Minnkota E-drive Control Board 2884017 on 2040-parts.com

New 2013 Nissan LEAF goes the ‘Battery Lease’ route UPDATED

Even though you will be paying the same rate as you did in the first year, you’ll have to make do with the old batteries unless they fall below the 9 bar level, when Nissan will replace them under warranty. There is no doubt that Nissan are still convinced the future is the electric car, and the LEAF – the world’s best-selling electric car – is the future of motoring. And the LEAF is a convincing car if all you want is a well-built family car to transport you round your local area, even if it will cost an arm and a leg to buy in comparison to an ICE car.

New 1.0-litre turbo for Vauxhall Adam

A frugal new 1.0-litre SIDI three-cylinder turbo petrol engine will go on sale in the Vauxhall Adam city car in 2014, following its debut at next month’s 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new low-emissions unit – a rival to Ford’s 1.0 Ecoboost engine in the Fiesta and Focus – will deliver “impressive fuel economy and CO2 emissions significantly lower than 100g/km”, according to Vauxhall. On Bing: see pictures of the Vauxhall Adam Find out how much a used Vauxhall Adam costs on Auto Trader The current Adam range is powered by 1.2- and 1.4-litre petrols.

BMW i3 Range Extender engine adds 10% to the price

BMW i3 Range Extender engine adds 10% to the price The BMW i3 – BMW’s first foray in to a world of electric cars – was officially revealed in July – and due on sale in 2014 – and seems, by electric car standards, to be almost affordable. At a starting price of £30,680 – £25,680 after the taxpayer bribe for EV buyers – it’s no more expensive than other electric cars and does come with some clever technology – and the BMW badge – that will help it move out of showrooms. But as we reported as far back as 2011, the BMW i3 is to get a range-extender option – a small petrol engine that kicks in to recharge the batteries when they get low – which will make the i3 a much more practical proposition.