General Motors are ready to offer a great helping hand to the American electric vehicle industry by opening a new battery pack plant in Michigan – the nation’s first such plant operated by an American automobile company. The plant is located in Brownstown Township, and will assemble batteries for the Chevrolet Volt.

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The effect of millions of electric vehicles connecting to the grid during peak hours has been feared and discussed since long. While charging vehicles during off-peak hours may be good for utilities, in an interesting turn it may even earn some money for the owners. More specifically, EV/PHEV owners in West Texas and Illinois are being paid to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours, and that’s clean wind energy we’re speaking of.
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Many people are looking these days for eco-friendly alternative for their daily commuting. With that in mind the good folks from Blue Sky Designs, came out with a DIY electric vehicle that you can afford. Dubbed BugEV, the kit for the three wheeled single-seater car/bike is made out of 72 pieces and reaches about 50mph with a maximum range of 30 miles at 30mph average speeds.

The basic kit for that little bugger starts at $3,500 (shipping not included) and gets up to $5,300 for the full version with all the extras. Looking at it again and it does make a good first impressions even though it only covers the front and the top, and forgets about the back.

Definitely not for winter commuting, but a step forward in experimenting with an electric ride. We’d definitely try it out at least once. How about you guys? [BugEV via Zoomilife]

In age of the media and the internet, it would be real hard to keep a product under the wrap for a longtime and to unveil it on a grand stage in order to create a huge surprise. Leaks, spy shots and media intrusion have put an end to most surprises, but Chrysler has managed to pull off a complete surprise with its new c Electric Vehicle.

It was not until their presentation of upcoming electric vehicles at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, that the world had an idea about the 200C and for a company as big as Chrysler that is some surprise.

The fascinating thing is that the new electric vehicle will be in direct competition with the Chevy Volt and that really is an unexpected jolt. The 200C EV is an extended-range electric vehicle that has a mileage of around 40 miles on its electric motor and a good 400 miles when you use the assistance of the gas motor. With sleek curves from and better aerodynamics taken from the 300C, it reduces drag and further improves efficiency.

On the inside the 200C sports cool multimedia systems, touchscreen displays and even a tablet PC for the passengers (your kids should love it).

With the current state of the auto industry being real bad, it is all the more surprising and pleasantly refreshing to see Chrysler go green with another of their vehicles. This surely sets the tone for the future as every automaker has realized now that ‘green’ is the path towards future. [via New York Times]