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Tata announces Megapixel hybrid EV, alas, it's just a concept
The Geneva Motor Show means one thing: fantastic cars will be dangled in front of our faces, before being snatched away and being told that it'll never see the light of day, as it's "only a concept." The latest vehicle we'd purchase if they'd let us is Tata's Megapixel, a four-seater compact hybrid EV that promises a range of 560 miles (900km) on a single tank of fuel. A hub motor sits atop each of the four wheels, driven by a petrol-electric engine under the cabin, with a wireless inductive charging panel for topping up the batteries at home. It's designed for the city: with a turning circle of 180 degrees in a 2.8 meter space and sliding doors for easy entry. Inside, there's a rear-projected dashboard with a joystick controller (that reminds us of BMWs iDrive) and a smartphone dock for connectivity. Head on past the break to see the vehicle in action and wonder if it'll ever reach the market, like we're doing.
Tata bringing two all-electric cars to a Europe near you by March
First of all, don't worry, the spontaneously combusting Nano isn't among the pair of newly Euro-bound EVs from Tata. Going slightly more upmarket, the Indian company will be launching the Indica Vista EV hatchback for eco-conscious Brits and Scandinavians early next year, alongside the somewhat less exciting Ace, a commercial mini-truck. The Indica Vista has clearly had a few trials and tribulations in coming to market in an all-electric form, having originally been promised to Norwegian tree huggers for 2009, so let's just hope that this schedule is the one that sticks. It's about time this whole EV movement got some more affordable options.
Tata Motors' Nano lights up the streets of Mumbai
Indeed, there is a time in every product's life-cycle when it has its birth announcement, when it steps out into the world for the first time, and when it bursts into flames -- and Tata's Nano is no exception. According to Indian Autos Blog, the manufacturer is particularly well known for its combustible motorcars these days -- back in 2009, three Nanos caught fire, and now we have pictures of the latest to go into flames, courtesy of an insurance agent Satish Sawant. Apparently, the auto dealership was delivering the vehicle to its new owner when a motorcyclist overtook the driver to get his attention -- just like that old episode of CHiPs. Since the engine is behind the driver, he had no idea that it had caught fire at some point on his journey. Who would have thought that a $2,500 vehicle would be plagued with problems? Let's just hope they get 'em sorted before the Nano EV hits the streets.
Tata Nano EV represents the feasible side of our electric future
Oh sure, this might not accelerate to ludicrous speed in 3 seconds flat, and it might not look like something Jules Verne brought back from the future, but it is the one electro-vehicular concept we can reliably expect to see hit retail in 2011. Indian carmaker Tata promised us an eco-friendly version of its ultra-affordable Nano, and what you see above is the corporeal fulfillment of that pledge. Our comrades at Autoblog report that the Nano EV will go into production alongside the Indica Vista EV and should be available to buy at some point next year. As far as we're concerned, when it comes to cars other people have to drive, this might be at the very top of our list. See more of it after the break.
Tata Motors moves first $2,500 Nano in Mumbai
We've been following the development of Tata Motors' Nano -- a teeny little car whose main claim to fame is its tiny price tag of about $2,500 -- since way back when it was only an announcement. Well, today the cycle is complete: the first Nano has officially been sold to Mumbai resident Ashok Vichare, who says he bought the car (his first) because it's the smallest and cheapest sold in India. The company held a lottery to decide who could purchase the first 100,000 Nanos, and says its got a waiting list of about a year for further cars.
Tata Indica soon to hit the streets of Norway: it's electric!
We heard tell of an all-electric, Norway-bound Tata Indica back in September of last year, and now it looks like it's almost ready to hit the streets. Autoblog Green is reporting that the makers of the super-cheap Nano expect to have the electric Indica rolling off the line either late this year or early in 2010. While the Indica EV (above) that was shown at the SAE World Congress is not the model that will be available in Norway, we can probably expect it to look something like it. We don't know any details about pricing, but expect the available number of autos to be "limited." No further info about the car yet, but we'll keep you posted. Hit the read link for a full gallery of the EV.
