Tag: Electric Cars

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Vauxhall/Opel Ampera: Electric Cars with Generator

Vauxhall Ampera or Opel Ampera, I was waiting for this car for quite long time. I know, I do sound a bit funny, why I should wait a Vauxhall/Opel? Actually, Ampera is the electric car of the Vauxhall/Opel, that’s right they made an electric car that looks like a proper car and with an on-board generator.
You might be thinking there are plenty of electric cars why Ampera is different. Most of the electric cars do not have an on-board generator to charge the batteries, but Ampera does have one. And do not confuse with hybrid technology. In hybrid technology, petrol engine is also connected to wheels but with Ampera, the petrol engine is not connected to wheels and is only designed to charge the batteries when they are out of charge.
The most fundamental problem of electric cars is the charging for long journeys and with the Ampera, you don’t have to worry about this. You can drive as much as you want, until your tank is empty. Or you can charge the Ampera with any electric socket, board computer shows you the estimated charging time.
Today I had opportunity to drive the Ampera with pure electricity. And it was a bit different than the normal driving experience. First of all, when you start the engine there are no engine noise at all. Ampera is more silent than many laptops! 
Driving the Ampera is no different from an automatic car, just move the gear lever into Drive position and depress the throttle. As soon as you depress the throttle, you will feel the torque instantly. The electric motors have an advantage, they can deliver their maximum torque instantly. Ampera accelerates much better than many other cars, consumption is nearly to nothing. Interior comfort is much better than any other Vauxhall/Opel vehicle, sorry to say this. And Ampera features two screens, one for instrument panel and one for navigation. And both them offers very clear image, this is really important with screens.
Honestly, I was expecting a dull driving experience with a senseless steering wheel but it was totally the opposite. I had so much fun! Even though, I don’t like to drive car. Ampera is the future, until we have the hydrogen cars. You experience the electric power without worrying about the battery, this is what customers want!
However, there is a minor problem. Button on the central console are touch sensitive and it makes your life very hard while driving. With touch sensitive button, there are feedback from the button and you cannot be sure whether you pressed it or not. And also, accidental touch is unavoidable.
In general, I couldn’t find anything really annoying with Ampera. If I had the money, I would definitely ordered one today. It is fun, it very economical, it looks very good and it does offer a better experience than any other Vauxhall/Opel. You might be thinking, what about Fisker Karma? Fisker Karma is a luxury electric car with on-board generator and yes it does look better than Ampera and at them same time, more expensive.
Ampera is powered by a 73 PS electric motor, fuel is electric but you need to fill up petrol for generator. Fuel consumption is 1.3 lt/km (217.3 mpg) for extra-urban, 0.9 lt/km (315.9 mpg) for urban and 1.2 lt/km (235.4 mpg) for combined. And CO2 emission is only 27 gr/km.
Ampera Electron features;
Driver’s and front passenger’s airbags
Front seat side-impact airbags
Full-size curtain airbags
Driver’s and front passenger’s knee airbags
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with traction control and Emergency Brake Assist
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
CD/MP3 CD player with stereo radio
DAB digital radio
USB connection with iPod control
Aux-in socket
Hands-free mobile phone system with Bluetooth®
Multi-function trip computer
Electronic Climate Control (ECC)
Cruise control
Automatic lighting control
LED daytime running lights
Electric parking brake
Electrically operated front and rear windows
Electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors
17-inch five-Y-spoke alloy wheels with aero covers
Remote control security alarm
Leather seat facings with electrically heated front seats
Leather-covered steering wheel
Front and rear parking distance sensors
Rear view camera
Sat nav/DVD player
Sat nav system with voice activation
‘Pseudo 3D’ street level mapping for 20 European countries
Audio/video DVD player
Hard Drive Device (HDD) with 30GB music file capacity
Bose® ‘Energy Efficient Series’ sound system with six high-performance speakers and single subwoofer

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Audi R8 e-tron in Nürburgring Video

Audi R8 e-tron is the electric version of the Audi R8. For many people, electric powered Audi R8 is not something exciting or special, they want to feel the excitement of the petrol engine. I understand them very well and sometimes I agree with them.
However, world is changing so rapidly. A decade ago, mobile phones were no more than texting devices. Now, no one uses text messages, because we use our mobile phone like a computer! This rapid transition of the mobile phones and our ability to adapt this change shows that, electric powered sport car is not something far away and we will get use to them.
Audi R8 e-tron is a concept car powered by four individual electric motors. In total, R8 e-tron produces 308 PS and 4500 Nm of torque, needs only 4.8 seconds to reach 100 kph (62 mph) with 245 km (154 miles) of range.
And during February, Audi R8 e-tron manages to go around Nürburgring 8 minutes and 9 seconds. I never talk about Nürburgring lap times, because they are a bit senseless. You would never have opportunity to push those limits in everyday. However, this lap times is achieved by an electric car and shows that even the electric cars can go really fast.
Audi recently released the video of Audi R-8 e-tron’s lap in Nürburgring.
Picture’s Copyright
Audi

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BMW i Store in London with i3

BMW i Series started as a concept vehicles, moved to production and now there is a dealer for i Series. Couple of months ago I visited the BMW dealer in Park Lane, actually I couldn’t visit because it was under construction. I was thinking, BMW will refurbish the dealer and open again. However, it did not happen like that! BMW opened the first i Series Store in Park Lane, London.

