By now, a lot of us have probably been hammered with lectures and tutorials about the idea of electric cars and how it’s going to revolutionize the auto industry in the future.
One of the most visible proponents of electric cars has been General Motors and with the Chevrolet Volt, the auto conglomerate has the ideal car to show everyone the merits of EV driving without compensating for performance and reliability.
But for every one of us that know about electric cars like the back of our hands, there are probably hundreds – maybe thousands – that still can’t tell the difference between standard vehicles and those that run on electricity.
So, in a PSA round-about way, GM decided to release a video showing exactly how the Chevy Volt works. Don’t worry; if you’re watching this for the first time, it’s not as complicated as it looks. GM did a smart thing in keeping it simple. After all, you can’t teach someone new tricks without having to explain it in as easy a way as possible first.
Protoscar will unveil the second version Lampo electric cars at the Geneva Motor Show. Compared to the version unveiled in 2009, the lambo 2 is even more energy efficient with optimized weight, aerodynamics and individual components’ efficiency.
Lampo 2 is equipped with 4 different charging modes: standard single-phase with up to 3,3kW on board charger for typical overnight home-charge; "control-pilot" equipped and (EDF provided) PLC single-phase with 6,6kW on board charger typical for public charging; standard three-phase 9,9kW on board charger typical for charging at industrialplugs (fleet-owners); an interface for DC fast charging (able to transmit a max. power of 80kW), where up to 100km of additional range can be charged within just 10 minutes.
While Chevrolet is still setting the stage for the future of battery powered vehicles with the Volt, the Japanese automaker Nissan has been perfecting the art of the electric car for over 60 years now and their all new LEAF BEV is just about ready to roll off the assembly line in order to become the first mass market affordable electric car. As part of the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour, the hamburger brand brought their Aqua globe show car from Detroit all the way down to Orlando where we got a chance to get up close and personal with it and a ride behind the wheel of the user friendly test mule that features all of the parts that make it work. Nissan has been investing heavily in the advancement of lithium ion technology ever since they teamed up with NEC to produce revolutionary hybrid battery packs that produce nearly twice the energy density compared to traditional units which mean they will last longer with a much more potent charge that have powered everything from fictional animatronics dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to texting teenager’s cell phones in Japan’s Shibuya district.
The LEAF is about as green as a new car can get, not only does it lack a tailpipe to emit harmful emissions, but the seats were made from recycled plastic bottles and even the tire supplier was chosen because of their diminutive carbon footprint. Despite being an electric car with a compact electric motor in place of an internal combustion engine under the hood, Nissan has chosen to keep with the traditional two box layout, albeit quite curvaceous and a bit wide in the back. Nissan chosen to set the LEAF apart from the rest of the lineup with a variety of blue anodized emblems and Zero emissions logos. The LEAF offers room for five and lots of cargo thanks to the ultra low shelf in the trunk, and even fully loaded, the additional weight won’t compromise the LEAF’s range. Speaking of distances, Nissan expects that their new electric vehicle will be able to travel up to 100 miles between charges, more than enough for the average daily commute, and reach a 90 MPH top speed, making it more than adequate for highway use.
Tesla revealed today a right-hand-drive version for its successful electric Roadster. The model made its debut in London and is priced at £86,950.
"The right-hand-drive model is our response to growing demand from high-performance car buyers in the UK who are also interested in their impact on the environment," said Cristiano Carlutti, Tesla’s Vice President for European Sales and Operations. "Tesla is dramatically expanding its retail footprint in Europe, we look forward to building our community of owners and fans throughout the continent."
The 2010 right-hand-drive Roadster includes a suite of unique noise-reduction materials, an upgraded sound system and other enhancements that make it ideal for daily commuting or weekend drives.
According to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission the high end electric car builder Tesla Motors is planning to raise as much as $100 Million in capital through the aide of public investors. While the entire automotive manufacturing industry is facing difficult times, Tesla hopes that they will be able to supplement the $465 Million loan from the federal government and claim a lasting stake in the new car market by increase the public’s awareness about the forward thinking green car builder’s intent to mass produce electric vehicles for a wide range of consumers.
