Author: tsport100

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Volkswagen delivers first XL1

First vehicle goes to Berlin

Dr. Christian Malorny (left) took over his Volkswagen XL1 by Thomas Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing Germany Volkswagen Passenger Cars Dr. Christian Malorny (left) took over his Volkswagen XL1 by Thomas Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing Germany Volkswagen Passenger Cars

Volkswagen has delivered yesterday at the Transparent Factory in Dresden the first XL1 to a customer. Together with his family accepted Dr. Christian Malorny from Berlin's innovative diesel plug-in hybrid.

The first XL1 was delivered in the exterior color Oryxweiß pearl effect with titan black and pearl gray interior. "The XL1 has inspired me from the beginning and I am very pleased to now be driving my own. With its visionary design and high-tech appearance, Volkswagen has dared something new and innovative, "Malorny told Presented was the spectacular two-seater by Thomas Zahn, Director of Sales and Marketing Germany, Volkswagen Passenger Cars." The XL1 is the most efficient production car in the world and the Technology Lighthouse of the Volkswagen brand. He embodies the now technically feasible in a unique shape. "

With an average fuel consumption of 0.9 l / 100 km, the XL1 is the most economical series-production car in the world. Thanks to its plug-in hybrid system, the two-seater can be driven purely electrically, and thus free of local emissions over a distance of up to 50 kilometers. From design layout to follow the XL1 as automotive protagonist of the pure sports car theory: minimum weight of CFRP monocoque and outer skin (795 kg), perfect aerodynamics (Cd 0.189) and extremely low center of gravity (1.153 mm height). Therefore, the efficient Volkswagen range 6.2 kW / 8.4 hp to slide at a constant speed of 100 km / h above the plane. In electric mode, the Volkswagen content with less than 0.1 kWh for more than a kilometer route.

1 XL1: Fuel consumption in l/100 km: 0.9 (combined); Electricity consumption in kWh per 100 km: 7.2 (combined) CO2 emissions in g / km: 21 (combined), Efficiency: A +

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Aero Comparo! Tesla Model S vs Volt, Prius, Leaf, Mercedes [VIDEO]

Car and Driver gathered five slippery cars to study their drag and lift properties at a wind tunnel to determine which brand did the best job optimizing its car’s aero performance.

The overall winner was the Tesla Model S by virtue of its larger 25.2-square-foot face and lower 0.24 drag coefficient, which yield the same 6.2-square-foot drag area as the Prius. Low drag is a tougher challenge with a larger frontal area, hence the Tesla’s overall win.

Source: Car & Driver

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Petrol stations will die out as drivers plug EVs into Solar Panels at home

Petrol stations could vanish in the near future as drivers start charging their cars at home, a scientist has forecast.

Keith Barnham, emeritus Professor of Physics at Imperial College, said he and his colleagues were already producing solar panels, which were three times as efficient as current models.

“A typical (solar panel) system will generate enough electricity for typical mileage in a year.

“Free fuel for life from your rooftop. Even the most fervent opponents of electric cars like Jeremy Clarkson couldn’t argue with that.

“We need to spread the word that we have got the technology already, we just need to use it.”

A good example is EV News contributor Dr Phoebe Thornley who charges her Nissan Leaf with a 3kw roof top solar system. In Australia a 3kw PV system generates enough energy to power a Leaf for 15,000km annually which is precisely the average annual distance travelled by private motorists.

Source: Telegraph

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John McGuinness breaks TT Zero lap record [VIDEO]

TT legend John McGuinness won his 21st TT race on Wednesday morning when he took the SES TT Zero race in record-breaking style.

Riding the Mugen Shinden, McGuinness was always in the lead and with a stunning new lap record of 117.366mph, he came home 23.3s clear of team-mate Bruce Anstey. Rob Barber, on the Ohio State University Buckeye machine, took third.

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Toyota Prius now 2nd Best Selling EV in US

Hot on the heals of news earlier this week that Nissan's Leaf has set a new monthly sales record of 3,117 sales in May, comes official sales figures from Toyota showing the Plug-In Toyota Prius is now the 2nd best selling EV in the US.

Toyota sold 1,741 Prius PHV in May, up 180% on the same month last year. That knocks the Chevy Volt back to 3rd place with 1,684 sales for May.

The number of Plug-in Prius sales are all the more remarkable considering it is available in only 15 states.

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Battery material could reduce electric car weight

Battery weight has long vexed engineers designing electric cars for the mass market. Bigger batteries are needed to power a car for longer distances, but their weight in turn requires the car to expend more energy. But what if the body of the car itself was a battery?

Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology have found a promising solution with carbon fibre. Eric Jacques, a researcher in vehicle and aerospace engineering at KTH, says carbon fibre can fill two functions in an electric car: as a lightweight composite reinforcement material for the car’s body, and as an active electrode in lithium ion batteries.

“The objective of our research was to develop a structural battery consisting of multifunctional lightweight materials that simultaneously manage mechanical loads, and store electrical energy,” says Eric Jacques, a researcher in Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering at KTH.

“This can result in a weight reduction for electric vehicles,” Jacques says.

He says carbon fibre offers a viable alternative to graphite. Lithium can be inserted into the carbon fibre microstructure and the carbon fibre acts as a good conductor. The carbon fibre which the KTH researchers have worked with is very light and has a continuous structure and excellent mechanical properties, Jacques says

“The research project has demonstrated very good results, but we have some work to do before we can display finished batteries.”

The project is run as a partnership between three professors at KTH: Göran Lindbergh, Chemical Engineering; Mats Johansson, Fibre and Polymer Technology; and Dan Zenkert, Aeronautical and Vehicle Engineering. The research is done in cooperation with Swerea SICOMP and Luleå Insitute of Technology.

