Tesla Fights for a Place to Park
New Jersey is the latest state to bar Tesla’s stores for its electric vehicles under laws that favor independent dealerships.
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car review [VIDEO]
Cars.com review the recently launched VW e-Golf.
The Volkswagen e-Golf, the electric version of the extremely popular VW Golf, has now hit the UK market. After the government’s £5000 Plug-In Car Grant (PICG), the price comes to £25,845. That’s still a bit higher than the Nissan Leaf, which sells for £20,990, but may not be too far off for those who prefer VW and the e-Golf.
Lithium Producer Chases Tesla’s Bold Battery Plan
The California company Simbol Materials is building a plant that will use a novel extraction process, in the hopes that it can provide the lithium needed for the batteries in Tesla’s cars. Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (Mar 16)
This week we focus on the future, when the world is flooded, when fossil fuels are defunct and when robots do the heavy-lifting.
BMW i3 Review by Grant Thomas [VIDEO]
Grant Thomas provides a 30 minute review of the BEV version of a right hand drive, UK delivered, BMW i3.
At approx 17:28 there is a demonstration of the i3's autonomous Active Cruise Control feature which doubles as a stop & go traffic jam assist and collision avoidance brake system.
Drayson Racing winter testing at Silverstone [VIDEO]
Drayson Racing Technologies took their Drayson B12/69 EV to Silverstone in February for winter testing.
Comparative motor cooling testing and new traction control options were successfully tested in 'damp' conditions.
Wheelies: The Governator’s Tank Edition
Arnold Schwarzenegger uses his M47 Patton battle tank to raise money for charity; companies express interest in buying Cars.com. Mini Clubman AWD Plug-In Hybrid due late 2015
MotoringFile reports that high-level sources have confirmed the Mini Clubman Plug-In Hybrid will be all-wheel drive in at least one configuration.
The 2016 Mini Clubman Hybrid will have a 1.5L three cylinder lifted from the F56 Cooper powering the front wheels. Integrated into that will be a plug-in hybrid system (likely derived from the BMW i8) powering the rear wheels only. Think of it as the powertrain layout from the i8 reversed.
The system that BMW has shown in concept form (and has been testing for years in R55 Clubman mules) has an output of approx 140 kW / 190 hp. With a fully charged battery, the electric only range should be over 30 kilometers giving the Clubman Plug-In Hybrid the ability to be in 100% electric mode for the majority of day-to-day trips.
The Mini Clubman Hybrid will likely debut around the same time as the Clubman itself, in the second half of 2015.
Formula One: 2014 Rules Explained [VIDEO]
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A new clip from Red Bull sees Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel explain the 2014 Formula One regulations, arguably the most complex the sport has ever seen.
The CGI based Red-Bull promotional video gives a cut-away look at the new hybrid systems used this year in F1 that we covered in more detail last year.
The first race of the 2014 Formula One season is on this weekend in Melbourne Australia.
VW testing battery that could boost energy density 4x
Volkswagen is bench testing a new battery chemistry that it says could store up to 80 kWh of energy in a similar volume to that of the current eGolf’s 26.5 kWh battery pack, according to VW board member Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser.
Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, Neusser said that the company has tested lithium-ion batteries with its existing cell supplier, Sanyo, with capacities up to 37 kWh, but “an 80 kWh unit is under development using our own technology. It would provide between three and four times the battery power in a given package.”
Neusser refuses to name the battery chemistry, but doesn’t deny it is based on lithium-air technology. IBM, BMW and Toyota are known to also be developing Li-Air battery technology.
As to how far a plug-in hybrid or pure battery car could travel in electric mode with such a battery, Neusser says that depends on what the customer wants. He suggests that as a second car, most customers will settle for about 200km (124 miles) of electric range, but as the family’s main transport a battery would have to provide a much greater range.
With VW owning 100% of Audi, we're now openly wondering if this is the battery technology Audi plan to use for their 600 km range Q8 SUV Tesla Model X killer?
Source: The Telegraph
