Top Gear’s 17th season flew by just like that, didn’t it?
The sixth and final episode aired over the weekend, and unlike the past episodes, this one more than lived up to the expectations. Richard Hammond got the show off to a promising start with a great segment about the Lamborghini Aventador. From there, the show picked up some steam with a pretty hilarious segment featuring Jeremy Clarkson and James May as they embarked on an electric-car crusade around town. Some unforeseen circumstances resulted in a few mishaps, but all in all, the duo managed to make the most out of their respective cars - Clarkson had the Nissan Leaf while May had the Peugeot Ion - to finish their adventure in one piece. But even that wasn’t enough to convince the two about the potential of electric cars in the future.
Fittingly, the final segment of season 17 took a more serious turn with an inspiring story about a Cross Country racing team in Wales for disabled British soldiers. It’s a humbling way to end a very interesting season and puts into perspective what the human spirit is capable of accomplishing despite the challenges that seemingly lies in front of it.
Details after the jump.
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Rumors about a successor for the Nissan 200SX started circulating back in 2008, but now the car is coming out of the woodwork to pay a little competitive visit to the seemingly untouchable Mazda MX-5.
Nissan’s plan to launch 52 new cars by 2016 has carved a path towards production for the 200SX, which may be seen as early as 2013. Prices will start from about £20,000 - or about $33,000 at the current exchange rates.
The new 200SX will be built on a new mid-size platform supplied by Daimler that will also be used for the 370Z replacement and the next GT-R. There aren’t any details on the powertrain that will be used for the future 200SX, but rumors hint towards a tuned version of the Leaf’s drivetrain or a hybrid set-up as a couple of options. Other rumors suggest that an all-electric rear-wheel-drive version may be the way to go. These rumors stem from the Nissan ESFLOW concept, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March and ignited the fires about a future hybrid Nissan sportscar.
Main image is of the Nissan Esflow Concept.
BMW has essentially kept the same vehicle lineup since 1975. This lineup was based on the standard sedans and eventually added SUV’s. These were all made to preform to a demanding sports car standard. The world we know today has changed with a majority of the people living in large urban environments which has led to a explosion of small "city" cars. These cars whilst being small enough to park in a shoebox are known to have the driving dynamics of an office chair on a cobblestone road. Now, can you imagine the utility of a city car with that uniquely BMW traits of phenomenal engineering and handling combined with a peppy engine. It’s enough to make our mouths water.
These BMW models known as the i3 and the i8 (due to be introduced in 2013 and 2014 respectively) were described by BMW as "[concept studies..[and] the sports car for a new generation — pure, emotional and sustainable." These concept studies represent a huge technological push for BMW as the i3 is their first purely electric car and the i8 is a gasoline/electric hybrid. Inside Line points out that this electric car (i3) is going to bring sport into this previous dull electric vehicle market. For example, the i3 will use carbon fiber extensively to fend away the unnecessary weight ( it weighs 600 pounds less than its main competitor the Nissan Leaf.) Under the bonnet you will find a 125 KW electric motor that will move this 2,756 lb car to 60 mph in an astounding 7.9 seconds and up to a top speed of 93 mph. Although most electric cars have a range that can be measured in blocks rather than miles, the BMW manages a fantastic range of 93 miles between charges.
The innovation continues with the i8 which is powered by a 3 liter gasoline engine and an electric engine that develop 349 horsepower and 406 lbs/ft of torque. This will propel the full size sedan (182.6 inches long) to 60 mph in "less than 4.6 seconds" and onto a governed speed limit of 155 mph.
Here at TopSpeed we do admire for BMW for making this market segment more geared towards what we call "eco-sport" cars. We think the combination of zero emissions and performance will make the i3 a instant hit. The i8 however will face tough competitor from the Honda CRZ sports hybrid. The one complaint we have with both these cars is their overall look. Both these cars look a little too much like they escaped from the set of "I, Robot." We believe this could be a "Concorde moment" and invigorate the electric car/hybrid market and show the way to the future.
Following the reveal of the sporty i8, BMW has announced a second concept by the name of the i3 . The new i3 is much more suited for everyday driving when compared to the high performance nature of the i8 and is BMW’s first series-produced all-electric car. It focuses squarely on the mobility challenges of the future in urban areas and, as the first premium electric vehicle, reinvents hallmark BMW attributes for the drivers of the future.
The i3’s electric motor delivers a total of 170 HP along with a peak torque of 184 lbs-ft. The all electric setup allows the peak torque to be available from a standstill, making the i3 a very agile vehicle. In terms of performance, the new i3 can make the sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds, while top speed is limited to 93 mph.
Hit the jump to read more about the BMW i3 Concept.
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Audi unveiled today at the Geneva Motor Show an electric version of their newly launched A1. The e-tron concept is equipped with an electric drive system similar to the one on Chevrolet Volt. The e-tron has an autonomy of 50 kilometers when used only in electric mode.
The internal combustion engine that charges the batteries can deliver a total of 102 hp in short bursts when the sprint from 0 to 60 mph is made in just 10 seconds. Top speed is more than 80 mph. Continuous output is rated at 61 hp and 150 Nm of torque. The electric motor sends its power to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission that can be switched between "Drive," "Reverse," and "Neutral".
The A1 e-tron concept car has a Wankel engine as a range extender. It has a chamber volume of 254 cc and runs at a constant 5,000 rpm and can be switch on and off as necessary with the push of a button. It produces produces 15 kW of electric power and weighs only around 154.32 lb. It can extend the concept’s range to 130 miles.
