Well, it certainly looks cool, but by calling it a pick-up – are the marketers at Smart trying too hard to win over a truck-crazed American market who are allergic to electric vehicles? The Smart For-Us concept features a 75-horsepower electric motor and a 17.6 kW/h lithium ion battery pack (more than the Chevy Volt.)

Smart claims that this little zoomer can get from zero to 60 times in five seconds and that it will have a top speed of 80 mph, along with a battery that will charge to almost full from almost empty within a few hours. Calling it a pick-up is ambitious, but for a SmartCar – the 11.6 cubic feet of space in this model is more than we expected.

The car was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit’s Cobo Center. In the most recent press release by the company, the CEO – Annette Winkler said “We at smart love pickups – if they are small on the outside, large on the inside, very safe and extremely comfortable. With the smart for-us, a petrol station is no longer needed.”

This vehicle cannot possibly replace the more traditional idea of a pick-up truck, and you won’t be seeing these little EV’s working a farm anytime soon, but for use by urban dwellers, the Smart For-Us pickup could be perfect for around town use. As usual, we look forward to seeing what this innovative company does next.

If you are looking for a fleet of electric SUVs, your search may be over soon. The Cincinnati-based Amp Electric has developed electric vehicle technology for use in one of America’s iconic SUVs. With production expected in the summer or fall of 2012, the Amp Electric Grand Cherokee will be introduced to fleet markets first. The electric vehicle technology has been fitted to the Jeep Grand Cherokee in an effort to offer another SUV option that is more eco-friendly.

As a new contender in the green vehicle market, Amp Electric has experienced little to no support from established automakers to offer this vehicle option. For starters, producing the Amp Electric Grand Cherokee requires buying Grand Cherokees from Jeep and refitting them with electric components. This leaves behind mechanical components that Chrysler is not interested in reclaiming. To date, Amp Electric does not have a glider contract with Chrysler so that Amp Electric can purchase vehicles without and engine and transmission. However, this could become an option in the future.

So far, this vehicle is one the only major offering of an SUV that is totally electric. The Amp Electric Grand Cherokee is powered by 153 kW Remy AC motors. Though a supplier has yet to be determined, the current model features a 37.6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. The company boasts a zero to 60 time under 10 seconds and a range between 80 and 100 miles on a full charge.

Just like many new technologies, you will have to spend more to have among the first. Expect to pay around $50,000 for the 2WD version. A 4WD option will cost you about $2,000 more, but may be worth the expense for those jobs that require off-road ventures. These prices are about the same as SUVs with hybrid technology.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these green vehicles in the near future, your best bet is to be a fleet manager. Until the market proves stable and sustainable enough for individuals to purchase them, plan on otherwise watching them hum through your neighborhood. After this new offering has proven viable through mass purchasing in fleets, individual consumers are expected to have the opportunity to buy them as well.

Elon Musk, Tesla’s point man, has announced that the company’s electric crossover will be unveiled on Feb. 9 at the company’s design studio in Hawthorne, Calif.

People are pretty excited about the crossover EV, as it will feature seven-passenger seating, something that Tesla is not famous for. They say the Model X will be the perfect family vehicle, with tons of room. The powertrain and battery options are similar to Tesla Model S, so experts think that there will be some definite decrease in the battery range because of all that extra weight and drag.

Tesla expects to build 15,000 units per year at its Fremont, Calif., factory, and suggest that the production Model X will be available in 2014.

Tesla has over 2,000 Roadsters out on the pavement all over the world, and their Model S, their first sedan, goes on the market later this year.

The Ford Focus Electric vehicle is an eco-friendly vehicle manufactured by Ford Motors Incorporated. It does not depend on gas or oil to run. It runs through electricity produced by a lithium-ion battery. Thus, it does not release harmful gases that cause pollution.

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric Vehicle was launched by Ford late this year. Its been branded by the company to be a green car but not only because it does not emit gas but also because it used recycled and reusable materials for its interiors and structure.

According to the Ford, the car seat foam inserts are made from soy product, which makes it lighter. Some materials are also made of wood fiber. These materials were ideal to be used because they are light weight. The lighter the electric vehicle is, the more efficient its battery becomes.

The 2012 Ford Focus includes a function that automatically calculates the electricity spent from using the air conditioner and other car accessories which make it easier for the driver to determine the capacity or driving range of the car. Ford also joined forces with Mapquest to customize map routes for easy driving experience. Also, it has the MyFord mobile app which calculates the distance traveled and the energy used. It help estimate the driving capacity of the electric vehicle so that the driver can also determine whether he has to recharge the battery or not.

The most innovative feature of for the 2012 model is the addition of “Mykey” technology. Drivers can customize the driving program of the other family members, which can set a maximum speed limit for a driver or efficient programming to prolong the battery life. This can help lower the car insurance rates for your family car.

