Author: tsport100

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Porsche aims to offer hybrids across model range

Porsche aims to offer hybrid versions of all its models in the foreseeable future, Porsche Chief Executive Oliver Blume told a German newspaper.

A plug-in hybrid of the 911 model with a range of 50 kilometers (31.1 miles) will hit the market in 2018 already, Westfalen-Blatt quoted Blume as saying in a summary of an interview to be published on Monday.

Porsche said last month it would spend about 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) on production facilities at its biggest plant to make its first ever all-electric sports car, reflecting parent VW's growing commitment to increase its electric offerings as it struggles to overcome an emissions scandal.

Porsche plans to bring the Mission E model, with more than 600 horsepower and a range of over 500 km, to market by the end of the decade.

At the same time, CEO Blume said he did not believe driverless cars were in Porsche's future, saying "an iPhone belongs in your pocket, not on the road", and that Porsche did not need to team up with any big technology companies.

"Partnerships are generally not a bad idea if one's own competencies are insufficient. But we are on the one hand part of a strong company and on the other hand have no plans to lead the charge in this area. We'll leave that to others," he said.

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Audi e-tron SUV and Battery series production for Belgium plant in 2018

Audi is preparing its international production network for the mobility of the future. Large series production of the first purely electric driven SUV from Audi will begin at the site in Brussels in 2018. The plant will also produce its own batteries. The company will transfer production of the Audi A1 from Belgium to Martorell in Spain. The Audi Q3, which is currently produced in Spain, will be built in Győr (Hungary) in the future.

The model rotation will benefit all the sites of Audi’s global production network. “The new model distribution will enhance our production efficiency and strengthen all of the sites involved,” stated Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. “It will allow us to utilize further synergies within the Volkswagen Group and to bundle key competencies.” The model decisions protect jobs and promote the internationalization of the production network.

As of 2018, Audi Brussels will exclusively produce the first battery‑electric SUV from the brand with the Four Rings for the world market. The Audi e-tron quattro concept study that was presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015 provides a clear indication of the final production version. The sporty SUV will fit between the Audi Q7 and the Audi Q5 in the product portfolio. Equipped with three electric motors and a high‑capacity battery, the Audi e-tron model will offer a maximum of sportiness, driving dynamics and efficiency. It will have full everyday practicality with a range of more than 500 kilometers and will feature quick battery charging.

The Brussels plant will also have its own battery production. The site in Belgium will thus become a key plant for electric mobility at the Volkswagen Group.

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Germany wants to put 2 billion euros into encouraging electric cars

German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel wants to commit two billion euros ($2.17 billion) to encourage more people to buy electric cars, the newspaper Die Zeit reported on Wednesday.

Buyers of electric cars would receive a subsidy from the government, the newspaper said, giving no further details.

Gabriel also wants to expand charging stations and encourage federal offices to use electric cars - an initiative that will be funded under the current German budget without tax increases, he said.

The German government aims to put one million electric cars on the roads by 2020. Among the country's carmakers, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen now produce all-electric cars; Audi, Mercedes and Porsche have plans to build one.

Sales of electric cars totaled some 19,000 in 2014, but at the end of 2014 Germany had only 2,400 charging stations and around 100 fast-charging points.

Calls for supporting electric cars grew at the end of last year after the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Both Gabriel and his fellow Social Democrat Environment Minster Barbara Hendricks have called for a quota for electric cars.

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Chevrolet Bolt EV specs released

Hard on the heels of the reveal of the production Volt EV at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, Chevrolet used the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to release additional details on the battery and drivetrain of the new BEV. Engineers developed the Bolt EV’s propulsion system to offer more than an estimated 200 miles and a sporty driving experience.

The Bolt EV’s drive system uses a single high capacity electric motor to propel the car. The engineering team designed the Bolt EV’s electric motor with an offset gear and shaft configuration tailored to meet efficiency and performance targets—most notably more than an estimated 200 miles of range. The motor is capable of producing up to 266 lb-ft (360 N·m) of torque and 200 hp (150 kW) of motoring power. Combined with a 7.05:1 final drive ratio, it helps propel the Bolt EV from 0-60 mph in less than seven seconds.

