autos evolutions: Hybrids

Showing posts with label Hybrids. Show all posts

Google Makes History with its First Self-Driving Car Accident

Many companies are developing self-driving cars. The latest example is VW’s TAP (Temporary Auto Pilot) that was recently demonstrated on video.

Another earlier model is Google’s automated/driverless fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids developed with the help of the military’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) 2007 Urban Challenge winner, Chris Urmson and Anthony Levandowski, the maker of the world’s first autonomous motorcycle (again, for DARPA) – oh, and an self-driving pizza-delivery vehicle.

Carscoop reader Marina tipped us off about an odd-looking micro car wearing Audi badges and a zebra stripe disguise that was caught filming at the Potsdamer Platz, which is a large public square located in the center of the city of Berlin in Germany.

The poster of the Youtube videos said that Audi was shooting a commercial for the car. While we've yet to hear something official from the German company, chances are the tiny model is a new Audi concept vehicle that will be revealed at the rapidly approaching 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in the second week of September.

Even though deliveries of Opel’s extended-range hybrid aren’t expected to begin until early 2012, the company is already planning the successor to the Chevy Volt’s European alter-ego.

According to British magazine Autocar, the second generation of the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera is scheduled for release in 2015 and, if sources from within the company are reliable, it feature a more radical design and a lower starting price than the current model.

The man behind the Karma extended-range electric sports sedan, company boss Henrik Fisker, revealed some ambitious new plans to develop the brand's lineup during the European launch of the saloon model.

According to one report from British magazine What Car?, Fisker confirmed the development of a new crossover that will combine elements from sporty estate and SUV models, and which will be revealed at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show in September before it allegedly reaches showrooms in 2012.

You have to admit that the Karma, Henrik Fisker’s extended-range electric sports sedan with a celebrity clientele and 3,000 firm orders, has already had its fair share of coverage on this site. And that’s before it even goes on sale.

However, Fisker’s $100,000 sedan is an intriguing car. Not just for its sensual lines, the gorgeous interior or the way it is promoted, but because it promises to deliver a supercar experience the “green way”.

Here's a new set of photos of the Honda CR-Z Mugen RR competition study that made its debut alongside the more production ready CR-Z Mugen Concept at the beginning of July in the Moving Motor Show area at Goodwood Festival of Speed.

While the CR-Z Mugen was designed and built by "MUGEN EURO" based in the UK, the more hardcore RR model is the work of the firm's Japanese division.

When Audi pulled the wraps off the newest iteration of the A6 in November, 2010, the Ingolstadt-based automaker made no word about the availability of the hybrid variant in the North American market. And officially, the Germans are still refusing to confirm the A6 Hybrid.

However, Car&Driver magazine is now reporting that it has received confirmation from "several reliable sources within Audi" that the new A6 Hybrid will be sold in the USA starting from next year with a price "somewhere north of $55,000".

The Chrysler Group is taking its first baby steps in the plug-in hybrid arena with the launch of an evaluation program that will see around 140 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) being supplied to selected cities and states across the USA.

On Tuesday, August 2, Chrysler will deliver 14 Ram 1500 PHEV prototypes to the City of San Francisco as part of a three-year assessment program.

The headline story on the automotive front today (that would be Friday, July 29) is no doubt the presentation of the first concept models of BMW's new division for alternative fuel vehicles that we will come to know as the "i" series.

We've already given you a first look at the i3 pure-electric hatchback as well as the sporty i8 gasoline-electric hybrid coupe concepts, but BMW has also released a series of films on both vehicles.

BMW's showdown continues with the presentation of its i8 Concept, a plug-in hybrid sports coupe that joins the i3 pure-electric hatchback to form the first models of the Bavarian firm's i sub-brand.

The i8 Concept is a further development of the 2009 Vision EfficientDynamics study and it opens the way for a production model, which is scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2013.

The sportiest member of the i series models combines the modified electric drive system from the i3 Concept, but this time fitted over its front axle instead of the rear, with a high-performance, 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine (in place of the Vision ED's diesel unit) developing 220HP (164kW) and 300 Nm (221 lb.ft) at the rear.

“Green” is the new “mean”. Whereas a few years ago most automakers focused on tooting their performance credentials, now the trend is to be eco-friendly. Even BMW, the maker of the M3, M5 etc., is jumping on the "green" bandwagon. Albeit a little late to the EV party, the Germans plan to make up for it with a dazzling entrance.

Today, the Munich-based automaker announced that it is holding a press conference on Friday, July 29, to preview its “i” sub-brand. Unfortunately, that's about all BMW is willing to reveal about the conference, so we don’t exactly know what the company has in store for us: a startling presentation of the new models or one mundane speech after another from the firm's executives?

Following the announcement on the time and place of the premiere of the all-new 2013 Lexus GS 350 –that would be the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18th for those of you that didn’t read our previous story- the Japanese company lifted the embargo on the first test drive of the car in the States.

