The Varley Electric Vehicles evR450 announced a few days ago is no longer the only electric supercar from Australia. Ian Denner has announced a new electric roadster that sounds very promising. Called Arcspeed Electric Roadster, this particular car started its life back in 2006 when it was intend to be produced in limited number, but as a gasoline-power car.
Back then Denner dropped the idea and later on he came with the idea of transforming the roadster into an electric one. The Roadster uses in fact the same powertrain as the evR450: two electric motors, each with 210 HP and 385 lb-ft of torque for a total output of 420 HP and 770 lb-ft of torque. The electric motors will take their power from a battery pack that consists of 500 individual lithium-ion phosphate batteries mounted in the cockpit floor. Also, just like with the evR450 the Roadster will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds.
Denner hopes to put the car into limited production series and to price it less than $100,000.
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to grab any photos of the new BMW i3, but after months and months of waiting, our spy photographers have been able to snag a few pictures of BMW’s newest i3 prototype. This newest prototype was recently spotted on the back of a truck in the south of Germany, revealing more details on the development of the future electric car.
This i3 prototype has its headlights in the correct position and reveals that the placement and angle of the roof line and C-Pillar mirror that of the i3 concept. Another interesting observation can be made of the electric car’s doors. The doors, like the doors of the Mini Clubman, are suicide doors, meaning that the front door needs to be opened in order to let the back seat passenger out.
The 2013 BMW i3 will be powered by a powerful 170 HP electric motor that will sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds and up to a top speed of 93 mph. The car will have an autonomy between 80 and 100 miles in mixed driving, making it the perfect vehicle for those everyday short trips.
A while ago, Mercedes AMG announced that they would only focus on producing high performance sports cars, completely leaving hybrids and electrics out of the equation because they did not go with their lineup. Apparently, the company has reconsidered their little statement. During a recent interview with Autoblog, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz AMG said that the company is now taking under consideration an "electrified" future.
The first model for this greener future will be the SLS AMG E-Cell, which the AMG Division is still working on. Källenius couldn’t confirm the official specs, range, or curb weight because those numbers are still to be determined, but he did say that the sports car’s lithium-ion battery packs will not weigh down the vehicle and that its performance will be "exceptional." Orders will begin in the middle of 2012 and the first deliveries will be made in 2013.
The SLS AMG e-Cell, however, will only be the beginning of AMG’s future technologies. Mercedes performance division is also working on both electric drivetrains and the implementation of some sort of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), but Källenius did not offer any details on the models expected to carry this future technology.
This year’s Tokyo Motor Show has become a gathering for futuristic city car concepts that promote efficiency and sustainability. With that thought in mind, it was hardly a surprise to see Honda throwing their hat into the mix with the introduction of the Micro Commuter Concept.
Essentially, the Micro Commuter Concept is tiny three-seater (1+2) electric city car that promotes ease of mobility in a world that’s fast becoming denser and denser. The Micro Commuter Concept comes with some futuristic features that defy today’s expectations, including customizable exterior panels that allow owners to insert graphic sheet on their car. There’s also an interior display where occupants can use for communication. Moreover, the concept also relies on the same driving mechanics as another Tokyo-bound Honda attendee, the AC-X Concept: the dual-joystick controller.
As for the power train, the Micro Commuter Concept is powered by a 16.7 kW electric motor that produces 22 horsepower and is fueled by a 3.3 kWh lithium-ion battery. These numbers translate to a 0-60 km sprint time of 7.4 seconds with a pedestrian top speed of 37 mph and a range of 37 miles. Anytime the battery is low, charging of the Micro Commuter Concept will only take an hour and can be done on a 200V outlet.
Nissan’s fascination with electric car concepts cannot be understated. And now, the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show will host the eighth such concept from the Japanese automaker called the Pivo3.
You’ll probably recall that name from two previous incarnations - the original Pivo unveiled in 2005 and the Pivo2 which made an appearance in 2007 - but this time around, the Pivo3 highlights the latest in Nissan’s on-going passion and dedication to zero emission driving. The only difference between the Pivo3 and its two predecessors is that, according to Nissan, the Pivo3 is a more "realistic" preview of what their future electric car could potentially be.
Details on the concept’s powertrain remain a mystery, although we did get a good look at what the car looks like. The most noticeable thin about the Pivo3 is that it’s ridiculously small - length is less than 10 feet - and has a 1+2 seating configuration similar to, of all cars, the McLaren F1.
The Pivo3 also features side-view monitors, a camera-based Around View Monitor, and a new automated parking system that Nissan is calling “Automated Valet Parking,” which, as the name suggests, allows the Pivo3 to park by itself.
The Nissan Pivo3 Concept will make its debut at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. We’ll have more details about this new compact concept when information becomes available.
