Archive for August, 2011

  • Volvo Developing a Plug-in Hybrid Bus
    Volvo Buses is developing a plug-in hybrid bus that can drive long distances silently and exhaust-free on only electricity. The plug-in hybrid bus, supported by authorities including the Swedish Energy Agency, is essentially the same Volvo hybrid bus as today, but equipped with a large battery pack and an on-board charging equipment. The concept is based on placing battery...
    by at August 31st, 2011 at 09:08 am
  • Volvo, Siemens Team Up on Electric Cars
    Volvo Car Corporation and Siemens intend to jointly advance the technical development of electric cars through extensive strategic cooperation. The focus is on the joint development of electrical drive technology, power electronics and charging technology as well as the integration of those systems into Volvo C30 Electric cars. The first electric cars of this model fitted...
    by at August 31st, 2011 at 12:08 am
  • Ford Evos Concept Plug-In Hybrid Concept for 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
    The four-door, four-seat Ford Evos Concept, which will be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, represents the ultimate expression of Ford’s new global design language, and explores key future powertrain and vehicle technologies. The Ford Evos, with distinctive gull-wing doors front and rear, is the length of a compact car but almost as wide as a mid-size...
    by at August 31st, 2011 at 12:08 am
  • Toyota’s Prototype Sets New EV Lap record at Nurburgring
    Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has set a new lap record for an electric vehicle at the legendary 20.8km (12.94 miles) Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany. The TMG EV P001, with 100% electric powertrain and Jochen Krumbach at the wheel, set a new lap record of 7mins 47.794secs to beat the previous lap record, which stood at 9mins 1.338secs, by a very substantial margin. Using...
    by at August 30th, 2011 at 09:08 am
  • Hitachi Cable Develops Small Compact Connectors for Electric Vehicles
    Hitachi Cable, manufacturer and seller of wires, cables, copper products and brake hoses, announced on Monday that with its proprietary design it has developed world’s smallest compact connectors that can harness power for hybrid electric and electric vehicles. The drive systems of these electric vehicles consist of electric motors, inverters, batteries, and AC and...
    by at August 30th, 2011 at 06:08 am
  • Ontario, Magna Team Up on Electric Cars
    The government of Ontario and auto-parts giant Magna International Inc. unveiled plans to invest C$432 million (US$441 million) over the next six years to develop next-generation electric car technologies. The province of Ontario, the center of Canada’s auto industry, will contribute C$48.4 million to the total. The funding will go towards developing electric car...
    by at August 30th, 2011 at 04:08 am
  • Peugeot HX1 Concept: 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
    Peugeot will unveil the futuristic six-seat HX1 plug-in hybrid concept at the next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show, that previews a future flagship for the brand that combines elements of a luxury sedan and a low-roof, wagon-like MPV. The Peugeot HX1 integrates HYbrid4 technology, an innovative modular architecture that figures in the Peugeot range on the 3008 HYbrid4,...
    by at August 29th, 2011 at 11:08 am
  • Japanese Company Unveils World’s Smallest and Lightest Quick Chargers
    Japanese Company Nichicon has developed the world’s smallest and chargers for electric cars, the NQC-A202 and the NQC-A302. The NQC-A202 with 20kW output capacity weighs 150kg, while the NQC-A302 (30kW) weighs 20kg more. Both chargers are sized at just 150cm(h)x35cm(w)x60cm(d), about 50% smaller than existing devices. Nichicon says the new chargers are up to 66% lighter...
    by at August 28th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
  • Audi Urban Concept Cars: 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
    Audi has released first photos of its electric-powered Urban Concept and its open-top sister, the Urban Spider Concept. Audi will show a hard-top Sportback model and an open Spyder version of the Urban Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Audi Urban Concept cars, which are a 1+1 seat, aren’t based on an existing model and were developed to be as...
    by at August 28th, 2011 at 02:08 am
  • Europcar Adds Peugeot iON Electric Car to its UK Fleet
    Car rental company Europcar is adding the Peugeot iOn to its fleet, making it the first UK rental provider to provide the car. This follows the announcement of Europcar’s global partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroen last October and responds to increasing demand for access to electric cars to rent. Peugeot iONs will initially be available for one-day hire only, in order...
    by at August 27th, 2011 at 02:08 am