Johansson says the work is about improving the mechanical properties of batteries – so that it not only stores energy but is part of the design.

“For example, the hood of the car could be part of the battery,” Johansson says, adding that similar consolidation of battery and structural material could be used in mobile phones and other battery-operated devices.

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Nissan Leaf sets a new record, almost double GM Volt sales in May

May was the best-ever month for Nissan LEAF in the US with 3,117 sales confirming it's position as best selling plug-in car by a significant margin over the second placed Chevy Volt with 1,684 sold in the same month.

While Chevy Volt sales showed a year-on-year increase from May 2013 of about 5%, Nissan Leaf sales increased 45.8% over the same period last year.

In May, LEAF also passed 50,000 total U.S. sales since launch, further establishing it as the leader among electric vehicles.

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Mitsubishi enter two MiEV Evolution III racecars for 2014 Pikes Peak

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will enter two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars in the 2014 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Pikes Peak, June 23 to June 29) in Colorado, United States. MMC will use two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars, which combine the best of MMC's electric vehicle and four-wheel drive control technologies. MMC has competed twice before in the Electric Division in 2012 and 2013, and now with the MiEV Evolution III, hopes to take its first victory, this time in the new Electric Modified Division.

The MiEV Evolution III racecar is an improved and evolved version of last year's MiEV Evolution II. Main components including high-capacity battery, high-output electric motor and electric powered 4WD consisting of four electric motors have been retained with improvements made to give better motive and cornering performance. To reduce weight in the pipe-frame chassis the design has rationalized and some structural materials have been replaced.

Total motor output of four motors has been boosted from 400 kW to 450 kW and to ensure all the extra power is put down on the road surface the tires have been uprated in size from 260/650-18 to 330/680-18. Accordingly downforce has been increased with a new carbon cowl design and with wind-tunnel optimization of the spoiler and other detail shapes. Evolutionary development of the S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system has improved traction control performance and has reduced wheel slip by controlling vehicle attitude more precisely when near the limit of adhesion. These improvements allow the driver to extract the full potential of the racecar's awesome handling with confidence and reassurance.

The race team will feature the same drivers as last year. One MiEV Evolution III will be driven by two-time Dakar Rally overall champion Hiroshi Masuoka, who piloted the MiEV Evolution II to second place honors in the Electric Division last year and also act as team captain. The second MiEV Evolution III will be piloted by Greg Tracy, six-time Pikes Peak motorcycle champion whom last year drove a MiEV Evolution II to third place in the Electric Division, his first time challenging the race on four wheels.

The team technical director and chief mechanics are mainly all engineers in MMC's Development Engineering Office. Responsible for the maintenance of the racecars during the hill climb event, they will also be gathering data and knowhow which will be fed back into the advance development of MMC EV technologies, its S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) integrated vehicle dynamics control system and into the company's "e-EVOLUTION" - a fusion of electric motor drive and the S-AWC system.

  • MiEV Evolution III Specifications
Length x Width x Height (mm)
4,870 x 1,900 x 1,390
Drivetrain
4WD using 4 motors
Motors
(Made by Meidensha)
 
Configuration
4 (2 front, 2 rear)
Maximum output (kW)
450(112.5 kWx4 motors)
Battery (Made by LEJ)
Maximum capacity (kWh)
50
Chassis
Steel pipe frame
Cowl
Carbon
Suspension
Front
Double wishbone
Rear
Double wishbone
Brakes
(Made by ENDLESS)
Front
φ 380 mm disc with 6-pot calipers
Rear
φ 330 mm disc with 4-pot calipers
Tires (Made by Dunlop)
330 / 680-18
Wheels(Made by Enkei)
13J-18
Control system(Made by dSPACE)
Production i-MiEV ECU with MicroAutoBox*1
*1: Programmable general-purpose ECU
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Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV Evolution Vision Gran Turismo [VIDEO]

Mitsubishi Motors, a company with a spectacular history in races like the Dakar Rally and World Rally Championships (WRC), has developed a special concept model for Vision Gran Turismo: This is the "Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV Evolution Vision Gran Turismo".

In the development of this special concept model, Mitsubishi Motors introduced their design team, Advanced Vehicle Research and Development Group, and Aerodynamic Engineering Development Group into this project in the same process they would normally follow to plan and develop real motorsports vehicles.

The styling of the car follows the basic concepts of the "MITSUBISHI Concept XR-PHEV" shown at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, while pouring in know-how gained from years of motorsports experience into its every detail. The result was the evolution of the concept into a stoic racing machine.

The "Athlete Form" design concept was advanced further, emphasizing the driving features aggressively. The iconic front grill is a study of next generation Mitsubishi automobiles, and the shape that forms a wedge starting from the triple diamond mark is designed in the image of an athlete at crouching position on a starting line, evoking an intense image of tension and potential.

Utilizing advanced development technology from the Plug-in Hybrid EV System, the spontaneous power of the motor and powerful torque of the engine is transmitted through an 8 speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) to drive the 4 wheels. It's overwhelming drive performance is controlled precisely with the S-AWC vehicle dynamics control system that distributes the drive force optimally to the 4 wheels, producing a handling characteristic that moves the car exactly as the driver desires.

In addition, the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body reduces weight and greatly contributes to its agility, and the downforce produced by the aerodynamic form of the front and rear diffusers produces excellent cornering performance. The large diameter 20 inch aluminum wheels gives an impression of a tough suspension system, and the powerful appearance of the front and rear fenders is in the image of toned muscles of a powerful athlete.