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| A u t o T e c h |
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| Honda
Puts Price Tag On The Insight Hybrid |
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Honda has finally
buckled down and set an MSRP and a release date for
its new Insight Hybrid. Since its unveiling and during
testing, it has been mere speculation on the MSRP of
Honda's dedicated-hybrid model, but on March 24 buyers
will be able to purchase an Insight LX Hybrid starting
at $19,800.
At that price, the Insight undercuts the current Prius'
base price by $2,200, but that gap could grow or shrink
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the 2010 model.
Those with a bit more change in their purses can step up to
the Insight EX for $21,300. This trim-level bump adds, most
notably, Vehicle Stability Assist, alloy wheels, cruise control,
paddle shifters, a six-speaker audio system with USB interface,
and heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals.
All three Insight models are EPA rated at 40 mpg city and
43 mpg highway (41 mpg combined).
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| Cadillac
Rolls Out In-Car Internet Access |
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Cadillac has
announced the availability of an in-car wireless Internet
option on its CTS sport sedan beginning in April. The
new option will be called Cadillac Wi-Fi (sic) by Autonet
and be dealer-installed.
The device itself will have an MSRP of $499, and the
service will cost $29 per month.
This makes Cadillac one of the very first carmakers
to offer wireless Internet in a production vehicle.
Autonet Mobile says early market experience indicates
that this option will appeal to families first, as opposed
to the mobile business professional you probably think
would be its main initial market.
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| New
Electric Sports Car Competes With Tesla |
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The Liv Inizio,
an all-electric sports car with specs similar to the Tesla
Roadster, is making its debut at the 2009 New York auto
show. This new electric car is made by EV Innovations
formerly called Hybrid Technologies, which showed off
the Liv Wise, a Toyota Yaris converted to an electric
power train, at last year's New York auto show. |
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EV
Innovations claims a 200-mile range for the Liv
Inizio and a 0 to 60 mph acceleration time of
5 seconds. Top speed: 150 mph.
About 15 inches longer than the Tesla Roadster
and 6 inches wider, the Liv Inizio still manages
to come in 300 pounds lighter. It uses a lithium
ion battery pack to power its midmounted motor,
and it has a recharge time of about 8 hours.
A touch-screen LCD in the cabin displays trip
information such as remaining range.
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| With corporate
headquarters in Las Vegas and development done in North Carolina,
EV Innovations uses its own battery management technology to
offer electric conversions of existing cars, such as the Toyota
Yaris, Smart ForTwo, PT Cruiser, and Mini Cooper, and original
cars and two-wheelers. |
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| World's
Most Powerful Hybrid Car |
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To celebrate
20 years as a brand, Infiniti has produced a stunning
concept car for the 2009 International Motor Show in
Geneva. The Infiniti Essence is the world's most powerful
Hybrid car with a total of 600 horsepower combined output
from its V6 twin turbo and electric motor. The luxury
sports car hybrid offers enormous power on the |
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open road and zero
emission driving in urban settings.
In specification, the car looks very much like a hybrid version
of Nissan's GT-R. (Infiniti is a Nissan owned brand). With
a 3.7 liter V6 DOHC Twin Turbo VQ based engine (VQ37DETT)
putting out 434 hp (320 Kw) in a rear wheel drive FM (Front
Midship) platform currently used in modified form in both
the Nissan GT-R, 350Z and Infiniti V36.
An additional 158 hp (116 Kw) and 500 Nm comes from the twin
clutch mounted Disc type electric motor giving a total of
592 hp (435 Kw). No combined torque figure was released by
Infiniti but it should be in the region of 1088 Nm (802 Ft/lb).
Strictly a two seater, the front-engined rear wheel drive
super-luxury coupe is Infiniti's first super-performance car
with design cues that Infiniti says will distinguish its production
cars of the coming years.
The Essence is a real styling exercise featuring razor sharp
lines, side windows that appear to be resting on a ledge and
a steeply raked windscreen that combines as a sun roof and
extends all the way to the B pillar while the car rides on
22-inch wheels. The Essence also comes complete with Bespoke
Louis Vuitton luggage.
