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Battery Electric Vehicles
Citroen C-ZERO - no local emissions, no fuel consumption, no engine noise
By Jeff Salton
19:41 November 15, 2009 PST
After building more than 5,500 electric vehicles, Citroen is calling on its experience in the field to deliver a “triple zero” car - zero fuel consumption, zero CO2 emission at the tailpipe and zero engine noise. The C-ZERO (what else could they call it) is a full electric city car powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 47kW or 64bhp EEC from 3,000 to 6,000rpm. Citroen says the automatic vehicle will have a top speed of 130kph (80mph), acceleration from 0-100kph (0-62mph) in 15 seconds and 60-90kph (37-56mph) in six seconds. Between charges, the vehicles is expected to achieve a range of around 130km (80 miles). Read More
Nissan to show half-width 'Land Glider' tilting electric vehicle at Tokyo Motor Show
By Mike Hanlon
16:25 October 7, 2009 PDT
The term convergence normally refers to the merging of consumer electronics, entertainment and media, but if recent trends are anything to go by, it could equally apply to the melding of the car and the motorcycle. BMW’s enclosed C3 motorcycle is now emerging as a road safety pin-up vehicle and at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month both Volkswagen and Renault exhibited tandem half-width cars that looked for all the world like four-wheeled motorcycles. Now comes news that Nissan is to unveil an electric tandem four-wheeled “Land Glider” concept at Tokyo Motor Show, and the wording of the press statements looks like Nissan is very confident the vehicle will reach showrooms. Read More
Test drive: the all-electric Tesla Roadster
11:55 October 5, 2009 PDT
While the big news recently from Tesla has been its Model S vehicle, U.S. government loans to the company, and a plan for using the Model S platform for several new products including a minivan, crossover vehicle, and a utility van, we decided it was worth a closer look at the Tesla vehicle that you can buy now. Dave Weinstein climbs aboard the Roadster for a test drive. Read More
Ford PHEVs to save by ‘talking’ to electric grid
By Jeff Salton
23:38 August 20, 2009 PDT
A new development by Ford allows owners of the company’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to further reduce their operating costs by programming when to recharge the vehicle, for how long and at what utility rate. Ford says it has developed a vehicle-to-grid communications and control system for its (PHEVs) which enables them to ‘talk’ directly with the nation’s electric grid. Read More
Obama bets US$2.4 billion on battery-electric vehicles
By Loz Blain
03:29 August 7, 2009 PDT
Awesome news: battery technology is about to get a US$2.4 billion-dollar kick in the pants. US President Barack Obama has announced the single largest funds injection into battery development and electric/hybrid vehicle technology the world has ever seen. Obama's hope is that this huge chunk of stimulus funds will be enough to knock down the biggest wall standing between electric vehicles and the mainstream: the fact that current batteries are still too expensive, take too long to charge, and don't hold enough energy. If the move succeeds, it could put America right at the front of the electric car revolution - but at the least, it could help the next generation of iPhones last more than a day between charges. Read More
(UPDATED - VIDEO) Nissan LEAF: 100 mile range, mid-size production EV revealed
By Gizmag Team
20:05 August 2, 2009 PDT
Last month we looked at the Nissan's latest prototype EV and the infrastructure it hopes to put in place to support the "electric future". Now production plans have been revealed with the company taking the wraps off a fully-electric mid-size vehicle which it intends to launch in Japan, the United States and Europe in late 2010. With a name to compliment its green credentials, the LEAF is a five-seat hatchback powered by lithium-ion batteries which deliver a range of 160km (100 miles) on one full charge. The electric motor delivers 80kW (107bhp) and 280Nm of torque with top speed slated at 140kmh (around 90mph). Read More
Chrysler chooses A123 batteries for Electric Vehicles
By Paul Evans
22:04 April 19, 2009 PDT
Chrysler this week announced it will use batteries from A123 Systems in its range of Electric Vehicles, the first of which should be a Tesla Roadster competitor - the Dodge Circuit. A123 and Chrysler have been working together over the last three years to develop a modular battery system based on prismatic cells using the same lithium iron nano-phosphate chemistry that has already gained a huge reputation following the world records set by Killacycle. Read More
Tesla Model S unveiled!
