Renault Zoe - Compact Electric Car

French Revolution?

Given the current UK government induced panic buying of fossil fuels (Petrol/Diesel), Renault's move towards Zero Emissions vehicles is starting to look like a smart move, particularly with the attractive little Zoe.

Renault could be set to make electric car ownership a viable proposition for the average new car buyer, with an initial UK purchase price of £13,650 inc V.A.T after the government incentive and it's electric rivals costing at least £10,000 more the Zoe looks like a steal! But, as with previous Renault's, there is a Butt (excuse the pun!), this time in the shape of a £70 per month battery leasing cost.

On the face of it, this seems to make the Zoe an unattractive investment, given that you never own the battery pack and presumably when it comes time to re-sell little Zoe, the battery lease will be transferred to the new owner, how this will affect re-sale values is anyone's guess.

However electric car's cost much less to re-charge than conventional cars cost to fuel, so if the battery lease is seen as being instead of monthly re-fuelling, suddenly the Zoe starts to make a little more sense.

So, due in Autumn, the Zoe has an 88HP electric motor, with a claimed range of 125 miles and needing 6 - 9 hours to fully re-charge, though it can be fully re-charged using a rapid charger in 30 minutes.

We here at the Efficient Car Guide will be watching  Zoe's birth and growing pains with much interest!

  

Mitsubishi i-miev - Electric Production Car

Mitsubishi's 'i' city runabout transforms into the i MiEV for the electric version, and is an acronym for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle. It retains the 5 door hatchback layout of the petrol engined version. Re-badged by Peugeot as the iOn and by Citroen as the C-Zero.


Powered by a 66HP - 133lb/ft permanent magnet electric motor, spinning at up to 8,000 RPM, the i-MiEV has a single speed transmission which takes it to a maximum speed of around 80MPH. Mitsubishi say the i-MiEV has a range of 93 miles, but as with all electric vehicles this can be affected by driving conditions, having lights on, radio, air-con or poor weather conditions.


The traction battery pack, located below the i-MiEV’s floor, consists of 88 lithium-ion 3.7V/50Ah cells connected in series to deliver 330V/16kWh, and powers the electric motor (via the inverter), air conditioning and cabin heater. Other devices are powered by a conventional 12V auxiliary battery, charged by the traction battery via a DC-DC converter integrated with the on-board charger. Safety features include a cell monitoring device, electrical leakage detector and a very strong protective casing. Regenerative braking is included to help top up the battery when going downhill or braking. A full re-charge should take 7 hours from a household supply.


The i-MiEV has it's heavy battery pack placed low down in the car to aid handling with a low centre of gravity. 


In Japan Mitsubishi have taken the unusual step of configuring the i-MiEV to power hosehold electrical goods in an emergency.

Wrightspeed X1 - Prototype Electric Car

Ian Wright and his Wrightspeed organisation converted  an Aerial Atom to electric power to show off their EV technologies, Wrightspeed's usual day-to-day business is producing an advanced Hybrid drive train which retro-fit's to Trucks. Electric Motors and a clever software controlled 2 speed gearbox system allied to micro-turbine generators make for an extremely lightweight and fuel-efficient range extended electric vehicle.

The X1 may not have the company's range-extending capabilities but it does have raw speed on it's side, depending on gearing and configuration the X1 is capable of 0-60 MPH in around 3 seconds and with massive amounts of torque available from virtually a standstill, can out accelerate most conventionally powered vehicles.

Fuel consumption comes in at about 170 MPG-e and depending on gearing it has a top speed around the 100 MPH mark.  

Infiniti - Emerg - E - Hybrid Concept sports Coupe

Infiniti is a Nissan spin-off,  much like Lexus is Toyota's luxury and sporting brand. Created as an entirely new brand and launched initially in the U.S in 1989, Infiniti hasn't quite captured european imaginations conceptually un-like Lexus, but with new creations such as Emerg - E and Infiniti's sponsorship of Formula 1 World Champions Red Bull, maybe that's all about to change!

The Emerg-E has been designed using funding from a UK government sponsored initiative to produce clean technology cars, and is the first Infiniti to be designed in Europe.

That the car is striking there can be no doubt, with its mid-engined rear wheel drive layout, it features a Lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors to provide enough thrust to make 0-60MPH possible in just 4 seconds! thanks to over 700lb-ft of Torque being available as soon as you depress the (not-so) loud pedal.

No word on whether the Emerg -E will make it to production (let's hope they change the name if it does!) but we will almost certainly see some of the technology lifted from this sexy beast!

Ford Focus 1.0 Litre eco-boost - Fuel Efficient Petrol Car

Ford's mid-size Focus Hatchback has been around in Europe since it replaced the Escort in 1998, and arrived in North America during 1999, next month Ford are due to release a radical new power-plant for the Focus.

