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Tesla confirm AWD Model S & cheaper batteries [VIDEO]

Speaking to owners during a European tour, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has announced several product developments and company goals.

Musk confirmed plans to release an all-wheel-drive edition of its Model S sedan. The option may be available by the time the Model X arrives on the market, around early 2015.

The company is also working on higher-capacity battery options and new seats that will likely be ready by next year. For current owners, a seat modification will be available to improve comfort.

In the meantime, existing owners will be able to experience the Version 6.0 software update within a few weeks. The revision adds real-time traffic data, along with more control over suspension settings and ride-height adjustment, among other improvements.

Musk expects its "giga factory" to reduce battery costs by at least 30 percent, hopefully as much as 40 percent, with 30 gigawatt-hours of production capacity. Cheaper batteries are likely necessary for the company to meet its goal for a $30,000 mass-market car with a 200-mile range.

Following the completion of its transcontinental charging network in the US, Tesla is currently bringing new Superchargers on line at a rate of five per week. The chargers will eventually charge at a maximum 135 kW current.

While Musk was chatting with owners at the casual town-hall meetings, Consumer Reports was completing its latest brand-perception survey that showed the startup surging into the top five ahead of Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other established players.

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Tesla Model S Cross Country Rally — Los Angeles to New York [VIDEO]

On January 30, 2014, Tesla Motors embarked on a promotional tour.

The plan was to drive two Model S sedans across the United States, powering them for free on the newly completed cross-continental Supercharger network.

In addition, the team would set the world record for charge time of an electric vehicle driving the across the US.

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Fully Charged – The Electric Highway – London to Edinburgh [VIDEO]

This episode follows Robert Llewellyn's one day electric car journey from London to Edinburgh in a Nissan Leaf. Using the Ecotricity fast charge network they covered the 407 miles with 8 rapid charge stops in just 13 hours.

In 2011 the BBC's Brian Milligan took 4 days to drive an electric car from London to Edinburgh. In what could only be seen as an anti-EV publicity stunt, Milligan set out to make the 484-mile journey using only publicly available charging infrastructure, making eight stops and spending about 46 hours of his total trip sleeping and waiting for the Mini E to refill its battery.

On day 3 of the BBC trip, David Peilow talked Tesla Motors into loaning him a Roadster to complete the same distance in 1 day. The Roadster stopped twice enroute and handsomely beat the BBC crew but could have potentially completed the trip in one day AND on a single charge.

As the Leaf comes with a Level 3 CHAdeMO charging socket fitted as standard, a Nissan Leaf, using the Ecotricity Fast Charge network, can cover the BBC trip in 1 day so on the third anniversary of the BBC's trip Robert Llewellyn and David Peilow set out to prove it.

In fact we posted a video of a British couple doing 500 miles (800 km) in a day in a Nissan Leaf using the Ecotricity Electric Highway backed by renewable energy.

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Audi approve Q8 e-tron SUV with 600 km range for production

An all-electric version of Audi's upcoming Q8 sports SUV has been approved for production, according to Autocar citing senior company sources.

The battery-powered version of the Q8 SUV due in 2017 will use battery and electric powertrain technology from the upcoming R8 e-tron supercar, with Audi engineers targeting a practical range of 370 miles (592 km).

The R8 e-tron project was recently reprised, with the updated car getting 400km (248.5 miles) range.

The new Q8 model is aimed directly at the upcoming Tesla Model X SUV, which is due to be launched later this year. Like the Tesla, the Q8 e-tron will will be AWD with electric motors driving the front and rear wheels.

The Q8 e-tron is expected to have a large battery pack, at least equal to the 80kWh pack that will be available in the Tesla. Battery technology is expected to make significant advances by the time the Q8 arrives, which will improve its potential range.

Source: Autocar

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World’s largest lithium-ion battery maker invests in graphene manufacturer

XG Sciences announced today it has closed on a strategic investment led by Samsung Ventures Investment Corporation.

