2012 Nissan Esflow Concept - Geneva Motor Show

This year at the Geneva Motor Show their seems to be a lot of hype about electric cars, the coolest so far has been by Nissa, name the Esflow. It can go from 0-60mph in under 5 seconds and the fully charged battery will last you 150 miles. The best thing about these new electric cars is that the weight of the car is the same every day all day, unlike gasoline powered cars weigh more when it is filled up or weighing less when empty. The interior is all leather and suede, so it is not peta friendly.

The BYD F6 which is a more luxurious F3

In 2008, BYD made press coverage by showing its F6 DM (dual mode) car at the Detroit Auto Show. Clearly, the car was a prototype, but it gave the world a surprise, becaus e outer China, there was a general idea that china was 20 years behind the developed nations in terms of car technology. Indeed it is true, and still is at this moment.

But what makes BYD stand out from the crowd? Billionaire Warren Buffett invested by October 2008 230 million dollars in the to become electric car manufacturer. What made him do this?

BYD has proven that despite been a newcomer and outsider to the auto industry, it has smartly managed to cut through competition, many many companies failed to do so in China, Lifan has not managed to increase, Bird a Ningbo cell phone manufacturer made a claim to enter the market and gave up months later, not to mention some non auto related supplier like Polarsun in Shenyang (originally making house door parts), ZhongYu (originally making street lighting equipment) from Wuhan still struggle to make it pay. Let's be frank, there is no room for many players and if you enter the market after 2000, it is far too late.

BYD tries to capitalize on its core activity : batteries.

In the coming years, they will market heavily their electric cars their point of differenciation. First they made an announcement about their F3e (for electric), and later showed their F6 DM, and have started to sell their F3 FM in China , with little success until now. The problem is the price and maybe are they coming too soon. Environmental friendly is a very new concept in China, the world's first polluter after the USA.

BYD hopes to change all that. China’s sixth largest automaker provided plug-in hybrid cars to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and now plans on bringing that hybrid, the awkwardly named F3DM, to the U.S.A. for Spring 2012. It still could be an uphill challenge, though.

The fallout from the slump in auto sales after the Global Financial Crisis, the government’s bailouts of two of the Big Three, the liquidation of numerous dealerships and the reduction in hybrid sales that came with the sudden drop in fuel prices is still being felt in much of America’s automotive heartland. Add to that the small market share commanded by hybrid and electric vehicles – just 2.2% worldwide according to JD Power – and BYD may be in over their heads already.

AS Mike Omotoso from JD Power explains:

“Because consumers are wary about electric vehicles and their driving range and batteries, they are even more likely to go with more established companies like G.M. and Nissan. The problem with the Chinese car companies is they are trying to run before they walk.”

Only time will tell if BYD’s U.S. plans end in fruition or failure.

Challenge on the Next City

GEM e2 electric cars – under $10k.

One of our readers points out that cutting carbon footprint at home, getting rid of the car, and emphasizing walkability is all well and good if you’re mobile, but what if walking is a problem? Sit home and mope?

While talking about automated mobility may be a slippery slope in the next city, let’s take a look at what’s out there. Actually we are now beginning to see the production of quite an array of electric vehicles for the next city (and without a $25 billion federal subsidy…).

We have many qualms. Though some are very inexpensive, small, and light, they are certainly not built with sustainable materials in sustainable ways – and none of the manufacturers is touting the cradle-to-cradle nature of their production (recycled, recylable, renewable) – but it strikes us as better than a Hummer, by some margin.

Electric Smart car. Just another car in a smaller package, or a new way of thinking? $35k.

Our favorites are the littlest, the lightest, and smallest. Kind of like golf carts that are enclosed. These are the ones that allow for local urban mobility without pretending that we can commute for two hours one-way, or make a weekend run from DC to Boston. For that, in the next city, we’ll need something else – not cars – like trains. If the next city is to be about people, and local life, and neighborhoods, and sustainability, and not cars and all their attendant destruction, then thinking really small seems like the only way at all.

Startlab’s Open Street model. A bit more than $22k.

There is one available soon, supposedly, called the Tesla. Hard to suppress a laugh at that name… Anyway, the manufacturers claim over 200 miles between charges and a top speed of 125 mph. Cost is north of $110 grand. This sounds more like substitution than rethinking – greenwashing if you will. Here we can see what we can do, but not necessarily what we should do.

Tesla: 0 to 60 in just over 3 seconds, top speed 125 mph.

