GM already announced that the production version of the Volt electric car will be revealed in 2010. Until then, a showroom-ready model of the heavily touted electric car in will be presented in September.
But if you want to see the Volt in action you will have the chance in the the action movie "Transformers 2," scheduled for release next summer. Volt will be the second Chevrolet model to be featured in the movie.
GM is designing the Volt to run for 40 miles on a lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged at a standard electric outlet. The Volt will also capture energy from braking, like a traditional hybrid, and feature an on-board engine that will be used to send power to the battery on longer trips.
After confirming yesterday the future sedan, today there are rumors saying that Tesla will supply Mercedes’ future electric cars with lithium ion batteries.
It seems that Tesla is much farther ahead in the development of long-lasting and durable lithium ion batteries than Mercedes is, which is why they opted to purchasing the batteries, instead of making them.
Mercedes will launch its first electric cars in 2010. One will be based on the A-Class and one will come from Smart.
Tesla announced today that the future electric sedan will be built at Bay Area. Sales will begin in two years.
The sedan, know internally as the Model S will the firm’s second-generation automobile, it is expected to cost about $60,000 and will go into production by late 2010, company officials say.
State officials said companies like Tesla are essential in helping to meet California’s ambitious goal under the landmark legislation AB32, which requires the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020.
"We believe that electric vehicles will play a big role in helping California succeed in implementing its landmark climate change laws," Dresslar said.
2007 Tesla Roadster
Turkey is famous for its carpets and sweets and within a few years it could well become the green counterpart of Detroit. Cars like the Antro Solo could be mass produced there and exported to parts of the world. Antro what? Let me explain.
The Antro Solo is a three-seater, 600 pound, 100 mpg, 87 mph car. It will be all yours for just $18,000 in the year 2012. Built entirely of carbon fiber and composites, the power to run the car comes from not one or two, but four sources: gas, battery, solar panels and... PEDALS !
more pedaling after the jump
>> read
Gasoline engines emit far less noise compared to diesels but modern diesel engines employ a host of technological features which has muted it to a much quieter level.
The Priuses and Civics have become a common sight on U.S roads today and electric cars aren’t far behind, full credit to mounting gas prices. Electric vehicles generate absolutely no sound when in operation except for a little tire noise, and hybrids will make a librarian blush when driven confining to city speed limits.
Roads with minimum noise pollution would be easy on the ears and the blood pressure for all of us, but on the same hand, would be the worst nightmare for the blind. The sound which originates from a moving vehicle is the only means through which a blind person is able to assess the distance, speed and direction of an oncoming automobile. His or her safety entirely depends on sound which also is the difference between life and death for the person. The driver of a car may or may not be alert at all times and at tight corners or high-speed intersections, the risk is multiplied.
Accidents involving hybrid vehicles and blind people have reached an alarming juncture in the U.S. The best solution to eradicate this problem, says the U.S National Federation of the Blind, is by prescribing a minimum sound standard for all vehicles sold in U.S.A.
Now that Automakers have not yet come up with a proper solution, we would like you to help them out by suggesting the best fix for this problem begging for immediate action.
The future Pininfarina electric car, developed in cooperation with the Bolloré group will go on sale in exactly one year: June 2009. The announcement was made by Vincent Bolloré who is in charged with developing the lithium-ion battery that will be used to power the electric car.
The future electric car will have an autonomy (in city) of 250 km and a top speed of 150 km/h. The battery will be recharged at any normal electric plug.
Pininfarina wants to build 1000 units in 2009, 4000 units in 2010, 5000 in 2011, 10.000 in 2012 and 15.000 units in the following year.
2008 Pininfarina Sintesi Concept
The newest trend in the automobiles market is the electric vehicles so some of the famous automakers like Nissan, Peugeot or General Motors are already developing in this segment. Also brands like Daimler intends to join this area by 2010 with two models: a Smart branded city car and a Mercedes luxury car.
Both models, the electric Smart ForTwo and the Mercedes’s new S400 Hybrid are scheduled for testing in 2009 in the U.S. Mercedes has also been testing a handful of fuel-cell vehicles, including a B-Class prototype, ahead of a planned 2010 launch. Fuel-cell vehicles are technically electric vehicles that store their power in hydrogen or other fuel form instead of batteries.
>> read 
Even if the Chevrolet Volt is supposed to have a price of $40.000, GM hopes to sell around 70,000 units in its first two years of life: 10,000 plug-in electric Chevrolet Volts in 2011, the vehicle’s first full year of production, and 60,000 the following year.
Chairman Bob Lutz told the Free Press this is the goals "notional targets" and said the ramp-up may be a bit slower, with production volume expected to increase over the course of the first year to ensure that all vehicles built are safe and high quality.
While 70,000 in the first two years of production is the goal, he said, "the actual number is highly dependent on electrical component supplier capability and battery experience."
Lutz also confirmed that GM is still aiming to have the range-extended electric vehicle ready for sale by November 2010.
GM seems to be at big risk regarding the reveal of the Chevy
Volt. But representatives of the company are very confident and declare that the new model will work on time and as promised in terms of high quality and technology. Beyond this great confidence though there are big problems with getting the Volt technology up-to-speed within its timeframes.
Another serious difficulty is with the lithium-ion battery pack.
There are two companies fighting to win the contract and it seems that LG is in advantage as they have the 3rd-gen ready to go. And the list of problems doesn’t stop here as they still have hurdle with the car’s internal combustion range extender and with the delay in rolling out the lithium-ion batteries. After all of this, if the Volt doesn’t show up on time and as promised, GM will need to retool one of its plants to make humble pies.
This is just an amateur work, but this is how the future will look like for sure! Electric! Including luxury models like Porsche.
This electric Porsche 914 is the result of work by dedicated MIT students and their mentors. Is true the car is only tested in parking lots but they estimate that the car should be able to hit 100 mph and run 130 miles before needing a recharge.
Converting the car to an advanced electric vehicle is an achievement in itself and serves to demonstrate the viability of the technology. But for the students, the real fun starts now. Said mechanical engineering graduate student Craig Wildman, "Now we get to take data while we’re driving. We can record everything that happens on a laptop, come back and change parameters, and test drive it again." With the Porsche as a test platform, the students can monitor conditions in the car while looking for ways to increase efficiency, performance and range, and to bring down costs.
The student project took off last year when Valence Technology Inc. donated 18 lithium phosphate rechargeable batteries valued at $2,030 each, plus a battery-management system. The team began by removing the original engine, exhaust lines and fuel tank and installing an electric motor and motor controller, the batteries and battery-management system, a battery charger and various smaller components. Each of the batteries is equipped with a built-in computer that monitors its conditions—ideal for the data-gathering task.
The car should consume about 185 watt-hours per mile of electricity, the equivalent of about 65 miles per gallon of gasoline.
Thanks’ Jezza’ for the tip.
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