17:12 March 26, 2009 PDT
Tesla has just pulled the wraps off its eagerly awaited EV sedan - the Model S - and on first impressions, it doesn't disappoint. Gizmag's Dave Weinstein has brought us these first pics from the coal-face. Read More
New Nanoscale supercapacitor can store 100 times more energy
By Paul Evans
16:52 March 22, 2009 PDT
It has been a big week for news on advances in energy storage technology. We recently reported on new research that makes a Lithium Ion battery perform more like a supercapacitor, now we can report on research on a supercapacitor that performs more like a battery. Researchers at the University of Maryland and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a supercapacitor with 10 billion nanoscale capacitors per square centimeter, giving it 250 times greater surface area than that of a conventional capacitor of comparable size. The Nano Supercapacitor is being developed primarily as part of a hybrid battery-capacitor system for electric cars. Read More
Smart fortwo BRABUS electric drive
By Paul Evans
17:48 March 4, 2009 PST
Following on from the cosmetically customized version of the Tesla Roadster which debuted at the Essen Motor Show 2008, German tuning house BRABUS has seen the writing on the wall and launched a second electric car, this time based on a Smart fortwo. Drowned in matt green throughout the exterior and interior, the car comes with the same style monoblock light-alloy wheels and the (somewhat gimmicky) LED Daytime running lights as used on the Tesla, as well as some real technical innovation in the drive train. Read More
San Francisco gets EV charging stations
By Paul Evans
04:00 February 22, 2009 PST
As part of a two-year public demonstration project conducted with the City of San Francisco three Coulomb charging stations have been installed across the street from City Hall. Announced at a press conference with the Mayor of San Francisco Gavin Newsom, these charge points are the first in 40 to be installed in the City’s efforts to transform the Bay Area into the EV Capital of the United States. The charge points are intended to allow on-street charging the city's municipal fleet of electric vehicles, as well as those owned by car-sharing services City CarShare and Zipcar. Read More
Chevy Volt to get energy efficient Bose sound system
By Darren Quick
19:20 February 11, 2009 PST
It’s obvious that car manufacturers working to provide consumers with environmentally friendly vehicles must deal with power, weight, and space constraints to make the next generation of automobiles a reality. What isn’t so obvious is that manufacturers of in car systems will also need to address these constraints, which is the reason Bose has been working on a new sound system that utilizes a proprietary design to produce a system that is 30% smaller, 40% lighter, and uses 50% less energy than conventional Bose sound systems, while still delivering premium, high-quality audio. Bose will debut its Energy Efficient Series sound system in the Chevy Volt, which is set to hit showrooms in 2011. Read More
Foiljet MR1 hydrofoil: the motocross bike for water
By Paul Evans
00:55 February 10, 2009 PST
The Foiljet MR1 is a new personal watercraft concept that takes the best features of a motocross bike and jetski, throws in two hydrofoils plus a silent, energy efficient electric motor to create what would have to be a surefire recipe for outrageous fun. The design looks something like a motocross bike, but instead of wheels there are beams with small hydrofoil wings mounted at the ends that can be raised or lowered. The concept would use a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor housed at the end of the rear beam with its instant electric torque lifting the craft out of the water to become "foil borne". Read More
Ford’s first Battery Electric Vehicle confirmed as the 2010 Transit Connect
By Paul Evans
15:34 February 9, 2009 PST
True to their word Ford Motor Company has become the first of the big three to announce plans to market a pure battery electric-powered light commercial vehicle in North America. Based on the all-new Transit Connect global commercial vehicle platform, the Transit EV will be available in U.S. Ford dealerships in 2010. Read More
KTM reveals production plans for electric enduro motorcycle
By Paul Evans
00:14 February 6, 2009 PST
In more big news on the electric motorcycle front this week, KTM has started development for series production of a sports enduro with electric drive. The company has been testing a fully functional electric, zero local emissions enduro prototype motorcycle since mid 2008 and has now announced that mass production is set to begin in 2010. Read More
Aptera 2e specs released
By Paul Evans
21:10 February 3, 2009 PST
Aptera have displayed two prototypes at the Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference held annually at Long Beach California and have revealed more specifications for the 2009 production 2e. The big news is that we finally have some specs for the powertrain. The 1500lb (680kg) curb weight Aptera 2e will have a 60 ft/lb (81 Nm) electric motor driving the front wheels through a 10:1 single speed gearbox with power provided at 336 volts by a 10 – 13 kw/hr Lithium iron phosphate battery pack. Read More
P1-E electric car with a McLaren F1 beating 0-60 in 2.9 sec
By Paul Evans
23:09 January 27, 2009 PST