The 1 Litre eco-boost is a 3 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged engine with variable valve timing and is available in  99 (109g/km) & 123 BHP (114g/km) formats, delivering 58 & 55 MPG respectively, and to top off  a very acceptable 125lb/ft of torque available as low as 1400 RPM mean the Focus has lots of grunt low down.

The technical team at Ford have had their futuristic hovering thinking caps on with this little gem of an engine, only a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to put a 1 litre engine in a mid-size saloon, features such as a cam belt which runs in the engine oil and lasts the life of the engine, weight saving has been a key to the efficiency gains of this new engine, which is a full 40KG lighter than the 1.6 diesel, and because that weight would have been over the steering wheels, this makes a big difference in the way the car handles - a win/win.

Company car drivers are also winning as the benefit-in-kind tax will be reduced. The 1.0 Litre eco-boost will  be available first in the Hatchback and estate Focus models, later to be rolled out across the full range.

Jaguar C-X75 - Hybrid SuperCar

Jaguar's C-X75 is set to make it into production, albeit in a less adventurous configuration than the original concept. The radical micro-turbines which were to act as electricity generators, and looked so cool through the rear glass area are to be shelved for now, while development continues, and instead will feature a highly boosted internal combustion engine designed for Formula 1.

An exciting collaboration with the Williams Formula 1 team will draw on the knowledge gained over 35 years of race-car engineering to hone the sleek new Jaguar's aerodynamics and assist in areas such as carbon composite manufacture and hybrid technologies.

This direct technology transfer between elite motorsport and road-going production cars is key to Project C-X75's success. The supercar's chassis will be made of carbon-fibre to create an incredibly lightweight, yet rigidly strong structure.

The C-X75 will incorporate a battery Kinetic Energy Regeneration System (KERS), developed in Formula One and adapted for production vehicles (a similar system is being planned for the Jaguar C-X16 we featured recently).  This will make C-X75 a hybrid supercar capable of 50 KM electric only running

The advanced Formula 1 inspired construction techniques, mean Jaguar's latest supercar will be lightweight, yet incredibly strong and rigid.

No word as yet on whether the interesting driving position adjustment system will be kept for production, this idea meant that the seats were firmly fixed in place and the entire dash was moved to the drivers liking.

Jaguar are aiming for a top speed in excess of 200 MPH and 0-60MPH in under 4 seconds steering this beautiful beast towards Hyper-car territory.

Hyundai i-oniq - Series Hybrid Concept Car

i-oniq flaps a Gull-wing at startled passer-by

Launched this week at the Geneva motor show is the Hyundai i-oniq, a series hybrid or in Fisker language an Electric Vehicle Extended Range (EVER).

Designed at Hyundai's european design centre in Germany, Hyundai describe it as a 'Sports Hatchback' using the company's design philosophy of 'Fluidic Sculpture', whatever that means! Gull-wing doors aside the i-oniq has neat, if restrained, aesthetics with aerodynamics playing their part in the design. The interior looks like it has been stolen from a crash-landed intergalactic space-ship and will turn plenty of heads.

Power is by a 100 HP electric motor driving the wheels, whilst a 1.0 Litre 3 cylinder 60 HP petrol engine is used as generator only to top-up the Lithium-ion battery pack. Pure electric range is in the region of 75 miles, extended to about 400 miles with the generator topping up the battery.

Ironically the i-oniq will probably not make production, but will be used as a showcase and proving ground for Hyundai's technology.

Set phasers to stun

    

Lincoln MKZ - Hybrid sedan/saloon car

Using the hybrid powertrain from the Fusion was a no brainer for Ford, when it came to manufacturing a Lincoln Hybrid. this means a 156 horsepower, 2.5-liter lean-burning, Atkinson cycle (delayed inlet-valve closing) gasoline/petrol engine coupled with a 106 horsepower AC electric motor. A planetary gear set transmits the blended output to an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) that drives the front 

wheels.

A well sorted mid-size luxury sedan/saloon, the most notable difference between the Lincoln and the Ford Fusion is its configurable dash, which gives 4 differing levels of information concerning power split between Electric and gas/petrol engine and grows a virtual plant on the right-hand side of the dash if you drive more economically - lovely though that is, not sure what the actual relevance is!

The MKZ can travel up to 47 miles on electric only and 41 MPG in city driving mode are pretty impressive figures, but the most remarkable thing about the MKZ is that the Hybrid has a starting price exactly the same as the regular Gas/Petrol model.  

