Things are improving when it comes to electric cars, and the new Tesla Model S, the all-electric 4-door sedan is here to confirm.

Tesla Model S, the all-electric 4-door sedan

With similar specs to Tesla Roadster, the new Model S is a 5 passenger car that gets a 240 miles range with a full charge and goes from 0 to 100km/h in just 6 seconds, which is fast for an emission-free vehicle. Unlike the $109,000 Tesla Roadster, if ever built (heard rumors saying late 2010), the new Model S will only cost like $60,000.

However, there is a bad part of the story, and that’s Tesla’s refocusing that got them to lay off 25-percent of their workers and to fire their CEO. I just hope the economic downturn won’t get these guys, because they have some pretty good ideas (and designs) over there. - via UberGizmo

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As car manufacturers are venturing into making electric cars to beat the high costs of fuel, a 17 year old, Lucas Laborde, has already built an electric car with a difference.

It took him 150 hours to convert a normal gas powered car into one that runs on electricity. Luke, as he is known to his friends and relatives, hopes to drive to the high school, in his new creation, soon. The gas powered car, was bought for him by his father, who owns a hydraulics maintenance and repair company in down town San Antonio.

Bradley GT II - owned by Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com

It was a Bradley GT II kit car and was bought from eBay for $5,000. But Luke also had to spend another $4,700 for the electric power conversion parts and $1,000 for the batteries so that he can modify the car according to the design he had in mind.

Laborde, an active member of the golf team at ISA, is planning a career in sports business but if his dream car makes it big, he would be a happier person. - via Manufacturing

Image Credit - Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com

The president of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Osamu Masuko, said Monday that that Mitsubishi is currently developing a plug-in hybrid car. The automaker has plans to develop a plug-in hybrid and launch a mass-produced electric vehicle next year in Japan.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Masuko opined that the plug-in hybrid will be a better suit for longer distances than an electric car. U,. Mitsubishi is a bit late to the party, no? But, then I guess it is better late than never.

Meanwhile, GMC, Ford and Chrysler continue to restructure.

Italian coachbuilder Castagna says it can turn a Fiat 500 into a tender or two. And they did it in six quick steps.

1. First they had to remove the top, remove the doors and the tailgate

2. Then they enlarged the sills, but kept some semblance of structural integrity

3. Removed the entire interior

4. Replaced the interior with some canvas for weather protection

5. Then they had to remove the internal combustion engine and all attachments to install an electric drive train that can motor the thing up to 80 mph and hope the car can stay charged long enough to go 80 miles.

6. Wonder … what in the world have I been doing to this nice car?

Seriously, even though it looks really well and doesn’t pollute the air, there’s got to be a better way. If we want the world to go green, we got to find easier and cheaper ways than this. Right?

Japanese policemen will be saving us from bad guys and saving the planet’s resources at the same time. Well, at least they will be doing the second. The truth is, Japanese police have never been too good at catching the bad guys.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will supply new vehicles, the Mitsubishi MiEV, to Japanese in Kanagawa prefecture, home to Yokohama. The electric car has a top speed of 130 kph and can travel 160km on a charge.

The mini patrol car won’t need much speed, however, because it will be used to track illegally parked cars. How fast do you need to go to do that?

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John McCain wants to save fuel and reduce emissions. (Don’t we all?)  If elected he is willing to earmark $300 million to encourage innovation on a new car battery. I wonder if he couldn’t just buy the technology from Toyota for about half that price. That $300 million is equal to everyone in the United States ponying up $1. McCain wants to do better than Toyota’s hybrid technology.

McCain says the battery should have the “size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.  My administration will issue a Clean Car Challenge to the automakers of America, in the form of a single and substantial tax credit based on the reduction of carbon emissions. For every automaker who can sell a zero-emissions car, we will commit a 5,000 dollar tax credit for each and every customer who buys that car.“

A $5000 tax credit? Will that go for anyone buying the Honda FCX Clarity? McCain says that if the US can do Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Apollo moon landings, silicon chips and the Internet, then surely we can do a zero emission battery.

“For all the troubles and dangers our energy vulnerability presents, we know that we can overcome them, because we have overcome far worse problems and met far greater goals.”

So, what do you think? Does America have what it takes?

The Norwegians are on to something. Think Global is the company and Think City is their electric car that can go 110 miles without a recharge. Apart from meeting all US and European safety standards, the two-seater also packs very good performances and tops at 65mph.

Assembled in Southern California, Think City will be sold for less than $25K and the company “could be selling as many as 50,000 units in two or three years.”

Think Chief Executive Jan-Olaf Willums said test vehicles will be brought to the U.S. in coming months. He also said that a convertible Think City model, is in development. Can you imagine wind blowing through your hair at 65mph, without harming the environment?

Now if they could just come up with a better name…

Here’s a quick pictures gallery if you still need to be convinced !!! (thanks to mr.frego)

See also -

The “Microjoule” does 7,148 mpg - beat that!