Power delivery is controlled by Chevrolet’s first Electronic Precision Shift system. This shift and park-by-wire system sends electronic signals to the Bolt EV’s drive unit to manage precise feel and delivery of power and torque, based on drive mode selection and accelerator inputs. A by-wire shifter requires less packaging space than a traditional mechanical shifter, resulting in more interior space and improved interior layout.

Having more than 1.3 billion miles of EV experience from the Chevrolet Volt helped Bolt EV battery engineers and strategic partner LG Electronics to develop an all-new cell and battery pack to offer more than an estimated 200 miles of range. Battery system preliminary specifications include:

  • 60 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
  • 160 kW peak power
  • 288 lithium ion cells
  • Five sections
  • 10 modules
  • 96 cell groups – three cells per group
  • 960 lbs. (435 kg) total weight
  • 285 liters

    The battery uses active thermal conditioning, similar to the Chevrolet Volt, to keep the battery operating at its optimum temperature, which results in solid battery life performance. The Bolt EV battery will be covered by an 8-year/ 100,000 mile (whichever comes first) limited warranty.

    Inside the battery pack—which spans the entire floor, from the front foot well to back of the rear seat—is a new cell design and chemistry. The nickel-rich lithium-ion chemistry provides improved thermal operating performance over other chemistries, which requires a smaller active cooling system for more efficient packaging. The chemistry allows the Bolt EV to maintain peak performance in varying climates and driver demands.

    The cells are arranged in a “landscape” format and each measures in at only 3.9 ins. (100 mms) high and 13.1 ins. (338 mms) wide providing improved packaging underfloor. The lower profile cell design enabled the vehicle structure team to maximize interior space.

    The battery system is mated to a standard equipment 7.2 kW onboard charger for regular overnight charging from a 240-V wall box. A typical commute of 50 miles can be recharged in less than two hours. Bolt EV also features an optional DC Fast Charging system using the industry standard SAE Combo connector. Using DC Fast Charging, the Bolt EV battery can be charged up to 90 miles of range in 30 minutes. Outside temperatures may affect charging times.

    Regen System Provides One-Pedal Driving. Regenerative braking has become more than just a tool to boost range, it’s also transformed into a feature that can provide an improved EV driving experience. The Bolt EV features a new regenerative braking system that has the ability to provide one-pedal driving.

    Through a combination of increased regenerative deceleration and software controls, one pedal driving enables the vehicle to slow down and come to a complete stop without using the brake pedal in certain driving conditions.

    When operating the Bolt EV in “Low” mode, or by holding the Regen on Demand paddle located on the back of the steering wheel, the driver can bring the vehicle to a complete stop under most circumstances by simply lifting their foot off the accelerator, although the system does not relieve the need to use the brake pedal altogether.

    Operating the Bolt EV in “Drive” mode and not pulling the paddle while decelerating delivers a driving experience where usage of the brake pedal is required to stop.

  • Overview

    Model:
    Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Body style / driveline:
    front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, five-door all-electric CUV
    Construction:
    Steel and Aluminum
    EPA vehicle class:
    Small Wagon (EPA does not have a cross-over category)
    Key competitors:
    Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, Ford Focus Electric, Kia Soul EV, VW eGolf Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric
    Manufacturing location:
    Orion Township, Mich.
    Battery manufacturing location:
    Incheon, South Korea
    Motor and drive unit manufacturing location:
    Incheon, South Korea

    Battery System

    Type:
    rechargeable energy storage system comprising multiple linked modules 
    Volume/case:
    285L
    Mass (lb / kg):
    960 lb./435 kg
    Battery chemistry:
    lithium-ion
    Thermal system:
    liquid active thermal control
    Cells:
    288
    Electric driving range:
    More than 200 miles (GM estimate pending final tests)
    Energy:
    60 kWh
    Warranty:
    eight years / 100,000 miles

    Electric Drive

    Type:
    Single motor and gearset
    Motor:
    permanent magnetic drive motor
    Power:
    200 hp/150 kW
    Torque: (lb-ft / Nm):
    266 lb.ft./360 Nm
    Final drive ratio (:1):
    7.05:1

    Charging Times

    120 V:
    Available with standard cordset
    240 V:
    50 miles of range in less than 2 hrs.
    SAE Combo DC Fast Charge:
    90 miles in 30 minutes



    Performance

    Top speed (mph):
    91 mph / 145 kph *
    0-30 mph:
    2.9s (75% SoC) *
    0-60 mph:
    Under 7 seconds

