Electric
FHI and Tokyo Electric Power to Jointly Develop Electric Vehicles
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September 23 2005 Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the maker of Subaru automobiles, and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) have announced joint development of an electric vehicle (EV). The two companies will spend approximately one year designing and manufacturing the new EV for commercial uses, basing it on the Subaru R1e concept car. FHI is developing and manufacturing 10 prototype vehicles which TEPCO will use as part of its business and service fleet, and examine their performance and economic benefits.
The original electric retractable hardtop - can you guess the year?
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September 18, 2005 Retractable hardtops have been all the rage this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show with Nissan’s Micra C+C, Opel’s Astra TwinTop, Volkswagen putting the Project C into production and Volvo’s second generation C70 coming with an innovative three-piece retractable hardtop. But the idea is not new. Several cars with retractable hardtops exist on the market today, such as the Peugeot 307 CC. Indeed, Mercedes Benz has had a retractable hardtop, called the vario roof, in production continuously on its SLK-Roadster for a decade. And prior to that, Ford manufactured an electric retractable hardtop for three years in the mid-fifties called the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner – just wait until you see the size of the trunk on the Skyliner (images and links inside). It’s the size of a football field and when the roof is stowed, it is FULL! But this week we came across images of what is surely the original production retractable hardtop. Peugeot changed the face of the convertible car market when it showed the first production car with an electric folding roof at the Paris Auto show - the Peugeot 401 Eclipse. You won’t believe what year it was! Read More
US Navy unveils Advanced Electric Stealth Ship Demonstrator
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August 27, 2005 The US Navy christened its Advanced Electric Ship Demonstrator (AESD) this week, naming the futuristic ship SEA JET and showing it to the media for the first time. The 133-foot vessel will serve as a model representing a destroyer-size surface ship and will be launched on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, where it will be used for test and demonstration of various technologies. An underwater discharge waterjet from Rolls-Royce Naval Marine called AWJ-21, will be among the first technologies tested. It allows vessels to operate in shallow water with increased maneuverability and stealth. Read More
IKOO Electric bike
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August 22, 2005 The IKOO is without doubt the coolest looking electric scooter we’ve seen yet – so cool that it featured on all the technology blogs over the last month, most notably the Red Ferret Journal, Gizmodo, TreeHugger and a new blog on largely retro gadgets, retrothing. Based solely on looks and specifications, the IKOO looks like a winner, with a “surgical stainless steel” frame and disk brakes. We haven’t ridden the IKOO which the manufacturers claim is zippy with its powerful 600W EQuake S6 electric motor, a range of 18 miles and a top speed of 18 mph. They also claim it provides optimal balance between speed and range though it’s our opinion that if you’re going for a scooter in the 400-600W range, having a pedal option so you can assist the motor is a massive boon to the range and usability of the machine.
Subaru to commence electric vehicle production
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August 20, 2005 Subaru makes kickbutt small cars – the WRX pocket-rocket started a cult and still more than holds its own in the World Rally Championship (WRC). But the news this week that the niche auto manufacturer plans to produce the R1e electric car is some of the most mouth-watering news we can imagine for EV fans. The R1 is already on sale in Japan with a traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) but since the R1e electric concept car was first shown at the Tokyo Motor Show 18 months ago, the fans have been begging for the car to go into production. Interestingly, the news from Japan yesterday that Subaru would commence electric and hybrid vehicle manufacture in 2009 saw share in Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI - Subaru’s owner) rise more than 4%.
