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BAIC to introduce its first electric vehicle in September

June 7, 2011 at 6:41 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Over in China, state-owned carmaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co is set to begin sales of its first electric car in Beijing from September, according to reports.

The vehicle is a compact sedan which will offer a 100 km travel range and a 130 kph maximum speed. No further details were available about the EV, which is codenamed C30DB, though the pricing was indicated – the sedan will be priced at 300,000 yuan, which is around RM140k, though government subsidies in effect means that buyers will need to pay only 180,000 yuan (RM83,500), the reports add.

Earlier this year, the Beijing city government started restricting new car sales in the Chinese capital to 20,000 units per month in a bid to ease the traffic congestion in the city. Electric vehicles, however, are exempted from this restriction, so it looks like the upcoming BAIC EV will provide more than just the ‘going green’ alternative as far as options go.

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Aston Martin Cygnet to have an all-electric version

May 17, 2011 at 12:10 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Aston Martin, Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Obviously, someone somewhere thinks that this is undoubtedly a brilliant idea – an Aston Martin all-electric car. Only thing is, it’s not going to be very fast, nor very big.

Reports say the rumour mill has it that the company is planning an EV version of its tiny Cygnet, which of course will essentially be a tarted up electric version of the Toyota iQ, which the standard Cygnet is based on. All in the name of being seen as green, yes, and a case of ‘since everyone’s doing it, why shouldn’t we?’ Still, you can imagine there’ll be takers. There always are.

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Renault Twizy – looking to bowl over the scooter crowd

May 13, 2011 at 8:51 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Renault

Renault has announced the pricing and opened reservations for its electric Twizy, which is due to go on sale at the end of the year in Europe. There are three versions in all, a 5hp model called the Twizy 45 and two 17 hp variants, the Urban and Technic.

The Twizy 45, as its numerical moniker suggests, has a speed capped at 45 kph, which means it can be driven without a licence in certain countries. With pricing starting from 6,990 Euros for the model, its price – in Europe – also means that young drivers will now be able to afford a vehicle that is safer than a two-wheeler.

As for the faster (80 kph) Twizy twins, which happen to be on display at the ongoing Barcelona Motor Show, the tax-paid prices for the Urban and Technic will start from 7,690 Euros and 8,490 Euros respectively, with a monthly tax-paid cost of the battery lease for both versions being 49 Euros.

The four-wheeled Twizy sits two occupants in tandem, one behind the other like on a scooter or a bike, with wraparound bodywork and side deflectors to ensure enjoyable open-air motoring, but protected from the elements.

Renault adds that it offers greater safety compared with a two-wheeled vehicle, thanks to an extensive list of active and passive safety features. It also allows easier parking, with its compact dimensions (it’s 2,337 mm long, 1,191 mm wide and 1,461 mm tall). The Twizy sits on 13-inch wheels, which wear 125×80 front and 145×80 rear rubbers.

The Twizy’s lithium-ion battery fully charges in just 3.5 hours using a domestic electrical supply via a spiral cable stowed behind a flap at the front. Twizy’s low weight (450kg, including the 100kg battery) helps it get an operational range of around 100 km per charge.

Accessories for the vehicle include an all-purpose, 50 litre capacity bag, a Parrot audio kit (including Bluetooth connectivity, plus a USB connector, a jack socket and an Apple connector), rear parking sensors, additional protection against the weather and a range of customisation options such as coloured alloy wheels and decals, stuff that’ll make your ride Twizy to spot. Sorry, couldn’t resist!
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Delta E-4 Coupé – fast, yet frugal two-door electric

May 13, 2011 at 9:57 am By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News


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British engineering consultancy Delta Motorsports has launched its Delta E-4 Coupé, a battery-electric two-door coupe with a range of 320 km on a single charge. Not that the car isn’t quick – it has a 0-100 kph time of under five seconds.

Built from the ground up, the E-4 – officially unveiled at Silverstone – features a carbon composite chassis, designed by Delta and manufactured by KS Composites, that weighs just 85 kg, which is two-thirds less than a comparable steel structure despite being designed to pass EU crash tests.

It’s powered by high performance direct-drive electric motors designed in partnership with Oxford University and its spin-out, Oxford YASA Motors. These produce over 120 hp each and well over 600 Nm of torque, while only weighing 23 kg. The batteries are mounted under the floor to help reduce aerodynamic drag.


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Delta Motorsports, which was founded in 2005 by Simon Dowson and Nick Carpenter, has been working on the E-4 since 2007. Development of the prototype was supported by a grant for research and development by EMDA, an East Midlands regional development agency. A further five vehicles have been produced for the UK’s Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Program.

The E-4 Coupe will be taking part in this year’s RAC Future Car Challenge, which takes place in November.

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Toyota Prius – not all next-gen versions to be plug-in

May 12, 2011 at 12:54 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Well, it seems the Nikkei didn’t quite get it right with its report on the next-generation Prius model range – due to arrive in 2014 – all coming with plug-in capability.