    Chassis/Suspension

    Front:
    Independent MacPherson strut-type front suspension with side load compensating and finely tuned springs, direct-acting solid stabilizer bar system and ride & handling oriented LCA bushings.
    Rear:
    Compound crank (torsion beam) type rear suspension with the closed section V-shaped profile axle; specifically tuned coil springs, performance balanced shock absorber,  angled A-bushing supporting understeer tendency on cornering maneuver and kinematically optimized torsion beam providing stable and best ride & handling performance.
    Chassis control:
    Four-channel ABS; Traction control system; StabiliTrak; Drag control
    Steering type:
    column-mounted electric power steering
    Steering wheel turns, lock-to-lock:
    2.91 revolution *

    Turning radius, curb-to-curb ( ft. / m):
    10.8m *

    Steering ratio:
    16.8 :1

    Brakes

    Type:
    power four-wheel disc with ABS; electro-hydraulic; partially regenerative; dynamic rear brake proportioning
    Brake rotor diameter front  (mm / in):
    276mm
    Brake rotor diameter rear (mm / in):
    264mm
    Total swept area (cu cm):
    Front : 1398.9
    Rear : 1131.4

    Wheels/Tires

    Wheel size and type:
    17in x 6.5J offset 44, cast aluminum
    Tires:
    Michelin Energy Saver A/S 215/50R17 all-season

    Dimensions

    Exterior
    Wheelbase (in / mm):
    102.4 / 2600
    Overall length (in / mm):
    164.0 / 4166
    Overall width (in / mm):
    69.5 / 1765(W103)
    Track width front (in / mm):
    1500.92 mm
    Track width rear (in / mm):
    1501.05 mm
    Height (in / mm):
    62.8 / 1594(H100)
    Front overhang (in / mm):
    32.9 / 836
    Rear overhang (in / mm):
    28.7 / 730
    Interior
    Seating capacity (front / rear):
    2 / 3
    Headroom (in. / mm):
    39.7 / 1009  1st row
    37.9 / 962    2nd row
    Shoulder room (in / mm):
    54.6 / 1387  1st row
    52.8 / 1340  2nd row
    Hip room (in / mm):
    51.6 / 1310  1st row
    50.8 / 290    2nd row
    Legroom (in / mm):
    41.6 / 1056  1st row
    36.5 / 927    2nd row
    Cargo volume (cu ft / L):
    16.9 cu-ft / 478 L
    (V10, Wagon CVI – Max behind rear seat)
    Passenger volume (cu ft / L):
    PV1 52.2 cu-ft / 1478 L   1st row
    PV2 42.2 cu-ft  / 1195 L  2nd row

    Capacities

    Curb weight (lb / kg);
    3580 lb / 1625kg based on target (w/o 2passengers)
    Heating cooling (qt / L):
    Heating loop 1.8L
    Battery pack cooling (qt / L):
    6.9L (RESS cooling loop total coolant volume)
    Power electronics cooling (qt / L):
    3.9L (PE & DU cooling loop total coolant volume)
    Drive unit fluid (qt / L):
    2.9L
    Note: Information shown is current at time of publication.






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    Alta Motors Delivers First Electric Motocross / Supermoto Bikes

    Alta Motors, the San Francisco-based electric vehicle company and creators of the RedShift – a line of electric motocross and supermoto motorcycles – today announced that the company delivered its first motorcycle to customers Eric Gauthier and Jeannine Smith, who own and operate Suspension Performance in Mountain View, CA.

    “We’ve been quietly driving towards this moment for over 8 years in pursuit of creating the best motorcycles money can buy,” said Marc Fenigstein, co-founder and CEO of Alta Motors. “The result is a machine with a whole suite of new technologies, and a very different motorcycle than anything that has come before. The RedShift feels immediately comfortable to anyone who has ever thrown a leg over a state of the art performance motorcycle, but offers a leap forward in control, feel, and the connection between the rider’s brain and the tires on the ground. To have successful, speed-minded customers like Eric and Jeannine take delivery of the first RedShift is a tremendous honor for Alta Motors.”

