I have posted previously on the topic of the electric car plant to be constructed by ZAP in association with Integrity Manufacturing. It has emerged now, that the construction could begin within a matter of days.

The CEO of Integrity Manufacturing has let it slip that the plant could be completely up and running within a year. So, whilst construction may begin quickly, the work is going to take rather a long time.

Now, people just think that the benefit of electric cars is to the environment. NO. I am going to focus, instead of always droning on about the O-zone and the environment, I am going to break away from the norm and mention UNEMPLOYMENT. That is a word that nobody likes to hear, but a huge percentage of people all over the world are unemployed.

There are no machines available at the moment to do all of the work at an electric car plant. This means that the new plant is going to generate somewhere in the region of 4,000 jobs in the specific area (unconfirmed).

So, if you thought that the environment was the only thing that an electric car could potentially heal, think again.

Sorry the title sounds bad, but whoa! After plans were revealed recently for Japan to design and build a plug-in electric car charger, the EV world was rejoicing! Now Japan is planning to insert recharging stations all over the country, begginning with Tokyo, and then moving to the other cities and islands across Japan.

The news came as quite a shock to the so called ‘greener-nations’ like the U.K. and the U.S. They have been fighting so hard to beat each other to the punch, in the sense of designing and building the perfect car. As Japan has already built it, marketed, and made a tidy profit on the selling of these electric cars, the recharging stations are the logical next step. These will mean that drivers around Japan could potentially drive anywhere on the islands without fear of their cars running low on battery power. They want stations to be close together, enough to make it easy for any drivers to recharge, anytime. It is hoped that, within the next few decades, these recharging stations will completely replace the current gas filling stations.

Budget automobile manufacturers Nissan are set to launch their new electric car by 2010. It is going to be the first of what is thought to be many new cars being released worldwide by Nissan by 2012. This has come as a shock to rivals Toyota, who recently revealed that they were ‘not too keen’ to design any more Hybrid or electric cars after the more recent fall in sales on their first Hybrid model.

The Nissan car is looking to be one of the most affordable Hybrids yet. No price has been finalised, as designs are still having some finishing touches added, but the revelation of the prototypes at the 2nd Phillipine International Motor Show definitely looked promising.

These cars will be five seaters, with all of the trimmings associated with the normal gas powered Nissan range, but will not have such a strong choke hold over your wallet, as with some of the new or soon to be released electric cars.

The first of the completed cars will be released in the Phillipines, taking the ASEAN region into the new ‘electric age’. Nissan will then take note of how sales are going, and hopefully market the car worldwide after around two years. Good news for Europe and, the world.

It has long been known that the three giants in the motoring have been going through battles to win the electric car race. These manufacturers include General Motors, the company behind Cadillac, Chrysler and Ford.

Given this fact, it was Peterborough-based Lightning car company that built the petrol powered super-car that has recently been redesigned as an electric car. The car costs an astonishing $120,000!

This is thought to be the best electric car ever made, and has already hit the American market, so it is abailable to buy now, if you have the wallet for it. The Lightning GTS has definitely beaten the big three to the punch, but how are they going to react? I can see that it is not going to come as good news that they have lost the race to a small company.

The plans currently underway at General Motors looks to be geared slightly toward a STS type Sedan that will be powered by a heavier battery that may last longer without recharging than some of it’s competitors.

The battery power on the Lightning GTS lasts for approximately 125 miles of normal city driving up to around 60mph. This is one of the longest lasting battery lives of any other electric car. GM, Ford and Chrysler are still poised, waiting for their perfect moment to unleash an electric super car that is cheaper, faster and has a more powerful battery. It does look like GM will be the next runner-up in the electric car race.

General Motors, the prestigious manufacturing company behind market giant Cadillac, is set to release it’s Volt electric car into the American market in the year 2010. The American firm is then going to rebadge it as an Opel, in the hope of taking over the European market for the greener car.

With America slightly lagging in the electric car race, this comes as good news to all members of the United States. This car could easily see America take the lead in the market in most countries, excluding the current Asian market leaders.

The minimum travel range for this car is going to be around 40 miles, and the battery life will be as much as ten years. This is a car that is built to last, and is one of the more attractive electric vehicles to go into production.