Now, you have the opportunity to see the future of mobility by BMW in Park Lane, London. BMW i3 and i Pedelec bicycle. BMW i3 is powered by an electric motor with 170 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque with the top speed of 150 kph (95 mph). And BMW i Pedelec produces 250 W of power with 20 Nm of torque with the top speed of 25 kph (16 mph).

If you want to see more, visit the BMW i Store in Park Lane, London.

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BMW
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Cars

Fisker Karma

Fisker Karma is the first electric car with on-board generator. Electric car story started long time ago, during the end of 1800s, electric cars were more popular than petrol powered ones. As the electric cars were easier to drive and creates no smoke, people tend to like them more. However, things did not go as planned. As the years passed, electric car passed out and we end up with petrol power!
Since last two decade, there is always an electric car rumour. However, they could never resolve the problem of charging. With the present technology, charging takes long time and batteries cannot mobilise you for long journeys. So, there are several options for electric cars; have a very long charging cable or carry an generator or don’t drive or place a generator inside the vehicle.
The best option is the last one, hopefully Fisker thought the same. And, Fisker Karma is built on this concept. Fisker Karma is an electric car with a generator inside the car. Basically, 2-lt turbo petrol engine (260 PS) is there to generate electricity. There are no physically connections between the petrol engine and wheels of Fisker Karma. 2-lt petrol engine in Fisker Karma only charges the batteries if necessary.
Unlike other ugly electric car, Fisker Karma has a state-of-art exterior and interior design. Two electric engines provide 1300 Nm of torque from the stand still. This means, Fisker Karma accelerate more aggressively than a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, because Karma has more torque! Fisker Karma also has a limited-slip differential, 47/53 weight balance similar to Lamborghini, very high quality interior, Brembo brakes, pedestrian warning system (Karma warns pedestrians while going around the city), pressurised petrol tank to avoid any evaporated petrol to escape, ABS, traction control, stability control. The range of Fisker Karma is 50 miles / 80 km with pure electricity and with generator, 300 miles / 483 km; the roof is a solar roof to charge batteries. And the top speed of Fisker Karma is 125 mph / 200 kph.
Fisker Karma is really worth to buy car, it is not like other cheap looking electric cars. Karma offers a proper GT experience with contemporary technology. I am sure in future we will see cars like Fisker Karma more.

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Fisker
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Cars

Porsche 918 Spyder with Electric Power

Porsche 918 Spyder, this new Porsche will take the space after Carrera GT left the production. Porsche 918 Spyder is a totally new concept, unlike Carrera GT it does not run on only petrol power, Porsche 918 runs with electric power as well. There are two electric engines are placed in 918 Spyder, one in front axle (122 PS) and the other one in rear axle (108 PS) act as a hybrid and runs with petrol engine. Moreover, 4.6-lt V8 petrol engine is also present and produces 570 PS of power. The combination of electric and petrol engines deliver more than 770 PS of power to Porsche 918 with only 3lt/km of consumption level! In addition, batteries can be charged by plug-in but charging times are not announced yet. The top speed is more than 325 kph (200 mph).
918 Spyder will also feature adaptive rear-axle steering and fully adaptive aerodynamics. Rear-axle steering can be found in BMW cars today and improves the cornering and parking significantly. Adaptive aerodynamics will be similar to Bugatti Veyron’s adaptive rear spoiler; acting as an air brake and improve handling at high speed.
Porsche 918 Spyder will go into production end of September 2013 and first delivery will be before the end of 2013. Porsche will be using carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFPR) to manufacture 918 Spyder. This enables to reduce the weight significantly and improve consumption, better handling and also better safety in higher speeds. As a result of this new technologies, Porsche defines the 918 Spyder as minimum consumption and maximum of performance.
According to press release and technical information, Porsche 918 Spyder will create a path in super car segment. During 2000s; we saw Ferrari Enzo, Mercedes McLaren SLR, Porsche Carrera GT and Ford GT. Each of these cars developed and improved the meaning of super car, and in following years we will a new type of super car territory. 

Specifications of the Porsche 918 Spyder*

Body: Two-seater Spyder; carbon fibre reinforced plastics
(CFRP) monocoque interlocked with CFRP unit carrier;
two-piece Targa roof; fixed roll-over protection system.