The R1e electric vehicle will be powered by an advanced, high energy density, manganese lithium-ion battery that FHI developed in conjunction with NEC and in Japan the battery can be charged by taking power from single-phase 22V AC outlets traditionally used for home air conditioners in Japan. Utilising advanced power control technology, the R1e is designed to travel more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) on a charge, and with its 2+2 layout in such a small-car form factor, the R1e looks to be immensely practical and an ideal alternative to ICE vehicles which are expected to be feeding a heroin-like (keep you poor and make you sick) addiction for fossil fuels which could be costing US$10 a gallon by 2009. Read More
How to convert an electric scooter to a solar scooter
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August 18, 2005 Primary producer Donald Dunklee has been watching the power grid slowly but surely failing, while the world demand for fossil fuel is slowly overpowering the world supply, driving prices skyward. It made him determined to "get off the drip" and build street-legal, affordable, dependable, sun-charged transport for his daily 5 mile commute. His solar powered motorcycle has not been plugged into the factory charger since April 15, 2005 and it’s now travelled over 700 miles since then. We guess he made it - this is Donald's story, as told by Donald. Read More
The RIDER: an electric commuter trike
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July 13, 2005 We’ve seen more than a few three wheelers that tilt and carve at Gizmag: machines such as Finnish designer Heikki Naulapaa's Magnet, Swedish designer Tommy Forsgren's Hermes, Australian designer Dimitrios Scoutas' Skipee and the Mercedes-Benz F 300 Life-Jet all exude motorcycle-like sports appeal. But Isreali designer Elisha Wetherhorn's carving machine is more akin to an electric bicycle. The Rider is an electric commuter concept trike that “carves” around corners, can run for four hours at 15 km/h and folds up so it can be used to go the “final mile” when used as an adjunct to traditional automotive or commuter transport. The Rider weighs just 14 kilograms, incorporates regenerative braking and a front-wheel electric motor and the 24 volt battery can be removed for ease-of-charging. Read More
Venturi Fetish Electric Supercar debuts in Asia
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June 25, 2005 A non-official rally of around fifty environmentally friendly vehicles has symbolically linked the place where the Kyoto Protocol had been signed to the 2005 Aichi World Expo dedicated this year to environmental issues. Edouard Michelin, CEO of Michelin Group, took the start driving a Venturi Fetish. The Venturi Fetish is the first electric supercar and car driven in Japan was number 16 from the production line in Monte Carlo. The car then had a number of high profile drivers take the wheel: Masanori Sekiya, the first Japanese driver to win the Le Mans race in 1995, then took the steering wheel, followed by Gildo Pallanca-Pastor, the CEO of Venturi Automobiles. The Venturi Fetish was honoured to be the first car to enter Aichi Expo.
Electric Superbike is on the way
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June 20, 2005 Our recent story on the inevitability of the electric motorcycle brought a number of reader emails pointing out projects we’d missed. One stood out head and shoulders above the rest. The rMOTO electric superbike concept was developed by ROBRADY design to showcase the technologies and expertise of several of its clients but when the first design sketches were released on the company web site in April, so great was the interest that the project has been given the green light and a prototype is to be constructed for unveiling in January 2006. In terms of design pedigree, no studio could be more appropriate than ROBRADY which has worked on an array of relevant notable projects such as the Vectrix electric and fuel cell scooters, a number of Segway scooters, Parker Hannifin’s Fuel Cells, regenerative braking systems and on a number of motorcycle designs for various companies. See inside for an exclusive interview with ROBRADY principal, Rob Brady.
The coming of the electric motorcycle
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UPDATED May 31, 2005 Electric motorcycles are in their infancy but there’s a realistic promise of electric motor performance that is more suited for the racetrack than that of internal combustion engines and infinitely better suited for the road. As the first electric bikes find their way onto racetracks and begin mixing it with two and four strokes, it appears you need three times the horsepower in a gas-powered motor to get a bike as fast as an electric bike. And then there’s the new 500bhp 67 Kg Symetron electric motor which should really kickstart performance electric automobiles and bikes. Read More
Schwinn Sting-Ray has Gone Electric
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May 21, 2005 One of the aspects of convergence we didn’t see coming was the convergence of childrens bicycles and adult commuters. That’s what seems to be happening as the wildly popular Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle is being upgraded with an electric motor. The new Sting-Ray Electric shares the original design characteristics of the Street Series Sting-Ray, but adds an electric motor and a battery pack in the form of a motorcycle engine casing so it looks even more like the chopper it originally emulated when it took the world by storm way back in the early sixties. The new Sting-Ray Electric will reach 14 mph and the battery will last up to two hours for a price of US$399. Those specs are distinctly commuter machine territory. Read More
