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Maruti Suzuki’s Indian market share dips below 50%, launches A-Star auto and CNG range as response

August 17, 2010 at 3:16 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, India, Suzuki

Maruti Suzuki saw India’s potential long before it became small car central, and is the undisputed market leader in the country of 1.18 billion people. However, homegrown brands and big players like Hyundai are beginning to chip at Maruti’s market share, which has fallen below 50% for the first time ever. It sold 282,488 units from April-July 2010, which is 47.68% of the total market. This is down from 53.13% (440,069 units) achieved in the same period last year.

The downward trend might be reversed come next quarter. This is because the company has boosted its large lineup with a CNG range and the A-Star automatic. Named after the 2008 concept, the latter is what we know as the Suzuki Alto (Alto name is reserved for the fifth-gen Alto, India’s most popular car). Previously only available in manual form, the A-Star auto pairs a 4-speed auto ‘box to the 60 bhp/90 Nm K-series engine. It’s essentially identical to our RM49,888 Alto GLX – so it’s surprising that we got an Indian made car a week earlier than India itself.

Maruti also just introduced compressed natural gas (CNG) tech featuring “intelligent-Gas Port Injection” or i-GPI on five popular models – SX4, Eeco, WagonR, Estilo and Alto. Maruti says that i-GPI cars are safer and offer more power than retrofitted CNG vehicles. All i-GPI cars go through the same quality checks, processes and systems as any car manufactured at Maruti Suzuki plants and get full warranty plus official after sales back up. The CNG cars are about RM3,000 costlier than the normal versions.

i-GPI is a Dual ECU tech that delivers accurate amounts of gas to the engine via separate injectors for each cylinder. Metered CNG quantity is injected into the engine through gas ports, controlled by a dedicated ECU. Each i-GPI model goes through 200,000 km real world tests in addition to over 3,000 hours of bench tests.

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Zeroshift developing multi-speed transmission for EVs

August 12, 2010 at 5:07 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

If you look at the specs sheets of most electric cars these days you’ll see that it might have large torque figures, but they’re also complemented by 0 to 100 km/h acceleration times that aren’t that fantastic as well as rather low top speeds. This is actually because most EVs run on a single speed transmission, so there’s only one gear that has to be balanced to do both the work of ‘pick up’ and ‘cruising’.

Tesla had originally planned for the Elise-based Tesla Roadster to have a two-speed transmission but apparently it was too challenging and it settled for a BorgWarner single-speed transmission. Having more than one transmission ratio will enable manufacturers to downsize electric motors and keep them running longer at the medium loads and speeds where peak efficiency of over 95 percent is possible, translating into potentially more performance, greater range and longer lasting batteries. The single speed transmission in current EVs force the motor to run outside its optimum efficiency range most of the time.

Zeroshift has been working on a multi-speed gearbox for electric vehicles (EVs) that needs no clutch – a damper inside the gear hubs and electronic control of the motor make ratio changes seamless without interruption. The synchromesh in a regular manual gearbox is replaced with paired interlocking rings that change ratios without interrupting the torque. To provide the required levels of shift refinement, Zeroshift’s concept uses electronic control of the electric motor or motors to match the shaft speeds and an integrated a passive damper system within the drive hub to isolate any vibrations.

“Our studies suggest that by using a compact, multi-speed transmission and a smaller electric motor, manufacturers can gain an operating efficiency of up to 10 percent. You can use that 10 percent to improve EVs’ range or reduce the size, weight and cost of battery packs,” says Bill Martin, Zeroshift’s managing director.

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Toyota achieves 1 million hybrid milestone in Japan

August 9, 2010 at 12:30 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Toyota announced that as of the end of July, they have sold 1 million hybrid vehicles in Japan, which adds up to 2.68 million hybrids finding homes globally. The company claims that its hybrids have offset approximately 4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in Japan and 15 million tonnes globally, compared to standard petrol engine cars of a similar size and performance.

Future targets include selling 1 million hybrid vehicles per year “as early as possible in the 2010s” and introducing hybrid variants in all vehicle ranges in its lineup “as early as possible in the 2020s”.

Toyota launched their first hybrid vehicle in 1997 – the Coaster Hybrid EV minibus which is currently being sold in Australia and Hong Kong. This was followed by the release of the first generation Prius, the world’s first mass produced hybrid vehicle using a 1.5-litre DOHC engine and an electric motor. The Prius has since grown to be a green car icon in its third generation now. Branded as Hybrid Synergy Drive, Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain resides in the SAI, Camry and Lexus models.