Philip Rose, XG Sciences CEO, said the investment will be used to fund additional research and development of the company’s advanced materials. The terms of the investment were not disclosed.

“The investment from Samsung is a real honor for XG Sciences,” Rose said “and it represents another significant milestone in our progress toward commercialization of large-scale graphene applications. A number of applications for our advanced graphene and battery materials have been demonstrated in the electronics industry, and a partner like Samsung will help us move these applications to market faster than we could on our own.

We look forward to formalizing our development work with Samsung SDI in a joint development program aimed at next-generation batteries for consumer electronics and other devices. Samsung’s shareholding will reinforce our leading position and help serve all our customers better.”

“Our investment in XG Sciences is consistent with our strategy to work closely with established market leaders.” says Michael Pachos, Senior Investment Manager at Samsung Ventures. “XGS is a technology leader and has built a significant business in the graphene and energy storage spaces. The company has demonstrated both a technical and business vision in driving adoption of graphene across a wide variety of industries and we look forward to contributing to the progress of XG Sciences.”

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Japan’s Terra Motors unveils electric superbike

Japanese electric two wheeler maker Terra Motors Corporation has unveiled an electric superbike, the Kiwami electric bike in India.

The company, which plans to start selling the bike in next couple of months, also plans to bring in a premium electric scooter, a range of affordable electric bikes and electric three wheelers into the Indian market.

“Besides, Kiwami, we plan to bring in a premium electric scooter and an electric three-wheeler this year. We will also consider launching affordable range electric bikes in the future,” Terra Motors Chief Executive Officer Toru Tokushige told reporters in New Delhi.

The Tokyo-headquartered firm, which will be importing the superbike initially into the country, is looking to garner 25 per cent market share in the Indian electric bike segment.

“We are targeting 25 per cent market share this year in the electric bike segment. We also plan to invest Rs 30 crore during the year,” Mr. Tokushige said.

The Indian electric bike market is estimated to be around 60,000 units per annum.

The Kiwami can cover a distance of 200 km with a single charge and achieve a top speed of 140 km/hr.

Terra Motors, which sold 20,000 electric vehicles in Japan last year, is also in the process of finalising dealer partners in India.

“With immense knowledge of electric vehicles, we will associate ourselves with the dealers who are well experienced in service quality,” Mr. Tokushige said.

Terming India as an important market, Mr. Tokushige said the company wants to be a front runner in the electric two-wheeler segment in the country.

“India is the second largest producer of two-wheelers in the world. Hence it is an important market in our strategic growth plan,” Mr. Tokushige said.

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Nissan Installs Europe’s 1,000th 30-Minute Electric Car Charger

Nissan has announced 1,000 CHAdeMO quick chargers have now been installed in Europe with the commissioning of the charger at the Roadchef Clacket Lane Services in Surrey, UK. The fast charging unit can recharge the batteries of compatible* electric vehicles- including the 100% electric Nissan LEAF- from zero to 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes, and at zero cost.

The installation of the fastest type of chargers dramatically increases the uptake and usage of electric vehicles. In Norway, Europe's biggest EV market, the number of electric vehicles using the E18 highway increased eight fold in an 18 month period after a CHAdeMO quick charger was installed on the route**.

The new charger has been installed in collaboration with Ecotricity, a UK green energy specialist and pioneer in electric vehicle charging. The location south of London on the M25 motorway, one of the busiest in Europe, allows drivers west of London easy access to Kent and onwards into Europe.

Director of Electric Vehicles, Nissan Europe, Jean Pierre Diernaz commented: "This is a huge landmark for zero-emission mobility, allowing a range of EVs, including the Nissan LEAF and forthcoming Nissan e-NV200 electric van, to quickly extend their journeys. The UK charging network is expanding rapidly and through our partner Ecotricity, customers are able to "refuel" their car for free with wind and solar generated electricity."