    Alta Motors began in 2007 as an idea – what the perfect torque delivery of electric drive could do for motorcycle riders and racers. Officially founding the company in 2010, Marc and his partners, Derek Dorresteyn and Jeff Sand, have been obsessively churning out groundbreaking technology to build the RedShift, a legitimate performance electric motorcycle capable of competing against any bike and power plant on the grid. The Alta team now includes the very best from Tesla, GM, Toyota, Volkswagen and AMA racing.

    The RedShift isn’t put together from off-the-shelf motors and electronics from automotive, bicycle, industrial or even aerospace applications. This electric motorcycle is a clean sheet, proprietary design. Every part was created, tuned and tested for pure performance on-road and off.

    Recently, the RedShift SM proved its outrageous performance by winning the IMS Sacramento round of the Supermoto USA race series held November 6-8. Alta Motors technician and pro racer Kevin Butler took the RedShift from the last place on the grid to first across the finish line in his first-ever supermoto race. The victory also marks the first time an unmodified, production electric motorcycle triumphed over gas-powered competitors.

    For more information: Alta Motors

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    26-Year-Old Hacker Builts a Self-Driving Car…for Tesla.. in His Garage [VIDEO]

    Tesla's Autopilot uses hardware from both Mobileye and Nvidia to control the Model S on highways. Apparently Tesla would like to discontinue using Mobileye’s system in favor of bringing it in-house, according to an email exchange between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and George Hotz, a software engineer mainly known for being the first person to jailbreak the iPhone.

    A report by Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance would have us believe 26-year old hacker George Hotz has built a self-driving car from scratch in a month. Unfortunately for this urban myth, it's fairly obvious the 2016 Acura ILX he's using isn't a random choice.... Honda have offered Adaptive Cruise Control with Lane Assist since 2013.

    AcuraWatch Plus is a basic $1300 option available on this car that provides Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Mitigation Braking & Road Departure Mitigation.. So this Honda can do what he's demonstrating off the showroom floor.

    A more accurate description of Hotz's work is "reverse engineering".

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    Tesla Model S is the Fastest Selling Electric Vehicle in NSW

    Nissan is celebrating 5 years of the LEAF and Tesla Australia is celebrating 1 year in Australia. With the upcoming New year I thought it would be good to look back at the history of electric vehicles in NSW.

    Growth

    Lets look at growth in NSW Tesla don’t share their data with VFACTS, the industry body for new car sales reporting but RMS/RTA do keep registration statistics on how many cars of a particular brand are sold and what type of fuel they use. Using those statistics we can look at how many “pure electric” vehicles are on the road in NSW. The first production EV was the Mitsubishi i-MiEV launched in 2010 before then the 44 or so vehicles registered as electric with the RTA/RMS where most likely conversions.

    What’s included in this count? RMS count petrol/electrics separately so this count doesn’t include plug-in hybrids like the Outlander PHEV, Holden Volt or BMW i3 Rex. What it does include is listed below with their official release dates.

    Release Dates :

  • 2010 August Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Limited selective client release)
  • 2011 August Mitsubishi i-MiEV (source: MMAL Press release )
  • 2012 June Nissan LEAF (source: Nissan Press release )
  • 2014 December BMW i3 (excluding the REX hybrid version)
  • 2014 December Tesla Model S (The amount of registered Tesla’s is shown in red)

    Performance

    If we look at registrations since 3rd Quarter 2011 when electric vehicles began sales to the general public we see 524 registrations to date at a rate of 33 vehicles per quarter. Breaking it down further we see three district rates of registrations:

  • 2009-2011 – 7.8 Registrations per quarter.
  • 2012-2013 – 28.5 Registrations per quarter.
  • 2014 Q1-Q3 – 5.3 Registrations per quarter.
  • 2014 Q3-2015 Q3 – 66.5 Registrations per quarter.

    With the release of Tesla Model S we see Tesla alone contribute 52.5 Registrations per quarter, all other makes and models only managing 14 per quarter since 2014. The best performing quarter is the fourth quarter of 2014 with 87 registrations 65 Tesla 22 others. The worst performing quarter since the release of the i-MiEV first quarter of 2014 with only 4.

    Insights

    Tesla has landed on our shores and has been welcomed with open arms with the fastest “selling” electric vehicle in NSW. Nissan/Mitsubishi was a steady seller until 2014. However Nissan have not released an updated model since 2012 in Australia, maybe it’s time for a new model LEAF that sell overseas. Mitsubishi also no longer have i-MiEV at dealerships, concentrating their efforts on the Outlander PHEV.

