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Electric
smart electric drive continues the ten year smart success story
By Jack Martin
04:40 September 4, 2008 PDT
September 4, 2008 In a carefully choreographed move, the one millionth smart fortwo rolled off the production line at the plant in Hambach, France to coincide exactly with the tenth birthday of the iconic ultr-compact. Quite appropriately, the millionth vehicle was a micro hybrid drive (mhd) in the passion equipment line. On the occasion of the production anniversary and the tenth birthday of the smart brand, Daimler presented the new smart electric drive. In Hambach Dr. Dieter Zetsche, President and CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars said "The smart electric drive makes zero emission driving in an urban environment a reality." Read More
First teaser pics of GM's updated Chevy Volt design
By Loz Blain
05:07 August 19, 2008 PDT
GM's extended-range electric Chevy Volt is slated to hit showrooms in 2010. After a rave reception of the sporty concept vehicle in early 2007, GM have been going full steam ahead on the production model - and now the Volt's Director of Design is calling for feedback on the first teaser pics of the production design. Read More
The ElectraFlyer C plug-n-fly electric plane
By Mike Hanlon
04:50 August 19, 2008 PDT
August 19, 2008 The ElectraFlyer C is an electric aircraft based around the now defunct 1980s Moni kit plane designed by John Monnett which features in the Smithsonian Air and Space museum no less. The original and unreliable KFM 107 two-stroke air-cooled motor has been replaced with a modified version of ElectraFlyer’s US$8500 5.6 kWh lithium battery and US$4200 propulsion parts kit, will top 90 mph, fly for 90 minutes plus and recharges from a household power outlet in six hours at a cost of, would-you-believe, sixty cents. That’s serious bang-per-buck for an aircraft and bodes well for the coming era of personal flight being based around sustainable energy and as it’s almost totally silent, sustainable hearing without the need for earplugs. Silent aircraft, like silent RVs, are the way to a sustainable future for the sport. Read More
Electric Nissan to debut in 2010
By Loz Blain
03:27 August 14, 2008 PDT
August 12, 2008 What will the electric car ownership experience be like? Nissan has given us a glimpse of what early adopters are letting themselves in for - rather than bundling expensive, consumable battery packs into the price of the car, Nissan plans to sell its 2010 mass-market battery-electric car for around the same price as a standard petrol car, and lease the battery pack to the buyer on a monthly fee. And the battery lease plus electricity charges should still end up cheaper than a petrol bill. Don't worry, it won't look anything like the test vehicle pictured! Read More
Dulux PaintPod promises fast, fuss-free, mess-free painting
By Jude Garvey
08:03 August 11, 2008 PDT
The Dulux PaintPod is a new approach to painting with a roller that's designed to get your room painted quickly, without drips or ruined carpets. The mains-powered, vacuum cleaner sized unit uses a pre-loadable emulsion pack filled with paint so you don’t have to refill the paint tray or re-load the roller, you simply squeeze the trigger and within thirty seconds, a measured amount of paint is released. Read More
The Toyotron Hunter Electric Motorcycle
By Mike Hanlon
22:22 July 30, 2008 PDT
REVISED July 31, 2008 Given the reluctance of the big four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to sacrifice their existing markets by introducing electric motorcycles, the window of opportunity for small and innovative manufacturers to work with the Chinese manufacturing powerhouse to create pollution-free motorcycles that run at negligible cost is wide open. A new electric-only motorcycle manufacturer hit the scene this month in Thailand, moving the country ahead of many first world countries in the quest for sustainable transport. It borrows quite a bit from what has been before, but it looks the goods. Read More
Elektrobay: EV recharging infrastructure expanding in the UK
By Emily Clark
17:51 July 29, 2008 PDT
The number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the road is growing rapidly in response to rising petrol prices and climate change awareness. As with any alternative to petroleum based transport, the key issue is infrastructure, or lack of it. Already rolling-put in the UK, Elektromotive's solution for drivers of electric cars and motorcycles is an on-street recharging network called “Elektrobay” that allows you to re-charge while away from home. Read More
