T3 Motion made a name for itself making two wheeled mobility devices for security personnel. The company wants to expand its lineup and started work on its first passenger car. Fortunately, it’s not another boring electric city car aimed at housewives. By the contrary, it’s at the opposite side of the spectrum and was designed as a sporty three wheeler which blurs the line between cars and motorcycles.
The T3 Motion R3 prototype was revealed in 2011 and is powered by an AC induction motor fed by a pack of lithium polymer batteries which offer a reasonable range of 100 miles.
The new T3 Motion R3 is marketed as a sport vehicle and has the capacity to transport two people. To protect its occupants against bad weather, the R3 was fitted with a manually removable cloth top.
For the moment, T3 Motion didn’t reveal when the R3 will be launched on the market, but they said that it will be priced between $25.000-$35.000.
Hit the jump for more information on the T3 Motion R3.
Electric vehicles are slowing showing that they can be a serious threat to the conventionally powered cars, as they are getting closer to the same performance levels offered by their rivals. Not long ago “electric car” was synonymous with “unexciting car,” but things are starting to change. We know that the electric motors still have a long way to go before they will be as popular as the combustion engines, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Tesla and Fisker have already taken that step, now it’s time for Brusa to take that first step as well.
You may know a thing or two about the electric sports cars developed by the first two manufacturers, we doubt that you’ve heard many people talk about Brusa’s Spyder. And that is a pity, as it has all it needs to compete with success against any Fisker or Tesla.
Launched in 2009, the Brusa Spyder, uses the Rudolph Spyder’s body — a little-known German roadster inspired by the legendary Porsche 550 Spyder. Under its curvy skin you’ll find a pair of 95 kW (127-horsepower) Hybrid-Synchron electric motors which offer a total output of 254 horsepower and 2,200 Nm (1,622 pound-feet) of torque to the rear wheels.
Hit the jump for more information on the Brusa Spyder.
Over the years, we have seen the Renault ZOE make its way into various car shows as a concept car, but nothing ever really came of it. Here we are approaching the 2013 model year and finally, Renault is announcing that it is releasing its first production bespoke EV car in the form of the oft-teased ZOE. Sure, it’s no Ferrari or Lamborghini, or even a Tesla for that matter, but it is progress toward removing ourselves from exhaustible oil.
It is rather surprising to see electric vehicles taking their sweet time developing in European market, as those countries have been hit the hardest and longest with inflated gasoline prices. European buyers and automakers have been relying more on building high-efficiency diesel and gasoline engines, while us folks in the U.S. have focused more on the EV and hybrid routes.
The real question here is can the Renault ZOE make enough of an impact to pull buyers away from these ultra-economical petrol and diesel models? And can the ZOE help start the domino effect that the Prius did here all those years ago?
Click past the jump to read all about the Renault Zoe and get answers to these questions.
Electric cars have been around for decades, but it hasn’t been until recently that they’ve finally started to be considered a reliable solution to the problem of future transportation.
The Danish company ECOmove decided to join the crowded club of EV manufacturers and developed an innovative concept car designed for city driving.
The new Qbeak is a compact hatchback powered by a pack of lithium ion batteries and in-wheel motors. Its skin is made of lightweight, recyclable materials and features a unique chassis platform with room for flexible battery modules. Moreover the vehicle is also equipped with a communication system based on a smartphone.
What’s even interesting is that customers can choose from a range of interior and exterior options, which will permit you to modify the seats configuration (between 1 and 6) and also change the exterior color by interchanging some of the panels and parts.
The new ECOmove Qbeak is expected to be launched on the market by the end of 2012, but the company didn’t release any price specifications.
Th!nk used to work with Ford on a small city car, but after a while, the collaboration was interrupted and the Norwegian company continued to work on its project alone. Fortunately, it managed to finish the electric car and even launched it on the market with a huge starting price of $49,500 (including taxes).
Th!nk had much bigger plans, however, and is currently working on a new vehicle which puts practicality and comfort on top of the list. The new vehicle was presented in concept form in 2008 and judging by its tasty looks, it could certainly be received with more interest than the tiny City.
The Ox will be powered by a 60 kW electric motor paired with a pack of sodium or lithium-ion batteries which store enough juice to offer a range of 200 km. The Th!nk Ox can transport up to five passengers, being much roomier than its small sibling.
In the near future, Th!nk will also develop a sport version using the same modular platform as the Ox.