But like other vehicles, of course, the car has its share of disadvantages. Since it runs thru lithium-ion battery system, it is also bound with the disadvantages of lithium-ion battery. So when the battery gets old, it may no longer charge properly, like other batteries, and it will affect the battery life. Thus the Focus may have to be charged frequently because of the reduced battery
efficiency.

Ford, being a pioneer in car industry, already have their research and development department working in full force to address these issues.

The Nissan Leaf has won Car of the Year Japan for 2011-2012, according to the executive committee for the award announced at the Tokyo Auto Show.

The Leaf is Nissan’s first mass-produced electric car and since then they’ve moved just over 20,000 vehicles. The EV is powered by lithium ion batteries and can reach 200 kilometers for every charge. Crash test ratings for the Nissan Leaf are indicative of the many safety features – which will lower your car insurance as well as keeping you and your family safe.

“Nissan is proud to announce that its 100 percent electric Leaf car has won the Japanese Car of the Year prize. All these accolades show that zero-emission vehicles can clearly be competitive alternatives to conventional ones,” Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said.

The Leaf also won the RJC Car of the Year award this year by the Automotive Researchers’ and Journalists’ Conference of Japan.

Electric car startup Aptera Motors has folded. The company, which had some pretty good investors (Google and NRG Energy were two) announced last week that that they were immediately folding the company due to lack of funds.closing its doors, effective today” because it ran out of money.

Aptera, which was started in the state of California, was hoping for a federal loan so they could begin production on their first electric vehicle. The company said it was close to securing a $150 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, but it couldn’t secure the private invest money they needed to finish the loan application process.

The Department of Energy said that the company didn’t clear accomplish either task needed to secure the money, and that was getting a conditional loan commitment and then closing the loan.

GM has started to contact Volt owners, offering free loaner cars while federal regulators investigate reports of fires associated with damage to the battery in a crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started to look into lithium-ion batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles after a Chevy Volt caught fire in a storage facility this summer, after it went through a side-impact crash test. The crash text damaged the Volt’s battery and ruptured the coolant line, resulting in an electrical fire even after a significant amount of time had passed.

The NHTSA announced that they are launching a formal defect investigation into Chevy Volt batteries.

“NHTSA is not aware of any roadway crashes that have resulted in battery-related fires in Chevy Volts or other vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries,” an NHTSA release said. “However, the agency is concerned that damage to the Volt’s batteries as part of three tests that are explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios have resulted in fire. NHTSA is therefore opening a safety defect investigation of Chevy Volts, which could experience a battery-related fire following a crash. Chevy Volt owners whose vehicles have not been in a serious crash do not have reason for concern.”

Here’s the official statement from the NHTSA on the Volt battery fire issue.

Volkswagen has plans in motion to manufacture their electric vehicles in China starting in 2013. Because they are counting on China to pass GM and Toyota as the world’s biggest automaker by 2018, they are putting their chips into the nation that they believe will be able to meet the demand for cars that are less polluting.

VW may build two electric models with venture partners in China, said Karl-Thomas Neumann, chief executive officer and president of the Wolfsburg, Germany- based automaker’s China unit. The models may have a range of 100 kilometers to 200 kilometers, he said.

VW recently announced that they were going to launch electric cars in China under a new Kaili brand together with FAW Group. Spokesman Andreas Hoffbauer was saying that “The Chinese government has been encouraging joint ventures of foreign car manufacturers to develop indigenous brands”.

Reports are coming in for auto sales last month, and the GM’s plug-in hybrid – the Chevy Volt – has outsold the Nissan Leaf in monthly sales for the first time.

In October, General Motors sold 1,108 Chevy Volts to Nissan’s 849 Leafs. The Leaf has consistently beaten he Volt in sales, leading many to believe that the Volt was destined to fail. This jump is likely due to the fact that the Volt is available in far more markets than the Leaf currently. GM now has 2,200 Volt dealers across the country in 27 states.

“The Chevy Volt outsold the Nissan Leaf this month now that GM finally got some production, added more dealers and did significant advertising on the vehicle in October,” said Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs. “Chevrolet had a significant advertising presence on the Volt and other models during the much-watched Major League Baseball playoffs and World Series, and that really helped build awareness.”

Tesla seems well on it’s way to world luxury EV domination as its just announced plans to expand their retail stores to three new markets. All three will take place in the month of November, starting with an opening at the Bellevue Square center in Washington, followed by Oakbrook Center in Chicago and a Fashion Island store in Newport Beach, California.

Each of the outlets works in conjunction with service centers set up in the same locales. “Tesla is reinventing the way people buy cars, with stores designed to engage and inform prospective customers,” said Tesla CEO and Co-founder Elon Musk. “Located in high foot-traffic locations, Tesla stores are designed to introduce people to Tesla’s advanced electric car technology and show the benefits of driving electric. Tesla stores lay the groundwork for the distribution of Model S today and increasingly affordable electric vehicles tomorrow.”