Drivetrain: Parallel full hybrid; 4.6-litre V8 mid-engine with drysump
lubrication; hybrid module with electric motor and
decoupler; electric motor with decoupler and gear unit
on front axle; electrical system recuperation; four
cooling circuits for motors, transmission and battery;
thermal management.

Engine Power: > 570 hp (V8 engine)
~ 90 kW (hybrid module on rear axle)
~ 80 kW (electric motor on front axle)
> 770 hp (combined)

Suspension: Double-wishbone front axle; optional electro-pneumatic
lift system on front axle; electro-mechanical power
steering; multi-link rear axle with adaptive electromechanical
system for individual rear wheel steering

Brake system: High-performance hybrid brake system with adaptive
recuperation; ceramic brake discs (PCCB).

Energy supply: Lithium-ion battery with 6.8 kWh capacity (BOL
nominal), 202 kW maximum power and mainscompatible
plug-in charger.

Performance: Top speed > 325 km/h
purely electric > 150 km/h
Acceleration: 0 – 100 km/h < 3.0 s

Consumption
(NEDC): Total ~ 3.0 l/100 km
CO2 emissions: Total ~ 70 g/km
Range: Purely electric > 25 km
* Provisional specifications

Pictures’ and Video’s Copyrights
Porsche
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Cars

Commercial Vehicle Show 2012, Birmingham

Today for the first time I visited a commercial vehicle show, Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show 2012. Similar to passenger vehicle show, they were many new technologies and new vehicles, however I don’t have adequate knowledge to compare or judge the vehicles like I do it with passenger vehicles.

Commercial vehicles are totally different, even their marketing is different. People never buy a commercial vehicle because they want one, they buy it because they need one! This is the difference between passenger vehicle and commercial vehicles, wants and needs!

So, before the show finishes I highly suggest you to visit it. Because, you will see the new gorgeous Mercedes-Benz Actros, E-Vito (Electric powered), Unimog. Also, Citroën has a great show and one of the best stand in CV Show! You should see it. Ford revealed the new Tourneo and Transit, also they have a 3.2-lt diesel Ranger pick-up. Peugeot also features an electric vehicle. MAN features only two tow trucks but you can see how a diesel engine looks like from inside. Lastly, you can play a remote control LGV model and try to park in reverse! And there are lots of many industrial products that I am not interested at all. And some models!

Still, worth a visit :) It will be open until Thursday from 08:30 to 17:30
For more information: http://www.cvshow.com/webcontent/

For more photos: Cars & Life Facebook Page

 

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Cars

Justin Bieber’s Interpretation to Fisker

Have you ever listen to this song ?

If you are listening for the first time, this is Justing Bieber and now he is just 18-year old. He celebrates his 18th birthday with a car that is brighter than planet Venus at night. 
This is a full electric car with on-board power generator and covered with chrome. And Justin drove in to McDonalds to have vanilla milk shake and McChicken or BigMac menu with a state-of-art car.
Thanks TMZ to deliver this video :)

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Cars

Interview with Gavin Ward (BMW UK)

Today I visited the BMW UK Head Office for an interview with the PR Manager, Gavin Ward. Before I started, I want to mention one thing. If you are a real BMW enthusiast, you will love their parking space. There is only one car existing, and it is BMW. I have been to many car companies but I have never seen this type of fleet.
Since now, I did couple of interview and additionally I met with many PR managers from automotive industry. Most of them have similar working experience, the most exceptional ones have an engineering degree and moved to PR business. However, Gavin has an extra ordinary background! He has a journalism background, there is nothing unusual with this. But, he was war correspondent during the Kosovo war. Being a journalist during a war is probably one of the hardest jobs on earth. You need to search for news, then prepare it, send it and at the same time try to save your life. I think he is the calmest PR manager in this business, whatever happen cannot be as tough as those years.
This interview also was an opportunity for me to ask two questions that are inside my mind for last fifteen years! Why BMW never revealed a M7 and what happened to 8-Series. You will find the answers during the interview. Also, we talked about the Brutus. A car powered by an air plane engine. And explained why it was made!
I cannot skip the social media, he emphasised on the critical points of social media. BMW has one of the biggest fan communities in automotive industry and these fans can be their customers. Therefore, it places BMW brand into a different position. Ferrari might have more fans than BMW but, there is a little opportunity for fans to own a Ferrari. That’s the diversifying character of BMW community, a fan can be a customer. Therefore, I was curious how the social media has influence on the sales figures of BMW.
As usual, I asked what car he drives :) And I spotted a Bond car, BMW Z8!
And lastly, if you spot a BMW prototype on British roads don’t be shocked!

For more photos: Cars & Life Facebook Page

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Car of the Day 44: Mini E (Electric)

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Car of the Day # 26 Alfa Romeo Spider Matte

Some people don’t like it, some people love it! That’s that matte paint. I liked it with the Alfa Romeo Spider.