Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sat, Mar 28, 2026 11:39 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

Electric Vehicle Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. Electric motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. They are also around three times as efficient as cars with an internal combustion engine. The first electric cars were produced in the 1880s. Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in batteries and energy management, concerns about increasing oil prices, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to promote the introduction and adoption in the mass market of new electric vehicles depending on battery size and their all-electric range. Electric cars are significantly quieter than conventional internal combustion engine automobiles. They do not emit tailpipe pollutants, giving a large reduction of local air pollution, and, can give a significant reduction in total greenhouse gas and other emissions (dependent on the method used for electricity generation). As of September 2015, there are over 30 models of highway legal all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available for retail sales, mainly in the United States, China, Japan, Western European countries. By mid-September 2015, about 620,000 light-duty electric vehicles have been sold worldwide out of total global sales of one million plug-in electric cars sold since 2008. The world's top selling highway-capable electric car is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010 and sold in 46 countries. Global Leaf sales passed the 200,000 unit milestone in December 2015, and the Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, ranks second with over 107,000 units sold worldwide. In this series, we cover stories covering the development of electric vehicles around the world.

Electric Vehicle Series

How Dyson can offer a challenge to Tesla and the electric car giants

Apr 04, 2016 15:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business

British vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson may be steering into a brand new market. News that the company owned by inventor and entrepreneur, James Dyson, has received UK government research funds for electric vehicle...

Electric Vehicle Series

Digital Currency Revolution

BitGo Engineer Preorders Tesla Model 3 Using Bitcoin

Apr 04, 2016 10:39 am UTC| Digital Currency

Mainstream bitcoin adoption still remains a much debated topic. However, the use of digital currencies as a payment method has been consistently growing. Although their potential to replace conventional fiat currencies...

Electric Vehicle Series

Tesla's gamble on its 'affordable' electric car

Apr 04, 2016 09:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Business

Tesla announced what it calls its most affordable electric vehicle in the Model 3 last week. The car can now be ordered with a deposit of A$1,500 in Australia (US$1,000 in the United States) but wont be delivered until...

Electric Vehicle Series

Tesla Unveils $35k Model 3 Electric Car for the Masses

Apr 01, 2016 08:52 am UTC| Technology

Tesla has finally unveiled the much-awaited Model 3 electric car at the companys design studio in Hawthorne, California, The Verge reported. CEO Elon Musk hopes the new variant will take the electric car to the masses....

Electric Vehicle Series

Graphite: to capitalise Australia needs to invest in conversion

Mar 23, 2016 02:48 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australia can capitalise on graphite if it considers new technologies that convert it to synthetic diamonds and for use in creating carbon fibres, rather than just mining the mineral. Graphite is a form of carbon, the...

Electric Vehicle Series

Lithium: Australia needs to recycle and lease to be part of the boom

Mar 22, 2016 00:56 am UTC| Insights & Views

Australia has an opportunity to capitalise on the increasing global demand for lithium batteries by developing recycling systems and creating models for leasing the resource. Lithium is the third element in the periodic...

Electric Vehicle Series

Climate Change Series

Will cheap gas at the pump stall progress on car emissions?

Mar 18, 2016 00:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Retail gasoline prices are now as low as they were in the roaring 90s. The 1990s, that is, when the energy crisis of the 1970s had faded from American consumers memories, the economy was strong and the market share of...

11 12 13 14 15

Economy

EU and CPTPP Nations Push for Landmark Digital Trade Agreement

The European Union and member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) have officially agreed to pursue a groundbreaking digital trade deal, marking a potentially...

Cybersecurity Stocks Tumble After Anthropic's Claude Mythos AI Leak Sparks Market Fears

Major cybersecurity stocks took a sharp hit Friday following reports that Anthropic accidentally exposed details about its next-generation AI model before its official launch. CrowdStrike fell 7%, Palo Alto Networks...

Gold Prices Rise Amid Geopolitical Tensions and Safe Haven Demand

Gold prices climbed on Friday, positioning the precious metal for a weekly gain as investors retreated from riskier assets and sought refuge in safe haven investments like bullion and the U.S. dollar. The move came amid...

Oil Prices Surge Past $100 as U.S.-Iran Peace Hopes Collapse

Global oil markets turned sharply higher on Friday as diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran appeared to unravel, pushing Brent crude above $100 per barrel for the first time in recent weeks. The escalation...

NASDAQ Tech Selloff: Correction or Collapse? What Analysts Are Saying

The NASDAQ Composite has officially entered correction territory, posting its sharpest valuation decline since the dotcom era as markets react to escalating U.S.-Iran military tensions. While the selloff has rattled...

Politics

Trump Warns "Cuba Is Next" Amid U.S. Military Posturing in the Region

Speaking at a Miami investment forum on Friday, President Donald Trump issued a striking warning toward Cuba, declaring Cuba is next while highlighting recent U.S. military operations against Venezuela and Iran. Though he...

Nepal's Ex-PM K.P. Sharma Oli Arrested Over Deadly 2024 Anti-Corruption Protests

Nepals former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli was arrested Saturday morning as authorities launched a formal investigation into his alleged negligence during violent anti-corruption protests that claimed 76 lives last...

U.S.-Iran War Update: Rubio Says Conflict Could End in Weeks as Strikes Escalate

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Friday that U.S. military operations against Iran are progressing ahead of schedule, with officials expecting the conflict to wrap up within weeks rather than months. Speaking after...

Trump Questions U.S. Commitment to NATO Amid European Tensions

President Donald Trump once again cast doubt on Americas dedication to NATO on Friday, declaring that the United States does not have to be there for the alliance remarks that have reignited global concerns about the...

Russia and Iran Explore Diplomatic Path Amid Middle East Conflict

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi on Friday, with both sides exploring the possibility of a political and diplomatic resolution to the ongoing military crisis in the...

Science

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Technology

Chinese Universities with PLA Ties Found Purchasing Restricted U.S. AI Chips Through Super Micro Servers

Procurement records reveal that four Chinese universities, two of which have direct ties to the Peoples Liberation Army, acquired Super Micro Computer servers loaded with restricted Nvidia AI chips over the past year. The...

Federal Judge Blocks Pentagon's Blacklisting of AI Company Anthropic

A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Pentagon from enforcing its designation of Anthropic as a national security supply-chain risk, dealing an early blow to the Trump administration in a growing dispute over...

SMIC Allegedly Supplies Chipmaking Tools to Iran's Military, U.S. Officials Warn

Chinas top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), has reportedly been transferring chipmaking equipment to Irans military industrial complex, according to two senior Trump...

Google's TurboQuant Algorithm Sends Memory Chip Stocks Tumbling

Major memory chipmakers took a significant hit on Thursday after Google researchers introduced a groundbreaking compression algorithm that threatens to reduce artificial intelligence demand for memory chips. Samsung...

Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round

Nvidia-backed artificial intelligence startup Reflection AI is in advanced discussions to secure $2.5 billion in fresh funding, with negotiations pointing to a staggering pre-money valuation of $25 billion, according to a...