1971 Volkswagen Bus on 2040-cars

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Meet ZelectricBug, the amazing '63 VW Bug converted to EV power

No word a lie, we here at AutoblogGreen are fans of classic cars. What we are not fond of, however, is the pollution that their inefficient engines create, and so it's great to see our old favorites lovingly up-cycled with electric drivetrains. The ZelectricBug is a beautiful example of how new, cleaner life can be breathed into an old Volkswagen Beetle. Now, we first came across this particular automobile during the Refuel event last summer and we were struck by its cleanly done conversion then. Aside from a few snaps in our gallery, though, we didn't give it the kind of attention it deserves. Fortunately, the good folks over at Roads and Rides have rectified this by turning their pro video camera skills onto the 1963 V-Dub and producing a nice little segment to accompany their write up. Scroll below to see the finished footage and head over to their website for some stills. If all this gives you a hankering for your own Zelectric, the company does have plans to sell to the public starting this summer. If you don't want to wait, EV West, the guys who did the drivetrain work on this car, have conversion kits available for Beetles, as well as a number of other vehicles. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Recharge Wrap-up: Volkswagen adopts CCS Combo plug, Tesla adds Trip Energy Prediction

Volkswagen plans to use CCS Combo plugs as standard for all future plug-in vehicles. The CCS fast-charging allows cars to charge to 80-percent capacity in as little as 15 minutes for cars like the Cross Coupe GTE. This could be a boon to prospective customers, as studies have found plug-in hybrid drivers plug in more frequently than originally expected. Plug-in drivers seem to want to perform as much driving as possible using electricity alone, and VW's plan to adopt the CCS Combo plug could help drivers achieve that. Read more at Green Car Reports. Tesla's 6.1 Firmware update for the Model S includes a Trip Energy Prediction feature. The new feature takes into account things like elevation, speed and predicted driving behavior to estimate the amount of energy used and how much range will be left in the battery after a route is programmed into the navigation system. It can let the driver know if a round trip can be made, and if the driver will need to charge before heading out. The feature updates itself in realtime throughout the drive as well, responding to how much energy is actually being used. Read a rundown of Trip Energy Prediction at Teslarati. The dates for National Drive Electric Week have been set for Saturday, September 12 through Sunday, September 20, 2015. The grassroots celebration of EVs is organized by Plug In America, The Electric Auto Association and the Sierra Club. "We're revved up for National Drive Electric Week 2015, which will offer the public, the media, and policymakers a great opportunity to come check out many of the 20-plus plug-in vehicles on the market," says Sierra Club EV Initiative Director Gina Coplon-Newfield. Last year, more than 90,000 people participated in 152 cities worldwide. Read more in the press release below. National Drive Electric Week 2015-DATES ARE SET SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan., 20, 2015-Dates have been set for the fifth annual National Drive Electric Week: Sat., Sept. 12 through Sun., Sept. 20, 2015. Events will encompass two weekends to give planners maximum flexibility and consumers plenty of opportunity to attend. "This promises to be an exciting year for plug-in vehicles," said Tom Saxton, Plug In America's chief science officer. "The BMW i3 will be on the road for the first full year, we expect deliveries of the Tesla Model X, an updated Chevy Volt, and greater overall sales growth than we saw last year.

Honda wins Commercial of the Decade, but not for the ad you think [w/VIDEO]

Honda's Commercial of the Decade: "Grrr" - Click above to watch video
The mad men at Adweek recently voted for the Commercial of the Decade (Super Bowl commercials not included) and Honda took top honors over memorable ads from the last ten years by companies like Nike, Budweiser and Sony. That's not a big surprise considering Honda often puts a huge amount of effort into its on-air spots. However, the Japanese automaker didn't win for the commercial you might have expected: "Cog." Though Honda's famous commercial that breaks down a European Accord Tourer into a Rube Goldberg-esque machine was also a finalist, it was beaten by another Honda commercial called "Grrr" that's narrated by Garrison Keillor of all people. You've probably never seen it, but you can after the jump.
Volkswagen also made the list of finalists, but the particular ad chosen out of all the comical VW ads we've seen was unexpected as well. Most surprising carmaker with a commercial in the finals: Saturn. Who knew...