the kind where a person overcomes seemingly impossible obstacles, and Saab right now might be shaping up to be that kind of a story. Many people decided the brand was deader than dead three years ago when talk of bankruptcy and winding down the brand  was first brought up by General Motors management. After languishing for a while, the Swedish automotive brand finally seemed to succumb to the many factors that caused its demise. Many kind eulogies were written for the brand and then everyone seemed to move on.