Archive for Hybrids, Electric vehicles, fuel cells, alternative fuel

If immitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Jaguar must be grinning ear to ear now. The above is not a facelifted Jaguar XF but is in fact the eagerly awaited Tesla Model S electric car, which has been unveiled to world press today.

Tesla claims a maximum 300 mile (483 km) range, but the baseline model will come with a battery pack capable of 160 miles and there is also a 230 mile version. These battery storage systems range from 42kWh to 70kWh and greater, made out of 8,000 cells. These batteries are housed in the car’s floor. Power from the batteries are channeled to the road via a 9-inch liquid-cooled electric through a single-speed transaxle gearbox.

The 9 inch motor can take the Tesla Model S from 0 to 100km/h in under 6 seconds, and will have an electronically limited top speed of 210km/h. Stopping power is provided by Brembo Monobloc calipers with 6 pistons and 4 pistons for the front and rear respectively. The front discs are floating slotted 405×34mm 2-piece discs while the rear are 380×28mm slotted discs.

The batteries can be charged via either a 120V, 240V or 480V power outlet, with the 480V taking only 45 minutes to a full charge. There is of course no country in the world with a 480V system, so this requires a special QuickCharger.

Unlike many electric sedan cars which batteries take up the bootspace, because the Tesla Model S was designed ground up to be electric-powered, there is a proper boot space. Tesla claims a 50 inch LCD TV, a mountain bike and a surfboard can fit in the car all at once.

The in-car entertainment system centers around a 17 inch touchscreen in the center dash area which also shows various vehicle information. You can also surf the internet via the built-in 3G data system and access HD and satellite radio.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the Model S is priced at US$49,000 (nearly RM180,000) after a US tax credit of US$7,500 for the baseline model. 160 miles would cost only US$5 in terms of electricity! The company also claims the car’s floor-installed battery packs can be swapped out in less than the time it takes to fill a full tank of petrol, so in the future you could actually go to “battery stations” and swap out your batteries for a freshly fully charged new set instead of stopping and waiting for a full charge.

While now we’ve seen photos and read the details, there is still quite some time to go before the first Model S rolls off the production lines in late 2011. Looking at the gloom and doom in the US, Will Tesla still be around? Their press release says the company “believes” it is close to receiving US$350 million in federal loans to build the Model S assembly plant.

Future production models will come with an all-wheel drive option. One good thing is that right hand drive models will be available, so those with money (and refuse to drive an electric Persona) can start looking at the AP dealers in 2012!

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Model S.

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It appears that Detroit Electric has finally settled on Proton for its partner in producing its electric cars. According to a release by Detroit Electric, the company is set to sign a RM 1.2 billion (US$331 million) agreement with Proton to produce pure electric cars based on protons, beginning with the Proton Persona.

When we attended Detroit Electric’s press preview back in September 2008, we got to sample some electric cars converted by the company, such as an electric Lotus Elise. There were also various prototype electric cars there such as a Persona and a Savvy.

According to Detroit Electric head Albert Lam, a 100% electric powered Persona could be available in the regions of RM 80,000. Detroit Electric will use a production line at Proton’s Shah Alam manufacturing plant to produce the electric Protons.

Read our previous write-ups on Detroit Electric for more info.

Related Posts:
Detroit Electric’s emissions-free Lotus Elise driven!
Detroit Electric to base electric cars on Proton cars?

Hyundai’s BLUE-WILL concept is scheduled to be displayed at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show this year, which will start on the 2nd of April 2009. Looks like Hyundai decided to create some kinda 4-door CRX of sorts.

Under the hood is a hybrid powertrain much like the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid, but much more beefed up, since its a concept. The electric motor alone puts out 100kW, or 134 horsepower, and this is addition to a 1.6 liter engine that has gasoline direct injection, which should be good for another 120 horses or so.

Like the Forte LPI Hybrid, power for the electric motor is stored in a Lithium Ion Polymer battery pack neatly bundled with the fuel tank under the rear seat in order to maximise luggage space. The upcoming Elantra LPI Hybrid will also feature a Li-Po battery.

Hyundai has also incorporated dye-sensitized solar cells in the panoramic glass roof to generate power for the batteries.

More details at the Seoul 2009 show, look after the jump for two more photos of the BLUE-WILL (Blue Whale?!).

