A hybrid vehicle uses multiple propulsion systems to provide motive power. This most commonly refers to gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles, which use gasoline (petrol) and electric batteries to power internal-combustion engines (ICEs) and electric motors.
For the reputation that they’ve built as one of the finest Mercedes tuners in the world, Brabus is more than just fitting powerful V12 engines in their rocket vehicles. They’ve also found a way to be eco-friendly, and they’re doing so with the Brabus Techology Project Hybrid E-Class.
Based on the Mercedes E-Class sedan, the Technology Project Hybrid is a car that Brabus carefully modified to be the kind of eco-friendly diesel hybrid vehicle that fans of Mother Nature will love.
This is proof that you can have your cake and definitely eat it too.
So instead of a V12 engine, Brabus went and fitted a 2.2-liter clear diesel engine and combined with a pair of in-wheel electric motors that were sourced from Protean Electric. Each motor is capable of producing 110 horsepower and 590 lb/ft of torque and when combined with the 2.2 L diesel engine, allows the car to hit 0-62 mph in a pretty impressive 7.4 seconds. More impressive than that is that with this powertrain, the E-Class can improve its fuel economy by a staggering 30 percent, which is out-of-this-world for a car like a Mercedes.
Full specs behind the Brabus Technology Project Hybrid E-Class have yet to be announced, but from what we’ve gathered, this looks like a project that’s definitely worth keeping our tabs on.
A few weeks ago, we reported that the next Ferrari Enzowill be powered by the same V12 engine as the recently announced F12 Berlinetta. This engine will be combined with a 120 HP electric motor for a total output of 920 HP. Now for the better part of that announcement. When equipped with the new "HY-KERS" hybrid system, the future Enzo will shave three seconds off of the standard Enzo’s 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) sprint time of 9.5 seconds!
This blistering 0-124mph sprint time of 6.5 seconds will be obtained even though the new HY-KERS system adds 264 lbs to the car’s total weight. To compensate with the extra power, Ferrari will cut weight from the car’s chassis and powertrain by using the same grade of carbon fiber found in Ferrari’s F1 cars. Compared to a standard Ferrari model not equipped with this system, the future Enzo Hy-Kers will also decrease fuel consumption by about 40%.
"We are entering the market with our Formula One-derived hybrid system, which will slash fuel consumption and increase performance," Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said in an interview with Automotive News.
So we have watched as electric cars have begun infiltrating the market with maximum ranges of 70 to 150 miles per charge and a roughly 6- to 12-hour charging time. To be honest, that is just not a feasible solution for most drivers. We all know hybrids, as they have been around for what seems like forever now, but they are still reliant on gasoline and some actually get worse gas mileage than some gasoline-only cars.
This all leaves us scratching our heads looking for a solution to the gas crisis we are experiencing. Some people insist that hydrogen is the only real answer, but that experiment is far away from ever becoming a reality. There are two gasses that we have been using for ages to heat our homes and grill our food that a lot of people seem to forget, these are compressed natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (propane).
Natural gas vehicles have been on the rise lately, with many fleet companies switching over to it, and forklifts have been propane-powered for ages. Recently, we even saw a performance car, the Maxximus LNG 2000 break a number of speed records, using natural gas as its fuel. This leads to the ultimate question of can CNG and LPG make their way into the performance and luxury car world to alleviate the gasoline crisis, especially in regards to fuel-hungry performance and luxury cars, as we find a real alternative?
Toyota’sBeijing Auto Show contingent involves a number of concepts with some odd names, one of which is called the Yundong Shuangqing Concept.
The name notwithstanding, the Yundong Shuangquing Concept is the Japanese automaker’s study on what could potentially be a futuristic four-door sedan that comes powered with a newly developed hybrid system. As it stands, the Yundong Shuangqing Concept is still in its developmental phase and Toyota has not divulged a whole lot of information about the car.
Nevertheless, the car looks every bit like a concept vehicle, particularly the front end, which has a distinctive headlight configuration that extends all the way to the center grille. There also looks to be a visible light running the entire length of the car, just below the pillars.
According to Toyota President Akio Toyoda, the Yundong Shuangqing Concept is a car that represents the company’s offering to the Chinese market. “We would like to put smiles on the faces of our Chinese customers with hybrid technology," Toyoda said.
"I want the people of China to be able to experience the beauty of hybrid technology through a hybrid car born in China."
One of the most impressive debuts at Ferrari’s stand in Beijing was an evolution of the HY-KERS project adapted to a mid-rear engine layout. This new system combines a 12-cylinder engine and dual-clutch gearbox coupled to an electric motor. A second electric motor is dedicated to the auxiliary systems and is located in front of the V12. The two electric motors will take their power from batteries which can be positioned in the car in line with the available space and final configuration.
The KERS features new, smaller, and lighter electronic components which come close to achieving the declared target of 1 KW per kg of extra weight added by the hybrid system.
The electric motor will deliver the power using one of the gearbox’s two clutches and is mated to one of the two main shafts. During braking, the electric motor acts as a generator, using the kinetic energy from the negative torque to recharge the batteries. This crucial task is managed by a dedicated ECU, also F1-derived, which not only controls the electric motor, but also governs the power to the auxiliary systems.
For a long time we have been screaming from the hilltops that Toyota has been wasting its No. 1 slot in the hybrid market by releasing boring hybrids, like the Prius. Well, Toyota is about to release yet another hybrid concept and we can only hope that it is not more of the same stuff we have seen for the past decade.
The details are a little sketchy on this new hybrid concept, but Toyota did release a pair of teaser images, which look pretty neat from what we can see. The front headlights appear to be normal old headlights on the outside, then as they work toward the center of the car, the lights turn a shade of light blue. Not only is the ambient lighting sweet, but from the silhouette this thing looks nothing like the Prius.
