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| Saab Aero X What a shame that Saab has gone into liquidation, as it means this stunning concept car will never become a reality. Unusual to see car manufacturers look for alternative fuel sources to power their vehicles. However, this particular concept by Saab would have had an ethanol powered 2.8L twin-turbocharged V6 with 0 to 60mph in 4 seconds. Even cooler, the car has no doors, rather, the entire top canopy section of the car opens up, making it one of the most unique designs out there. Shame, Shame, Shame! |
Saturday 31 December 2011
Saab Aero X
Venturi Fetish - Electric
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| The Venturi Fetish |
Reported as the first 2 seater all electric car to go on sale in 2006, The Venturi Fetish is claimed to have a top speed of 100mph and a 0-60 time of under 4 seconds.
BMW efficientdynamics Concept car
This concept uses a a three-cylinder turbodiesel and two electric motors and the total output is 262 kW/356 hp, maximum torque 800 Newton-metres/590 lb-ft. All-wheel drive featuring an electric motor on both the front and rear axle. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h is made in just 4.8 seconds while the top speed achieved is limited at 250 km/h (155 mph). Fuel consumption is impressive: 3.76 litres/100 km (equal to 75.1 mpg imp), CO2 emissions 99 grams/kilometre.
As a plug-in hybrid, BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is able to cover the entire fuel consumption drive cycle under electric power alone. Taking the sources of energy used for generating the electric power consumed into account (EU electricity mix), this reduces the CO2 emission rating to just 50 grams per kilometre. Electric power is generated without the slightest increase in fuel consumption through a particularly efficient concept of Brake Energy Regeneration. Energy is stored in 98 lithium polymer cells. The car is able to cover a distance of approximately 50 km/31 miles in the electric mode alone. The impressive performances are also available due to the drag coefficient optimised to just 0.22.
Toyota Prius - Hybrid Petrol/Electric
The Toyota Prius is the established Hybrid running on it's electric motor at low speeds then phasing in a petrol motor for out of town running.
The Urbee
There is much about Urbee that is highly innovative. However, the innovation does not lie in expensive 'start-of-the-art' technology, the use of expensive materials, or complicated manufacturing processes. Urbee's innovation is that it uses widely available materials and components in original ways.
The designers of Urbee have attempted to maximize the distance that can be traveled per unit of energy consumed by minimizing seven important properties of the car: weight, coefficient of aerodynamic drag (Cd), rolling resistance (Crr), frontal area, maximum speed, maximum acceleration.
COEFFICIENT OF DRAG
The Coefficient of Drag (called "Cd") for a vehicle is one of three things that affect how much energy is required to overcome aerodynamic resistance. It is a number that describes the 'slipperyness' of a shape as it passes through the air. Urbee is being designed to have a Cd about half that of a traditional sports car.
COEFFICIENT OF ROLLING RESISTANCE
We have attempted to make the coefficient of rolling resistance of Urbee as low possible by using large diameter motorcycle tires inflated to high pressure. As well, the cross sectional profile selected for the tire has a very small contact surface with the road.
FRONTAL AREA
The frontal area of a vehicle is approximately equal to its width multiplied by its height. We decided to make the roof of Urbee as low to the ground as the lowest production car ever made, the Ford GT-40, which was 40 inches above the ground. We also tried to minimize the width by placing the two occupants as close as comfortably possible to each other.
MAXIMUM SPEED AND ACCELERATION
By reducing the maximum speed and acceleration of Urbee compared to what many other cars are capable of, we can dramatically reduce the maximum horsepower required to power our car. The smaller motor/engine size in turn decreases the weight of the vehicle and increases the range.
Friday 30 December 2011
Ford Fusion Hybrid
Name: Ford Fusion Hybrid
Manufacturer: Ford
Sold in: North America
Engine: 2,500 cc
Fuel efficiency: Average: 41/36 mpg (City/Hway)
Fuel: Regular Unleaded/Electricity
Honda Insight Hybrid Petrol/Electric
Name: Honda Insight (last produced 2006)
Manufacturer: Honda
Engine: 995 cc
Fuel efficiency: Average: 61-68 mpg. (manual)
Average range: about 700 miles (manual).
Fuel: Regular Unleaded/Electricity
Tesla Roadster
Based on the Lotus Elise the battery powered Tesla Roadster has a two-speed gearbox and 0-60mph in around 4 seconds and a top speed of around 130mph, the Tesla is the brainchild of Paypal founder Elon Musk
Honda FC - Hydrogen Electric Sports Car
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| Honda's vision for Hydrogen power - the FC Sport |
Actually it's more likely some paunchy balding middle-age bloke with a fat wallet and a superiority complex, will tumble out, hopefully into the path of an oncoming bus! (Is the bitterness showing through?)
At the 2008 Los Angeles Motor Show, Honda unveiled their take on an alternative energy supercar. The sports-minded FC Sport is powered by Honda's V-Flow hydrogen fuel cell stack, already being utilised in the FCX Clarity, coupled with a high-performance electric power-train this striking light-weight Hydrogen muscle-mobile has been packaged to give a very low centre of gravity.
Configured with 3 seats, the driver sits front and centre (a-la Mclaren F1), with the two passengers enjoying an entertaining and clear view to the sides and behind the driver.
With Honda’s racing pedigree, this could prove to give traditional petrol/diesel consuming sport cars a run . Currently a prototype, don’t expect a release for some time.
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| Yeah....black would probably make your bum look a little less errr......less |
Nissan Leaf - Electric only
Nissan Leaf Electric Car
The Leaf is 100% electric zero emissions car. The perennial problem with electric cars has always been their range, combined with a long wait for re-charging. Nissan is putting rapid charging stations at all their dealers to help overcome this problem. The rapid chargers will take just 30 minutes to bring the batteries back to 80% of their maximum charge. The home charger (16 amps) will take 8 hours, and the street charger (10amps) 12 hours. However the Leaf costs £30,000 in the UK, with a £5,000 government incentive bringing the price you pay to £25,000. Nissan claim a range of 109 miles and a top speed of 90mph.
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