UPDATE 07/21/11: The Audi A1 e-Tron was a surprise participant at the Silvretta E-Auto Rally. Together with the other Audi electric car in attendance, the Q5 HFC, which managed to place sixth in the entire proceedings, the A1 E-Tron made a good showing of itself a year after another one of its big brothers, the R8 E-Tron, went and wowed the entire event. Check out the video Audi posted to see how the A1 E-Tron performed.
Press release after the jump.
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We’ve been harping about world records on this site for a little while now. It’s not because we’ve suddenly developed a fascination for them, but because we’ve always been on the look-out for records like this.
One record that seems to continually pop up recently is the land speed record for an electric car. And just as it always comes up in conversations, somebody is trying to take a shot at beating it. The latest attempt we’ve heard about comes from the Bluebird Team, a team of engineers and drivers building a car - the Bluebird Electric - with the hopes of breaking the top speed record for an electric car. Headed by land-speed racing veteran Don Wales, the Bluebird Team is looking at breaking 500 mph in the Bluebird Electric, a notable feat considering that the current record only sits at 307 mph, which, incidentally, was set just a year ago.
Despite the lofty goals being set by the team, the work done to jump start the entire project is still in its infancy stages. The dream is there; the money, unfortunately, isn’t.
"I have a team of 30 people requiring accommodation and feeding and volunteers are needed to help as course marshals and fodders, " Wales said in a statement. "Without a principal sponsor as yet, the development of the car is taking all of what limited budget we have".
Lack of money notwithstanding, the Bluebird Team is still pushing forward with their goal. As part of their testing, the team took the car to the Pendine Sands in Wales on July 2 and 3 for some testing.
If anybody’s interested in giving these guys a hand through donations, you can do so by contacting Rebecca Nicholls on her email at rebecca@bluebirdspeedrecords.com.
UPDATE 07/19/11: Bluebird Electric’s record speed runs has finally been penciled in at the calendar. The dates have been set on the weekend of August 13 and 14 at the Pendine Sands, South Wales. Circle the date, folks!
Learn more about the Bluebird Team and their BlueBird Electric Car after the jump.
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Looks like the Tesla Roadster is going to have a new rival in the race for electric sports car supremacy. Unveiled at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed, the K1 Evelio is the latest in what is becoming a growing number of electric sports cars looking to enter the market to give Tesla a serious run for its money.
If the car looks familiar to you, it’s because it’s based on the Slovakian sports car, the K-1 Attack Roadster, a car that has graced our pages on numerous occasions. According to the people over at K1, the Evelio pretty much has the same body as the Attack Roadster, except that it has an electric powertrain as opposed to the 2.0-liter V6 engine found on the latter.
Details behind the car are still limited - the company’s website is still bare bones - but from what we’ve sourced, the Evelio appears to have a body that’s made out of fiberglass while the chassis comes in a tubular steel space frame. Likewise, smaller items used on the car were crafted in aluminum.
More details on the K1 Evelio after the jump.
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Let’s say you have enough money to last you at least a few lifetimes and you’re looking to splurge it on something that not a lot of people have in this world have. Wouldn’t you opt for a high-powered, street-legal, electric sports car as your choice in burning all that money away? Well, German automaker, e-Wolf, has something that should interest you. It’s called the Alpha-1 SRF - ’SRF’ stands for Silent Radical Force - and it’s about the most awesome-looking electric sports car you’ll ever find.
Based on the chassis of Radical Sports Cars, the Alpha-1 SRF is not your ordinary electric sports car. It’s got the look of an LMP1 racer, except that its street-legal. So you pretty much get the best of both worlds with a car that resembles those LeMans racers, but is legal to drive out on the road.
The only thing that sets this thing back is the price tag, which you’ll find out after the jump. But like we said, if you’re the type to burn that much money at a moment’s notice, then you won’t have any trouble paying to take this awesome electric sports car home to your garage.
UPDATE 07/05/2011: The new Alpha-1 SRF has recently been caught testing at Nürburgring and spy photographers believe that the car is about to break the track’s record for electric cars. Hit the jump for the video.
More details on the e-Wolf Alpha-1 SRF after the jump.
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More than a year and a name-change after German niche auto builder, e-Wolf, introduced the E2 - it has since been rechristened as the Alpha 2 - we finally have an idea on what kind of specifications the electric super car will carry.
The E2 - now Alpha 2 - was introduced right around the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and after a little under two years we finally know that the electric supercar will be powered by two electric motors delivering a combined peak output of 375 horsepower and 590 lb/ft of torque. This setup will give the Alpha 2 a 0-62 mph time of just 3.9 seconds, a top speed of 143 mph, and a range of 186 miles on a single charge.
More than anything else, though, the e-Wolf Alpha-2, together with the Protoscar Lampo 3 and the Delta E-4 Coupe, is a sign that things aren’t looking as bleak for the supercar industry when the ’green revolution’ finally takes shape.
Just goes to show that even when the industry is slowly rounding the corner towards a more eco-friendly approach in their vehicles, there are still brands like e-Wolf that can help satiate the appetites of speed junkies the world over.
Details after the jump
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A few days ago Nissan announced that the Leaf Nismo RC would make two demonstration runs at the Le Mans series: the first at 21:15 on Thursday, June 9th and the second at 12:10 on Saturday, June 11th local time. To prepare for this event, the EV racing car has been put through a test session at Sodegaura Forest Raceway, fairing quite nicely on the track. The video was shot from an on-board camera and captures the full view of the test, as well as the driver’s impressions of the car.
The Leaf Nismo RC is powered by a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor that delivers a total of 107 HP and a peak torque of 207 lbs-ft. At the first testings, the Nismo RC concept made the 0 to 62 mph sprint in 6.85 seconds and hit a top speed of 93 mph. In racing condition, it has an autonomy of 20 minutes.