With funding running short, whichever industry one is involved with, it is obvious that the automotive industry is suffering slightly. GM is currently trying to lobby some important subsidieries from high ranking government officials, to aid the manufacture of the Volt.

Tokyo gets one step closer to popularising the common use of electric vehicles. As we know, electric cars in Tokyo out number electric vehicles across the rest of the world. Now some manufacturers in Tokyo are developing stations where people can recharge their electric cars, making them run up to 25 miles on just a five minute battery charge.

The company involved (TEPCO) has denied that they are going to set these stations up any time soon within the city, although they have completed trail projects, and the rsults look very promising. This could mean that Tokyo may eventually become the world’s first city to completely switch to the electric motor, exciting news for any environmentalist. It is thought, however, that the actual commisioning of such stations could take years, if not decades.

Car manufacturers that are currently stocking vehicles manufactured by Fuji Heavy Industries have agreed to have these stations available at their stores, just as soon as the plans get the all clear. These will be located amongst the new electric vehicles to be manufactured and released by Mitsubishi, Subaru and Nissan.

This news comes as a breath of fresh air to almost everyone that is just a little bit caring of the environment. Is it a good idea? It’s a great idea, and good luck to them!

This may sound a little odd as the U.S. is becoming more and more ‘Green’. The developments of highly experimental electric car batteries are becoming a more distant memory as funding becomes threatened. Groups gathered in Michigan to discuss this issue and said that the government needs to offer decent incentives for this purpose, otherwise all funding will run dry and the advancement options for most U.S. electric car firms are likely to diminish.

It is thought that the whole process and application of appropriate funding could take up to two years, meaning that competing nations like the U.K. and China will steam ahead in the race to build the perfect, cleaner car.

GM, owners of Cadillac are trying their absolute hardest to take the lead in this losing battle to become the first company to produce and manufacture widely, the cleanest and greenest ‘plug-in’ hybrid. Although they have made some good progress more recently, it seems like Toyota and other Asian auto companies are set to take the lead, mainly because all of the parts, like the Lithium compound batterties are supplied by Asian exporters.

Integrity Manufacturing ltd. is meeting in California today alongside ZAP, the leading electric car manufacturers. This came very quickly after Kentucky offered over $68 million worth of incentives for this type of scheme.

The incentive has been ‘booed’ by many people because of the use of some tax-payers money. They see it as an unfair use of their money, when it could be contributing to bring down the already sky-high gas prices or poured into healthcare scams.

The plans mean that it is likely to build one or more factories to house the equipment needed to build these cars, before they even start building them. They will take some of the workload from China who is currently the main manufacturer of electric cars across the whole world.

Not being a resident of Kentucky, I don’t know what the current situation is, and why people are so quick to disapprove of this incentive. It seems to me like this is very good news, and a massive step in the right direction to getting electric cars used by most if not all members of the general public. Just think, even if you have a Hybrid, and not a fully electric vehicle, if less people use gas the price is likely to fall.

The plans have been welcomed by many residents, but the opposing side wishes to appeal against the decision, although I personally cannot see why.

The Subaru Stella has been styled as a mini MPV. It’s electric engine is the same as is used in the R1e which is already being driven on the streets of Japan. This car does not have as good a range as with some other EVs, only 50 miles on one charge, so it is better suited to town driving.

The 40kw engine has the same pulling power as a typical 1.6ltr super mini engine, but still only manages a top speed of a pitiful 62mph.

The car was used to carry passengers around the grounds of the most recent G8 summit and was deemed as a brilliant feat of modern engineering. The Subaru i

The new car from the Lotus production line in England is the Tesla Roadster. It is the most stylish hybrid ever made and is thought to only cost around 1 cent per mile to run, and boasts the best fuel economy of any current hybrid car.

This is the car to end our fuel crises. You can run this car on a very low income, BUT, it does cost around $100,000 to buy. It is deffinitely worth it, as you can run the car for a long time, without recharging. The manufacturers have promised that the car will run for up to 250 miles from only recharging the battery for three hours! The battery should be recycled after 100,000 miles.

Performance wise this car can accelerate faster than any electric car and has a top speed of around 130mph. This car really can beat any other electric into the ground.