Anyway, dear reader, there are options for those with mobility challenges, options that permit participation in the next urban life without pumping breathtaking amounts of carbon into the air. In the end though, these little electric devices need to be coupled with a new way of making our communities – destinations within your neighborhood that are just a few blocks away, not across town or out in the suburbs. For many, even city dwellers in most cities in this country, walking a half mile or a mile doesn’t get you to the garlic you need, or the trattoria where you want to be. This must be the highest priority as we reshape the places where we live and work. Mr. Kamen, we need a two-door Segway with wipers and a heater, please.

Myers Motors NMG (no more gas) one seat electric car – a tricycle. $30k.

Super Car: 2009 AC Schnitzer BMW X6

An eyecatcher at first glance - this calls for a closer look. AC Schnitzer presents the new styling and performance package for the BMW X6

The new BMW X6 exerts a particular form of magnetism: not only does its chassis sit perfectly on the road, it also magically attracts attention. Now it appears there is only one place where the fascination, dynamism and presence of the first Sports Activity Coupé (SAC) can be enhanced: in the workshops of AC Schnitzer in Aachen. The result is a visual and technical masterpiece which further magnifies the core qualities of the X6.

In the X6 by AC Schnitzer, the front skirt with its diagonal air intakes and repositioned fog lights are exposed. The drive-under protection has been removed in favour of a more dynamic contour of the spoiler edge. The rear carries a massive skirt with framed edges. In contrast to the original, all components are painted body-colour throughout, so the body appears downstretched and hence more dominant. Instead of the drive-under protection originally fitted here, AC Schnitzer Designer Michele Viandante has opted for a rear diffuser.

Another eyecatcher is the chromed tailpipes of the dual-flow exhaust system in AC Schnitzer
Racing Design. The BMW X6 is not the only SAC in the world, but it is one of the first vehicles to be fitted with the multipiece AC Schnitzer alloy wheels Type Vll. With their black paint and tightly arranged spokes, the 22" rims present a challenging stance. The changing angles of the web pairs give an air of sophistication.

Typical AC Schnitzer: The vehicle's appearance is not misleading, but simply a reflection of its inner values. The renowned BMW tuner has developed a real firecracker under the bonnet of the diesel versions 3.0dX and 3.5dX with a new Motor Control Unit. Precise performance data will be released shortly. Of course, sheer engine power is not the only ingredient in sporting performance. So Manfred Wollgarten, Technical Director of AC Schnitzer, has developed a unique suspension spring kit for the X6 on the North Loop of the Nürburgring.

One thing can be disclosed: Despite its high body, the X6 by AC Schnitzer in this configuration will show a clean pair of heels to many sports saloons. Perfect handling with corresponding Look and Feel is ensured by the "EVO" 3-spoke Sport Airbag steering wheel. With AC Schnitzer, you hold the road firmly in almost any position. The X6 by AC Schnitzer takes control on public roads as willingly as on changing terrain with varying up and down gradients!

World’s Fastest Eco-Supercar the Frazer-Nash Namir

Hold your breath and fasten your seatbelt for the Frazer-Nash Namir’s intoxicating acceleration. The all-wheel drive hybrid features a 0.8-liter rotary engine that powers up four electric motors, one for each wheel. It speeds up to 187 mph at a 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds and a 1,200-mile range. The Frazer-Nash Namir tackled a hill climb at Goodwood, a perfect proof how the car’s technology brings out the best performance ever.

Detroit Preview: Fisker Karma

Just one short year after Fisker showed us its plug-in hybrid Karma show car at the "Detroit Auto Show", the house that Henrik built will be returning to the Motor City to debut the production version of its ambitious project. Fisker says the production model, which is shown in the post just-released official pic, will only vary slightly in design from the show car, including a different upper grille that's a bit larger towards the outer edges and a larger lower air intake. The exhaust pipe from the internal combustion engine will also exit from an odd place: behind the front wheels. We'll also get our first view of the Karma's production interior in Detroit next month.

Fisker announced last month that it had chosen General Motors' turbocharged, direct-inject 2.0L four-cylinder as its power source of choice, and after sampling the engine in the Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo, we're very eager to see what it will do in a hybrid set-up designed to make one very large luxury saloon move like the wind. Combined with the hybrid system's 22.6 kWh electric motor, the drivetrain as a whole is said to produce 408 horsepower and propel the car to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and onto to a top speed of 125 mph. What sounded like vaporware 365 days ago is starting to take form, and we'll be on hand in Detroit next month to bring you more.