In a way, it has styling similar to the NS4 concept that Toyota revealed at Geneva, which Toyota made clear was not coming into production. Rather, the NS4 was being used to test different features that would make their way into showrooms. This may be one of the cars featuring those NS4-like cues that are heading to showroom floors.
There are rumors circulating that the reason this car is only being revealed in Beijing is because the car will be available in China only. We don’t quite see a point of releasing a hybrid in the Chinese market yet, as it is still a developing market. The likely reason for a Beijing release and not a New York release is so it didn’t steal the new Avalon’s thunder.
The Beijing auto show opens up to the press today and we are sure that Toyota won’t wait long after that to unveil this new gas-electric machine. We will keep you updated as much as we can on this soon-to-be-unveiled hybrid, as we obtain more information.
When students design a vehicle, name it after a Japanese ice skater, and then claim it will see the production line soon, it’s likely that the masses will point and laugh as they crumble up the press release and toss it in the trash. This is similar to what happened in 2009 when students from Tongya University put together the Tong Jian S11, a patched up hybrid sports car with Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Audi highlights. Now, the folks over at JAC Motors are taking the design study a little more seriously, and bringing it to the 2012 Beijing Auto Show to boot.
Take a look at the JAC Motors S11 and check out the Lamborghini -inspired front end, the Ferrari rear end look-a-like, and the Audi R8 side sills. Can a copy and paste jigsaw puzzle make it as a true contender in the sports car market? Taking out our old-school Magic 8-Ball, we’d have to go with Very Doubtful, and the odds don’t improve when it comes to the engine either.
The JAC Motors S11 isn’t powered by some exclusive engine that will make up for the "borrowed" exterior elements. It will feature a gasoline-electric hybrid powerplant that doesn’t deliver a substantial amount of power, although specific figures have not been released yet.
So why did JAC Motors create the S11? We’re guessing it’s just because they can. We just don’t see any other reason, but maybe they’ll surprise us when the new S11 hits the Beijing Auto Show floor.
Toyota’s road racing days pretty much grounded to a halt when corporate headquarters pulled the automaker from the F1 program after the 2009 racing season. Since 2009, Toyota Motor Company has shown improvements, as buyers began returning after the car-buying slump ended and the safety issues that plagued the automaker were rectified. This allowed Toyota to start to experiment with road racing again and develop the TS030 Hybrid.
The TS030 Hybrid had its debut race set for the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on May 5th, 2012. Things were looking good for the 3.4-liter V-8-powered TS030 Hybrid until its most recent test run. An undisclosed driver was testing out the TS030 at Paul Ricard and must have had a fairly horrific crash, as Toyota Racing Team President announced that the team could not build a new monocoque – chassis for those that don’t speak race-a-nese – in time for the May 5th debut.
Most people would think “Why not just use a second body; they all have spares, right?" Well, when you are easing your toes back into the racing pool, like Toyota is, you can’t really afford to go blowing millions of dollars building and testing multiple cars. In the future, yes, they will have multiple monocoques, but for now there was only one.
According to the press release, a new monocoque will be ready in time for the June running at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
A few things come to mind here. First off, was Toyota planning on arriving at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps with only one monocoque? Secondly, how much of a bum does the driver that thrashed their only vehicle feel right about now? Maybe that’s why they kept wraps on which driver it was that wrecked it.
Well, here’s to a speedy rebuild, Toyota, and we hope to see you in June, sans the black cloud floating over your head.
Hit the jump for the official presser from Toyota Racing and a cool video of the TS030 testing.
At the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari unveiled the Vettura Laboratorio HY-KERS concept - the company’s first attempt at a hybrid vehicle. The concept combined a V-12 engine with a Formula 1–inspired KERS hybrid system, but that setup may be old news now that Ferrari has patented a series of new images for a more conventional hybrid system.
This new system will combine a conventional engine with two electric motors: one for the propulsion duties and the second to feed the ancillary systems like air conditioning or power steering. By using a second electric engine, Ferrari will ensure that the auxiliary systems will not steal torque from the internal-combustion engine during acceleration, a measure taken to deliver better performance.
Ferrari’s patent drawings reveal two possibilities. The first shows the main electric motor in the engine’s V valley, while the second has the motor in the rear of the car with the transaxle. Wherever the electric engine is placed, Ferrari says that this hybrid system will be used in a car with a front-mounted, 90-degree engine. Maybe we are looking at a setup for a future, hybrid California?
The Lexus RX range entered the market back in 1998 and, in 2005, a hybrid version was offered for the first time. Now, the RX 450h has been redesigned for the 2013 model year with a new, more elegant and aggressive frontal design, as well as a new Sport mode, supplementing the full hybrid powertrain’s Normal, Eco, and EV (electric only) drive modes.
The new Lexus RX 450h has received a bold, elegant, and highly individual frontal treatment which was inspired by the latest generation GS sedan. Lexus has combined the trapezoid upper grille and slanted lower grille into just one element, while the lower grille now features horizontal bars and is finished in black. The rear lamp clusters have been redesigned with a stronger, more sweeping horizontal emphasis.
Under the hood, Lexus placed the usual 3.5-liter V-6 engine combined with two electric motors for a total of 295 HP. However, compared to the previous model, the RX 450h adds a new Sport mode that further improves the performance and dynamic ability of the RX 450h.
UPDATE 04/10/2012: Lexus has announced the US prices for the 2013 RX450h set to arrive in dealerships this month. The RX 450h FWD version will be priced from $45,910, while the AWD version will be priced $47,310, an increase of 1.5% and 1.0% respectively over the previous year.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Lexus RX 450h.