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Wald previews mean styling package for the Toyota Prius

August 6, 2010 at 9:43 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota


Click to enlarge

Japanese tuner Wald International previews a new styling package for the eco-friendly Toyota Prius, proving that no car can escape the hand of the tuner, even an innocent eco icon. The company has so far released one teaser picture with limited amount of information on this “Executive Line” package.

The styling package will feature a more aggressive front spoiler, rear spoiler, rear apron, side skirts along with a lowering kit. It’s finished off with a set of cool alloy wheels. Not too bad looking, we must say!

More information is expected in the coming weeks, and Wald will also be introducing a package for the Honda CR-Z hybrid. Not sure if local Prius owners would even half consider pimping their green car Wald style, but this at least shows the possibilities with a car no one would call sporty looking in standard form.

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Saab announces EV test fleet plans, next 9-3 to be mule

August 4, 2010 at 9:38 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Saab

Saab has announced plans to roll out a test fleet of electric vehicles within the first quarter of 2011. The Trollhattan based company will use global locations for the test fleet including home country Sweden. Housing the EV tech that’s being researched will be the next generation 9-3.

Saab’s EV test fleet will be launched in partnership with Boston-Power and Electroengine. Boston Power is a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures lithium ion batteries while Electroengine is a Swedish firm that modifies conventional combustion engine vehicles into high performance electric vehicles.

“The main purpose is to draw technology from this test fleet, technology that we can then incorporate quickly. The key target short-term is to drive fuel consumption down. You can electrify certain portions of the vehicle,” said Jan Ake Jonsson, CEO of Saab Automobile AB.

Victor Muller who is the chairman of Saab and CEO of Spyker Cars also touched on the impending Saab 92 small car, calling it “the missing link” and confirming that they have almost everything in place, including the design and specifications. “The only missing link is making the contract with a potential partner and how we are going to fund it. It’s currently not in our business plan, but it has a compelling business case,” he said.

There are speculations that Saab’s small car will use BMW’s MINI platform and drivetrains.

Source

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Proton Saga EV at Indonesia International Motor Show 2010

July 29, 2010 at 7:09 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Malaysian Makes, Proton

Proton showcased this Proton Saga EV at the Indonesia International Motor Show happening right now. According to the specs revealed at the show, this Saga EV uses a 15 kWh lithium ion polymer battery that can be quick-charged in just one hour, or via a conventional wall outlet in between 6 to 8 hours. 0 to 100km/h time is reached in 12 seconds, on to a top speed of 110km/h.

The quickcharge time seems quite short compared to other EVs that usually take about 2 hours but you have to remember the battery size also seems smaller compared to say, the Nissan Leaf which uses a 24 kWh battery. The Chevrolet Volt uses a 16 kWh battery but it has a range extender.

A red Proton Saga EV Concept shown in Malaysia back in mid-2009 featured a specifications sheet that listed a larger battery – 20kWh, that took up the entire trunk space. In that red car, the battery is able to power the car for about 109km on the NEDC driving cycle.

This white Saga EV in Indonesia and that red Saga EV from last year seems to have an identical engine bay, in fact you can see one area in the white car’s engine bay’s firewall that reveals an area of red paint underneath it, so I think this is the same car but with some modified specs perhaps?

A smaller battery would usually mean a shorter maximum mileage on a full charge (Proton did not reveal maximum range but I am guessing around 60km since the Volt’s 16kWh battery gets 65km) but as we talked about yesterday, Proton intended the Saga EV concept demonstrator to tackle basic urban city driving needs (hence the 110km/h top speed), with another Persona EV concept demonstrator developed to have a longer range.

It’s worth nothing that this is just a concept demonstrator and probably doesn’t reflect any of the specs of a production car, if Proton ever decides to build one. And where in the middle of all of this is Detroit Electric? No idea. Look after the jump for more photos.
[Read more...]

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Porsche officially greenlights production 918 Spyder

July 29, 2010 at 4:24 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Porsche

It’s official – Porsche has greenlighted the development of a production version of the Porsche 918 Spyder. It was a no brainer on the part of the Supervisory Board in Stuttgart, as the concept received overwhelming response from both customers and the public alike. Apparently they now have a total of 1,000 serious buyers for the car that was first previewed at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show as well as Auto China in Beijing.

