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GKN Driveline powers Monster Tajima to EV win @ Pikes Peak 2013

GKN EVO eDrive Systems’ eMotor powered Team APEV to victory in the electric division of the 91st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Despite the wet weather conditions Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima completed the course in 9.46.530 minutes, setting a new electric record in the Monster sport eRunner.

GKN Driveline partnered three of the seven racing teams in the electric division of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb - a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs. Covering a distance of 12.42 miles, the course begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit.

The 2013 eRunner features GKN EVO axial flux motor technology which offers outstanding power and torque density. Michael Lamperth, Chief Technical Officer of GKN EVO eDrive Systems, supported the team during the week long preparations in Colorado.

“It has been a privilege to work with the team here and to see our motor technology be part of the success of Tajima in these extremely hard conditions. The very high power density of our motor technology is instrumental for the development of high performance electric and hybrid powertrains for racing but also for wider applications.”

Second place went to the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, driven by Hiroshi Masuoka. The GKN Driveline Multiplate Limited Slip Differential (LSD) fitted in the front and rear axle of the EV-4AWD gave better control on the bends and prevented the vehicle from slipping on the wet track.

For the second year GKN partnered last year’s winner Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG), supplying two eMotors, one to power each rear wheel. This year the TMG EV P002, driven by Rod Millen, achieved fourth place in the electric class.

John McLuskie, Product & Business Development Director, GKN Driveline, said: “We are delighted that GKN technology is heavily featured again in this year’s event. GKN Driveline’s eDrive solutions are centred on continuous improvement of vehicles’ efficiency, performance and dynamics, providing optimised solutions for all electric driveline systems.”

In 2011 GKN Driveline entered into a partnership with EVO Electric, a UK based pioneer in advanced electric drive solutions. This new venture – GKN EVO eDrive Systems – enables GKN Driveline to manufacture and sell electric motors and integrated eDrive systems, based on EVO’s axial flux motor technology, for use in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

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Oak Ridge Lab to develop dynamic wireless EV charging

South Carolina’s leading automotive research center and premier technology and aviation business park have partnered to study next-generation vehicle technology.

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) and the S.C. Technology Aviation Center (SCTAC) have contracted with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to support a three-year program to develop and test wireless charging systems for electrical vehicles.

The research is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Wireless Power Transfer Charging (WPTC) of an electric vehicle does not require the use of cables or plugs and could substantially increase convenience — and possibly the number of opportunities — to charge an electric vehicle throughout the daily drive.

For instance, when wireless charging is applied in quasi-dynamic (stop-and-go) or dynamic (vehicle-in-motion) modes, the technology could lead to extended range and downsized batteries for electric vehicles. Such innovations are likely to greatly speed development of electric-powered passenger vehicles by addressing the current technology’s two biggest challenges: range and cost.

CU-ICAR research professor Joachim Taiber, who will lead the project for Clemson, said batteries in next-generation electric-powered vehicles can be made smaller and lighter, greatly increasing the efficiency of power transfer.

“This partnership can advance wireless-charging technology and spark growth in the marketplace because consumers will worry less about range-related issues,” Taiber said.

As part of the project, CU-ICAR and SCTAC researchers will validate the Oak Ridge-developed technology, optimize system design and develop the required communication networks for the wireless charging system.

Testing of the technology will take place at SCTAC and on the Oak Ridge main campus. SCTAC will be a unique, cutting-edge technology demonstration facility and airpark, which currently is home to 85 diverse companies with an international presence in advanced manufacturing, trade, technology and avionics.

“This joint initiative marks the next step in the progression of our strategic partnership with CU-ICAR and multiple private stakeholders in the development of a world-class test track infrastructure to support the rapidly emerging clean transportation ecosystem,” said Jody Bryson, SCTAC president and chief executive officer.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory charging system will be co-developed and manufactured by Wytheville, Va.-based Evatran. Other project partners include General Motors, Toyota, Duke Energy and Cisco. The value of the subcontract for Clemson University is $1.52 million.

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Renault-Nissan CEO sees 100,000 electric vehicles sold end-June

French carmaker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan will have sold a total of 100,000 electric vehicles so far by the end of June, Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of both companies, said on Saturday.

But Ghosn, speaking at a conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, also said he did not expect any strong recovery in the troubled European auto sector in the medium term.

"I am preparing Renault to several years of market stability, at best," he said.

Squeezed household budgets and rising unemployment have discouraged consumers in France and other European countries from purchases of big-ticket items, and the car market is nearing a two-decade low after five years of contraction.

Ghosn, who has ploughed a bigger share of his companies' cash into electric car technology than any other mass-market carmaker, said the alliance's investment in hybrid and electric vehicles "is not a bet, it is a certainty."

Renault launched electric car Zoe earlier this year in France, where it has sold more than 3,000 units so far, and began marketing it in other European markets on June 6.

"The Zoe is selling well. Obviously we are always impatient to see higher volumes but we have already sold more than 6,000 units in Europe," Ghosn told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

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BMW i3 Spied Ahead Of Reveal This Month

Our spies captured the BMW i3 testing without most of its camouflage, prior to a full reveal scheduled for July 29.

The two prototypes were spotted somewhere in Southern Germany while undergoing some last-minute testing. Closely mirroring the concept's looks, the production version will certainly be an interesting appearance on public roads once it hits the market later this year.

The EV is expected to come with a rear-mounted electric motor producing 170 bhp (127 kW) and 184 lb-ft (249 Nm). It should provide a range between 88 miles (130 km) and 99 miles (160 km). The range-extending model is said to make use of a two-cylinder, 0.65-liter motorcycle engine acting as a generator. In this configuration range should be of around 186 miles (300 km).

