Home / Special Coverage / Hybrids and Alternative Fuel (Page 9)

  • Citroën E-3POD Antistatic: in between bike and car

    In Citroën, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 3 comments


    Click to enlarge

    This here is Heikki Juvonen’s E-3POD Antistatic, a single-seat concept that bagged the top prize in a Citroën sponsored project in the UK called the Double Challenge.

    The project, jointly sponsored by French aerodynamic simulation software company EXA, required Royal College of Art MA second-year students to design a compelling ultra-compact model that could establish a unique Citroën e-vehicle aesthetic for the future.


    Click to enlarge

    Juvonen’s design was chosen as the best overall design by representatives from Citroën’s Style Centre and Electric Vehicle Development Team, and as his prize receives a six month employment contract to work at the prestigious PSA Design Centre in Paris.

    His single-seat creation is a bold and engaging take on an urban three- wheel electric vehicle. The distinctive, aerodynamic styling features two smaller wheels at the front with the driver sitting inside a larger third wheel with an innovative hub-less design.


    Click to enlarge

    Designed for urban commuting, the ultra-light, micro segment, single-seater is not meant to replace cars, but rather an addition to the family transportation fleet, positioned between bikes and cars.

    The short length of the vehicle makes it agile in urban environments; at higher speeds, the E-3POD tilts slightly to provide solid grip and an emphasised stance, giving cornering a more responsive feel.


    Click to enlarge

    The distinctive look of the electric design language was applied to distinguish the product from being associated to cars and for the avoidance of comparison in terms of operational range or refuelling/recharging time.

    The E-3POD has a simplified, lightweight construction, with an emphasis on aerodynamics to minimise the required battery size. The lowered weight is emphasised in design elements such as the rear wheel, which works as a supportive structural element, the shared suspension for both front wheels, and the use of scratch resistant plastic for the canopy. The silent electric engines also make sound insulation redundant, allowing for lighter material selection.

     

  • Toyota Yaris HSD Concept – B-segment hybrid for Geneva

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Toyota / By / / 10 comments

    Toyota looks like its aiming for a serious push down the hybrid path into Europe’s largest market sector, the B-segment, and will show the precursor to things in the form of the Yaris HSD Concept, which makes its world debut in Geneva next month.

    The Japanese automaker hasn’t divulged any details about the upcoming hatch, aside from a teaser shot of its nose and stating that it will have hybrid-specific styling cues and new, forward-looking design elements. It adds that that the car anticipates the company’s hybrid intentions for the segment and represents the next step in its full hybrid roll-out strategy for the continent. More to come in Geneva, then.

     

  • Around the world in 125 days – fuel cell out to prove a point

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Mercedes Benz / By / / 7 comments

    Three Mercedes-Benz B-Class fuel cell vehicles have begun an epic 125-day circumnavigation of the world. The cars will travel 30,000 km across four continents and through 14 countries and will finish their world tour back in Stuttgart, where they started.

    The F-CELL World Drive, as it’s called, is aimed at confirming the technical maturity of fuel cell technology, as well as its suitability for everyday use as a safe and reliable means of transport over long distances and in the widest variety of road and weather conditions.

    The tour will initially head south via Paris, Barcelona and Madrid into Lisbon, continuing the journey by plane to the US east coast. From Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the route heads across North America along the Gulf of Mexico towards Los Angeles before heading up to vancouver, Canada, a distance of 7,500 km.

    Next is a 5,000 km trip across Australia, beginning from Sydney towards Perth, with stopovers in Melbourne and Adelaide. The last transfer between continents takes the cars into Shanghai, and from Beijing, the cars will cover more than 10,000 km towards Moscow, before heading into Northern Europe. The cars will travel via Finland to Stockholm, then Oslo in Norway before making the journey back, via Denmark, to Germany, arriving in Stuttgart at the beginning of June.

    The circumnavigation drive will also draw attention to a significant challenge, which is with the infrastructure needed for the provision of hydrogen. Mercedes says that this type of electric mobility can only be implemented on a comprehensive scale when it is backed by a network of hydrogen filling stations designed to meet demand. As such, the company is looking at motivating the advancement of filling station networks through joint development.

    Now, getting more people and countries in on the act would naturally bring the cost of fuel cell technology and vehicles down, fitting in with the prediction reported earlier. Of course, based on the route taken by the world drive, you can see which countries are integral to those plans in the immediate term, and which are not.

     

  • Fuel cell prices expected to drop considerably, says Daimler

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Mercedes Benz / By / / 6 comments

    According to a report, Mercedes-Benz maker Daimler predicts that the cost of EV batteries and fuel cell cars will drop significantly in the next few years, especially for the latter, paving the way for closer parity against conventional offerings.