“The production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts. We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base,” said Chairman of the Board of Management Michael Macht.

The 918 Spyder Hybrid supercar produces a total of 708hp from both its high revving V8 engine and its electric motor, which is channeled through the 7-speed PDK gearbox and a fixed transmission ratio for the electric motor. This enables a 0 to 100 acceleration figures of as low as 3.2 seconds, while maintaining an average fuel consumption figure of just 3 litres per 100km and pumping out 70g/km of CO2.

No official word on the pricing of the car, but rumour has it that it will be slightly more than Porsche’s previous showpiece, the Carrera GT, coming in at around 500,000 Euros. More information will be released in the coming months by Porsche.

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Is this a Proton Exora Hybrid demonstrator vehicle?

July 28, 2010 at 8:30 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Spyshots


Click for enlarged image

This is a covered up Proton Exora snapped by reader Zai today on the North South Highway near the Proton City exit. Looks quite normal actually even down to the wheels, until you look at the side where you begin to notice some livery.

According to Zai, the livery had a big ‘hybrid’ word. I can’t really see it in these photos but considering the light green and light blue stripes that we can see as part of the livery, it kinda fits the hybrid theme. I guess this means that a hybrid Exora is now here in Malaysia. Proton revealed in the past that a hybrid Exora had existed in the UK and that it would eventually bring it back here to Malaysia.

A promotional poster at Proton’s recent 25th anniversary dinner (available below) reveals more details on Proton’s alternative fuel vehicle endeavors.


Click for enlarged image

According to Proton, their EV project started in November 2008 with a team of technologists dispatched to Lotus Engineering UK to develop two EV cars. One was a Proton Persona with a longer range, faster acceleration and higher maximum speed while the other was a Proton Saga EV with basic performance for urban city driving needs.

It’s hybrid vehicle efforts started in September 2009, with an Exora-based “serial digital hybrid electric vehicle” demonstrator to be used for performance evaluation, testing and safety assessment. This could be the car we are seeing above?

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China to make mild hybrid tech compulsory by 2012?

July 28, 2010 at 2:31 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

China might be taking another step forward in reducing their carbon footprint by making it compulsory for all vehicles in China to have the “BSG hybrid” system. BSG stands for “Belt Driven Starter Generator” and it works like a start-stop system where the engine shuts off when the car is idle. Start-stop is now common in most European new cars and is supposed to be part of “mild hybrid” measures along with things like brake energy regeneration.

This comes after the GM of Chery New Energy Company, Yuan Tao, revealed that relevant authorities are currently working on the new policy. An unnamed insider from another Chinese manufacturer, Dongfeng, confirmed the above statement and added that it would be implemented in 2012. Dongfeng already sells a BSG version of its S30 sedan (pictured).

BSG is a simple system and according to Dongfeng, it will only cost 1,000 yuan ($147.50) per car if mass produced. On average, fuel efficiency is boosted by 5%. It may not sound like much, but when you consider the fact that China used 540 million tons of gasoline and 520 million tons of diesel in 2008, this system could see annual fuel consumption decrease by 5 million tons!

Source

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Porsche Boxster mules to test EV components and battery

July 28, 2010 at 11:04 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Porsche

Porsche has confirmed that it will make electric sports cars, and three Boxsters with all-electric drive systems will kick off the research and testing process in early 2011. The trio will provide an initial insight into new electric drive components and battery systems for EVs. The field test will also give information on the infrastructure required for electromobilty, user behaviour and demands.

“We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers product qualities typical of a Porsche,” said Michael Macht, President and CEO of Porsche AG.

This isn’t a piece of surprising news as Porsche is known to be toying with the idea of putting the 918 Spyder concept into production. The stunning 918 Spyder, which wowed this year’s Geneva show goers, combines the qualities of a plug-in hybrid and the performance of a supercar. Just imagine 0-100 km/h in under 3.2 seconds and a faster Nurburgring lap time than the Carrera GT with best effort fuel consumption of 3 litres per 100km – amazing isn’t it? Click here for a seductive video of the 918.

You can’t buy that yet, but hybrid Porsches aren’t out of reach if you have the cash. The Cayenne S Hybrid will be launched in Malaysia very soon as part of the new Cayenne range that includes the Cayenne S, Diesel and Turbo.

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