First 150mph Tango electric performance commuter to be delivered next week
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May 19, 2005 No folks, this is not an optical illusion or a Photoshop-enhanced image - this is the Tango. The Tango is a carbon fibre, two seater electric commuter vehicle that will reach 60mph in four seconds and 150 mph in a few seconds more – a radical, pollution-free solution to the problem of transport in congested urban environments. The first batch of 100 vehicles goes to market next week when actor George Clooney takes delivery of the first US$85,000 pocket rocket to come off the production line. A deal between UK-based automotive technology specialist Prodrive and US-based Commuter Cars Corporation (CCC) has seen the Tango vehicle design taken from prototype form to efficient low volume production in just a few months. Plans call for volume production to follow, at which point the projected price for the car will drop to around US$20,000. Read More
REVA Electric Vehicle Concept
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April 15, 2005 The REVA-NXG, a “next generation Electric Vehicle” concept was shown for the first time earlier this month at the EV21 Electric Vehicle Symposium in Monaco. Created by the Indian REVA Electric Car Company (RECC), the new concept car is the result of a collaborative effort between RECC, automobile designer Dilip Chhabria and Simputer developer Encore Software. The REVA-NXG is a two-seater roadster with a range of 200 kilometres and a top speed of 120 kmh. The car is powered by a high performance 37 kW AC induction motor that drives the front wheels, and uses Sodium Nickel Chloride batteries in lieu of conventional lead acid batteries for extended life. The REVA-NXG has four-wheel independent suspension with an integrated regenerative and hydraulic braking system and the company claims excellent handling and braking. Read More
The Sherpa Folding Electric Bike
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April 15, 2005 Silent, powerful with a range far greater than could have been conceived just a few short years ago, electric bicycles look set to play a role in the future of transportation. Second generation electric bikes are beginning to appear and they are a far cry from the first generation. A prime example of just how far we have come is the second generation Sherpa from Electric Vehicles – it can be pedaled if you wish, but it goes faster than you can pedal with a top speed of 30kmh a range of 30 kilometres, and the ability to fold into the size of a small suitcase (830 x 350 x 610mm). At US$1050, it represents such an economical and convenient “second” form of transport that it is finding its way into motorhomes, boats, inner city apartments and anyone who lives within 20km of their workplace. And it doesn’t require a license! Read More
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter now also with diesel-electric hybrid drive
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April 4, 2005 Mercedes-Benz has always been at the forefront of the development environment- and resource-friendly propulsion systems and has explored natural gas, LPG, electric propulsion and fuel cell technologies in recent times. This pioneering position will be further enhanced this year when it becomes the first manufacturer to offer a plug-in hybrid-drive version of its Sprinter commercial van. Plug-in means that the vehicle is equipped with a power socket which enables the batteries to be recharged even when the engine is not running, for example overnight. A hybrid-drive Sprinter with no recharging socket is also planned. Read More
Venturi Fetish - World's first production electric sportscar
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March 28, 2005 One of the stars of the 21st International Electric Vehicles Symposium (EVS21) to be held in Monte Carlo next week will be the world’s most exclusive electric car – the Venturi Fetish. Assembled by hand in Monaco and made to order, the Fetish has an asking price of 450,000 Euro (US$583,000) - not bad for a vehicle which can legitimately claim the title of being the first production electric sports car in history. Read More
Electric Formula Race Car Demonstration at Monaco Electric Vehicle Symposium
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April 1, 2005 Monte Carlo is the place to be this coming weekend (April 2-6, 2005) for those interested in the future of transport. Monaco is the venue for the Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS-21) and every major electric vehicle manufacturer on the planet will be there, with some new and exciting technologies to be showcased during the global get-together. As previously mentioned, the Venturi Fetish will be the most significant of the cars on show, being the first production electric sportscar, but one of the most significant showings will be that of Raser Technologies which will demonstrate its advanced motor and controller technology in a Formula Lightning car driven on the Grand Prix circuit. Raser Technologies claim the motor is capable of producing 500 bhp which, if true, means a whole new world of motoring is about to begin. Read More
