Over the past few years, Tesla has projected themselves as a company hell-bent on making the electrified future of motoring an exciting prospect. After a bunch of genuinely exciting electric cars, they have now turned their attention towards the commercial segment. At the same event where Tesla unveiled their Roadster, the Tesla Semi truck was also shown off along with a small glimpse of the upcoming pick-up truck.
Toyota’s UAE dealer Al-Futtaim Motors, in collaboration with France’s Air Liquide, have jointly inaugurated the UAE’s first hydrogen station in Dubai Festival City, to be used by Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). However, don’t pull out your wallets to buy a hydrogen-powered car just yet.
“Ride-hailing” company Uber and Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority have teamed up to offer the RTA’s new Tesla taxis via the Uber app.
Nissan has finally uncovered their new 2018 Leaf electric hatchback at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2018 Nissan Leaf comes with a completely overhauled design and better range. Though there are two models with different battery capacities, 40 kWh and 60 kWh, Nissan stressed mostly on the former, probably saving the latter (called the E-Plus) for another session.
The Dubai Road & Transport Authority and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) have jointly announced a number of incentives for electric cars owners to promote electric car ownership in they city.
As a part of the move to make Dubai the “smartest city in the world,” the Road & Transport Authority has introduced 50 Tesla Model S and Model X vehicles to its taxi fleet. As per the directions given by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai, these vehicles will be a part of the Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC) fleet.
The arrival of the Model 3 in Tesla’s lineup called for more contrast between the bigger Model S and Model X ranges. Therefore Tesla has hiked the performance figures for the base models of the latter two.
All car manufacturers are now part of a rat-race to go green. As countries like Norway, France, and Germany have vowed to eliminate the use of fossil fuel-powered cars in the next few decades, European carmakers have no option but to act accordingly. Volvo has recently announced that they will only sell hybrids and electric vehicles from 2019, stopping the production of the petrol-only and diesel cars altogether.
Months have flown by since the day Tesla announced the Model 3, a baby brother to the popular Model S sedan. After numerous spy shots, rumours, renderings and a faceless prototype, production of the Model 3 has actually started and the very first example is slated for the company’s CEO, Elon Musk.
When we attended the Honda Meeting 2017 press conference in Japan, at the carmaker’s Tochigi R&D centre, we got an unexpected taste of some of the company’s latest products. The cars on hand to drive were the much-hyped Honda Civic Type-R, the new Honda Clarity range of hybrid/electric vehicles, and a Honda Civic Dynamic Study prototype. While our time with each of them was limited to a few minutes, if you ever get your hands on these on the same day, you’d have a completely different view of Honda as a carmaker than you would when walking into a local Honda showroom.