From the country with more cottage industry sports car manufactures per capita than anywhere else in the world, the British are at it again. No sooner has the much publicized British Lightning GT - an all electric Aston Martin look-a-like with four wheel motors - vanished from sight following wheel motor manufactures PML flight link being put into administration another previously unknown British sports car hopeful has announced an all electric sports car. Former McLaren employee Jim Dowle whose company JJAD first released details about his P1 sports car in February 2008 has now announced the P1-E. The P1 was originally conceived as a 200hp 870 kg petrol powered challenger to the Lotus Exige but Dowle has obviously seen the writing on the wall and the P1 has now been reincarnated as an All Wheel Drive battery electric sports car. Read More
ZAP Alias three wheel electric vehicle unveiled
23:43 January 25, 2009 PST
ZAP has shown a pre-production version of its three-wheeled, all-electric Alias roadster at the National Automobile Dealers Association annual conference and exposition in New Orleans. The company, which is best known for its small-footprint, low-emissions, low-speed electric cars and trucks for urban use is looking to get on the highway with its latest creation. The preliminary specs for the two-seater Alias give it a top speed of 105 mph, acceleration of 0 – 60 mph in 7.8 seconds and a range of over 100 miles on a single charge. Throw in a sculptured low slung design, gull-wing style doors and a price point predicted to be under the USD$35K mark and you have another promising prospect for the soon to explode EV marketplace. Read More
Tesla to make battery packs for SMART EV
By Paul Evans
22:12 January 15, 2009 PST
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, announced Tuesday in Detroit that Tesla is producing the battery pack for Daimler AG's Smart EV. The companies, which have been partnering on electric powertrain technology for almost a year and a half, will produce 1,000 vehicles in 2009 and 2010, and Musk said the deal could grow into the "tens of thousands" of Smart EVs after that. Daimler already has an existing relationship with German tier one automotive supplier Continential who will supply a 25kg lithium-ion battery pack, with cells from Johnson Controls-Saft, to be used in the new Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID hybrid-electric car available from the middle of 2009. Read More
BYD target US launch for electric cars in 2011
By Paul Evans
09:23 January 14, 2009 PST
One of the carmakers showing off its electric power at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is from China. The Shenzhen-based company BYD — which stands for Build Your Dreams — has built the world's first mass-produced, plug-in hybrid car, beating both Chevrolet and Toyota to the punch. BYD is targeting 2011 to get into the United States market. Read More
Chrysler displays EV vision - first electric vehicles due 2010
By Paul Evans
16:42 January 13, 2009 PST
Chrysler introduced three electric-vehicle prototypes in September 2008, while expressing its intention to broaden its all-electric and Range-extended Electric Vehicle portfolio across its vehicle lineup. At the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Company unveiled updated versions of those vehicles – along with two new electric vehicles. Chrysler will produce at least one of these vehicles for North American markets in 2010 (still no word on which one), with at least three more models to follow by 2013. Between its ENVI electric-drive vehicles and GEM neighbourhood electric vehicles, Chrysler expects to have 500,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2013. Read More
GM to manufacture Chevy Volt battery packs in the US
By Paul Evans
20:13 January 12, 2009 PST
General Motors is getting back into the battery business. It had been a two horse race between Korea’s LG and US startup A123 systems to win the supply contract for the Chevrolet Volt. LG Chem and Compact Power Inc. were one team and A123 Systems/Continental the second team selected from an initial field of 27 applicants to compete against one another to build the Chevy Volt’s battery packs. GM announced in September 2008 that it had chosen a battery supplier, but would not reveal which company that was. But has either team actually won? Read More
Load video and MP3s while charging your Electric Car
By Paul Evans
14:43 January 2, 2009 PST
Panasonic plans to unveil a networking system that can exchange data between an electric car and home devices via electrical wiring at January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The electric car networking prototype allows people and devices inside the home to check on an electric vehicle while it is being recharged. It will be one of several research developments on show at the HD-PLC Alliance stand in the Las Vegas Convention Center's South Hall, Panasonic says. Other prototypes will include an HD-PLC adapter for a security camera and an electrical monitoring system. Read More
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
By Paul Evans
23:50 December 29, 2008 PST
The 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid includes some significant advances in mass production hybrid automotive technology. Although details released by Ford are technically incomplete many of the features announced to date point to the Fusion being the first to market with a second-generation parallel hybrid. Read More
Aptera EV opts for front-wheel drive
22:33 December 28, 2008 PST
The already unmistakable Aptera 2e three-wheeler is continuing to evolve as it approaches its promised 2009 release with the latest development being the introduction of front-wheel drive to replace the original belt-driven rear wheel set-up. Front-wheel drive will now be used in all production vehicles with the company citing improved traction, stability and greater efficiency at high-speed as the key reasons for making the switch. Read More
John Wassner
- November 27, 2009 @ 01:40 UTC
