Hansjörg von Gemmingen has gained the bragging rights to say he has covered more miles in a Tesla Roadster than anybody else has. The German racked up an impressive 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) since he first purchased the car less than two years ago. A stockbroker living in the southwest part of the country, von Gemmingen says he drives his Tesla on a daily basis regardless of purpose or distance, charging it every night through a standard household outlet.

The owner of the 83rd Tesla Roadster to be delivered in Europe claims he always finds somewhere to plug in and recharge the car’s batteries. His 82-year-old mother-in-law even installed a 32-amp (240-volt) plug at her house so that Hansjörg visits her more frequently.

“The Roadster handles long roadtrips with ease. As long as you have somewhere to plug in for a bit along the way, it’s simple to drive the car no matter where you’re headed,” von Gemmingen says.

He even made an 800-kilometer (497 miles) journey to Berlin for the Tesla owners event last year. In less than two years, he has driven farther than any other Tesla customer. What he didn't reveal, however, is whether the car is still running on the original set of batteries or a new one.

So far, Tesla's global fleet of more than 1,600 Roadsters have been driven more than 11 million miles, with the company claiming it will use all the customer feedback on the upcoming 2012 Model S.

By Dan Mihalascu

Back in February, Porsche announced the development of three pure-electric prototypes based on the Boxster roadster, but aside from a single photo and the fact that the electric motors could produce up to 180kW/241HP, the Stuttgart-based automaker did not release any other details on the cars.

After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.

Propulsion for the four-wheel drive model is provided by two independent electric motors that act on the front and rear axles, producing a combined output of 180 kW / 241HP and a maximum total torque of 540 Nm / 398 lb-ft at approximately 12,000 rpm.

The rear drive unit includes the motor and transmission, together with the power electronics and is located where the manual gearbox and exhaust system are accommodated in the conventional Boxster, while the front electric motor takes up the space freed up by the gasoline model’s 64-liter fuel tank. An electric unit synchronizes the two electric motors and controls the drive torque distribution to the front and rear axle.

Porsche says the AWD Boxster E can complete the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 5.5 seconds and reach a limited top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph)

The two rear-wheel drive models of Porsche’s prototype simply discard the electric motor located on the front axle and make do with the rear unit that delivers 90 kW / 121HP and 270 Nm / 199 lb-ft of torque. The RWD Boxster E can dash from a standing start to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).

All Boxster E prototypes are equipped with a 29 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate based battery, which takes up the space of the combustion engine and offers a driving range of around 107 kilometers / 107 miles. The battery weighs in at 341kg / 752 pounds with the Boxster E tipping the scales at 1,600 kg / 3,527 pounds. The battery can be fully recharged through a conventional socket in approximately 9 hours; however, the charging time can be reduced with a rapid charging function.

According to Porsche, despite the electronic components, there’s enough space left for a luggage in the front storage compartment while the rear luggage area of the Boxster E remains unchanged.

In addition, both the rear- and four-wheel drive Boxster Es are equipped with an Active Sound Design system to provide drivers with acoustic feedback as well as to alert pedestrians and other road users of the car.

Lately, it seems that pushing an out-of-juice electric car is quickly becoming a trademark of Britain’s popular Top Gear TV series. After the Tesla Motors row, it seems another EV will be featured in the show while being pushed. This time it's the Nissan Leaf, whose batteries ran dry while being driven by Jeremy Clarkson. Fortunately, one of the many witnesses of the event caught Clarkson and James May trying to find an outlet to plug for the Leaf on camera. The two TV hosts were filming a test drive with the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot iOn for the next episode of the show. After looking for outlets in the park, the crew eventually plugged the Leaf in at the UK's University of Lincoln.
Let's just hope there won't be any lawsuit filed against TG this time. Scroll down to see the new Top Gear EV adventure.

General Motors is adding Canada to the list of countries that will soon get the Chevrolet Volt as starting from today, the company’s dealers in seven key regions across the country will begin accepting orders for the extended range electric vehicle, with prices starting from at CA$41,545 (equal to US$43,780 at today’s exchange rates).

The Volt will initially be available to retail customers in the marketing areas for Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Oshawa, Ottawa-Gatineau, Montreal, and Quebec City, with first deliveries for these areas set for the third quarter of this year. GM’s Canadian arm said that within twelve months of the retail launch, the Volt will be offered at dealerships nation-wide.

In Canada, the Volt will be marketed in a single trim level, along with two optional packages: a Premium Trim Package and a Rear Camera and Park Assist Package.

Along with the three-year or 60,000 km (*whichever comes first) bumper-to-bumper coverage, five-year/160,000 km* roadside assistance, courtesy transportation and limited engine coverage, GM also offers an eight-year/160,000 km* limited warranty on the Volt’s 16-kWh lithium-ion battery.

The Volt is powered by an electric motor fed by a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which offers a pure electric driving range between 40km and 80km (depending on the driving conditions). Once the battery’s energy is depleted, a 1.4-liter gasoline engine that acts as a generator kicks to provide electric power extending the driving range up to an additional 500 km on a full tank of fuel.

It's not very often we hear about an electric car taking on the fearsome Nurburgring-Nordschleife track. A concept version of an EV is an even rarer sight on the “Green Hell”, but that's exactly what Peugeot did as it put the EX1 design study at work on the world's toughest circuit.

It wasn't just a pleasure ride, however, since Peugeot visited the ‘Ring to break the lap record for electric cars. And it did, with driver Stéphane Caillet lapping the 20.8-kilometer (12.92-mile) long track in 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds, at an average speed of 138,324 km/h (85.95 mph), in “very unfavorable weather conditions”, according to the French automaker. The previous lap record set by an electric car belonged to the Mini E racer, which lapped the German track last year in 9 minutes and 51.45 seconds.

WIGE Performance, the official timekeeper of the Nordschleife track, tracked Peugeot’s record. Revealed at the Paris motor show last year, the EX1 roadster is powered by a pair of electric motors, one on each axle, thus offering four-wheel drive. Each electric motor produces 125 kW (170HP) for a combined output of 340HP and 240Nm (177 lb-ft) of torque. Energy comes from a high-output lithium-ion battery pack.

The radical-looking concept measures just 0.90 meters in height and 1.77 meters in width and makes use of a monocoque body structure manufactured from a carbon/honeycomb composite to optimize weight and rigidity.

Peugeot has promised to share a video of the EX1 lapping the Nurburgring. Once it’s out, we’ll update this story.

By Dan Mihalascu