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First of all, what’s with the bicycle wheels??? Actually this is more like an extreme example of retro-futurism as all the first few cars including Henry Ford’s had wheels that looked like this. In actual fact its a modern reenactment of the Benz Patent Motorwagen. This is Mercedes-Benz’s F-CELL Roadster Concept.

It’s powered by a fuel cell located at the rear producing just 1.2 kilowatts, or 1.6 horsepower. It has a range of 350km and a top speed of 25km/h. Perfect for navigating golf courses in style? Check out more hi-res shots after the jump.

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Click for enlarged image

The Koreans just keep getting better and better. Kia has simultaneously unveiled two things today, its Eco Dynamics green brand and the new Kia Forte LPI Hybrid for the Korean domestic market.

Eco Dynamics is Kia’s equivalent to BMW efficient dynamics, Volkswagen bluemotion, Toyota Optimal Drive, and etc. Hyundai has its own called Blue Drive. Vehicles that incorporate hybrid technologies as well as other fuel saving features will wear the Eco Dynamics badge. Kia has already demonstrated its own Idle-Stop-Go system in a Kia c’eed in Europe.

The Kia Forte LPI Hybrid runs on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (used in Korea, we use CNG here in our NGVs) and its 1.6 liter Gamma LPI HEV engine is assisted by an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the CVT gearbox. Power output is 114 PS and a peak torque of 148Nm. The electric motor draws power from a lithium-polymer battery, which is the first use in a production hybrid car. Li-Po is lighter and more compact compared to NiMH batteries.

Kia claims a fuel efficiency of 17.2 km per liter for the Forte LPI Hybrid, or an estimated 21.5km per liter if the engine used gasoline for combustion instead. As LPG is roughly two thirds the price of petrol in Korea, Kia says the Forte LPI Hybrid would save its owner 980,000 Korean won a year, or RM2,600+ if driven 20,000km a year.

No shots of the interior have been released by Kia PR but the interior uses a Super Vision cluster to display hybrid system data and a navigation display. The Super Vision cluster is essentially Kia’s word for an EL self-illuminating meter panel.

Look after the jump for more photos of the Kia Forte LPI Hybrid!

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GS Yuasa and Honda have announced the name of their new JV company – Blue Energy Co Ltd. It will be established on the 1st of April 2009 and will focus on the manufacturing, sales and R&D activities for high-performance lithium-ion batteries aimed at hybrid vehicle usage.

Blue Energy will be based in Minami-ku, Kyoto and will have 3 billion yen of capital, with a possible increase of capital and capital surplus to 15 billion yen. The investment will be 51% GS Yuasa and 49% Honda Motor. Its president and CEO will be Masahiko Oshitani from GS Yuasa.

A factory for Blue Energy wlil be built next to GS Yuasa’s existing site in Osadano, Kyoto. Blue Energy’s first manufacturing job will be the GS Yuasa EH6, a lithium ion battery that has already been developed.

Bavarian auto maker BMW has revealed its plans to produce a compact or small sized hybrid vehicle via BMW’s Chairman Norbert Reithofer at BMW Group’s Annual Accounts Press Conference. This project, which is called the Megacity Vehicle project, is part of BMW’s Project-i.

According to the chairman, “This vehicle will be the first of a range of near-zero emission vehicles. Customers will have the choice between a fully electric drive and a high-efficiency combustion engine. Large-scale production could start in the first half of the next decade. With the Megacity Vehicle project, we are also pursuing a radical approach toward establishing a truly sustainable value chain-from development to production and sales.”

We not sure if there would be two types of vehicles (fully electric or with a high-efficient combustion engine), or the chairman is actually referring to one particular hybrid that would offer both. Reithofer also went to mention that this vehicle will not carry another badge, meaning it should be sold either as a MINI or a BMW.

The first vehicle which is part of the Project-i is the MINI E, that is currently performing customer testing via public leasing trials. Can recent reports regarding BMW’s plans to co-produce platforms for small sized vehicles with Fiat have anything to do with this?

Nicolas Stone, a recent graduate from the College of Creative Studies has designed the concept you see above, dubbed as the 2020 City Car Concept with the help of Korean-based auto maker, Hyundai.

Featuring a naturalist theme, the futuristic 2020 Hyundai City Car Concept seems to feature a front end that looks a little like the Mitsubishi i MiEV.

