While New York taxis are set to go hybrid by 2012, at least one company in the UK looks to be doing its part to take things one step further, with it now showing off an all-electric taxi that it says will be available as soon as October of this year. Dubbed the E7, this one packs a bundle of lithium ion batteries that promise to give it a range of 100 miles on a single charge and a decent enough top speed of 60 miles per hour, as well as a price tag of £39,450 (or just over $78,000). It seems that not everyone's sold on the vehicle, however, as it recently got the thumbs down from London's taxi licensing division, meaning that Londoners won't be able to catch this particular near-silent ride anytime in the foreseeable future.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

Tesla Motors sure has been doing a lot of explaining about its all-electric Tesla Roadster since it first announced it way back when, and it's now aiming to clear up what it says is another common misconception about the car: that it's a converted Lotus Elise. According to Tesla's Darryl Siry, the total number of shared parts between the cars is actually "under 7%," and that "if you were to try to convert an Elise to a Tesla and started throwing away parts that aren't carried over what you would basically be left with a windshield, dashboard (complete with airbags!), front wishbones and a removable soft top." He does admit, however, that the remaining pieces (particularly the dashboard and steering wheel) are so noticeable that they give drivers the impression of an Elise, as we've seen in some of the road tests of the vehicle. If you're still not convinced, you can find Siry's full, lengthy explanation at the read link below.

While they didn't put it though quite the same rigorous tests that the feds did, our pals at AutoblogGreen did recently get to spend a fair bit of time being the wheel of Tesla's much-hyped Roadster, and they've now thankfully churned out a fairly thorough review to make us all a little jealous. As you might expect, they readily admit that the car is "not for everyone" (even among those that can afford it), but for those that know what they're getting into, they say you can expect a "hard-edged sports car that fits like a pair of good leather driving gloves." That extends in no small part to the car's Lotus roots, which AutoblogGreen found evident in everything from the car's "cozy" interior to its non-boosted steering system, which they say provides "amazing feedback to the driver." If that's not enough to convince you, you can hit up the link below for the complete review and, of course, plenty of pictures.