The California based car builder Tesla is currently offering a lineup of only two cars, with the high performance $100,000+ open air Roadster leading the charge and the $60,000 Model S sedan following closely behind. By opening themselves up to public investors with an IPO, the electric automaker is adding another element of uncertainty to their plans in an already unstable new car market; however Tesla co founder and CEO Elon Musk is no stranger to taking chances.
Volvo has kept mum on a possible future electric car despite the fact that a sketch of the said vehicle was shown at a recent event hosted by EnerDel, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer that’s scheduled to supply Volvo with the electric vehicle platform for the Swedish brand’s new electric Volvo C30.
According to a Volvo spokesperson, the sketch, which was admittedly made by one of their in-house designers, was made as an illustrated example of electric cars in general and not as a specific Volvo model.
The sketch, which features a futuristic-looking hatchback, came with a caption saying “a future Volvo electric car?” eventually leading to rampant speculation that Volvo may be looking into producing a compact electric car in the near future.
We don’t know if this is merely a smokescreen set up by Volvo to divert attention regarding their future plans but for now, we’ll take the company’s word for it. For now.
It is a fact that people then to be afraid of what they don’t understand, and while most automotive consumers are hesitant to adopt new technologies like battery electric vehicles, the American automaker General Motors has launched a new information based website aimed at familiarizing new car buyers with the upcoming electric Chevrolet Volt. According to GM, "Voltage U provides informative content for consumers who want to know more about the Volt. Information is presented in an easy-to-follow format, offering insight about the Volt’s battery, technology and infrastructure. A key feature of this new resource is a video, which offers a simple explanation to how the Volt works, covering many aspects of this electric vehicle with extended range."
So instead of fearing the demise of the internal combustion engine; sit back, relax and let Chevy do what they are hoping to in order to ease the transition to extended range battery electric vehicles by educating all of us about the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.
Follow the link below to find out more for yourself.
By now you would’ve figured that General Motors would go through great lengths to promote the mettle of the Chevrolet Volt. Having previously done a water trough test, GM decided that maybe the Volt should be subjected to yet another test, this time, of the scorching variety.
To ensure that any part of the Volt would not be subjected to warping or sagging when exposed into hot weather, GM turned up the knob on the old pressure cooker to see just how the Volt handles being in the figurative spotlight.
In this video, the Volt is being given a solar heat test, with temperatures reaching as high as 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t know your conversions, 200 degrees Fahrenheit is twice as hot as the boiling point so you can be rest assured that if there’s any part of the car that couldn’t stand the heat, this test would show it.
You may be familiar with Radical Sportscars for their affordable line of open air track day toys capable of giving larger cars a serious run for their money while using a compact gas burning power plant. However with the new SRZero that was unveiled at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, the English race car builder is rolling out a very ambitious plan to take their electric prototype on a 16,000 mile endurance trip from Argentina to Alaska later on this year in order to become the world’s most focused, fun to drive alternative propulsion vehicle.
The Radical SRZero is powered by the latest in lithium iron phosphate battery technology, linked to a state of the art battery management and systems control unit. Making a total of 400 HP from its twin motors, the lightweight BEV sports car can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 120 MPH. Thanks to regenerative braking units built into the zero emissions race car, the SRZero has an extended range of over 300 miles and can be recharged by an ordinary household electric outlet.
The German car builder BMW unveiled their Concept ActiveE at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Based on the 1-Series Coupe, the ActiveE features an electric drive system that offers owners a range of up to 100 miles. The EV power train generates a maximum output of 170 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque from the battery powered motors that will accelerate the ActiveE Concept from 0 to 60 MPH in a reasonable 8.5 seconds and will reach a top speed limited to 90 MPH all without emitting a single pollutant. Quite possibly the most attractive aspect of any premium compact.
The lithium ion batteries found in the BMW Concept ActiveE have their own liquid cooling system and an intelligent battery management system which are the key elements to increasing both storage capacity and longevity of the electricity storing cells. They also ensure that the EV Bimmer’s rather long range is guaranteed independent of external conditions. The unique BMW derived ActiveE’s high storage capacity electric drive system is the only reason that the Concept can achieve the kind of autonomy that it is capable of, allowing up to 100 miles of driving on a single charge. With this concept BMW is making a strong charge to get Americans excited about premium efficiency in compact packages.
Updated 12/01/10: New video added: Detroit Auto Show revealing. Check it out!
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