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Lucid will power Aston Martin's future EVs
Aston Martin plans to build "ultra-luxury high-performance" EVs using Lucid's electric motors, batteries and other technology.
Lucid Motors claims its first EV covers a quarter mile in 9.9 seconds
With 1,080 horsepower, the Lucid Air Dream Edition hits 60 MPH in 2.5 seconds.
Triumph is developing its first electric motorcycle
British motorcycle manufacturer Triumph has announced a new program that'll help speed up its development of electric motorbikes. The project, working title TE-1, aims to develop an electric motorcycle powertrain in just two years, and it's got some pretty heavyweight partners involved to help it achieve this goal.
Toyota to unveil Prius C, hydrogen and electric hybrid concepts at 2012 Tokyo Motor Show
If there's one absolute truth to cars, it's this: next year's models will generally make you regret the one you just bought. Over at the Tokyo Motor Show, this standard will probably hold true, with Toyota set to launch a smaller-than-current-Prius in the form of the Prius C, or "Aqua". The C, which takes some interesting technological steps forward, packs a hybrid drivetrain, coupling an as-yet undisclosed "high-output" electric motor with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine. According to Toyota, this combination will yield over 50 miles per gallon in the city, the highest city fuel economy for any non-plug-in vehicle. Getting into more experimental territory, Toyota is also expected to unveil the FCV-R concept, this model previewing a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle with room for four passengers and luggage space currently being targeted for a 2015 market launch. This, along with the FT-EV III (which will preview an upcoming electric version of the company's iQ model with a short-range battery-powered drivetrain) round out Toyota's morsels for the new model year. Stay tuned for additional pricing and release dates as they become available, and head down past the break to see what to expect from the new Prius. %Gallery-139441%
German engineers want to halve EV manufacturing costs by 2018, seem confident about it
Yearning for an EV that can fit within your budget? You may not have to wait too long, according a group of engineers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), who are aiming to halve plug-in manufacturing costs by 2018. It's all part of something called Competence E -- a €200 million ($273 million) initiative that will draw upon the expertise of 250 scientists from 25 different institutes, in the hopes of creating new and more cost-effective methods of producing power trains and batteries. Under the publicly funded project, which was announced at last week's International Motor Show, KIT's researchers will construct a "research factory" where they'll develop and demonstrate their processes and technologies. According to project leader Andreas Gutsch, the idea isn't to create concepts that could bear fruit a few decades down the road, but to develop more pragmatic solutions that can be integrated at the industrial level within a relatively short time frame. "We are no longer focused on studying individual molecules or components, but on developing solutions on the system level, which meet industrial requirements," Gutsch told Science|Business. "We are actively approaching industry and will even intensify these efforts...We are conducting excellent research for application, not for the drawer." A full 50 engineers will begin working on Competence E next year, with the project scheduled to wrap up by 2018. Purr past the break for more details, in the full press release.
Toyota smashes EV record on Nurburgring, speed rivals gas-powered cars (video)
Last week, Toyota's racing team set out to break the current EV record on the Nordschleife track, part of Germany's infamous Nürburgring -- and they've done it, clocking a swift 7:47.79 seconds with the P001 electric racing car. The Peugeot EX1 EV's previous 9:01.338 record seems like a distant memory as the new contender shaved more than a minute off the time, giving even gasoline-powered vehicles a run for their money. Toyota's car is no slouch as it can reach 260km/h (174mph), with a track time that rivals the Radical SR8 LM's record breaking time of 6:48. Beating its predicted goal of eight minutes, Toyota hopes the victory will bring new awareness to electric racing and perhaps to help sell custom race cars in the future -- yes, you too might be able to cop a car with the same guts (albeit different body and chassis) as a Radical Sportscar some day. Check out the full PR after the jump.
Toyota to take on Nurburgring without a sound, aims to beat EV record
All bets are on as Toyota hits up the Nürburgring next week, hoping to shatter the existing EV speed record over all 12.9 miles of the Nordschleife, affectionately nicknamed "green hell." To break the current nine minute, 1.388 second world best, Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) is unleashing an electric race car with two motors and a top speed of 260kmph (174mph) without emissions. The Radical-based car is similar to the one used by the Racing Green Endurance team on its epic 16,000 mile road trip, only lighter thanks to lithium-ceramic batteries. The company hopes breaking the record will show racing fans just how far electric cars have come, with GM Ludwig Zeller saying, "Many people are still dreaming of an electric future for motorsport; at TMG we believe this is much closer than some think." Full details are in the PR after the break, or you can just take a detour to the Black Forest next week and check it out yourself.
Nissan NV200 van named NYC's 'Taxi of Tomorrow,' Travis Bickle cringes (video)
New Yorkers, this is your "Taxi of Tomorrow." After two years of deliberation, Nissan's NV200 was chosen as the city's exclusive taxi yesterday, edging out models from Ford Motor Co. and Turkish manufacturer Karsan. The four-passenger van is slated to hit New York's streets in late 2013, after which it will be gradually phased in on a more widespread basis. With a manufacturer suggested retail price of around $29,000, the commodious NV200 boasts a 2.0L 4-cylinder powertrain, transparent roof panel, driver navigation system, overhead reading lights and a mobile charging unit, replete with a 12V outlet and two USB ports. Nissan also placed an emphasis on passenger and pedestrian safety, with front and rear-seat curtain airbags, standard traction control and an external lighting system designed to alert others when the NV200's doors are opening. The van's microbial seat fabric should help assuage the fears of many germophobes, while its "low-annoyance" horn promises to put a (probably miniscule) dent in the city's noise pollution. Mayor Bloomberg definitely won't realize his all-hybrid dreams by 2012, but Nissan has agreed to participate in a forthcoming EV pilot program, involving up to six of the company's electric LEAFs. Until then, New Yorkers will have plenty of time to get used to the city's new soccer mom approach to taxi transport. Cruise past the break for full PR and video.
Video: Taxpayer takes Chevy Volt's powertrain for a ride
See that? This dowdy looking sedan is the very symbol of hope for GM and perhaps the US auto industry as a whole. Although this Volt prototype is technically a mule -- an engineering hybrid that crosses the body of a Chevy Cruze with the Volt's Voltec powertrain -- it still gives "an 80-plus percent representation" of what the Volt's electric driving experience will be like. Or so says GM exec, Tony Posawatz. Our greasy sisters over at Autoblog took the Volt-mule for a spin. Their take? Overall, the electric drive system in the mules performed as advertised and GM appears to be well on its way to meeting a November 2010 Job 1 date.Too bad hope doesn't pay the bills. Hit the read link for the full story including a novice's guide to prototyping automobiles. Video overview after the break
Tesla finally finalized its single-speed gearbox, on track for completion in August
Those Tesla folks are finally (almost) out of the woods on this whole powertrain nonsense. Its original two-speed design had many "durability, efficiency and cost challenges," but Tesla Motors decided to go with it in its first production run, and then swap in the new single-speed "1.5" powertrain once they get it just right. It's a bit funny Tesla 'fessing up to durability problems now, after denying them so vehemently before, but either way buyers of the first 40 cars that'll ship with the old powertrain won't have to wait long for an upgrade, since the 1.5 powertrain has been finalized and is slated for production in August. Tesla already has a 1.5 version they're driving regularly, and they're in the testing phase. 1.5 involves improvements to the motor, inverter and gearbox design, and improves torque among other things -- which gives that 3.9 second 0-60 spec they've always wanted.
