Continuing our coverage of Oshkosh, here's an electric plane that can fly for 1.5-2 hours at 70mph. The engine takes about two hours to recharge, which is a great flight to charge ratio, and a charge only consumes about $0.75 worth of electricity.

Flying thrills for less than $ 0.50 an hour ... I call that amazing!

Filed under: flight, electric plane, plane, and electric

Today, the Lightning car company of the UK introduced a new electric supercar, in many ways similiar to the Tesla Roadster. There are two great things about the new entrant.

First, it has absolutely stunning styling - it looks like those absolutely stunning long-hooded Jaguar XK coupes you still see floating around and falling apart.

Second, you can charge it in an instant - under 10 minutes - which is a huge advantage compared to the multi-hour charge regime required by the Tesla.

But there are two little problems.

First, the price of 120,000 pounds seems in line with the Tesla's 110,000 US dollars ... until you realize a UK pound is worth about $2. So the LIghtning costs a whopping $240,000. Ouch.

Second, the ten minute charge is only if you have 480 volt three phase power, which you have in your home only if it's one of those giant compounds on ten acres in the Malibu hills. Alas, if you have a more normal 110 or 220 volt service, a charge will take about as long as a Tesla.

The company wants to offer public charging stations in Tesco stores, but given that their car is $240,000 it doesn't seem like the company wouod be interested. (Tesco is a large-scale grocery chain, a bit classier than Wal*Mart but the same basic idea.)

So this looks like a very interesting entrant into the elite electric car stakes. I wish both them and Tesla the best.

Filed under: tesla, lightning, electric car, and sports car

It was done about ten years ago. Fortunately, battery technology is a lot better today, since his range was between 8 and 15 miles - barely enough to get to the market in most communities!

But I still admire his tenacity, hard work and good taste in choosing a 911 instead of something drab and dull.

The car is now for sale on eBay; hopefully a new owner will pick up the torch and improve range and power.

Filed under: 911 and electric car

So what are they like, the available electric cars? WhatCar magazine decided to do a group test, between a Fiat, a NICE Mega City, a G-Whiz and a Smart.

The Fiat wast most car-like and had the best range, but blew a fuse or two on the way and was by far the most expensive at 30,000 pounds, or almost $60,000. Top speed is a nearly civilized 75mph.

The Smart was easily the best built, garnering very good crash ratings, had the second best range (but that's only 71 miles) and reaches a top speed of 60 mph.

The other cars made those figures look good.

A video of the test is at the link. The testers clearly looked forward to the more advanced American products, the Tesla Roadster and the Chevy Volt. Either car would make those look laughable, but unfortunately the Tesla's production line seems to have stalled, and the Volt won't be ready for another two years yet.

Filed under: smart, g-wiz, nice mega city, fiat doblo, electric cars, test, and tesla

This CNN article lists five promising future energy projects, from solar panels on top of Google's office buildings (left) to harnessing the ocean's tidal forces.

All these could someday power your Tesla Roadster or GM Volt.

Filed under: energy, power, and electricity

This compressed air powered car is a cool innovation from India. You can fill the tank at filling stations with special compressed air pumps for about $2 or fill it with a home air compressor in about four hours. It doesn't say how much that is, but it sounds comparable to an electric car which is very, very cheap.

How cheap? At $2 to fill up and a 125 mile range, it would cost about $0.016 per mile in fuel. A Toyota Prius feels like a fuel hog - at $4 per gallon and 50mpg, it would cost $ 0.08 per mile in fuel.

And if you didn't guess already, compressed air is, well, compressed air and so there is no tailpipe and no emissions. Cost in India is about $12,700.

Unfortunately this car is made of extremely lightweight materials that would not be durable in crashes and so it's unlikely to be legal in the US.

At least not yet.

Filed under: air, car, green, energy, and electric

We race Go-Karts to have extreme fun, but they are also extreme pollutants. With their inefficient two stroke engines, they spew as much pollution into the air as ten cars.

So how can you have your fun and stop the excess pollution? An electric go-kart would seem like a promising start, but could it win on the track?

Check the article for details and results.

Filed under: go-kart, green, and electric car

Of course they always would - pricey batteries are what make electric cars like the Tesla Roadster expensive.

Giving away the car in return for a battery service contract is like giving away the razor and selling blades at a profit, or giving away the printer and selling ink. Both are very profitable businesses, and the customer is better off because he doesn't have to come up with a lot of up-front money.

This venture is particularly interesting because it has wired up two entire countries - Israel and Denmark - with charging stations. So whereever you go in those countries, you can easily get a charge from where you park.

A really cool idea but it seems like something that might not scale well to larger countries and cities.

Filed under: electric car, free, and batteries

Another milestone in the ever-evolving all electric car. First we had Tesla Motors, which promised to create a completely fresh, uncompromising electric vehicle. Unfortunately, although Tesla has begun its formal manufacturing process, only one production vehicle has dribbled out of the factory -- and that's gone to the company's primary financier.

Now, HST International and Tjaarda Design announces a new partnership that will bring electrified versions of two traditional muscle cars on the road. With a range of about 100 miles, these new introductions are just at the edge of practicality for many commuters.

I wish them the best because a powerful, all-electric car seems like the perfect car for me to drive ... even if I wish it was more like a Mercedes S500.

Filed under: shelby cobra, mustang, electric, and electric car

One of the most pleasing aspects of electric vehicles is the noise ... or rather, the lack of same. Other than a surprisingly pleasant whine coming from the motor, electric vehicles are almost entirely silent. A couple of days ago (scroll down for it), we had a video from a giant electric trash truck, which was barely audible except when trash was being dumped.

Unfortunately, pedestrians and bicyclists depend on hearing a vehicle to know it's there. The nearly-silent Tesla Roadster (see picture) might be impossible to notice on time.

There is a bill before Congress that would require the Transportation Department to establish safety standards to solve this problem.

Despite this, I would really hate to see electric cars lose their silent mojo. Perhaps we can find some other way to make them noticable, like make all of them look like the Tesla Roadster instead of a tiny box?

Filed under: electric car, noise, and tesla roadster

Volvo is testing what it calls a hybrid garbage truck in selected Swedish cities. They supplied a video, which you can see at the link. It shows virtually silent operation - no more loud diesel engine to wake you up during the uncivilized hours in which trash trucks rule the roads.

Unfortunately, the loading and dumping of the trash is as annoyingly noisy as ever, so you can't have anything. But this vehicle is still very impressive, if only for the hum that sounds remarkably similar to a Tesla Roadster at speed.

I'm not sure where the hybrid aspect of this vehicle comes to play - it seems like it's running entirely on electricity in the video. Perhaps the diesel runs only at high speeds or on the main road? They don't tell us.

Filed under: tesla roadster, electric, and trash truck