According to further reports following up on the original piece, Toyota, via its US office, has said that there’s no basis to believe that every next-gen Prius will be a plug-in. “The report is not accurate. We spoke to our offices in Japan, and the story is not true. There is no formal plan to make all Priuses plug-in by 2014,” a company spokesperson said.

Apparently, there’s no formal plan in place, so such an eventuality isn’t likely to arise, and with regards to pricing (the story said that the new plug-in models would enter the market at around the same price range as the current Prius line), nothing has been confirmed yet either.

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Land Rover Defender all-electric – quietly game for game

May 10, 2011 at 6:58 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Land Rover


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Do not disturb the animals – well, that would definitely be the case if you’ve got one of these around. It’s an all-electric version of the iconic Land Rover Defender, and it’s meant for use in game parks, where minimising noise levels is as beneficial as reducing environmental pollution.

Jaguar Land Rover South Africa launched the electric Defender as a concept vehicle at the INDABA tourism exhibition in Durban earlier this week. The vehicle, co-developed with Axeon, Europe’s leading independent developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery systems, is a Defender 110 High Capacity Pick Up with an EV powertrain in place of the standard 2.4 litre diesel engine.

The Axeon pack has been designed to fit into the vehicle’s engine bay in order to maintain ground clearance and wading height for the purpose-built vehicle. The bespoke battery system also incorporates Axeon’s proprietary Battery Management System (BMS), which monitors the battery state as well as measures and controls key operational parameters, important factors for an EV operating in harsh conditions.


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In testing, the range has been shown to be capable of three times a typical game drive on a single charge – in this case around 80 km, with a 20 km reserve range.

The electric Defender has been well received by experienced LR drivers, including those from the official Land Rover Experience, and has done quite nicely in testing at the rigorous and gruelling Gerotek test facility in Pretoria. In use, the quiet operation has meant a vehicle with the ability to get closer to animals within a game park. All the better to see you with, one supposes.

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Toyota Prius – plug-in capability for next-generation in 2014

May 9, 2011 at 2:11 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota

Toyota is planning to make its next-generation Prius hybrid range, which is set to debut in 2014, come with plug-in capability as a standard feature, according to a report in the Nikkei.

The next-gen Prius plug-in variants will be equipped with high-performance lithium ion batteries. Improved performance is driving the move – the current third-gen Prius, led by the XW30, can travel a maximum 38 km per litre, but the fourth-generation offerings are anticipated to be able to cover more than 60 km, including electricity-only mileage.

Though lithium ion batteries are still more expensive than conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries, Toyota is seeking economies of scale through mass production, the report says. And, by further cutting prices of high-performance motors and other core components, the new Prius range is expected to start at around 2.05 million yen, which is what current Prius prices are at.

Plug-in hybrids can be charged with regular household current, so, taking the available charging infrastructure into account, the company is viewing plug-in hybrids as the leading candidate for its next-generation of eco-friendly vehicles. It is set to deploy plug-in tech for its sedans, minivans and other models after first switching over the Prius lineup.

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Proton Exora Hybrid to arrive into the market in 2012?

April 25, 2011 at 12:55 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Proton

If you’ve been waiting for the Proton Exora Hybrid to enter the market, some positive news then – the vehicle might be introduced next year, if everything goes according to plan. According to reports, Proton’s managing director Datuk Seri Syed Zainal Abidin said that the Exora Hybrid is undergoing testing validation in the United Kingdom, which is expected to be completed in two weeks.

Proton will then get the approval to produce the hybrid MPV after it obtains final certification from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS). As for its introduction into the market, Syed Zainal hinted that the vehicle would arrive sometime in 2012. “We hope the car goes to the public by next year,” he said.

Development of the Exora Hybrid began in the UK in 2009, and in November last year, fresh from bagging the “Best Range Extender EV” award at the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Future Car Challenge event held in London, we drove the Exora Hybrid here in its REEV form. How much of this one will translate into the series production product remains to be seen.

Elsewhere, the company says it is confident of surviving in a fully liberalised market, and was prepared to face challenges when the planned liberalisation of the domestic automotive industry comes into play by 2016.

Proton has been prepared for this for a long time, according to Syed Zainal. “We have a five-year journey and whatever we do, we must make sure the cars become cheaper and its product design and quality get better,’ he said last week.

The company’s current restructuring exercise, which should be completed later this year once it is approved by the board and shareholders, is in line with the company’s direction heading towards 2016.

“We want the company to be more flexible and focus on whatever they do. We have the breadth but not the depth. We want to be better in the way we design, manufacture, sell and distribute our cars,” he stated, and the restructuring would obviously streamline many things and add focus, going forward.

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Strange but true! Nissan LEAF NISMO RC electric racer

April 18, 2011 at 11:06 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Nissan


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Here’s another unlikely racer – the Nissan LEAF electric car. No, the “RC” in the name doesn’t make this a toy, but it stands for “Racing Competition”. This NISMO fettled EV racer is set to debut at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. It will likely make special demo appearances at various motorsports venues in 2011, as Nissan explores a pioneer zero emission competition spec series in future years.

