Former F1 driver Jarno Trulli test drives the new Formula E car in France.
The Italian drove the fully-electric single-seater featuring the full 200kw (270bhp) race-mode battery in mid-March 2014.
Formula E full-power track test [VIDEO]
Tesla Model S sets yet another sales record in Norway
During the last week in March, 597 Tesla Model S were registered in Norway, giving it a market share of 12.9 percent. Number two on the list was the Volkswagen Golf with 169 vehicles.
For the entire month of March there were 1493 Model S registered which is an all time high for any car model in Norway in a single month, beating a previous record 1454 Ford Sierra in May 1986.
So far this year 2056 Tesla Model S were registered, surpassing the 1983 sold all of last year.
To put this figure into perspective, the Model S has out sold Ford's entire model range (1825) so far this year.
Tesla has a market share of 5.6 percent in 2014 and 10.8 percent in March. The U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer is the nation's sixth most registered mark in 2014!
Floating Electric Car Built for Disaster
A floating, no-emissions car sounds cool, but how would it actually fare in a large-scale disaster?
Quiet Formula One Cars Spark a Noisy Debate
New hybrid engine technology reduces the familiar roar at Grand Prix races, but among both insiders and fans, not everyone thinks the silence is golden. A New-Era Renault in the Remaking
The French engine manufacturer has had a troubled transition to hybrids, but few in Formula One are underestimating the company’s ability to rebound. Car Dealers Tilting at Tesla
There’s no reason to believe that independent dealerships would be better able to sell or service Tesla cars than the maker itself.
Car Companies Take Expertise in Battery Power Beyond the Garage
Honda and other automakers are using car batteries to store solar electricity to use not just in cars, but in homes, too. Two-Wheeled, Car-Motorcycle Won’t Tip Over
It can split lanes and filter through traffic, skipping right past jams.
Porsche Considering Electric Sports Car good for 400 km range
Porsche CEO Matthias Müller has confirmed the company is considering an electric vehicle.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Müller said "Yes, of course we think about it." The executive went on to say he isn't a fan of range-extended electric vehicles but he's open to pure electric models.
He believes the range needs to be at least 300 km (187 miles) to be practical with 400 km (250 miles) being the preferred option.
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
Brammo Empulse Cutaway – Tech Overview [VIDEO]
Brammo's Brian Wismann dissect the high-tech inner workings of the award winning Brammo Empulse electric motorcycle!
From Battery cells to electronic controllers to a powerful electric motor. Check out this unique technical overview using a "cut-away" of the 2013 Empulse as seen at CES!
Fully Charged – Drayson B12 electric car 200 MPH World Record run [VIDEO]
Better late than never - recorded summer of 2013, the Drayson B12 sets out to break the electric car land speed record.
Toyota begin testing Yaris hybrid WRC car
Toyota are testing their Yaris WRC car this week. The Toyota Yaris WRC prototype, powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine (as dictated by world rallying’s rules), built at Toyota Motorsport in Cologne, Germany will begin testing in Tuscany.
It is thought that the test car is based on a Yaris chassis but the final WRC car will be based around a new model which has yet to be launched.
Toyota wants to use hybrid technology in the World Rally Championship if it returns to the series and although the Japanese car giant has expressed an interest in returning to the WRC – in which it won four drivers’ titles and three constructors’ crowns with the Celica GT-Four and the Corolla WRC during the 1990s – it has so far stopped short of committing to a competitive return.
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.