This latest charger is part of a network of 195 chargers in the UK, which is forming electric corridors across the country, linking major towns and cities. In the UK, Nissan has been working with partners including IKEA, Moto, Roadchef, Welcome Break and Nissan dealers to create this rapidly growing network with 124 quick chargers installed in 2013. The rate of installation of CHAdeMO quick chargers across Europe rose sharply in 2013, hugely increasing access for Nissan LEAF customers. In 2010 there were just 16 quick charging points. This rose to 155 a year later and 540 in 2012. The 1,000 mark in 2013 will be dwarfed by the end of 2014 with over 1,800 quick charger points expected. Together with Nissan, investment in this Euope-wide development of infrastructure comes from a multitude of partners in the energy field, including the Swiss multinational power company ABB, French quick charger manufacturers DBT, and the Portuguese EFACEC Corporation, leaders in the electromechanics field.

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Toyota Racing release details about AWD hybrid powertrain

TOYOTA Racing can reveal the first details of its participation in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), in which it will push the limits of hybrid powertrain technology in motorsport.

TOYOTA Racing entered two cars for the WEC season, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest is scheduled to confirm the full grid on 13 February.

For the third consecutive year, Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre, Kazuki Nakajima, Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin will drive for TOYOTA Racing. They are joined by test and reserve driver Mike Conway.

The TS040 HYBRID prototype has been designed according to new regulations intended to keep the WEC and Le Mans at the forefront of road-relevant technology development.

Its first public appearance will come at the WEC official test session on 28-29 March when it will take to the track alongside prototypes from Audi and Porsche for the first time.

After the TS030 HYBRID established TOYOTA Racing as a pioneer in the field of hybrid powertrains for motorsport, its successor, the TS040 HYBRID, takes the technology to the next level.

The addition of an Aisin AW motor/generator on the front axle, in combination with the DENSO unit at the rear, means the TOYOTA HYBRID System – Racing now provides power to all four wheels.

Under deceleration, the motor/generators apply braking force in combination with traditional mechanical brakes to generate energy, which is transferred via a DENSO inverter to the Nisshinbo super-capacitor. During acceleration, the motor/generator reverses its function, acting as a motor to deliver a significant power boost.

That four-wheel-drive hybrid power is allied to a petrol-powered V8 engine, both having been developed by Motor Sports Unit Development Division at the Higashifuji technical centre, where next generation TOYOTA road car technology is also under development.

Such a link between motorsport technology and future road cars is fundamental to TOYOTA Racing, with the TS040 HYBRID, like its predecessor, acting as a real-life test bench for TOYOTA’s latest hybrid concepts. TOYOTA has already sold 6million hybrid road cars since the launch of the Prius in 1997.

The TS040 HYBRID chassis is designed, developed, manufactured, built and operated by TOYOTA Motorsport GmbH (TMG) in Cologne. It represents a major evolution on the TS030 HYBRID thanks to advanced aerodynamics and lightweight design.

New regulations with revised dimensions have made the 2014-generation LMP1 cars narrower by 10cm while measures such as wheel tethers and a rear crash box have further increased safety.

Intensive simulation and calculation work at TMG has refined the TS040 HYBRID, utilising hardware-in-the-loop technology to test individual components based on real track data and powerful calculation computers to optimise designs.

Such cutting-edge techniques are significantly more efficient than track testing, allowing TMG engineers to continue optimising all aspects of the TS040 HYBRID chassis and lay-out for longer than rivals relying on traditional methods.

Development of the TS040 HYBRID has been completed alongside a range of external motorsport and automotive projects running concurrently at TMG, for third-party clients and Toyota Motor Corporation.

The car completed a successful roll-out at Paul Ricard earlier this month (21-23 January), with Alex Wurz and Anthony Davidson driving. Further testing is planned prior to the season-opening Six Hours of Silverstone (20 April).

More details about the TS040 HYBRID, including technical specifications, will be released immediately prior to the 28-29 official WEC test.