    The company’s e-drive and future mobility boss Herbert Kohler said that while a few years ago, the price was at about 1,500 euros per kilowatt hour for a lithium ion battery, the price should drop to around 400 euros in the midterm, according to the ANE report.

    He added that the expectations are for an even bigger price decrease for fuel cells, with the belief that EVs could be more expensive than fuel cells in less than five years. By 2015, the company beleives that a fuel cell car won’t cost more than a four-cylinder diesel hybrid meeting the Euro 6 emissions standard, according to Kohler.

    The company has already been doing running trials on a fleet of its B-class fuel cells cars, with the second-generation of the form based on its new MFA front-wheel drive architecture expected – along with its A-class sibling – around 2013 or 2014, and is aggressively pursuing a target of getting 1,000 fuel cell mules on the road in the next three years.

    Kohler added he expected that there would be a network of 1,000 fuel-stations in Germany alone by mid-term, effectively having a fueling-station for a fuel cell vehicle within an every 30 km distance.

     

  • Audi to debut Auto Union Type C prototype at toy fair – and does anyone fancy a sleek Audi foosball table?

    In Audi, Cars, Concept Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 2 comments

    Alright, so the Auto Union bit would have been a giveaway, as would have the toy fair debut. The debutant in question is an all-electric, 1:2 scale version of the 1936 Auto Union Type C Grand Prix car, Audi’s latest e-tron concept study.

    The electrically-propelled reworking of the ’30s racing classic will make its debut at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg next month. It’s a half-size model, based on the limited edition pedal car.

    In partnership with a lithium-ion battery, the electric motor on this one – which drives the rear wheels – develops a staggering 1.5 hp as well as up to 60 Nm of torque for short periods, and the car has a whopping top speed of 30 kph.

    Not quite the sprightliest Audi ever made, but it can cover up to 24 km on just two hours of battery charge time from a standard 230V household socket. Oh, and the Type C prototype is also equipped with a reverse gear.

    The body is hand-finished, and is made from aluminium and carbon-effect material, and at 2.32 m long and 97 cm wide, it’s just 1.12m shorter than the A1, which makes it suitable for children and adults up to 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) tall. Unfortunately, the company has no plans for series production with this one.

    Elsewhere, if foosball is more your thing, then the Audi Design table football table, which also goes on show in Nuremberg, looks like the perfect spot. Besides the sleek styling, features include a high-quality finish in aluminium and high-strength plastic.

    Only 20 tables will be built initially, and this one can be bought, and though you’ll have to part with RM62,600 for one, it’s surely a small price to pay for an Audi …

     

  • BMW and Brilliance to develop 5-Series based EV

    In BMW, Cars, China, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel / By / / 3 comments

    BMW and its Chinese JV partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings have agreed to team up to develop an electric vehicle for the Chinese market based on the platform of the BMW 5-Series, and a concept version of the new large EV will be displayed at one of the big auto shows in China this year.

    There are no further details yet as of now, and BMW’s own EV efforts has so far been contained to smaller vehicles like the MINI EV, with its large vehicles mostly using hybrid technology instead of a pure EV solution. Brilliance has also dabbled with EVs in the past – shown in this story are two EV concepts that Brilliance has exhibited in the past in its own capacity without anything to do with BMW. We also don’t know for sure if the new BMW 5-Series based EV will be sold as a BMW or as a separate brand.

     

  • Tesla to introduce Tesla Model X SUV later this year

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 2 comments

    Tesla Model S

    Tesla’s model portfolio will be expanded with the addition of a third electric vehicle called the Tesla Model X, which will be an SUV. The Model X joins the existing Tesla Roadster as well as the yet to be released Tesla Model S sedan, which is itself still about 2 years from production.

    The Tesla Model X SUV will be revealed later this year, and CEO Elon Musk promises it will be way “cooler” than any SUV or minivan. It only makes sense to sell an SUV model alongside the Model S sedan as it would be quite easy to develop a crossover SUV body on a sedan’s platform, and Americans as you know are mad about the SUV bodystyle.

    Why hasn’t anyone hasn’t put the Lotus APX into production as some kind of EV SUV yet?

     

  • Lexus CT 200h – RM168,000 OTR, without insurance!

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Lexus, Local News / By / / 182 comments

    If you’ve been thinking of owning a new Lexus for under 200 grand, well, here’s some cheery news. The soon-to-arrive Lexus CT 200h hybrid will go for just RM168,000, on the road without insurance, according to the Lexus Malaysia website, which has put up the pricing for the hatchback. That’s for the standard CT 200h, with a Luxury version slated to pop in as well at RM196,500, also OTR without insurance.

