Category: Hybrid

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New 360 hp Nissan Skyline Hybrid on sale in Japan 2014

Nissan Motors today announced the launch of the all-new Skyline Hybrid, which goes on sale late February 2014 at Nissan dealers throughout Japan.

Nissan’s one-motor two-clutch parallel hybrid “Intelligent Dual Clutch Control” system delivers maximum power output of 268 kW (360 hp) and fuel economy of 5.4 l/100km on JC08 mode. The new Skyline achieves 20% improvement in fuel economy over 2015 standards and SU-LEV certification, emitting 75% fewer exhaust emissions than 2005 standards, thereby fully exempting it from the automobile acquisition tax and automobile weight tax.

The new Skyline also feature Direct Adaptive Steering technology - steer-by-wire - which controls tire movements with steering inputs transformed into electrical signals. This system delivers responsive handling and quickly communicates road surface feedback to the driver.

Another feature, Active Lane Control, uses a camera to detect the intended direction of the vehicle based on the lane markers at speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph) or more to help fine-tune the tire angle and steering reaction force, resulting in greater driver confidence at highway speeds.

The new Skyline features high-strength body construction (Zone Body) that utilizes the Nissan-developed 1.2 gigapascal (GPa) Ultra High Tensile Strength Steel with High Formability.

Available crash avoidance technologies include PFCW (Predictive Forward Collision Warning), which can detect a possible collision up to two cars ahead and gives an alert to the driver with a visual warning and audible buzzer when deceleration is required; BSW (Blind Spot Warning), which detects a vehicle in the next lane to reduce risk of car-to-car collision when changing lanes; the Nissan first BSI (Blind Spot Intervention); and Japan’s first adoption of BCI (Backup Collision Intervention) which can detect a vehicle approaching when in reverse and warn the driver to help reduce the risk of a collision.

With run-flat tires included as standard in every grade, the vehicle can travel around 150 km (93 miles) at 80 km/h (50 mph) even with completely flat tires.

The new Skyline will be produced in the Tochigi Plant (Kaminokawa-machi, Kawachi-gun, Tochigi prefecture), Nissan’s mother plant for luxury vehicles.

Prices range from ¥2,990,400 to ¥3,490,650 (US$30,150 to US$335,200), including consumption tax.

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BMW and Toyota Working on i8/LFA Based Hybrid Sports Car

It's been nearly two years since Toyota and BMW announced an agreement to work together to develop sports cars using state-of-the-art hybrid technologies, and now a source close to the two companies says the pair has decided on its first joint-venture.

Motoring.com.au recently spotted a BMW i8 at Toyota’s proving ground near Mt. Fuji, reportedly undergoing emissions and durability testing. It claims this is a prelude to a joint supercar development program.

Such a program would give Toyota – the carmaker that popularized hybrids in the first place – a hybrid successor to the Lexus LFA. Toyota wouldn’t just have a new halo model, it would have one with hybrid technology that could be more easily connected to its mainstream models. The marketing department will be happy, at least.

BMW could potentially leverage the platform to build a car that slots above the i8 in its lineup, offering true supercar performance. While the i8 was designed to balance performance and economy, BMW has toyed with the idea of building a more performance-oriented car.

Supercar makers are more conscious of CO2 emissions than ever before while at the same time delivering more power and performance. Powertrain electrification is the key to meeting these goals in the same vehicle.

Take, for example, the electrically assisted Ferrari La Ferrari and McLaren P1, or the purely battery-powered Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive – the most powerful AMG ever made.

Porsche has its Panamera plug-in hybrid too, as well as the million-dollar 918 Spyder super-hybrid that recently set a new production-car lap record of 6:57 at the Nurburgring.

Source: Motoring.com.au

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Next-generation Nissan GT-R will be a hybrid

The next-generation Nissan GT-R will feature a hybrid powertrain, using electrification to boost performance and lower emissions according to engineering, sales and marketing boss Andy Palmer.

“There is an inevitability about electrification of all cars in the future, and there is the very real prospect of enhancements coming from this and ending up on a sports car like the Nissan GT-R,” said Palmer. “The electric systems can fill in the gaps in the torque curve and offer genuine performance gains, as well as lowering emissions. It’s win-win, and I’d expect to see some form of hybridisation on the next generation of car.”

Source: Autocar

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Ford outsells plug-in rivals for first time in October

Ford said Monday it sold 2,179 of its Fusion and C-Max plug-in hybrids last month, topping the totals of plug-in competitors Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. for the first time.

Toyota sold 2,095 of its Prius plug-in cars and GM sold 2,022 of its Volt range-extended plug-in hybrid sedans.

Sales of plug-in vehicles — excluding full battery-electric cars — total 39,083 through October, up from the 29,075 sold during the same period in 2012, according to data from automakers and the Electric Drive Transportation Association.

But plug-in vehicles still represent less than 1 percent of new-vehicle sales.

Ford sales of the Fusion and C-Max Energi cars helped the Dearborn automaker to its best plug-in hybrid vehicle sales month ever.

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Subaru to reveal Viziv Evolution Plug-In Hybrid Concept @ Tokyo Motor Show

The Subaru Viziv Evolution concept, which was exhibited at the 2013 Geneva show, will be revealed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in a closer to production form.

The Viziv Evolution we saw in Geneva utilized a diesel-hybrid set up, whereas this iteration is a plug-in hybrid that employs the same 1.6-liter DIT boxer engine in the Levorg concept.

The overall design carries over, though, with the engine connected to a continuously variable transmission, one electric motor up front and two additional electric motors connected to the rear wheels.

Technology is a big component of the innovative all-wheel drive Viziv Evolution concept, which will also come with a new autopilot system that previsions the future of fully-autonomous vehicles.

Major Specifications

  • Engine Type: 1.6-liter Horizontally-Opposed direct injection turbo "DIT" engine
  • Transmission Type: Lineartronic (CVT)
  • Electric Motor Type: Interior permanent magnet synchronous motor;
    1 front motor,
    2 rear motors
  • Drivetrain: Independent-rear-motor-driven Symmetrical AWD (All-Wheel drive) + Plug-in hybrid system
  • Battery Type: Lithium-ion batteries
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    VW Says Germany’s 1 Million Electric-Car Goal Achievable

    Volkswagen says the German government’s goal to have 1 million electric cars on the country’s roads by 2020 can be achieved if partly battery-powered cars like hybrids are taken into account.

    “We will make our contribution toward this goal,” Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn said today at a panel discussion at a ceremony near chemical producer BASF SE’s headquarters in Ludwigshafen, Germany.

    Plug-in hybrids “offer the biggest market potential,” and should help with a roll out of electric mobility on a larger scale, Winterkorn said.

    The CEO reiterated Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen’s plan to offer as many as 40 electric or hybrid models in the event that demand for low-emission cars takes off. The manufacturer will produce 14 vehicles with alternative drive through next year after introducing electric versions of the Golf hatchback and Up! city car at the Frankfurt auto show last month. Volkswagen also showed new plug-in hybrid versions of the Porsche brand’s Panamera four-door coupe and Audi’s A3 compact.

    VW’s move echoes initiatives by peers such as Nissan and General Motors to promote purely electric and hybrid cars, which help automakers comply with tightening fleetwide emission regulations across the globe.

    VW’s e-Up! went on sale in Germany this month for 26,900 euros ($37,000). The model is “deliberately positioned” against the battery-powered i3 city car that Munich-based BMW is bringing out, Rudolf Krebs, head of electric-powertrain technology at VW, said on Sept. 4.

    BMW, the world’s biggest luxury-vehicle manufacturer, presented the i3 in Frankfurt last month, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the X5 sport-utility vehicle. The i3, priced at 34,950 euros, will enter showrooms in Germany in November.

    Plug-in hybrids have the most potential and BMW plans to eventually offer one in every model line, Herbert Diess, the automaker’s development chief, said in an interview last month. Cars with electromobility will make up 5 percent to 10 percent of the market by 2020 from well under 1 percent now, Diess said.

    Other alternative-drive vehicles shown at the Frankfurt auto show included an all-electric Mercedes-Benz B-Class crossover from Daimler that will use a drivetrain supplied by Palo Alto, California-based Tesla Motors, and a hybrid coupe prototype from Volvo Car Group.

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    Audi are World Endurance Champions in Japan

    Audi has defended its titles early in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Japan. The success with the R18 e-tron quattro was achieved by Audi Sport Team Joest in odd circumstances: Heavy rain at Fuji meant that not a single lap could be completed under the Green Flag. In the end, the leaders of the standings, Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB), as the best Audi team took second place overall in the race, their team-mates Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) were classified in fourth place in the LMP1 category. Consequently, the drivers’ classification will be decided between the two Audi squads at the remaining rounds.

    At the sixth of eight WEC rounds, difficult weather conditions prevailed. Steady rain had prompted race control to start the endurance race behind the safety car. But the 4.563-kilometer track at the foot of Mount Fuji was too wet for the race to be released in these conditions, so the stewards of the meeting interrupted the race after eight laps. A resumption behind the safety car after two and a half hours ended in another interruption 22 minutes later. Another two hours later, the participants again started behind the safety car before the race was finally stopped after just one lap. The stewards decided that force majeure had prevented a regular course of the race. As a result, the drivers, due to the shorter race distance, were awarded half the points equating to their positions – even if they had not been in the cockpit at all. With two remaining rounds, Audi is out of reach in the manufacturers’ World Championship with a 66.5-point advantage.

    As the best Audi squad in the race, the leaders of the standings, Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish, who had started from position four, achieved second place. They extended their lead in the Championship to 40.75 points. Among other things, the Audi designated as car number ‘2’ benefited from the fact that the number ‘8’ Toyota, which had qualified in position two, could not assume its place on the grid. As a result, the car had to start from the pit lane and was unable to overtake under safety car conditions.

    The number ‘1’ Audi suffered misfortune. André Lotterer/Marcel Fässler/Benoît Tréluyer initially led the race from position one on the grid. When debris impaired the intake duct of the engine Audi Sport Team Joest decided to perform a repair for safety reasons. The team used a second caution period to do so when there were prospects for a weather improvement and thus a resumption of the race. However, since this did not occur and the rain became heavier again, last year’s World Champions had to settle for fourth place in their class and 26th place overall. For the first time in almost exactly one year, the Audi LMP sports cars thus had to formally admit defeat. At Shanghai, the next WEC round will be on the agenda in three weeks from now. There, Audi could have another reason to celebrate, as an early title decision in the drivers’ classification is probable in China.

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    Nissan ZEOD RC makes its first public run at Fuji Speedway [VIDEO]

    Japanese fans will have the first opportunity to see the revolutionary Nissan ZEOD RC in action when the car makes its public on-track debut at this year's Fuji Speedway round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    Running in pure electric mode, the Nissan ZEOD RC will undertake demonstration runs on October 18, 19 and 20 – all three days of the Japanese round of the WEC. The Fuji demonstration was announced today at the Nissan 360 global media event in California.

    The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour. The global leader in electric vehicles for the road, Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race.

    The Nissan ZEOD RC will kick off its testing and development program soon in the UK with inaugural Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordóñez behind the wheel.

    Ordóñez and Krumm were teammates at Le Mans this year where they scored third place in the LM P2 class with 2011 GT Academy winner, Jann Mardenborough.

    Nissan is also enjoying a highly successful season in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LM P2 class with pole position and victory at the first four rounds of the season at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans and Interlagos.

    "One of our goals with the Nissan ZEOD RC is to draw back the curtain for fans so they can see what goes on behind the scenes in the development of such a unique race car," said Nissan's Global Motorsport Director, Darren Cox.

    "As part of that philosophy, we thought it would be quite fitting that rather than just test behind closed doors, we give the fans the chance to see the car in action.

    "To be able to do that at such a great venue like Fuji Speedway only 90 minutes away from the home of Nismo in Yokohama was too good to pass up.

    "We'll be on track with many of the cars from the WEC at Le Mans next year so our demonstration runs will also give us some initial comparison data as well."

    After the Fuji events, the Nissan ZEOD RC will continue its development program in Europe with Lucas Ordóñez returning to the driver seat. The car is scheduled to make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour where it will occupy Garage 56 – an additional entry reserved by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for cars using new and innovative technology not previously seen in the French endurance classic.

    "Nissan has become a global leader in the development of zero emission automotive technology and the Nissan ZEOD RC will allow us to further develop those capabilities using the toughest endurance race in the world as a mobile test bed to test the potential of our planned LM P1 power train," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company Limited.

    "The ZEOD RC program is designed to develop multiple technologies to evaluate how they could be used for a future LM P1 class return of Nissan at the Le Mans 24 Hour."

    Nissan is already a global leader in the development of electric vehicles for the road. Launched in 2010, the Nissan LEAF has become the world's best-selling all-electric car. The LEAF won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and the 2011–2012 Car of the Year Japan.

    Nissan launched the Nissan LEAF RC in 2011 – a race car prototype powered by the same 107-hp electric motor that is used in the road car.

    The Nissan ZEOD RC is the next step in the electrification of motorsport. The new car will turn speeds faster than GTE class cars running purely on electric power with zero emissions.

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    2014 Toyota Prius Plug-In to Start Under $30,000

    Toyota is cutting the price of its Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle by more than $2,000, making it the latest automaker to cut prices of electric vehicles.

    Toyota reduced the price on the 2014 Prius Plug-in hybrid by $2,010 to $29,990, a 6 percent price cut.

    The automaker is also cutting the price on its 2014 Prius Plug-in Advanced model by $4,620 to $34,905, an 11 percent price reduction. That model has more features including navigation and infotainment, heated front seats and a heads-up display.

    Moe Durand, a Toyota spokesman, said the new pricing was a reflection of its competitors’ moves.

    “It’s dictated by market conditions. When somebody starts that trend of allowing a little softer prices, market demand can determine price,” Durand said.

    Toyota has sold 8,000 plug-ins in the first nine months, behind its target of 12,000 for the year. Durand said the automaker has been offering some “considerable” incentives on the 2013 model to help boost sales, but acknowledged it was behind were it had hoped to be at this point. Incentives vary by region.

    Toyota’s price cuts come nearly two months after General Motors Co. said in August it was cutting the price of its plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt by $5,000. The Detroit-based automaker cut the base price 12.5 percent, from $39,995 to $34,995. The price cut came shortly after the automaker announced a $5,000 incentive on the 2012 Volt and $4,000 on the 2013 model.

    The first Volt, a 2010 model, cost $41,000. Sales jumped in August to their highest level ever to 3,351 vehicles.

    In July, Ford Motor Co. said it would reduce the price of its low-selling Focus EV by $4,000 for the 2014 model year to $35,200.

    Ford also offered lease discounts of more than $10,000 and $2,000 off the base price for cash purchases.

    Sales of Nissan’s all-electric Leaf have jumped since the Japanese automaker dropped the base price by 18 percent, to $28,800 for the 2013 model year. Nissan also added extra cargo room, and for higher-end trims, an on-board charger that reduces electric charging times by half.

    Honda Motor Co. said in May it was cutting the monthly lease price of its Fit EV from $389 to $259 a month, and reducing by $130 a month the cost of existing Fit EV leases. The revised lease has unlimited mileage.

    Most of the vehicles are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit. The Prius with a smaller battery pack is eligible for a $2,500 federal tax credit.

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    Porsche 918 Spyder: Engine Technology [VIDEO]

    The Porsche 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid with four driving modes, two electric motors, and a 4.6 liter mid-mounted V8 engine. E-Drive is an all-electric mode primarily for city driving, with a range of up to 20 miles and a top speed of only 93 mph.

    There are also three different “hybrid” modes (Hybrid, Sport, and Race) that use varying degrees of power from both the V8 engine and two electric motors. Hybrid mode is obviously on the more fuel-frugal end, with the engine and electric motors working to optimize fuel economy. Meanwhile Race mode is reserved for on-track shenanigans, with a special sub-mode called “Hot Lap” which unleashes the full fury of the 918 Spyder, with the electric motors providing even more of a power boost.

    The 918 Spyder also has a carbon fiber-reinforced monocoque for a curb weight of just over 1,632 kg. But really, it’s all about the cutting edge drivetrain, and while it may remain prohibitively expensive for now, there’s no doubt Porsche is working to bring more economy-minded plug-in hybrids to the roads. The 918 Spyder is merely the R&D test bed.