 

Mazda Takeri - Fuel Efficient Diesel Concept Car

Mazda Takeri

For many of us a car is that vital tool which takes us to work or to see our families, maybe on holiday. Its a necessity in the modern age, an extension of our legs and let's us speed up the pace of life, travelling distances which would be impossible on foot quickly and effortlessly. So does it matter what a car looks like? should it provoke an emotional response when we cast our eyes upon it or does it just need to get the job done?

Mazda's design inspiration for its 'next generation' cars is 'Kodo - soul of motion' and the idea behind it is to capture the essence of a living creature, like a Cheetah tensing in the moments before it is ready to spring forward, whether you care about the inspiration or not, most people will agree the Takeri is pleasant to behold. 

The Takeri uses something Mazda call 'SKYACTIV' technology, which includes Mazda's first regenerative braking system, converting kinetic energy to electricity during deceleration, storing it in capacitors and then using it to power the vehicle's electrical equipment, thus reducing the load on the engine and saving fuel. 


Combined with the new 'SKYACTIV-D' diesel engine, Mazda i-stop (stop/start system) , lightweight structure, advanced aerodynamics & regenerative braking should endow the Takeri with extremely good fuel economy together with decent performance.

No figures are available from Mazda or even details of when or if they are going to build it - they seem to have put a lot of detail on this car, and most of the technology is already available, so, on that evidence, it would seem more likely than not that it will be built.

      

Riley XR3 Hybrid - DIY - 3 Wheel Hybrid Vehicle

Your very own DIY future-mobile

When the dust has settled on the post-apocalyptic world and you crawl out from under the up-turned sofa in your cellar, to find your shiny new Porsche Hybrid has sadly not made it intact, bits of twisted metal and remnants of an industrial age strewn across the landscape, remember where you put those plans for the XR3!

This futuristic looking vehicle is the 2 seater XR3 Hybrid, which, as yet, is only available as a set of plans enabling you to build your own. The designer Robert Riley has expressed a desire to go into full production vehicles in time, but for now a DVD explaining the process and techniques required, a good deal of free time and some left over parts are all that is needed, making the XR3 highly customisable.

Driving the 2 front wheels is a Kubota Diesel tractor engine, and you can leave it at that if 125MPG is fine for your needs, or you can opt to make the vehicle a Hybrid and build an electric motor and generator system into the single rear wheel. This makes it an effective 3 wheel drive system. The XR3 can drive 40 miles on electric power alone, through it's plug-in electric ability.  

  

Class: Motorcycle

Manufacturer: XR3 Motors LLC

Propulsion: 23hp Kubota D902 tractor engine; advanced DC 8-inch motor

Top Speed: 80 mph (129 km/h)

Vehicle range: 40 miles on battery; combined 440 miles

Fuel(s): Diesel fuel, electricity

Fuel efficiency: 125 MPG on diesel, 225 MPGe on diesel and electric

Battery system: Optional

Time to full battery recharge: dependant on battery pack

Price: Plans from $100

Production costs: $12,000-$30,000

Jaguar C-X16 Concept car - Hybrid concept car

Beautiful, fast & 40 MPG!

No release date as yet, but the Jaguar C-X16 Concept has been recognised by the readers of What Car? as the vehicle they would most like to see launched in 2012, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011, this stunning new coupe has a host of exciting features. 

The C-X16 Concept features a lightweight aluminium chassis structure, which is lighter than the steel alternative and immensely strong,  while its hybrid drivetrain allows it to accelerate to 62mph from rest in just 4.4 seconds! Re-generative braking, stop-start technology and a 92HP electric motor built into the 8-speed gearbox all help in returning combined economy of 41mpg. 

The electric-hybrid system enables the C-X16 to travel for 50 miles on electric power only and similar to KERS on modern F1 cars the Jaguar features a push-to-pass system, which will combine the power of it's 375BHP supercharged 3.0l V6 with the electric motor to give an instant surge of torgue for rapid acceleration. Top speed is estimated to be around 186MPH

Price is rumoured to be around the £55,000 - £75,000 mark 

Audi A3 e-tron - Electric Vehicle Programme launches in US

Audi have dipped a tentative toe into the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector with a pilot programme in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Denver areas.


The test will involve Audi monitoring the cars' performance in each of the different locations.

Jeff Curry, e-mobility and sustainability strategy lead at Audi of America commented "The A3 e-tron pilot program serves as an important innovation platform for Audi to develop greater insight into electric vehicles and how American driving conditions affect use of the progressive technology in everyday life,”

Audi will also continue research into Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), Battery Electric (EV) and Range-extended Electric vehicles (EVER).

So, the A3 e-tron has a 26 KWH lithium-ion battery and a top speed and range of approx 90 MPH & 90 miles