Dodge EV: All-Electric 268HP Coupe

At its World Headquarters in Auburn Hills today, Chrysler LLC revealed three all-electric prototype vehicles, the Dodge EV, Jeep EV and Chrysler EV, promising to have one of them available in the North American markets as soon as 2010 followed shortly after by Europe. Speaking at the presentation, Chrysler LLC’s CEO Bob Nardelli said: “The introduction of the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge electric vehicles provide a glimpse of the very near future, and demonstrates that we are serious and well along in the development of bringing EVs to market.”

US electricar-makers Tesla and Fisker on target to build luxury sedans by late 2010

by: GoAuto

GENERAL MOTORS may have put on the table its plans, pending “satisfactory government incentives”, to produce the world’s first mass-produced electric family sedan in the Chevrolet Volt by late 2010, but some unlikely US rivals have stepped up their campaign to deliver luxury electric sedans in the US before then.

Last week luxury electric car-maker Tesla Motors announced plans to build a $US250 million production facility in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley at San Jose, to manufacture its zero-emissions five-seater luxury sedan, the Model S.

Formerly known as the WhiteStar, the Model S is expected to start being shipped out of the 89-acre site, to where Tesla’s corporate headquarters and research and development centre will be relocated, in late 2010 – when the facility is expected to employ about 1000 workers. Factory construction is due to commence in mid-2009.

Left: Tesla Roadster and Fisker Karma.

President and CEO Ze'ev Drori said Tesla selected the San Jose site, 32km from Tesla’s current HQ in San Carlos, because of its high concentration of skilled engineers and support infrastructure, and to minimise the inconvenience for more than 250 of its current staff.

“Big deals like this happen when both parties have something significant to gain,” said Mr Drori in reference to San Jose mayor Chuck Reed’s 15-year job-creation initiative dubbed ‘Green Vision’.

“Locating Tesla’s headquarters, manufacturing and R&D in San Jose will allow us to proceed with minimum disruptions and virtually no dislocations.

“Clearly, no one would argue that Silicon Valley is the center for electronics and electrical engineering. The heart and soul of the electric car is the electric drivetrain, and for that, we need the type of skills available here.”

Assembly of the current $US109,000 ($A131,000) Tesla Roadster two-seater, 27 of which have so far been delivered in the US and Europe, will remain at the Lotus factory in Hethel, UK and is scheduled to increase to 40 per week by early 2009.

Some 1200 deposits have been taken for the Tesla Roadster, which commenced production in March, while the Model S sedan, which will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, is expected to cost about $US60,000 ($A72,000).

Central to the production of both the two-door Tesla Roadster and four-door Model S will be a “final powertrain solution” from US transmission specialist BorgWarner, which was announced two weeks ago.

The new single-speed transmission, which will be retro-fitted to the 27 Tesla Roadsters sold to date free of charge, is claimed to deliver 30 per cent more torque as well as a 10 per cent better travelling range of 355km.

“Last December, when the two-speed transmission designed by a previous supplier proved not to be durable, we announced we would modify our approach,” explained JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer.

“By using a more powerful inverter and an enhanced motor design, we were able to implement a single-speed gearbox and still achieve our original performance goals. In fact, the new set-up is superior in almost every way.”

The new BorgWarner gearbox is designed to cope with the Roadster’s increased performance, which now includes 380Nm of torque (up from 286Nm with the “interim” transmission). The Tesla Roadster is claimed to accelerate to 100km/h in less than four seconds.

“Successfully implementing the new gearbox in less than a year was an incredible technical challenge and huge accomplishment for Tesla’s engineers,” said Mr Drori.

“Now that we have a final powertrain design, in a matter of months there will be hundreds of Tesla Roadsters across the country. We’re heralding nothing less than a new era of the automobile.”

Meantime, an even newer US-based plug-in hybrid vehicle maker, Fisker Automotive, also announced two weeks ago that it has secured a further $US65 million ($A78 million) in funding, from the Middle East's Qatar Investment Authority.

The Irvine, California-based start-up car-maker, headed by former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, says it is now on target to produce its Karma EV by the fourth quarter of 2009, with peak production volume of some 1250 vehicles per month due to occur by late 2010.

The 15,000 Karmas Fisker plans to have built annually by Norwegian contractor Valmet will also be bankrolled by Palo Alto investors and Kleiner Perkins, while their electric powertrain was developed by Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, which co-founder Fisker Automotive with Fisker Coachbuild LLC in 2007.