This LEAF is unlike any other, starting with its full carbon fiber monocoque bodywork. The three-piece bodywork includes removable front and rear sections, fixed windows, LED headlights and taillights and driver-adjustable rear wing. There are two doors less than the road version, too.

Dimensionally, the race car features a 9.9 cm shorter wheelbase, is 2 cm longer and 17 cm wider. It also sits more than a foot lower than the production LEAF and ground clearance is limited to 6.1 cm, compared to 16 cm for the road car. And at just 938 kg, the race car weighs about 40% less.

Inside, you won’t find rear seats, a trunk, audio system, navigation and carpeting, but a battery pack, electric motor and inverter located in a mid-ship position. Like the production LEAF, the NISMO RC is powered by a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 107 hp and 280 Nm.

It can be charged up to 80% of full capacity in 30 minutes using the quick charging port located inside the rear cowl. Unlike other race cars, the NISMO RC has no tailpipe, no emissions and no sound.

The motor drives the rear wheels. The RC has all round double-wishbone suspension and driver-adjustable brake balance. It rides on 18-inch 6-spoke wheels and P225/40R18 Bridgestone racing rubber. In testing, it made the 0-100 km/h sprint in 6.85 seconds and a top speed of 150 km/h. Nissan says that it can run for 20 minutes under racing conditions.

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DBM Energy Hummingbird – from hero to zero to hero again

April 13, 2011 at 7:23 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

It’s something that has all the makings of a movie – newcomer bursts on to the scene with an EV capable of stupendous range, demonstrating so in a run. Then, allegations of foul play surface, and before independent verification on the vehicle and its ability can be carried out, it’s mysteriously burnt in a fire.

Negative publicity ensues, and said company retreats, even shutting its website down for a while. That would be the end of that, and undoubtedly it would be left in many minds that everything might have been pretty much hogwash. Save the point that the battery didn’t perish along with the car, and now, with independent tests having been done on it, it does look like that what was claimed for it do hold up. Reputation restored, or at least salvaged.

The company is DBM Energy, and with a modified Audi A2 EV equipped with an experimental electric powerplant – developed as part of a government-sponsored project with energy provider Lekker Energie – managed to complete a 600 km, seven hour Berlin-Munich run on a single charge last October.

Little Lekker Mobil, as the A2 was called, accomplished it all with the heater running and with electricity left over in the pack. The wonder battery was DBM’s 98kWh ultra-high capacity lithium metal polymer-based battery nicknamed Kolibri (Hummingbird in German), which utilised a complex membrane technology from which the cells achieve a high degree of stability and efficiency.

According then to Mirko Hanemann, its inventor, the Hummingbird was said to be 97% efficient and chargeable from virtually any socket; plug it in to a high voltage DC source and the battery is fully charged in just six minutes.

Stupendous figures, and certainly ones that would have rewritten the record books, save the allegations that came about after that all might not have been what it seemed during the run. The German motoring organisation ADAC raised suggestions that the car, which was driven by Hanemann, might have been tampered with enroute when it disappeared from view of journos for half an hour during the record setting run.

There were calls to have the battery pack in the record-breaking car verified by independent experts, but before that could be accomplished, Little Lekker Mobil was no more, gutted in a Berlin warehouse by a fire now suggested to have been deliberately started. Mysteriously, the battery pack didn’t perish in the January fire, having been removed beforehand. The circumstances of the car’s demise obviously didn’t help DBM – or Hanemann’s – cause.

Now, reports say that what was achieved by the Hummingbird is true. The battery that made the run has now been examined by federal German experts, who have vindicated the technology – the experts say the battery was genuine in its abilities and have thus endorsed last year’s record-run.

The validation tests were carried out on the original battery unit by the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) in January this year. Because the October run was disputed, DBM also brought in independent validation firm DEKRA to carry out more validation tests, which were completed recently.

Here, the reports say, the required condition of covering a distance of 300 km within seven days was met in one session on a roller dynamometer; placed in an Audi A2 converted to electric propulsion, the Hummingbird LMP battery developed precisely 62.928 kWh for a total vehicle weight of 1,500kg, giving an indicated range of 454.83 km on a single charge.

Adjusting for the battery capacity of 98 kWh at the time of the record setting run, the range offered then would have been 714 km, a pretty staggering distance for any EV.

“The whole story is so amazing that it actually belongs in Hollywood,” Hannemann was quoted as telling German press agency dpa. Hannemann said with all the test results verified, DBM would no longer need to prove itself, but admitted it had been naive in trumpeting its claims so soon.

So, hero to zero to hero again, at least in principle. You can imagine that the next time Hanemann attempts a record run, if he ever does so again, he will have learnt not to disappear for the briefest of moments, even if it’s a spot of tea or the privacy of a toilet break that beckons. It does make things much easier.

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