Invitees include names like Car&Driver, Autoweek and Motor Trend. Naturally, the exterior of the pre-production test cars were bagged in plastic, but their interiors were largely free of camouflage (see links below for photos) revealing an edgier LF-A-esque design with lots of stitched leather on the dashboard and a gigantic 12.3-inch information screen above the center console.

In the 1960s, customers who could only dream of owning a Corvette often left their local Chevy dealers with the keys to a new Impala or Bel-Air. Now, it seems the same thing is happening with the Chevy Volt don’t-call-it-a-hybrid and the Cruze small car.

Year-to-date sales are up some 32% across the range, though only 567 of the 80,000 plus cars the Detroit automaker sold in June were Volts. The remainder were cars like the Cruze, which has earned the crown of Chevy’s biggest seller.

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. In Japan’s case, the devastating earthquake in March and the subsequent damages to the country’s infrastructure put the spotlight on Toyota’s Estima Hybrid minivan that features a system allowing the supply of auxiliary electricity to power household appliances.

The minivan’s owners were extremely satisfied with the system, which effectively turns the hybrid system into an electric generator that runs on gasoline, claiming that it was invaluable during the extended blackouts in Japan.

Police officers in New York City will now be able to boast that they drive environmentally friendly cars and, as an added bonus, approach possible offenders silently. That’s because 50 Chevrolet Volts have been added to the 40 Nissan Altima Hybrids of the NYPD fleet, as a part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC project for lowering emissions and creating, in his own words, “a greener, greater New York City”. Read more »

First Fisker Karma to be Delivered to Leo Di Caprio, Company has More than 3,000 Orders

Fisker is finally starting deliveries of its Karma luxury plug-in hybrid sedan later this month –and the lucky person to get the first car will be none other than Hollywood star Leonardo di Caprio (....the spicy female model featured in the firm's print advert is not included with the car).

The company says it has already received 3,000 pre-orders with the waiting list reaching until early 2012. Other famous customers for the $100,000 hybrid sports sedan are former US Vice President Al Gore and former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

Electric Vehicles, or EVs, are the future. Or so the automakers say. And they would be correct, if it wasn’t for a significant disadvantage over petrol or diesel powered models: their abysmal range which makes them suitable only for limited city use.

Volvo is taking measures to solve this problem and make its EVs attractive to the public by adding an extra 1,000 km (621 miles) to their range. The solution, which has also been adopted by other models such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Audi A1 E-Tron concept, is the addition of a “range extender” internal combustion engine.

If you are a GM diehard or a Chevy Volt fanboy, I suggest you cover your ears and start humming loudly to yourselves. CNN Money recently featured an article from Fortune magazine’s Motorworld declaring the upcoming Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid a better buy and a better car than Chevy’s range-extended electric vehicle. Shock, gasp, horror, blasphemy etc.

To quote Motorworld senior editor Alex Taylor III: “[The Prius Plug-in is] more efficient and less expensive than the Volt, and Toyota actually stands the possibility of making a profit on it -- something General Motors concedes it can't do with the Volt.”

Only a week after we brought you spy shots of Peugeot’s high-riding 508 SW, and the French carmaker released the first official photos of the production model that will carry the RXH moniker, ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September of 2011.

The new nameplate isn’t the only thing that differentiates Peugeot’s new crossover from the rest of the brand’s Outdoor models as the 508 RXH comes with all-wheel drive, courtesy of the Hybrid4 diesel-electric hybrid drivetrain.

autos evolutions

Google Makes History with its First Self-Driving Car Accident

New Audi City Car Concept Scooped on Film

Opel Says Second Generation Ampera Will be Cheaper, More Stylish

Fisker to Unveil New Crossover Model at Frankfurt Motor Show

Video: Fisker Karma Test Drive by Santa Monica Dealer

Honda Mugen CR-Z RR Study: New Photos

Audi's New A6 Hybrid Reportedly Confirmed for the U.S. Market

Chrysler Group to Deliver 14 Plug-in Hybrid Rams to San Francisco

BMW Shows Off i3 EV and i8 Hybrid Concepts on Film

BMW i8 Concept: Plug-in Hybrid Coupe with 1.5-liter Petrol Engine Delivers 349HP and 87MPG [63 Photos]

BMW to Preview New "i" Models on Friday?

Lexus Invites Magazines to Drive 2013 GS, will be Offered Only with V6 Engines, gets Netbook-Sized Screen

Your Tax Dollars at Work: The Volt as a Halo Model to the Cruze

Toyota to Use Prius Hybrids to Supply Household Appliances with Electricity!

NYPD Goes Green with 50 Chevrolet Volt Patrol Cars

First Fisker Karma to be Delivered to Leo Di Caprio, Company has More than 3,000 Orders

Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

Volvo to Extend Driving Range of its EVs by Going the Way of the Chevy Volt

CNN Says Toyota Prius Plug-in will Top Chevy Volt, 12 Months before the Former Goes On Sale

New Peugeot 508 RXH with AWD Diesel-Electric Hybrid Drivetrain Takes on Audi’s A4 Allroad Quattro

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