UnoMoto: the electric transport balancing act
20:50 May 26, 2008 PDT
May 27, 2008 A design that is best described as a two-wheeled unicycle, the UnoMoto takes a Yamaha R1 frame, side-by-side wheels and Segway-like gyroscopic technology and wraps it in a custom made body to create a very different kind of electric commuter vehicle. Though perhaps not as slick in the design stakes, the UnoMoto prototype is reminiscent of the radical Bombadier EMBRIO Concept but with even simpler controls. Except for an on/off switch all control is achieved through simply leaning: forward to accelerate, back to brake, and sideways to make a turn. Young Canadian design engineer Ben Gulak deserves our applause on at least three counts: it's compact, its green and it's thoroughly unconventional. Read More
Falx to debut hybrid-electric tilt-rotor aircraft with inbuilt solar charging
By Loz Blain
04:21 April 28, 2008 PDT
Tilt-rotor aircraft have been around since the 1950s, offering the vertical take-off, hovering and landing abilities of a helicopter with the range, high flight ceiling, speed and fuel economy of a turboprop aeroplane. Now a new venture from Falx Air Vehicles is planning to push the fuel economy angle even further by using a hybrid-electric motor and inbuilt solar arrays. The company expects its upcoming compact single and double-seater tiltrotor aircraft to use as little as 10 litres of fuel per hour airborne, and the quiet electric operation should see these small, light and manoeuvrable aircraft make solid stealth vehicles for military uses. Though not yet confirmed, we may see a full-size prototype as early as the Farnsworth air show this year, and Falx is aiming to have the craft fully certified by the end of 2009. Read More
ThoRR, the fully electric open-wheeler
By Loz Blain
06:17 April 24, 2008 PDT
If Caterham Seven-style open-wheelers are last century's pinnacle of pure performance machines, it seems the concept will survive the transition to the electric age. Evisol's ThoRR takes its body shape inspiration from a Lotus Super 7, and adds a 272hp Siemens electric motor with a Lithium Polymer battery pack. Quick, light, accurate and nearly silent apart from road noise, ThoRR fits the Caterham model of a driver's car - there's no power assisted steering or brakes, no ABS, gearbox or even a windshield, so you're in complete control and you feel completely connected to the road through your machine. A range of 140km if you're doing more than 100kmh limits ThoRR to being a Sunday afternoon thrasher, but new tech batteries like those in the Lightning GT will fix that in due time. Read More
The Optibike OB1 electric bicycle: exclusive, long range, power assisted commuting
23:54 April 23, 2008 PDT
April 24, 2008 Optibike's 2008 range of electric-powered bicycles will be spearheaded by the limited edition OB1, the signature bike of Optibike Inventor Jim Turner. The key component of the Optibike system - the patented Motorized Bottom Bracket (MBB) which drives through the derauiller gear system to optimize acceleration and range at all pedaling speeds - is now oil cooled and delivers 850 continuous watts of power. Add to this carbon fiber handlebars, brakes, derailleur, chainring and cable ferrules, a customized paint job, GPS satellite navigation, plus a wireless PDA interface that provides real-time feedback on remaining range, battery charge and motor temperatures, and you have yourself one high-performance urban commuter. Read More
Sunny Day: fold-up solar-electric bicycle concept
By Emily Clark
20:12 April 16, 2008 PDT
April 17, 2008 Featuring an adjustable streamlined solar panel on the front stem, the Sunny Day compact solar electric bicycle design by Larry Chen recently took out the Grand Prize in the 12th annual International Bicycle Design Competition. Read More
Innovative 12 outlet powerstrip with surge protection
By Darren Quick
23:56 April 7, 2008 PDT
April 8, 2008 Powerstrips have a design that seems to have been set in stone since the outset, but this offering from Tributaries not only looks like a powerstrip with attitude, it also comes with a host of features. Designed to easily accommodate wall-wart type power supplies, the T12 features 12 AC outlets, 8 of which can be rotated 90°. The remaining four fixed outlets have safety shutters and, for ease of use, the T12 has a resettable circuit breaker built in to the Power push-button. A red “PROTECTED” LED illuminates when the internal surge protection is functioning correctly while a 2nd blue “GROUNDED” LED illuminates when the outlet, into which the T12 is connected, is properly grounded. Read More