Typically, when Jay Leno gets his hands on a car, it is all about horsepower and loud exhaust, but he does have his eco-friendly moments. This time around, Jay gets the best of both worlds, sans the loud exhaust, as Tesla stopped by to let him take the Model S on a drive. There is not an abundance of Model S driving footage available and certainly none to the degree that Jay Leno does it.
Jay gets us a good look inside the car and we even gets a nice idea of how the Model S’ driver information center – you know, the massive, iPad-looking deal in the center of the dash – works, and we are certainly impressed. It literally controls everything, taking the old days of buttons aplenty strewn up and down the center stack to a well-placed screen that offers up the same controls.
Then the part that we want to see: the drive. Jay takes it pretty easy on the main roads, as he focuses more on its economy and regenerative systems. He does manage to get into the Model S a little bit, but only in small doses. Well, at the end, we get exactly what we have all wanted to see: a Tesla Model S doing a burn out.
Good call, Jay. We bet that poor PR guy had to beg Mr. Musk to allow that one. Then again, that burn out likely sold a lot of `tweeners on this EV performance sedan.
Until recently, the world of automotive industry was relatively quiet, as there weren’t many new manufacturers who dared to enter in this game, mostly because the combustion engines are very complicated and not anyone is able to come up with a good unit.
Things are starting to change pretty fast, though. As the electric drive trains are relatively easy to develop and a battery provider can be found pretty easy, we are assaulted by new brands that want to try their luck in this new segment.
One of the newest companies that entered the EV playground comes from the aluminum industry and it’s named Tazzari. It is an Italian company specializing in manufacturing aluminum parts. Since the company knows almost everything about aluminum, it has designed its new vehicle with a cast-aluminum frame which makes it lightweight.
The power comes from a 15 kW asynchronous three-phase motor which is paired with a pack of lithium ion batteries. The Tazzari Zero is already available on the market and its price starts at $26,500 (excluding taxes).
Hit the jump for more information on the Tazzari Zero.
The Wrightspeed X1 is basically an Ariel Atom with an electric motor at its heart. The conversion to electricity was made by Ian Wright, an engineer that has a lot of experience with hybrid and electric systems.
The electric power train comes from AC Propulsion and is the same one that powers the famous Tesla Roadster.
Thanks to its lightweight construction and strong engine, the Wrightspeed X1 is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in only 3.07 seconds, making it one of the fastest electric cars ever built. This, unfortunately, wasn’t enough to beat the Bugatti Veyron and, as a result, Mr. Wright is planning a hybrid model which should do a better job in beating its infamous rival. For the moment, however, the X1 is just a prototype with the price tag set at a whopping $150,000.
Hit the jump for more details on the Wrightspeed X1.
At this point, all we can say is that Audi must enjoy messing with our heads. In the Spring, our spy photographers caught the R8 e-trontesting around the Nurburgring a number of times. Then, in June, the same car became the fastest electric vehicle around the Nurburgring.
Surely, this is a vehicle that is on its way to becoming a prized possession of many environmentally friendly people who still enjoy to cruise around at high speeds, right? Negative. Audi has decided that it will be putting this project on hold and could even be axing it in the future.
The decision to put the car on hold was made by Audi’s new R&D chief Wolfgang Dürheimer who thinks that the high price of the batteries could still be a problem. He also fears that there aren’t enough customers interested in an electric car of this caliber.
This seems to be a reasonable explanation for putting a vehicle on the back-burner, but we’re still a little bummed that we will not be seeing the R8 e-tron in all of its glory. Then again, we can take comfort in the fact that the Audi F12 E Performance Prototype is still out there, chugging along with the R8 e-tron’s technology, so not all is lost.
Nowadays, if you want to get from point A to B as soon as possible, you have two simple options: get behind the steering wheel of a car or jump on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, you can’t make a compromise and choose a little bit of both. Well not really, as this will going to change soon.
We’re happy to announce that a San Francisco based company named Lit Motors has developed a unique vehicle which offers a perfect mix between the agility of a motorcycle and the comfort of a car. Their new vehicle is an innovative piece of machinery and it’s pretty safe to say that it has the potential to transform the way we look at personal transportation.
This innovative vehicle will not only help you move easier through the traffic without getting wet when it rains, but it is also very efficient, being powered by electric energy.
Technically, the C-1 is an enclosed motorcycle, but its most significant feature is its extraordinary self balance, being able to drive forward and in reverse without falling over – a feature that can’t be found at any motorcycle, but is common for any car.
Lit Motors hopes to launch the C-1 on the market by the end of 2014 with a price tag of about $24,000.
Hit the jump for more information on the Lit Motor C-1.