Dubbed Q Drive, the Karma’s drive system is claimed to offer 80 miles of emissions-free motoring if it is charged overnight. Fisker claims to have taken more than 500 deposits since the Karma made is global debut at the 2008 Detroit motor show in January.

“We are extremely pleased to have closed our financing round at this time, particularly in light of the current market conditions,” said Mr Fisker on September 10. “This shows that Fisker Automotive has a solid business plan and a globally experienced automotive team with very strong investors behind the company.”

Chrevrolet Volt's Innovative GPS System

There are some new  features in the new Chevy Volt. For instance, what seems to be a GPS system at first sight, actually can also tell the driver how far he is from home. This is especially helpful in an electric car that is, it usually charges at home. It is a plug-in electric computer which can calculate how much time the car can use the gas engine to charge the on-board battery pack, providing a real fuel economy.

Opel Verstion of Volt coming In 2011

Opel is coming out with it's own version of the new Chevrolet Volt, a european sister.

"Opel will have a version of the Volt that will look more like an Opel. It will be a close sister to the Chevrolet Volt," said a GM source.

"We are trying to position Opel toward the upper side of the high-volume segments and having the Volt technology will give Opel a competitive edge," the source told Automotive News Europe.

GM aims to launch production versions of the Volt in the US in late 2010. The proposed European variant, the Flextreme, was shown at the 2007 IAA in Frankfurt.

The first models to reach Europe will be supplied from the Hamtramck assembly plant in Detroit, but GM also plans to make the in Europe.

Toyota Prius vs. Chevrolet Volt

General Motors ends its first century this month. And, you'll have heard, it ain't in very good shape in the US.

So here's the car on which it's betting its second century. The Volt, on sale in 2010 is a hybrid, but not as we know it. They're calling it the extended-range electric vehicle. There is an engine, a new 1.4-litre petrol four, mounted at the front as per usual. But, unlike the Toyota or Honda hybrids, it never drives the wheels directly. In future years, that engine could be replaced by a fuel cell.

In fact, the Volt is designed to give up to 40 miles on battery power alone, with full 150bhp performance available. This, says GM after lots of study, is enough for the habitual daily mileage of 80 percent of American drivers - 12,000 miles a year at 40 miles a day, six days a week. So they'll get home at night and plug in to cheap household electricity, getting that 40 miles for 50p at US mains prices. They might go weeks or months never needing the engine.

When it does spark up, the engine simply charges up the battery - although only partially, as GM wants the car always to arrive at its destination in a depleted state so you can use the mains to re-charge. Even with the engine cycling to keep the batteries at constant charge, the Volt will do about 60mpg.

Disappointed that this doesn't look have the electric-Camaro looks of the Volt show car? Come on, it's better than a Prius. The shape has morphed from show to production to make space for four adults, and the corners had to be rounded off because every scintilla of drag kocked back the electric range.

It's only a four-seater because the upper body tapers backwards to cut drag, and because there's a big battery box running along the car like an overgrown tranmission tunnel. The lithium ion pack weighs 180kg, taking the whole Volt to 1800kg.

By 2012 or so, there will be a Vauxhall/Opel version for Europe with unique styling. The Volt uses the platform of the next Astra, which gives you an idea of its size. And because they had to develop all sorts of power and weight-saving features for the Volt, like climate control and power assists, the Astra will be a better car because of it.

I've met a lot of Volt engineers and they're absolute fanatics. I wish them well. A lot of them worked on the original EV1. Who killed the electric car? If it was GM, then we desperately need it to be GM who brings it back.

Source: Top Gear

Audi Metroproject Quatro A1 Concept

The small car market is heating up fast, even for carmaker brands like Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the latter of which has the majority of the market cornered with its MINI sub-brand. The Bimmer competitor from Ingolstadt plans on attacking that market with its A1 subcompact, but unlike the Metroproject concept from Tokyo, the new A1 due to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show will sport four doors. Europeans are likely to get a production model spawned from the concept, which will likely be built in Brussels, Belgium and be introduced as a 2009 model. An electric model could follow shortly thereafter. Will the U.S. be blessed with another Germanic mini car? Audi's elusive Magic 8-Ball tells us "Not Likely," but with sales of the MINI going strong it's entirely too early to count it out completely.

BMW's Electric Car

BMW is coming out with it's own future electric car, it will comply with Californian regulations, which say that by 2012 a fuel cell or battery-powered vehicle must have a range of over 200 miles.

The car might look like this in the picture, "It’ll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model,” announce company CEO Norbert Reithofer told the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit.