Category: TV

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World Premiers of VW e-Golf and e-up! @ IAA 2013 [VIDEO]

In a dual world premiere, Volkswagen will be presenting two new and extremely efficient electric cars at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt (10th to 22nd September): the e-up! and e-Golf. This means that Europe's most successful carmaker is transitioning two high-volume production models to the age of electric mobility. Both zero-emissions cars offer unlimited everyday practicality, each has four doors, and they are attractively equipped. Standard features: automatic climate control with parking heater and ventilation, radio-navigation system, windscreen heating, LED daytime running lights and, in the e-Golf, the Volkswagen brand's first use of LED headlights. The two newcomers are also leaders in energy efficiency: the e-up! consumes just 11.7 kWh of electricity per 100 km – this makes it the new world champion in efficiency. The e-Golf, positioned two classes higher, attains an excellent value of 12.7 kWh. Given an electricity price of €0.258 per kWh (Germany, as of 31st July 2013), driving 100 km with the e-up! costs just €3.02, and with the e-Golf it is around €3.30.

Made in Germany. Innovative drive technologies are core competencies at Volkswagen. Therefore, the e-motors, gearboxes and lithium-ion batteries of the e-up! and e-Golf are developed in-house, and they are manufactured in large Volkswagen component plants in Germany.

Typical Volkswagen. All Volkswagen are intuitive to operate, extremely practical in everyday use and sophisticated, and these traits have been fully transferred to the brand's new e-vehicles. The zero-emission cars from Volkswagen are manufactured with the same high-volume production systems as their counterparts with combustion engines.

e-Golf data. The e-Golf, which is being presented in a world premiere in Frankfurt, is driven by a 85 kW / 115 PS electric motor. The motor produces its maximum drive torque of 270 Nm as soon as it starts off. The results: the front-wheel drive e-Golf reaches 100 km/h in 10.4 seconds. On a motorway, the speed of the five-seat front-wheel drive car is electronically limited to 140 km/h.

e-up! data. Also making its debut in a world premiere at the IAA is the four-seat e-up!. Its electric motor produces 60 kW / 82 PS. This motor transmits 210 Nm of torque to the driven front axle from a standstill. It completes the sprint to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds. Top speed: 130 km/h.

Driving ranges tailored for commuters. The e-up! can drive 160 km on one battery charge (18.7 kWh), while the e-Golf with its larger battery (24.2 kWh) has a range of 190 km. In both models, two very efficient driving modes ("Eco", "Eco+") and four just as easy to activate regenerative braking modes ("D1", "D2", "D3" and "B") help to extend maximum ranges. And they are driving ranges that make sense. In Germany, for example, studies by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development found that around 80 per cent of all car drivers in Germany drive fewer than 50 km daily.

Quick charging. The fastest CCS charging stations (direct current) shorten the time needed to charge the battery of an e-up! or an e-Golf to 80 per cent capacity to just around half an hour.

Powertrain and fuel strategy. Over the past decade, Volkswagen has already systematically sketched out a schedule for the future in its powertrain and fuel strategy, which included starting points for electric vehicles like the e-up! and e-Golf. This strategy sets up a timeline with realistic time windows for the introduction of alternative drive systems such as the hybrid, electric and hydrogen-based systems. In this scenario, the all-electric drive system – which will be demonstrated by the new e-up! and e-Golf – represents an indispensable and sensible supplemental drive system. That is because electric cars utilise renewable energy sources and enable zero-emissions mobility in metropolitan areas. Nonetheless, well into the future Volkswagen will continue to promote an intelligent mix of the most efficient drive systems.

Driving at the pace of the big city. The fact is that the target group for electric cars is growing, because a paradigm shift has begun. Sustainable mobility is having an increasing impact on people's actions. Yet the products for implementing this environmental awareness must be practical and fun as well - such as the e-up! and e-Golf which accelerate to big city pace in just a few seconds. The new zero-emission Volkswagen cars therefore have the potential for irreversibly charging up the electric car segment with innovative technology, a high level of everyday practicality and a dynamic driving feeling.

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Tesla Model S takes on the Aston Martin Rapide S [VIDEO]

The Tesla Model S is a landmark car, but is it better than the mighty Aston Martin Rapid S? Autocar take to the test track to find out.

Steve Sutcliffe over at Autocar thinks the Tesla Model S is the future...today. It offers most of the usability of the world's best luxury saloons, but with no tailpipe emissions and a fraction of the running costs.

And it handles too. Really handles. But can it really be better than the £150,000 Aston Martin Rapide S?

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Japan tests 581 km/h Maglev train [VIDEO]

Japan resumes tests on magnetic levitation train intended to travel at speeds up to 581 kilomeres per hour.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) has began full-scale tests of the world's fastest train, the L0 series Maglev.

After completing test drives at 500 kph on the 42.8-kilometer-long Yama-nashi maglev test line stretching from Uenohara to Fuefuki in Yamanashi Prefecture to check such factors as durability, JR Tokai plans to start commercial operations between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027.

Following a departure ceremony, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Akihiro Ota and JR Tokai chairman Yoshiyuki Kasai went for a 505 kph ride on the train.

“We were able to speak normally inside the maglev train [thanks to reduced noise levels]. I’m convinced this is world-class technology,” Ota said.

Testing will take place until fiscal 2016, during which time JR Tokai plans to switch to testing a 12-car train, which will be used on the commercial run.

The link is to be stretched west to Osaka by 2045.

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Double Victory for Audi Hybrids at WEC round in Brazil [VIDEO]

Audi has remained unbeaten in the 2013 sports car season to date. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid sports car has won the fourth of eight rounds in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). In addition, it claimed victory in the 12-hour classic at Sebring in March.

The race weekend in Brazil ended in victory for Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) ahead of Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen/Allan McNish (F/DK/GB). On clinching their success in the São Paulo 6 Hours, the winners reduced the gap to their team colleagues in the drivers’ standings by eight to 22 points.

After a flawless race, the current World Champions celebrated their second WEC win of the season following their success at Spa in May. 38,000 spectators watched Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer in car number ‘1’ cross the finish line at Interlagos with a three-lap advantage over their sister car.

The situation in the standings at the season’s midpoint has thus become more thrilling again after the Le Mans winners Loïc Duval (F), Tom Kristensen (DK) and Allan McNish (GB) had arrived with a 30-point advantage.

The significant gap in the race, though, does not reflect the true performance delivered by car number ‘2.’ In the early phase, Audi factory driver Allan McNish dominated the action. But then the drivers’ trio experienced an unusual streak of misfortune. In a safety car period, Tom Kristensen, after pitting, returned to the track behind a slower GT race car.

The nine-time Le Mans winner, who drove the fastest race lap as well, lost around half a minute because the car in front was not keeping the pace of the pack ahead. Loïc Duval subsequently took over the cockpit and was in the process of starting a recovery when, on lap 142 at the exit of the pit lane, he lost the right rear wheel of his car, which had gotten jammed while being mounted.

Thus, Duval had to complete one lap on three wheels. The resulting two stop-and-go penalties completed the misfortune of the leaders of the standings who thus lost four laps in total.

In the end though, Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich had reason to be pleased with a race weekend that left nothing to be desired. Audi Sport Team Joest, on taking grid positions one and two, setting the fastest race lap and scoring a one-two result, achieved the maximum that was possible and celebrated the first victory in South America.

Only the eagerly awaited battle with Toyota did not take place. The challenger’s only race car had become involved in an accident as early as on lap 25 and, as a result, was forced to retire.

In three weeks from now, Audi Sport is aiming to continue its string of success. On September 22, the WEC will be racing on the circuit at Austin in the US state of Texas for the first time.

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Production-ready Porsche 918 Spyder will debut @ Frankfurt [VIDEO]

The Porsche 918 Spyder is celebrating its debut at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt, Germany, 10 – 22 September. The super sports car with plug-in hybrid drive is not only a technology pioneer but also marks the beginning of a new era for sports car manufacturing. Never before has a super sports car designed for everyday use offered such an impressive bandwidth of dynamic performance combined with the fuel consumption of a compact car.

In setting this technological benchmark, the Porsche 918 Spyder is taking on a pioneering role similar to that of the 911 when it was first unveiled at the IAA 50 years ago. Appropriately, in honour of this anniversary, Porsche is presenting the limited edition "50 years 911" model. Based on the 911 Carrera S, this latest version of the iconic coupe combines traditional 911 features with state-of-the-art technology. On the subject of icons, Porsche is completing its line-up of sports cars at Frankfurt with the public unveiling of the new 911 Turbo – which, in turn, is 40 years after the turbocharged 911 was first shown.

In addition, the new generation of the Panamera Gran Turismo underlines the unique breadth of the Porsche range today. As the first plug-in hybrid in the luxury car market segment, the Panamera S E-Hybrid is further proof that Porsche is leading the field with its expertise in the development of fuel-efficient powertrain concepts for sports cars.

The outstanding combination of performance and efficiency for which Porsche is renowned remains consistently attractive to customers. Matthias Müller, President and CEO of Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG recently said, "From January to July, we were able deliver around 95,300 new vehicles worldwide – that's 17% more than in the first seven months of 2012. We are therefore very confident about the next few months and we now firmly believe we will have sold more vehicles by the end of 2013 than we did in the previous year. Based on how things are going at the moment, we are set to have another record year – and that's in spite of the fact that the present economic climate is far from satisfactory."

2012 was the most successful year to date in the history of Porsche, with 143,096 vehicles sold and sales revenue of Euro 13.9 billion.

The Porsche genetic blueprint for the future: 918 Spyder with high-performance hybrid

The 918 Spyder is the continuation of the traditional Porsche DNA in a ground-breaking sports car concept. Designed from the start to be a high-performance hybrid, the 918 Spyder boasts an unprecedented combination of performance (offering the 887 hp output of a super sports car) and the virtually silent motion of an electric vehicle. The vehicle is able to accelerate from 0 – 62 mph in 2.8 seconds and offers an average standard fuel consumption of between 94 mpg and 85 mpg. The 918 Spyder also allows a combustion engine to be combined with an electric motor-based drive to further optimise the dynamic performance of the vehicle.

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Dutch Drivers Achieve 625 km Single Charge Range with a Tesla Model S [VIDEO]

A standard Tesla Model S equipped with the 85 kWh battery pack has an official EPA rated range of 265 Miles (424 km) and 310 Miles (500 km) NEDC rating.

On Wednesday August 21st four students from the Technical University Eindhoven Sponsored by Athlon Car Lease achieved 388 miles (624 km) in real world driving conditions.

They're calling it a world record "real long distance driving" for the Tesla Models S because they drove with 2 people on normal roads with normal speeds.

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Tesla Motors Launch Supercharger Network in Norway [VIDEO]

First European Superchargers from Tesla Motors on Vimeo.

Tesla Motors today unveiled its European Supercharger network, energizing stations across Norway that enable Model S owners to conveniently travel for free between cities along well-traveled highways throughout the country.

With locations in Lyngdal, Aurland, Dombås, Gol, Cinderella and Lillehammer, Norway’s most vital and commonly used roads and highways are covered by Tesla Superchargers. Model S customers can drive routes such as the E6 from Trondheim to Oslo, the E18 from Oslo to Kristiansand, the E39 from Kristiansand to Stavanger, and Highway7 from Oslo to Gol for free and with minimal stops. Approximately 90 percent of the Norwegian population lives within 320 km of a Supercharger station, and about 60 percent of the country’s total land mass is within the same distance of a station.

Tesla Superchargers represent the most advanced charging technology in the world, capable of charging Model S 20x faster than most common charging stations. Superchargers provide half a charge in about 20 minutes, delivering up to 120 kW DC (Direct Current) power directly to the Model S battery using special cables that bypass the onboard charging equipment. And because Superchargers are located where customers want to stop, near amenities like roadside diners, cafes and shopping centers, road trippers can stop for a quick meal while their Model S charges for free.

The extensive coverage provided by Tesla’s Supercharger network allowed three Model S to depart for Oslo this morning from locations in the north, west and south of Norway and travel the following major routes with ease: Trondheim-Dombås-Lillehammer-Oslo; Bergen-Aurland-Gol-Oslo; and Stavanger-Lyngdal- Cinderella-Oslo. During their 500 km journeys, each car charged at two of the new Tesla Supercharger locations, where they were met by enthusiastic customers and local officials.