    The vehicle – in either guise – is powered by the same powertrain combination as found on the ZVW30 Prius: the 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre Atkinson cycle petrol block – which develops 98 hp at 5,200 rpm and 142 Nm at 4,000 rpm – and permanent magnet synchronous motor/168-cell NiMh electric drivetrain, which offers 80 hp and 207 Nm, together offering a combined total output of 134 hp.

    Specifications-wise, common to the two CT 200h variants coming into Malaysia are perforated leather seats (with seat heaters), dual-zone air conditioning, cruise control as well as a six-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system for the basic and a 10-speaker one for the Luxury model, among other things.

    There’s also the usual host of safety assist kit, these being ABS, BA, VSC, TRC and EBD, along with eight airbags and rear seat Isofix points, and the car will come wearing 16-inch wheels with 205/55 series tyres.

    In what might be an effort to get the price to where it’s at, there’s a bit of fare that’s been omitted in the stock CT 200h – the headlamps are halogen units (the Luxury gets LED lamps), and the driver and passenger seat adjustment is of the manual variety (the driver’s seat on the Luxury is powered).

    Elsewhere, there’s no smart entry, Electro Multi Vision (EMV) screen, rain sensing wipers or rear reverse camera on the basic CT 200h, all of which are of course to be found on the Luxury variant, and the additional RM28,500 for the latter also bags you a Lexus navigation system and remote touch controller on top of the above items.

    Nonetheless, it’s an achievement, a Lexus for that price in its standard guise. More when the car is launched, undoubtedly, but one can sense some hamsters running already.

     

  • Plans afoot to turbocharge the ailing Honda CR-Z?

    In Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 23 comments


    Click to enlarge

    According to a report, it seems Honda is in the midst of doing something bold to help resurrect its ailing CR-Z, which seems to be doing, to put it mildly, not too well in terms of domestic sales – the company, it seems, is planning to go the forced induction route with the coupe.

    Autocar says that Japanese sources have intimated that the car is likely to be given a shot in the arm in the form of a 1.6 litre turbocharged pot, in two output forms, 160 hp and 200 hp. Right now, it’s only available as a hybrid, in a 1.5 litre petrol engine and 14 hp electric motor combination, which of course doesn’t sound very sexy, even if it’s doing its bit to save the planet.

    Now, the vehicle you see above isn’t the claimed car, but is actually the TS-1X that made its debut at the recent Tokyo Auto Salon over the weekend. It’s a test study model based on the CR-Z, developed by Honda Access Corporation, a subsidiary specialising in genuine Honda aftermarket parts and accessories.

    The front’s been reworked, with plenty of extensions elsewhere, and the car’s been slapped with a healthy dollop of matte black paint. Sure, it’s a test bed study, but mayhaps also provides some intimations of what is to be? You never know.

    Supposedly, it’s speculated that the souped-up CR-Z might come about as a production-ready model by the time the Tokyo Motor Show arrives towards the end of this year. Oh well, if it saves the day, then it can’t be such a bad move. Strike one on the car’s first attempt, as well as against the go green brigade …

     

  • Sunswift IVy – the fastest solar-only car in the world!

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News / By / / 12 comments

    This is the Sunswift IVy, and it just recently broke the Guiness world land speed record for solar-powered vehicles on January 7, beating GM’s Sunraycer to the top spot. GM’s Sunraycer previously clocked 78 kph back in 1988 using 1,500 watts of solar power, while the Sunswift IVy managed to hit 88 kph using just 1,050 watts.

    The IVy is shaped like an airplane wing, which is basically the shape of a teardrop, which is the most efficient aerodynamic shape for minimizing drag. The IVy’s shape is designed for minimum lift and minimum drag. Hard to imagine, but it can fit one very small person.

    Its footprint is about the same size of an average sedan but it’s only half the height and 10% of the weight of an average car. It’s powered solely by solar energy, and by calculations, the Sunswift IVy should technically have been able to achieve 115 kph at peak power (Sunswift says equivalent to what’s needed to toast two slices of bread) and an estimated average speed of 85 kph. However, during the test day, the clouds didn’t allow peak energy to be reached.

    Its chassis is monocoque and made of carbon fibre, while the suspension uses a double wishbone at the front and a trailing arm at the rear. Steering is rack and pinion. It uses only three carbon fibre wheels, wrapped with Dunlop Solarma tyres. Solar power charges a lithium polymer battery weighing about 24.75 kg, which in turn powers a brushless CSIRO three-phase 1,800 watt 98% efficiency DC motor.

    The whole program cost about US$280,000 and took 18 months to complete. Look after the jump for a couple more photos of the IVy.
    Read more ›

     
 
1 … 7 8 9 10 11 … 48
 
 
 
 
 

Archives