Electric Car Blogging

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, UK

Click above for more images of Top Gear’s crashed G-Wiz

Top Gear has never been kind to the G-Wiz, that electric Quadricycle that’s only available across the pond in Europe. In this video, Jeremy Clarkson - star of the U.K. Top Gear shows - definitively proves that a table is a better, faster and safer mode of transportation. But, that’s not the only time that Top Gear has tested the G-Wiz’s safety. In this video, Top Gear tested the electric vehicle’s crashworthiness by smashing one head-first into a concrete barrier at 40 miles per hour. Considering that the G-Wiz is not required to meet safety regulations - it is not intended to be driven at high speeds - the results are rather predictable, but a bit scary nonetheless. After the test, it seems that the wrecked G-Wiz EV was ignominiously left for dead at the Top Gear offices in the U.K. Anybody interested in picking up a slightly used, though still currently registered, G-Wiz can check the eBay auction here. Proceeds go to the Children in Need charity.

[Sources: eBay, Top Gear]

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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Tesla Motors

Tesla’s SVP of marketing Darryl Siry has been on another sales tour of Europe filling in the magazines over there on the company’s future product plans. For the most part there was nothing new that we haven’t already reported on here over the past year. The upcoming Model S (formerly known as WhiteStar) will not be sharing a platform with any existing vehicle. That doesn’t mean every single component of the car will be completely bespoke. It wouldn’t make financial sense to build every single part just for this one car, so parts like brakes, steering hardware and perhaps even some suspension bits will be borrowed from other cars. According to Siry, the Model S design is about 90 percent done.

For the Model S and future programs, Tesla’s engineers have reconfigured the battery pack to make it more practical for different body configurations. The Roadster’s pack is upright and sits in the middle of the car behind the passenger compartment. For the new car, a low-slung pack that fits under the floor will be used. When we contacted Siry he declined to comment on whether Tesla would continue to use the laptop type cells for the new pack or switch to one of the new larger format cells being designed for automotive use. The under-floor setup mirrors the configuration being used by many other EV manufacturers. Continue reading after the jump.

[Sources: AutoCar, CAR, Tesla Motors]

Continue reading Tesla talking about future product plans with Brit magazines, no SUV coming

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

click to visit AutoblogGreen

A legal loophole lies behind the current generation of three-wheeled vehicles and has led to a few important questions: Are they legal? Should they be? Answers to these questions will be coming as legislators and companies work things out, but we can certainly answer today whether this customized Prius was a good idea (no). Schools around the country, meanwhile, have come to the conclusion that four-day school weeks are brilliant. Where were high gas prices when I was in school?

• Why make three-wheeled vehicles? Are they legal? Should they be?
• Customized Prius proves that hybrids and common sense do not correlate
• When it comes to hybrid batteries, it’s the U.S. of dependency
• 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDIs now available for customer delivery
• Maine pulls ZAP Xebra registration despite compliance with the law
• Jetstream SC250: An ethanol-capable track-day tool
• Volkswagen gives environmental awards to employees
• Imperium faces new setback with loss of major contract
• Ford’s EcoBoost engines reportedly to cost 0 extra
• Electric Pinto only explodes off the starting line
• Suzuki to introduce E100-capable flex-fuel models in 2010
• AltWheels returns to Boston area next month
• Chinese company begins exporting hydrogen mopeds
• Volt design director Bob Boniface to chat on GMNext Tuesday
• Schools go to four-day school week, make lots of other cuts thanks to high fuel prices

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet

Click above to watch a video with slides of the production Chevy Volt

We got our first sneak peek at the production Chevy Volt last week, but a recent presentation by Bob Boniface, director of design for the Volt, has revealed a bit more. We’ve pasted a video of the presentation and slide show after the break, and in it Boniface notes how the concept’s straight lines and tight corners have been smoothed over and rounded out in an effort to reduce turbulence. This streamlining improves the Volt’s fuel mileage, range on electricity and the amount of regenerative braking that can be captured. Also seen for the first time is a rear shot of the Volt, showing a pronounced “vertical fin,” and a new rear spoiler design. Likewise, the side-view mirrors’ mounting arrangement was revised for reduced aerodynamic drag. These changes, along with countless others which have not been fully revealed, have allowed the Volt’s engineers and designers to increase EV-only range by six to seven miles.

While we’re salivating over all the little tidbits of information on the Volt, we look forward to its official debut expected in Paris at the Motor Show this October. However, recent rumors indicate that the extended-range electric-vehicle could be seen at GM’s Centennial celebration on September 16. Thanks for the tip, Emil!

[Sources: GM-Volt, Green Fuels Forecast, The Detroit Free Press]

Continue reading VIDEO: Larger of view of production Volt, debut at centennial?

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Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Green, Volkswagen

Lovers of both fuel mileage and torque can finally rest easy; Volkswagen of America is now officially selling its 50-State-approved, clean diesel engine in either the Jetta sedan for ,990 or Jetta SportWagen wrappers for ,590. Equipped with the six-speed DSG transmission, both Jetta gets an EPA rating of 29 miles per gallon in the city and 40 on the highway. We expect to see better real-world numbers, though we’re a bit wary of VW’s advertising its alternate rating of 38/44 — a number that is impossible to compare with anything else currently available. In any case, the ,000 premium for the TDI engine will be lessened somewhat by the Fed’s ,300 tax credit which applies to either TDI model. Look for an early test of the oil-burner on these pages shortly.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Diesel rush begins: VW Jetta TDI now being delivered

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