Chrysler's battery-electric Dodge Zeo muscle car
By Loz Blain
15:51 April 7, 2008 PDT
April 8, 2008 Chrysler's latest battery-electric concept is an absolute ripper. The Dodge Zeo concept is an all-American muscle car with a heart of green. Sitting a tier below the all-out performance figures of the Tesla Roadster and Lightning GT, the Zeo makes around 268 horses for a 0-60mph time just under 6 seconds, and its lithium-based battery pack gets a range of up to 250 miles. It looks a million dollars, oozing sexiness and performance potential, and more importantly it's one of the first serious sports-focused battery-electric concepts we've seen from any of the major auto manufacturers. Are the big car makers catching on to battery cars as the way of the future? Read More
Britain's Lightning GT electric supercar
By Loz Blain
21:28 March 26, 2008 PDT
March 27, 2008 It seems a transatlantic battle is brewing in the high-performance electric sportscar market. As America's Tesla moves into the production phase with its 130+mph Roadster, Britain's Lightning GT is hot on its heels, with prototypes expected to hit the road later this year. The Lightning's power figures are very impressive - 700 horsepower, and 4 second 0-60mph times to almost rival the Tesla's 3.7 seconds. But it's the GT's revolutionary battery technology that might give it the upper hand: Nanosafe's Li-ion cells using nano titanate structures instead of traditional graphite give the GT an incredible 250-mile range, a full recharge time of only 10 minutes, and a life expectancy of 12 to 20 years, or 15,000 charge cycles before the battery performance drops significantly. Read More
Prototype completed for new ZAP electric truck
20:26 March 24, 2008 PDT
March 25, 2008 In the latest news from electric vehicle specialists ZAP, a running prototype has been completed for the low-speed, 770 pound payload ZAP XL Truck ahead of expected delivery of the vehicle in Q3 2008. Reservations are also now being accepted for the much anticipated, 100mph, 3-wheeled Alias highway electric car which is expected to hit the market next year at a cost of USD$32,500. Read More
Fully electric, 130+mph Tesla Roadster goes into production
By Loz Blain
20:49 March 17, 2008 PDT
March 18, 2008 A very significant milestone in zero-emissions motoring has just occurred as Tesla Motors announced yesterday that its groundbreaking electric sportscar has commenced regular production. The 130mph Tesla Roadster is the first production electric car to boast genuine sports performance coupled with a 210+ mile range between battery charges, which make it both exciting and viable for the vast majority of driving purposes. The fact that it's utterly gorgeous, with hints of the Lotus Elise, doesn't hurt either. All of the 2008 models scheduled for production have already been snapped up for just under US$100,000 each - and reservations are now being taken on the 2009 model. Read More
Fully electric Boshart Tersus off-road utility vehicle
By Loz Blain
02:13 March 17, 2008 PDT
While we may have to wait a while for plug-in electric cars to be viable for highway use, there's plenty of other applications where battery-powered vehicles already make a lot of sense. One such application is for agricultural and industrial utility vehicles, which are driven around primarily on a business's premises. Distances are generally quite short, speeds low and use often infrequent - but they need to have good carrying capacity for heavy gear, and be cheap to run and maintain. Boshart's electric Tersus, based on the Phoenix SUT but with a smaller, much less expensive battery, provides a viable, green alternative utility vehicle around a private campus, with speeds up to 25mph, 4-passenger plus 1000lbs payload capacity and a 1-hour recharge to 80% capacity. Read More
Quiet cruising: Kayacht's electric powered kayak kit
20:58 February 5, 2008 PST
We've seen some exciting examples of motorized kayaks in the past including Surfango's 9.5hp, 25mph PowerKayak, but when speed isn't the primary objective, the electric option offers some key benefits over combustion engine designs - it's low maintenance, cost-effective, non-polluting and best of all it doesn't destroy the peace and tranquility of being on the water the way a 4-stroke does, making it ideal for pursuits such as birdwatching, fishing or photography. Kayacht offer an electric-propulsion solution that will bring these benefits to almost any existing kayak hull. Using a short shaft 30 lb thrust Minnkota motor with 5-speed forward and 3-speed reverse, the add-on system delivers a leisurely 5-6mph cruising speed for around 45 minutes, or for several hours at slower speeds or when using the paddle assist mode. Read More