The “green” theme can also be seen in the airy interior, with a design that mimics “leaves growing off a stem”. Electricity is obtained via transparent solar panels mounted on the car that will then channel electricity into a water tank to split hydrogen molecules from oxygen molecules (Hydroxene anyone?). Just like a plant, the eco-friendly car uses stored hydrogen to power to vehicle while oxygen is released into the atmosphere (this is the plant part). This method is in fact called “artificial photosynthesis”.

Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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Words are being exchanged in the motoring fraternity that Japanese-based auto maker, Toyota is planning to produce a hybrid coupe, which will share the same powertrain as the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle. The hybrid is said to carry over certain design cues from the Toyota FT-HS Concept which was previewed at Detroit 2007.

According to Auto Express, Toyota will dub the hybrid coupe as the MR2, and that the environmentally friendly compact coupe will feature a rear wheel drive setup with a paddle shift transmission. The British-based magazine also revealed that Toyota’s executive vice president Masatami Takimoto mentioned that the auto maker understands that people in the U.K and Europe are very fond of the MR2, and the company is developing small hybrid sports car.

The coupe is expected to also offer excellent handling characteristics with improved aerodynamic efficiency and if it goes into production, we can expect a price point that would hover over the GBP 20,000 figure. It is also speculated that the hybrid coupe would be able to hit the 100 km/h mark in 7 seconds, while returning an impressive 60 miles to the gallon. Stay tuned as we will bring you the latest updates!

Ecotricity is a British-based wind energy company and to help promote the usage of electric vehicles in the U.K, the company initiated the development process to produce an all electric Lotus Exige about seven months ago. The car which is now in its final stage of development is able to accelerate to the 100 km/h point in about 4 second all the way to a top speed of 225 km/h.

Ecotricity, which has an ultimate goal of seeing only electric cars in the U.K, assembled six highly trained engineers to work on the project. Collectively, all six engineers have worked on the development of the De Lorean, Jaguar XJR15, Corvette ZR1, Lotus Elan as well as the legendary McLaren F1 super car. Ecotricity also encourages electric vehicles to be recharged via its wind power turbine farms, but also revealed that the electric Exige can be recharged via a house hold power outlet.

The modified Lotus Exige now features a 90mm extended chassis, Brushless electric motors from America, a 96 lithium-ion polymer battery pack from Korea and LED turn indicators. The project, which thus far is worth GBP 200,000, will go into its testing stage in a couple weeks. Ecotricity also revealed that by using electric vehicles in a large scale, U.K can cut down oil usage by 25 million tonnes, and total emissions output in the country can be reduced by 12%.

Italian-based Tazzari revealed that it will offer its Zero electric vehicle in North America by 2010, via Verdek-EV, which is a company appointed to represent Tazzari in regions such as North America, Mexico and the Caribbean islands. The Tazzari Zero is a fully electric 2 door super mini that is powered by a 15kW asynchronous AC centrally mounted motor, that is also good for 150Nm of torque. The 542 kilograms electric-mobile is also able to sprint to 100 km/h in just 5 seconds, which is impressive. Top speed is rated at 80 km/h.

With a Li-ion Fe battery pack which takes about 9 hours for a full recharge via a household power outlet, the Zero is capable of delivering 140 kilometers in terms of driving range. The Zero which measures 2884 mm in length, 1550 mm in width and 1400 mm in height, also features four driving modes that include “Race” for performance driving with race like feel, “Rain” for driving in wet conditions, “Standard” for daily use and “Economy” to get the most mileage from a full charge.

The Tazzari Zero is scheduled for its first public appearance at the Bologna International Motor Show in December and Tazzari revealed that in Europe, the Zero will carry price tag which is slightly less than 20,000 Euros. Standard features include 15 inch alloy wheels finished in Anthracite, electronic anti-theft device with remote control and immobilizer, radio stereo RDS with mp3 and CD player, removable venting ultra view sunroof, eco-leather seats, standard battery charger for 9 hours charge time and a 12V outlet for phone recharge and LED tail lights.

Other options include white or black paint finish for the wheels and either a Multifast battery charger or a Superfast battery charger. The Multifast charger can fully recharge the electric car in 6 hours while the latter can recharge the Zero up to 80% in just 50 minutes. Continue reading to view more images.

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The Geneva Motor Show officially comes to an end, and just before the shutter rolls down, here is a report on Mitsubishi’s iMiev Prototype and the iMiev Sport Air Concept. The iMiev Prototype is basically meant for the European market, and is expected to debut sometime in 2010, while the iMiev for the Japanese market is set to hit showrooms by summer this year.