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Volkswagen XL1 and e-up! to run @ Silvretta E-Car Rally

Volkswagen will be lining up at the start of this year’s Silvretta E-Car Rally with two innovative vehicles: one is the XL1, the most efficient production car in the world, which is equipped with a plug-in diesel hybrid engine. The other is the e-up!, the first electric vehicle from Volkswagen to be produced in high volume. Volkswagen is showing in this way that these alternative drive systems are capable of excellent performance on Alpine roads as well.

The new e-up! is taking part in the Silvretta E-Car Rally in the Austrian Montafon region for the first time. With its Alpine route profile, the rally is both a test of reliability and highly demanding, as the challenge is to recover large amounts of the power used on the long uphill climbs through battery regeneration on the subsequent downhill sections.

With a totally electric drive system the e-up! provides an entry point to a new pioneering Volkswagen vehicle concept and with four seats guarantees scope for full utilisation. It is a car for everyday use, with impressively high torque of 210 Nm. Practically silent and with no loss of traction during gearshifts, the e-up! is powered by an electric motor that delivers a maximum output of 60 kW / 82 PS. It thus accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds and achieves a top speed of 130 km/h. With its 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery it has a reach according to NEDC of up to 160 kilometres. This means impressively low energy costs of less than €3 per 100 kilometres.

The e-up! can be charged with 2.3 kW plugged into any standard 230V socket, with 3.6 kW via a home-installed wall box or with up to 40 kW plugged into a DC fast-charging station via the optional CSS (combined charging system). In the latter case, the battery is 80 per cent charged in under 30 minutes. The power connection point for charging the battery is concealed as usual under the fuel cap. In the ideal scenario the e-up! will be charged using electricity from regenerative sources and will then be running 100% CO2 neutral.

The e-up! differentiates itself from the basic up! model through a high-quality, aerodynamically optimised design. One striking identifying feature externally is the curved arrangement of the LED daytime running lights in the bumper. The front section, sills and underbody have also been aerodynamically enhanced. Burnished 15-inch alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres, Volkswagen emblems on a blue background and e-up! lettering on the hatch and the front doors make the fully electric four-seater instantly unmistakable.

Only a premium level of trim is being offered for the e-up! In addition to the high up! specification it includes ‘maps+more’ navigation, Climatronic climate control and multi-function display, heated windscreen, heated seats and tinted rear windows. The mobile online ‘Car Net’ services, which can be controlled via smartphone, appear in the e-up! for the first time in the New Small Family and also form part of the car’s standard specification.

The interior is characterised by light grey seat covers with blue fell seams, a design specific to the e-up! The purposeful use of leather and chrome trim conveys a purist overall impression – in keeping with a fully-fledged, urbane electric car’s vehicle concept.

The entry-level price of the e-up! in Germany as an already well-equipped base model inclusive of battery is €26,900. This autumn at the IAA (International Motor Show) in Frankfurt, Volkswagen will announce further details on how the vehicle is to be marketed, including, for example, leasing and flexible car hire packages.

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Nissan developing an improved version of the Renault Twizy

Nissan is working on an innovative urban electric vehicle that it says improves on the Twizy produced by alliance partner Renault.

Etienne Henry, Nissan's head of product strategy and planning said the new car will combine the compactness and agility of a motorcycle with the weather protection and protective shell of a conventional car.

"The Twizy is also trying to combine these, but we think there are optimizations possible with this kind of vehicle," said Henry, who declined to say when the car might be added to Nissan's lineup.

Renault sees the Twizy as an alternative to scooters in Europe's crowded cities. The Twizy, which debuted last year, is powered by a choice of two electric motors, a 4kW/5-hp version with its top speed capped at 45kph that can be driven in most countries in Europe without a driver's license and a version with a top speed of 80kph. It has maximum driving range of 100 km.

In 2008, Nissan showed the narrow, two-seat Land Glider concept that leaned into corners like a motorcycle but still came with the security of four wheels and an enclosed cabin. In a statement at the time, Nissan said it "should not be regarded as a mere design study."

"That was a very interesting concept with very challenging and meaningful technology," said Henry, who declined to say whether any of the Land Glider's features would make it into its future EV.

Henry, who previously was product manager for the first-generation Qashqai compact crossover, said the new EV would successfully mix the motorcycle and car genres in the same way the Qashqai blended the strengths of a compact hatchback with the styling of an SUV.

One aim of the new EV is to help address congestion in fast-growing cities. "It's clear we need to offer an efficiency in terms of compactness, of space usage. Probably this will have an answer to this question," he said.

At this year's Geneva auto show, Toyota showed an electric urban mobility concept with the same capability to lean into corners as the Nissan Land Glider. The three-wheel i-Road is scheduled for limited production and will join the lineup of EVs in Toyota's car-sharing program in the French city of Grenoble next year.

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Tesla has received hundreds of Model S orders from Hong Kong

Tesla Motors said it’s received hundreds of orders for its new Model S sedan, enough to double the number of electric cars on the roads of Hong Kong.

“Our number is over all electric cars in Hong Kong combined,” Kenneth Lui, Hong Kong sales manager for the Palo Alto, California-based company, said in an interview yesterday. Prices of the vehicle, which goes on sale in the city this winter, will be disclosed in the next couple of months, he said.

Tesla, headed by billionaire Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, has forecast Model S sales will reach 21,000 units this year, with deliveries to Europe and Asia beginning in the second half. The Model S, which starts at $69,900 in the U.S., is Tesla’s second vehicle after the $109,000 Roadster.

Hong Kong had 303 registered private electric cars at the end of April, according to the city’s Transport Department.