    In terms of charging standards we’ve seen Tesla enter with their own version of a type 2 socket which is Mennekes type 2 compatible. Where as everyone else has been type 1 J1772 it’s a bit hard to gauge a direction while 30% of pure electric vehicles are Tesla we don’t have accurate numbers for other type 1 J1772 plug-in vehicles like the Holden volt, Audi a3 e-tron Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, BMW i3 REX, BMW i8 and the hybrid offerings from Porsche.

    Over the last year we’ve seen a significant growth in electric vehicles, installing a type 2 socket universal charging station to suit all vehicles at your office, shop, restaurant, church or sports field will further enhance the growth of electric vehicles.

    Source: Recharging NSW

    reproduced with permission

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    World’s Largest Ultra-fast EV Charging Station Goes Live

    EV charging complex has 25x chargers at 360kW and 5x chargers at 90kW; maintaining a capacity for Ultra-fast charging 30 urban transit buses at the same time

    Equipped with Microvast's ultra-fast charging battery, a Foton electric bus stops by a charging point after a few loops of operation. Trained staff plug in the charger and within 10-15 minutes the electric bus's battery is refilled to maximum operating capacity and ready to go again. This now happens everyday in many bus terminals across metropolitan Beijing with the deployment of this cutting edge charging technology. Among all the ultra-fast charging stations, the newly opened charging station in Xiaoying Public Transit Bus Terminal is the largest.

    Located in Chaoyang district, Beijing, built by China State Grid, this new charging complex covers an area of 26,500 m2 with its structures covering 1,575m2. Designed to satisfy the growing charging demand especially from the increase of ultra-fast charging electric buses departing from this terminal, this complex provides the infrastructure to charge 30 buses at the same time.

    Originally a natural gas hybrid bus fleet, Beijing transit route 13 with Foton buses, like ten plus other major city bus routes departed from Xiaoying Terminal, now completely converted to ultra-fast charging full electric bus fleet. They join hundreds of other E-buses in Beijing already deployed using the same battery technology from Microvast.

    After conversion to ultra-fast charging technology, the Route 13 fleet has improved operating efficiency while reducing Beijing's GHG emissions. Each new bus takes only 10-15 minutes to complete recharging the battery. Charging each bus takes place 2-3 times per day, during driver breaks, with several route loops between each charge.

    Compared to earlier battery swapping system adopted by Beijing to experiment on improving Slow-charge Battery E-bus's operating efficiency and reduce down-time, the ultra-fast charging "battery + charger" system needs neither the investment and large storage space footprint for extra batteries, nor high cost complex with automated robotic battery pack swapping infrastructure, bringing obvious advantages to customers and utility companies with more rapid ROI.

    With future facility and charging point expansions already planned out for 2016-2020, to accommodate more routes converting to fast charge EV, Xiaoying Terminal Charge station will play a greater role in the development of clean energy public transit system for Beijing in the near future.

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    Porsche to invest $1 billion to launch battery-powered Mission E [VIDEO]

    Porsche will spend about 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) on production facilities at its biggest plant to make its first-ever all-electric sports car.

    The Volkswagen-owned manufacturer will create more than 1,000 new jobs at its base in Zuffenhausen in Germany where a new paint shop and assembly line will be set up to build the battery-powered "Mission E" model, Porsche said on Friday.

    Porsche's investment in emissions-free drive technology reflects parent VW's growing commitment to increase its electric offerings as it struggles to overcome an emissions scandal.

    VW has said the next generation of its VW-badged flagship luxury saloon Phaeton will be electric and it plans to expand the so-called MQB modular production platform to focus more strongly on long-range plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

    Analysts have warned that VW's admission of rigging diesel emissions tests could cast a shadow over the diesel vehicle industry.

    Porsche's Mission E model, due to come to market by the end of the decade, will be more than 600 horsepower and have a range of over 500 km (310 mile).

    "We are sending a significant sign for the future of the brand," Chairman Wolfgang Porsche said after a meeting of the supervisory board which approved the investment.

    Some 700 million euros will be spent at Zuffenhausen where an existing engine plant and body shop will be extended, and the rest will be invested in Porsche's development center in Weissach, the carmaker said.

    Source: Porsche