A whole new boating category begins – electric boats
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March 8, 2005 American company Johnson Outdoors has launched a significant new line of electric boats that creates a new category of watercraft – whisper quiet, pollution free and very easy-to-use. Designed to be used by boaters and non-boaters alike, the new Escape brand Electric Touring Boat, Electric Chaise Lounger and Electric Fun Boat all feature a simple “flip-the-switch-and-go” electric propulsion system, intuitive steering and lots of comfort features. Read More
Breakthrough Energy Cell Captures Vibration To Produce Electricity
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February 28, 2005 A renewable energy device that captures vibration to produce electricity looks set to replace or complement small conventional batteries for a range of every day applications and enable the reliable powering of new technologies. The Kinetic Energy Cell is a micro renewable energy source able to generate electricity from vibration or motion such as from cars, trucks and even people. This means that so long as there is access to movement or vibration the cell produces energy. Because the cell can replace standard and alkaline batteries in some applications, it is a non-polluting solution to small power requirements. Six billion dry cell batteries are produced annually by the world's largest manufacturer. Read More
Diesel/Electric Ford Transit Hytrans
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February 17, 2005 - Visitors to the opening of the Green by Design exhibition at Gaydon Heritage Centre in Warwickshire UK got more than they expected on the weekend when they were among some of the first to see Ford's latest low carbon technology on display. The Ford Transit HyTrans is the first medium commercial vehicle in Europe featuring stop/start technology for greater fuel economy and reduced emissions. Read More
BodyBoard - the lie-down electric go-kart
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The BodyBoard rider lies head first in a harness, getting a speed sensation blast just centimeters above the tarmac. Propulsion comes via the powerful electric engines inside each wheel that are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The BodyBoard also has the lowest centre of gravity possible - it's below the axle line. Along with the bird's eye view and four powerful inside-the-wheel electric motors with linear power delivery are big fat sticky racing tyres, offering G-forces not possible in anything this side of a Formula One car. Read More
Toyota's new Porte small car with a single electric door
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October 29, 2004 No sooner had we written up the newly announced Peugeot 1007 with its clever sliding doors and space efficient design, than Toyota actually put a very similar vehicle on the showroom floor in Japan.
The new Porte is a compact car with a wireless remote-controlled electric sliding door on the passenger side - slightly different from the two-door Peugeot, but with the same reconfigurable seating concept. Read More
The electric land speed record
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October 29, 2004 The Ohio State University's electric vehicle, the Buckeye Bullet, has broken the electric vehicle land speed record, raising the bar to more than 300 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt flat last week.
Over several days the car set an official world record of 271.7mph, an official US record of 314.95mph (different rules), and became the fastest electric vehicle ever at 321.8mph. Read More
Computerised loo generates electricity when flushed
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As the humble computer continues its march into every nook and cranny, it offers unprecedented capability to many household objects which one might have thought entirely adequate. Take for example the toilet just released by Japanese manufacturer www.toto.co.jp. The computerised, eco friendly toilet basin is designed to fully automate the bathroom experience... so all you have to do is sit and be serviced! Now this level of functionality is impressive, but by no means unique - what's so clever about the Toto system is that it GENERATES electricity from the movement of water being flushed from the cistern into the bowl - this toilet runs on eco-friendly hydroelectric power. It stores the electricity in a dry cell battery that lasts ten years without replacement. Read More
Venturi Fetish to be world's first production electric sportcar
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The Venturi Fetish concept-car was first unveiled at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show, and went on to be one of the stars of the 2002 Paris Motor Show and 2003 Detroit Motor Show - an electric sportcar concept of French design. Buoyed by public enthusiasm and the brand's 20th anniversary, Venturi has tak... Read More
8WD Electric limousine handles like a sportscar
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The KAZ (Keio Advanced Zero-Emission Vehicle) is a Japanese-designed Italian-built limousine prototype with eight wheels.
The KAZ is not your average limo though. The all-electric KAZ can travel at 300kph and it handles more like a sports car than a 6.7m-long whale thanks to its computer-controlled eight-wheel drive train and low centre of gravity for added stability and handling around curves.