Ford testing 120mpg plug-in hybrid Escape
By Loz Blain
16:35 January 28, 2008 PST
January 29, 2008 Plug-in electric hybrid cars represent a simple and effective bridge between today's primarily petrol-driven hybrids and tomorrow's fully electric vehicles. Over short distances, they deliver the efficiency, economy and low emissions of an electric car – but you've still got a petrol engine to rely on for longer trips. With Toyota testing a plug-in Prius that's rumored to go to production in 2009, Ford has announced a Plug-in Electric Hybrid (PHEV) version of its Escape SUV. Currently in testing, the Escape PHEV runs primarily on electric in its commuting duties, achieving around 30 miles of high-efficiency electric drive after an overnight charge of its high capacity Lithium-Ion battery pack. For longer trips it reverts seamlessly back to normal hybrid operation. Read More
ZAP brings Alias highway electric car project closer to reality
19:49 January 23, 2008 PST
January 24, 2008 Electric-transport pioneer ZAP is now predicting a 2nd quarter 2009 production launch for the planned ZAP Alias(TM) highway electric car. The Joint Venture Company formed by ZAP and China Youngman Automotive Group has invited engineering and technology companies to participate in the project by initiating a RFQ (Request For Quotation) process for the 150-mile range, 100mph three-wheeler which the company hopes to bring to market for around USD$30,000. The news follows the showing of the company's made for iPod electric car and iZAP rechargable battery technology at Macworld 2008 and the announcement of a deal with Coca Cola that will see a fleet of 30 of Zap's compact electric trucks used for a new beverage distribution system in Montevideo, Uruguay, with the aim of targeting areas where larger vehicles are challenged by parking shortages, traffic congestion and air pollution. Read More
Breakthrough lithium battery charges to 90% in just 5 minutes
By Loz Blain
00:29 December 13, 2007 PST
December 13, 2007 Toshiba have stunned the world with their announcement of what's pretty much the holy grail in Lithium battery technology – the Super Charge ion Battery, which recharges up to 90% of its energy in just five minutes, and has a lifespan of over 10 years. Slow charging has been the key hurdle to public acceptance of battery-electric vehicles as viable distance travelers, so this breakthrough has all sorts of implications for the automotive industry as well as being a very welcome upgrade to a whole host of other portable devices. Read More
MILES ZX40ST all-electric work truck
21:29 December 10, 2007 PST
December 11, 2007 Commuters aren't the only ones set to benefit from the coming revolution in zero-emissions transport with all-electric light trucks like the low-speed MILES ZX40ST offering a viable, eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to traditional internal combustion vehicles. Read More
Modec electric vehicle debuts in America
By Kyle Sherer
14:46 December 5, 2007 PST
December 5, 2007 UK based Modec is continuing to expand the market for its electric zero emission vehicles, making its American debut at the 23rd Electrical Vehicle Symposium from December 2-5. The Modec Vehicle is capable of a 100 mile range at up to 50 miles per hour, and with a payload of up to two tones. Impressively, it’s also comparable to diesel vehicles in total cost of ownership – and the lack of tax and congestion charge form a great incentive to fleet companies. Read More
Easyglider adds electric drive to your rollerblades or skateboard
By Loz Blain
22:10 December 3, 2007 PST
December 4, 2007 Around the world, dozens of small businesses are springing up and flourishing based on innovative, compact urban transport inventions that speed up the short commute while at the same time injecting a healthy dose of fun. The skateboard has evolved into electric powered versions as well as the twisting casterboard concept, mini-scooters are going electric and developing at a rapid rate, and next-gen mobility platforms like the Segway are changing the way people think about short-range transport. Now there's the easyglider, an external electric drive wheel that lets you zip yourself along at up to 20kmh on your rollerblades, skateboard, or a connected wheeled platform. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