The petrol engine and electric engine can work independently
or together as a “parallel” hybrid system. At
urban speeds the Essence operates as a pure battery electric
vehicle. A lower trunk mounted laminated lithium ion battery
supplies power to a new type of electric motor called the
3D Motor. The motor is a BLDC design that maximizes torque
density to meet tough requirements on size and power output.
The result is a particularly slim, disk-shaped motor that
has twice the torque of a conventional unit. Its design was
achieved by 3D magnetic field analysis to optimize the layout
of the electromagnetic coils and permanent magnets.
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| BMW
Plans Electric Car |
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For years,
BMW resisted building hybrid cars, believing that more
efficient gasoline or diesel models were a smarter bet.
But as the hybrid gives way to the all-electric vehicle-
at least in the eyes of optimists, the German automaker
aims to be at the front of the pack.
BMW is spending more than $1 billion to develop a small
car for urban drivers that will include an electric-powered
version.
“We [in the auto industry] have the internal combustion
engine so strongly fixed in our minds that we think
it will last forever,” says BMW Chief Executive
Norbert Reithofer. “I don't believe that.”
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| Although Reithofer
is vague on the timing, BMW is working on the electric vehicle
under an initiative called Project i. Reithofer says he may
even create a new brand for high-end city cars, in addition
to the company's current BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce nameplates.
To gauge interest and test the concept, in New York and Los
Angeles BMW is leasing 500 Mini sedans that have been modified
to run on batteries.
To head Project i, Reithofer tapped one of his star executives,
Senior Vice-President Ulrich Kranz, who was instrumental in
transforming the British-built Mini into a hip, upscale brand.
Project i will also develop vehicles with gasoline engines,
a necessity in emerging markets lacking reliable power grids.
But the 80-member team has increasingly focused on battery
propulsion, Kranz says, as regulators around the world tighten
emissions standards.
BMW's Mini test project in New York and L.A. has helped allay
one of the industry's big fears about electric cars: that
few would be willing to pay a premium for a vehicle that can
travel only 150 miles between charges.
BMW says it had no trouble finding customers eager to shell
out $850 a month to lease the modified Minis, even though
the cars seat only two because batteries displace the rear
seats. Sure, a BMW 5 Series midsize sedan can be leased for
less. But with the electric Mini, Kranz says, “you're
driving the future.” |
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| Ford
First With Electric Vehicle |
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True
to their word Ford Motor Company has become the
first of the big three to announce plans to market
a pure battery electric-powered light commercial
vehicle in North America. Based on the all-new
Transit Connect global commercial vehicle platform,
the Transit EV will be available in U.S. Ford
dealerships in 2010.
The Transit Connect with battery electric power
is the initial offering in Ford's aggressive new
electric vehicle plan to bring pure battery-powered
vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids to market.
To start, during the next four years, Ford will
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North America:
The Transit Connect battery electric commercial vehicle
in 2010
A new battery electric small car in 2011
Next-generation hybrid vehicles in 2012
Plug-in hybrid versions in 2012
The Transit Connect commercial platform is well suited
to battery electric power. Its unique combination of
car-like driving dynamics and large 800kg (1760lb) cargo
capacity make it ideal for battery EV conversion.
Smith Electric Vehicles, which has been making electric
milk floats in the UK since 1920 have been subcontracted
to take care of the EV conversion production line.
Electric vehicles offer significantly reduced operation
and maintenance costs over the long haul. As commercial
users generally clock a lot of mileage, Ford will gain
valuable feedback to help fine tune its EV offerings
to the consumer markets. There are also added incentives
for companies to electrify their fleets offered by federal
and regional programs.
Transit Connect has been designed, engineered and manufactured
by Ford of Europe on a dedicated global commercial vehicle
platform so expect to eventually see the Transit EV
sold in many markets around the world. The combustion
engine version of the Transit Connect is currently sold
in 58 countries. A taxi cab variant is also in the works.
The electric van will give an expected maximum range
of 100 miles on a single charge. Technical details have
not yet been released, but analysts believe it has a
top speed of up to 70 mph, is powered by a 50 Kw electric
motor and has a 40 Kw/hr iron-phosphate lithium-ion
battery pack supplied to Smith by Valence Technology.
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