Honda announces fuel cell, hybrid and electric scooters
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Honda Motor Company has announced its intentions to hotly contest the sustainable future of two wheel transport by showing several new prototype model developments surrounding fuel cell, electric and hybrid (petrol/electric) scooters. Building on its success with fuel cell automobile technology, the most significant announcement was a scooter powered by its light, compact fuel cell system, the Honda FC Stack. Read More
A new breed of high performance electric car
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The Tango is an electric car no wider than a motorcycle, with a passenger or luggage space located tandem-style behind the driver. It is so narrow that four Tangos can fit in a normal-sized parking space. Despite its precarious looks, it has a very low centre of gravity and will stop , accelerate and corner faster than almost anything else on the road. It may look vulnerable but it has a carbon fibre body shell and a race-approved roll cage structure which make it a very safe, capable and environmentally responsible vehicle. Read More
Wave powered machine produced drinkable water and electricity
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A prototype technology which uses wave power to generate electricity and desalinise water is in the advanced stages of completion on the WA coast. The Seapower Pacific unit to be deployed off Fremantle should begin operating later this year. Desalination of the seawater is achieved using a reverse-osmosis process, passing sea water through a membrane to remove the salt. The process is powered by wave motions, with excess energy available to drive electricity-generating turbines. The saline-free water can be discharged and de-pressurised for domestic or industrial use. Read More
Matsushita Electric releases A4-sized Wireless LCD Projector
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Portable projection technology is advancing rapidly as evidenced by the release this week (April 20) of the Sirius Jr. TH-LB10NT from Matsushita Electric. The device is a compact, A4-sized portable LCD data projector and supports up to four simultaneous IEEE802.11b wireless PC connections to enable users to display one or more PC images on a single screen, making it an ideal projector for team-building and encouraging and facilitating collaboration. Read More
The Chillow - a Non-Electric, Self-Cooling Cushion
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The Chillow Comfort Device is a new non-electric, self-cooling cushion that's designed to provide any pillow with a perpetual "cool spot". In addition to being a sleeping aid, the Chillow is also claimed to offer a variety of health and comfort benefits. Read More
New device allows monitoring of home electricity usage
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Sunday September 7, 2003: A finalist in Yellowpages Business Ideas Grants 2003, Centameter is a new consumer product that displays the cost of electricity being used on a portable easy-to-read, portable LCD monitor inside the home.Sunday September 7, 2003 A finalist in Yellowpages Business Ideas Grants 2003, CENT-A-METER is a new consumer product that displays the cost of electricity being used on a portable easy-to-read, portable LCD monitor inside the home. Developed primarily as an education tool for promoting energy consumption and greenhouse gas reduction, it was discovered along the way that the device had a very useful secondary effect - the capacity to save up to 25% on the electricity bill. Read More
BMW's Electric-Booster Research Engine
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Wednesday August 13, 2003: BMW researchers have recorded fuel savings as high as 15 % and produced 1,000 Nm of torque at low revs by using a high-power electric booster motor positioned between the combustion engine and gearbox of an experimental BMW X5. Read More
Toyota Prius hybrid petrol and electric vehicle
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Toyota's 2004 Prius petrol and electric hybrid is the first second-generation hybrid car and one which is expected to challenge Honda's Insight for the title of the world's most fuel-efficient car.The Prius uses a 50kW electric motor that is more than 50 percent more powerful than the previous model, and with similar performance to many current petrol-engined small cars. The 2004 Prius is the first Toyota vehicle equipped with its next generation drive-train, named "Hybrid Synergy Drive" which offers greater power and fuel economy with extremely low emissions. The Hybrid Synergy Drive integrates all aspects of Prius' hybrid system, from the proper mix of the electric motor and gas engine for optimum performance and efficiency, to the regeneration of electricity via Prius unique braking system. Regenerative braking is a feature of hybrid vehicles that allows the motor to act as a generator when braking. Read More
Honda's 750 scooter concept with CVT and electric roof
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The product of several ongoing trends in the two-wheeled arena, Honda's concept Elysium is futuristic all-weather mega-scooter.Yamaha started it all with the 250 Majesty, Suzuki followed with a 400 scooter, Yamaha went to the T-Max 500 and Suzuki countered with the Suzuki 650 Bergman we tested in Gizmo 5.Honda's new concept continues the capacity creep for scooters of recent years and trumps them all, being powered by a liquid-cooled 4-stroke flat-4 engine with a low center of gravity and plenty of grunt. Read More
