Articles in the Car Category

Mini E Is All Set To Tread The Green Path
Posted in Automobiles, Car, Electric, Pollution on 23 October 2008

mini-e

With Mini E, the BMW group will become the first manufacturer to have a fleet of around 500 electric vehicles in everyday traffic around the world. This little eco car will work on a 150 kW electric motor with a rechargeable lithium-ion battey feeding it. As a result, the vehicle will be silent and emission-free. Plus it promises a range of 150 miles.

Though initially Mini E will be provided to select corporate customers in California, NY and New Jersey, it will have a world premiere at the LA Auto Show on November 19th and 20th, 2008.

Read the full story »

HYmotion3: The Latest Hybrid Compressor Concept From Peugeot
Posted in Car, concept on 17 October 2008

Worried about getting wet in the rain or tanned in the sun while driving a 2-wheeler? Peugeot brings forward a three mode scooter that will drive these fears away. Taking its brainwave from the earlier BMW C1, it appears like a hybrid between an electric scooter and a car. This vehicle comes with 3 wheels and an overhanging bubble shaped roof that will protect the drivers from sun, shower and storm.

Read the full story »

Green Genius: Texas Teenager Crafts his Own Electric Car for $10,000
Posted in Car, Electric on 16 October 2008

Texas teenager Lucas Laborde will be driving to school in an all-electric car that he built all by himself. No, we are not kidding when we say that he will drive to school in it as the guy is still only 17 years old. While most teens would spend the summer away doing far more attractive and far less productive stuff, Lucas spent it converting his gas-guzzling old car into an all-electric vehicle with no emissions. So how many hundreds of thousands of dollars did he spend on it? Lucas just spent around $ 10,000 in making the revamp!

Read the full story »

Venturi Volage: Making the Roadster Look like a Thing of the Past!
Posted in Automobiles, Car on 15 October 2008

Just as we were getting excited about the Tesla Roadster and its wonderful mix of form and function, we have another all-electric vehicle that is stealing the spotlight from the Roadster with some panache. Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, The Venturi Volage is all about taking the all-electric car to a whole new plane and it does so with ease. The space-age looking Venturi uses Michelin’s Active Wheel technology, encasing two electric motors within its wheels. This gives the car a whole new dimension indeed.
Read the full story »

French Government Allocates $549 Million Towards Green Transport
Posted in Car, Eco-Friendly, Go green on 14 October 2008

France is all set to go green. The French car companies Renault and Peugeot-Citroen are working independently with the power company Electricite de France (EdF), together with support from the government are soon heading for release of a squadron of their hybrid cars on to the roads in France. While Peugeot-Citroen will encourage the production of plug-in electric vehicles, Renault on the other hand will improve the charging infrastructure of these vehicles.

Read the full story »

How Green is MINI Cooper? Any Guesses
Posted in Automobiles, Car on 12 October 2008

Everybody confronts a problem while choosing a car. Many questions pop up about which one to buy, mileage, efficiency, power and the list is endless. Out of the wide range of cars available, how would anyone decide which is the best? The latest fad that is in is a preference for hybrid cars. MINI Cooper Clubman is just one of them which costs $19k. Read the full story »

The New AirPod: Small, Cute and Creepy
Posted in Car, Eco-Friendly, Electricity on 12 October 2008

Ever imagined a car that is powered by AIR! Motor Development International (MDI) is all set to launch a new range of eco-friendly cars running on compressed air. These cars look small and cute regardless of their absurd appearance. Electricity is used for filling up the engine with compressed air and when this air under pressure is slowly released, a series of pistons act which propel the car. An air-car fuelling station can help filling the air fast while it would take long using home compressors. These cars run at low velocities for short distances but the main difficulty is the power loss due to indirect use of energy through conversion from one form to another.

Read the full story »

Venturi Eclectic Strikes Back With a Difference
Posted in Car, Eco-Friendly on 12 October 2008

Design:
Venturi Eclectic is the first energy autonomous electric vehicle released as a concept at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. A newer and improved adaptation of it is out now. While the older version looked like a golf cart, the newer one is compact, costs less and is more aerodynamic. It is a 3-seater passenger urban car with a roof-mounted solar panel, a 300watt wind turbine, an electric motor and a special attraction- the optional doors. Its large front window gives a panoramic view to the passengers.

Read the full story »

Powering Your Home with Plug-In Hybrids: Bane or Boon?
Posted in Automobiles, Car, Designer, Environment, Fuel, concept on 12 October 2008

V2G PHEV

Plug-in electric vehicles are in the first phase of their road tests and are about to hit the roads by 2010. In this scenario, debates were on at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s Smart Garage Workshop on its first day on the subject whether it would be wiser to use the much advantageous and eco-friendly V2G PHEVs to power the grid. A wide range of opinions have been expressed on this. While the participants of the workshop support the suggestion, it sure looks like a possibility that is a decade away.

Mujeeb Ijaz, Director of Automotive Applications engineering at A123 Systems says that the V2G plug-in hybrids will attract customers because of their ability to store and discharge power and help them reduce their electricity bills, and the batteries wouldn’t reduce the performance on being used daily. Further, he agrees that the battery’s chemistry wouldn’t support it for fast charging and hence makes them unavailable for long distance travel.

Read the full story »

India Gets Green Ideas For Cars
Posted in Automobiles, Car, Charger, Eco-Friendly, Pollution on 11 October 2008

greenideas

After basking in the glory of appreciation and excited apprehension, Nano, touted as the World’s cheapest car, makes way for green brand Oreva. This new e-car is a part of the rich Ajanta group legacy who have been giving India affordable electric scooters and bikes over the past so many years.

Plans are to roll out Oreva from the Ajanta plant in Gujarat. Though the mother company is careful not to divulge too many details, the national rep of the car did say that this green wonder would be able to cover 200-250 kilometers in a single charge.

Read the full story »