Kia Ray EV becomes Korea’s first production electric-car
Kia nowadays introduced Korea’s 1st electric-vehicle with the new Ray EV a model that is capable of traveling 86 miles on a single charge. The Kia Ray EV, which will be assembled on the same production lines as the normal model, will very first see a restricted production of 2,500 units in 2012 for use by government companies.
The front-wheel-drive Kia Ray EV is powered by a 50 kW electric-motor that gets its fuel from a 16.four kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack that the organization says is engineered for a ten-year lifestyle cycle. With a peak torque of 123 lb-ft, the Kia Ray EV runs from to 62 mph in a long 15.9 seconds with a leading speed of 81 mph.
Recharging time comes in at 6 hours when employing a 220V outlet and 25 minutes when employing a quick-charging mode.
Although in D mode, drivers have the solution of selected the Eco or Brake mode. The Eco mode certainly optimizes delivery of torque to maximize the use of miles provided by the battery. B mode makes it possible for for downhill driving on highways and mountain roads.
There are at the moment 500 slow/fast charging stations in Korea and the government plans on growing that amount to 3,a hundred by the finish of 2012.
Fisker Karma Prices Go Up Again
Looks like Fisker hikes the prices on the Karma by seven grand each year. In December 2010 we had the first hike, and now comes the second.
The luxury electric car started out with an $ 87,900 price tag for the base Eco Standard model, which in 2010 went up to $ 95,900. Back then the Karma was still in prototype phase. Now though as it’s starting to arrive in the dealerships and to the customers, it’s $ 102,000, not including a $ 950 destination and handling charge.
Likewise, the Eco Sport goes up from $ 103,900 to $ 110,000, and the top of the line Eco Chic from $ 108,900 to $ 116,000, again not including the shipping charge.
So if you want a Fisker Karma you better get one now before they put another 7 grand on it! Still, people who might be interested in buying the Karma will not be put off by this price hikes. Especially the Hollywood elite who have finally found a decent eco car to replace the dreadful Prius with.
Fox News via InsideLine
2012 Renault Fluence Z.E. wants to be the highest selling electric car of 2012
New electric sedan Renault Fluence Z.E. in nearly to comes in many Europe’s dealerships from early 2012. When you drive It appears like a normal car either on the aesthetic and on the inside. But the Fluence Z.E. is an electric vehicle and in addition is technically the world’s most in-demand electric car with a massive production plan of 100,000 units and the aim to be the highest-selling electric car of 2012.
The Renault Fluence is equipped with a wealth of standard equipment including 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, navigation system, MP3 radio with steering wheel controls, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control and rear parking sensors. Among listed options the Metal body-color (about € 500), extra charging cable (about € 480 euro), exclusive leather seats (about € 1,500), curtains and sunshading rear window(about € 150). The price of the “Dynamique” version, which is the only one available at launch is € 28,000.
Powerplant, economy and technical details of the new Fluence Z.E.
Renault has decided to sell the Fluence Z.E. with a program that include leased battery pack, break down free of charge, plus some insurance services as an alternative car and one-night in a hotel for waiting the repair. These agreement will offer the disadvantage of running costs but solves the problems over degrading or drained battery pack. French carmaker stated the battery pack can be hired at a price depending on the market. For instance in UK the cost is £81 per month for up to 9.000 miles per year, while in Italy is € 82 for 72 months or up to 148 euros for one year and 25 thousand kilometers. Renault also claims that maintenance costs will be around 20 per cent less with its electric sedan compared to the other standard cars with conventional engines. What’s more owners don’t have to pay congestion charge where applied.
Mitsubishi Pushes Up Roll-Out For ‘i’ Electric Car
Published December 8, 2011
By Jeff Cobb
Earlier this week we saw how a startup electric vehicle maker dropped out of business saying support for the market is weak, but don’t try telling that to Mitusubishi.
The far-more deep pocketed company said it will push up plans for nationwide roll out for its four-door electric i from an originally planned December 2012 nationwide roll out to June 2012.
The plug-in commuter will be here six months sooner perhaps in part because it is six thousand dollars less than a Nissan Leaf while offering only 11 miles less EPA estimated range (62 vs. 73).
2012 Holden Volt makes early debut: circa-$40,000 price potential
The 2012 Holden Volt electric car has made its debut in Australia a year ahead of its showroom launch as the local car maker begins the hype for a vehicle it calls an industry ‘game changer’.
Holden unveiled the Volt to the Australian media in Sydney today, though the vehicles are actually rebadged left-hand-drive Chevrolet versions of the car.
The cars can only be driven legally on Australian roads by Holden employees so media and politicians invited to the launch – the latter comprising Federal Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Anthony Albanese and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore MP – were restricted to trying the Volt in the confines of a warehouse.
The local car maker is only likely to sell a few hundred units annually, but says the Volt, which will still look similar to the design of the Chevrolet version, is more about changing perceptions of the brand to closer associate Holden with cutting-edge technology.
“The notion of making early-term profits on massive capital investments like Volt … I think GM is on record that isn’t about making near-term or short-term profits,” says Holden boss Mike Devereux. “This is a long-term investment by the company in what we think will become one of the pathways to the future of motoring.
2012 Mitsubishi i Ranked Top in Fuel Economy
The Toyota Prius has lost its crown as the most fuel-efficient vehicle.
When the EPA published the 2012 Annual Fuel Economy Guide that revealed the new fuel economy leader as the all-electric 2012 Mitsubishi i with an official EPA rating of 112 for combined mpg. Of course there’s a footnote explaining that “since electricity is not measured in gallons, a conversion factor is used to translate the fuel economy into miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe)”.
To be fair, the EPA also lists the leading conventional vehicles (now including hybrids) in each class where an electric vehicle trounces the opposition. Since the Mitsubishi i is classified as a subcompact, it is the Chevrolet Sonic and Ford Fiesta that are tied in second place with a 33 mpg rating.
A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to test drive a 2012 Mitsubishi i around Portland and I was quite enamored with the i as a city car. As with all all-electric cars maximum torque is available the instant you press the gas pedal, sorry I mean accelerator. This provides a lively performance that makes it feel much faster than a stopwatch might reveal. In fact, without trying too hard, I found myself easily beating other drivers away from traffic lights. Of course, I did not come up against any high performance cars but in regular driving there is nothing wrong with an electric car. In fact there’s a lot to like.
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area you could get to drive a Mitsubishi i without having to purchase one. Today Mitsubishi Motors North America and San Rafael Mitsubishi made the first fleet delivery of the i to City CarShare, which is a Bay Area nonprofit organization founded in 2001.
Ferrari Millenio Concept: A design study on what an Italian electric supercar could look like
What if Ferrari started going down the electric-vehicle route? Well, at that point I’d probably turn in my driving gloves for a motorcycle – unless design was the only thing that attracted me to a vehicle. That seems to be the case for me with what you see here – the Ferrari Millenio Concept.
The concept is a design study created by Marko Petrovic and shows his take on what a future Ferrari with an electric-motor could look like.
The car is a two-seater with lightweight design and futures several pieces combined in one. No technical specs are available and frankly I’m too busy and amazed by the design that I really don’t care what electric powertrain is under the hood.