Compared to the Japanese market model, the European Prototype iMiev features widened front and rear tracks and extended rear overhangs to help provide higher levels of pedestrian protection expected in Europe as well as better occupant protection in the event of a rear-end shunt. With a clean and simple Ice Blue interior treatment, the exterior is finished in a snow-white body finish.

Propulsion power of the iMiev with a rear-midship layout is provided by an electric motor that can output 47kW and 180Nm of torque. This rear wheel drive 4-seater prototype stores energy in a 330V lithium-ion battery pack.

Next up is the iMiev Sport Air Concept which is a sporty concept version of the electric iMiev. Sharing the same platform as the iMiev, this tear-drop shaped Sport Air Concept features a number of new fitments and accessories including front and rear lights that have a 3D look as well as a detachable “clear cutaway” roof panel that also features a solar inlay.

The interior is treated to a high-contrast colour scheme of greyish blue and “greige”, which is an intermediate color between grey and beige with blue illumination for the instruments and interior lighting. Compared to the iMiev, this 4-seater concept features a more powerful electric motor which generates 60kW and 230Nm of torque. The Sport Air Concept is also about 100 kilograms lighter than the iMiev thanks to its body structure that uses tailgate panels and plastic body to help reduce weight. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Geneva 2009: Mitsubishi’s iMiev Prototype and iMiev Sport Air Concept

Norwegian electric-car builder TH!NK which has recently undergone bankruptcy under Norwegian law and had to cease production in that country, announced plans to set up a plant in the U.S to manufacture its all electric TH!NK City car and that production and sales can initiate by 2011.

Production wise, the auto maker is targeting to produce 16,000 units within the first year. The 3-door all electric hatch features a 3 phase asyncron electric motor that can produce 30kW. With power stored in either a sodium or in a lithium battery pack, it has a driving range of up to 180 kilometers. Recharging can be performed via a household power outlet and it takes about 13 hours to fully charge the battery pack. 0 – 100 km/h acceleration time of the TH!NK City is figured at 6.5 seconds.

In standard form, the TH!NK City comes with two front seats only, but two rear seats are optionally available. Among others, the TH!NK City car also features two front airbags, ABS, regenerative brakes, power steering as well as electric windows and mirrors. Buyers can also opt for a full length sunroof, a radio CD with MP3, USB, Bluetooth and more. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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American-based auto maker Ford has revealed that it will present a tri-fuel Ford Mondeo at the Leipzig Motor Show which will run from March 28th till April 2009 this year. This tri-model, as the title suggests, can be fueled with a mixture of gasoline, bio-ethanol (E85) as well as LPG or Liquefied Petroleum Gas. This means that the standard Mondeo with its 2.0 liter Duratec gasoline engine comes fitted with an additional 48.8-liter tank to supply LPG, while gasoline and bio-ethanol shares a 70-liter tank.

Ford also revealed that the Mondeo with the tri-fuel feature can deliver up to 1,300 kilometers in terms of driving range when all three fuel types are used. Out of the 1,300 kilometers of range, 460 kilometers is contributed by LPG while the balance is contributed by a mixture of gasoline and bio-ethanol. Power output wise, the auto maker mentioned that with a mixture of gasoline and bio-ethanol, the 2.0 liter powerplant is able to produce 145HP, and while running on LPG, it can output 141HP, which is pretty decent actually.

Available in sedan, five-door liftback and in station wagon forms, the Tri-Fuel Ford Mondeo will go on sale in selected European markets from April this year, with prices in Germany starting from 27,500 Euros, which means this fuel efficient variant is cheaper by 250 Euros than the diesel-powered Ford Mondeo TDCi with 140HP.

Words are being exchanged that Japanese auto maker Mitsubishi is planning to reveal the a plug-in hybrid crossover at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show.

There are no other details thus far regarding this matter, but we just know that this hybrid would equal the size of the Nissan Qashqai. Apparently, an executive from the company revealed that Mitsubishi would now like to focus on more fuel efficient, smaller engines to power its SUV’s.

In line with that, the auto maker will also launch a new 1.8 diesel power plant later this year. The executive also mentioned that Mitsubishi has re-assigned its motor sport engineers who were part of the Dakar racing program to help develop the company’s electric vehicle program.