Progressive Automotive X-Prize competitors roundup
With about three weeks left to go, the Progressive Automotive X-Prize has already got 25 submissions (20 names have been publicly released) with creators ranging from college students to large auto makers already in the game. Here's the deal with the contest: the cars must be production-capable and fall in with federal safety guidelines, and it's got to be possible to produce and sell 10,000 of them annually, with a working business plan in place for this to happen by 2014. The car must deliver at least 100 MPGs, and CO2 emissions can't exceed 200 grams per kilometer. The prize for the competition is ten million dollars. We've seen some of these in the past -- Aptera's 2e, MDI's AirCar, and the Tata Nano are all on offer -- but there are a few new guys, too. Some of the more interesting entries are the totally rad looking diesel Avion which has gotten up to 103.7 miles per gallon, Kinetix Motors' diesel-electric hybrid E4 Sports Hatch, which should cost less than $25,000 with a top speed of 95 miles per hour. The company also claims the sporty ride goes from zero to sixty miles in 6.1 seconds. Finally, there's Physics Lab of Lake Havasu Green Giant, an electric truck that gets 50 miles per gallon on its battery, with plans to bump that figure to 100 miles per gallon using other sources of energy. Check out the gallery of other prospects, and hit the read link for the full, delicious list.%Gallery-43837%
Tata halts construction of Nano plant, promises electric car for Norway within a year
It looks like Tata Motors is taking one step forward and one step back this week, with it announcing plans to launch an electric version of its Indica hatchback in Norway within a year while also letting out word that it has abruptly halted construction of the plant in Singur, India that was to have built its budget-priced Nano compact. That latter development was apparently the result of a long-standing dispute with farmers, who are demanding the return of some of the land that was seized by the state government, and had previously caused construction of the plant to be postponed for five days. For its part, Tata says it is now apparently considering relocating the construction site, which would likely cause the planned October launch of the Nano to be delayed.Read - Reuters, "India's Tata to launch electric car in Norway in 1 yr"Read - Tech-On, "Tata Suspends Construction of 'nano' Plant"[Thanks, Samit]
Tata Motors' $2,500 NANO automobile gets official
While many around the globe have their eyes fixated on the events going down in Las Vegas this week, the 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi, India is managing to steal at least a hint of the limelight. Announced today, Tata Motors' $2,500 "1-Lakh" car will actually see production in India later this year, and it has affectionately been dubbed the NANO. For those not keen on such a title, it can also be recognized as "The People's Car," but it seems "The Person's Car" may have been more appropriate. Nevertheless, this little bundle of automotive joy will feature an all-aluminum, two-cylinder engine that can deliver around 54 US miles per gallon, and while stripped down would be a gross understatement, it does promise to "exceed current regulatory (read: safety) requirements." Hit the read link for Tata's official release along with a plethora of photos.[Image courtesy of Manan Vatsyayana/Raveendran for Getty]
Tata Motors' $2,500 1-Lakh car gets detailed
Remember that uber-cheap, almost entirely plastic car that India's Tata Motors was working up? Turns out, the still codenamed 1-Lakh automobile is expected to launch in mid-2008 and get around 15 miles-per-liter, which should give the Maruti 800 some serious competition in the budget car arena. According to R. A. Mashelkar, a nonexecutive director on Tata Motors' board, it should provide ample room in "both the front and rear" for a six-foot individual, and he also noted that a "new kind of welding" would be used instead of bolts in a variety of locations on the motorcar. Still, there's just something about the idea of riding in a brand new $2,500 vehicle that doesn't sit well with us -- probably something to do with the dearth of safety features, but who knows.
India's Tata announces plans for hydrogen car
India -- already an established presence in the alternative fuels space -- has announced that it will be joining the US, Japan, Germany, and the Netherlands in rolling out a hydrogen-powered car next year. The country's space agency (ISRO) has teamed up with Tata Motors -- makers of the recently-revealed plastic car -- to develop a fuel cell vehicle whose only emissions will be water vapor, critical for a developing country whose pollution woes are only getting worse. According to ISRO chairman Madhavan Nair, while the hydro-car is scheduled for 2008 completion, mass production has yet to be determined.[Thanks, Raghu]
India's Tata Motors developing uber-cheap plastic automobile
Although Tata Motors has recently been talked about for its air-powered City Cat, the next big small thing to roll off of its assembly lines may only be fit for the fearless. The reason, interestingly enough, is not that the automaker is aiming to release a comparatively small four-door car for under $3,000, but that "much of it will be [made of] plastic." Reportedly, the company "has yet to release [an official] name for the car or even a sketch of what it might look like," and moreover, the "low manufacturing costs in developing countries" were pinned as a primary cause for the incredible affordability. And you thought driving around in a $30,000 sedan made entirely in China would be frightening.[Via Fark, image courtesy of TIME]
Indian air-powered City Cat car prepares for production run
The first commercial car to be powered by compressed air could be about to hit the production lines, as Indian automaker Tata Motors prepares to build ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre's design. We're not certain if it's the same air car that we hit just under three years ago, but if it is, it's about time! The City Cat runs on nothing but compressed air -- which can be refueled at "air stations," and overnight using a built-in compressor -- with a not too shabby top speed of 68MPH and a range of 125 miles. The Air Car designers are working on a hybrid version that can compress air while it's operating, potentially making cross-India journeys possible: Toyota Prius, eat your hybrid heart out. As EcoGeek points out, the game ain't up just yet for completely emissions free travel since the problem of the source of the electricity (usually acquired from fossil fuels) has yet to be solved. Plus, the fugly design really doesn't do it any favours: why does "green" have to mean "gah?"[Via Digg]
