2012 BMW All-Electric ActiveE
The electromobility strategy of BMW today has been finally revealed with the delivery of the first all-electric ActiveE model in the US. More importantly BMW are happy to confirm that with the electric vehicles can absolutely serve one’s daily driving needs without compromise. The launch of the new all-electric BMW i model is expected in 2013.
To go further into details, the BMW’s electromobility development strategy began with the MINI E Field Trial in the summer of the year 2009. There were a lot of questions going on along with the launch of the MINI E. For instance, could a private individual live with an electric vehicle on a daily basis without changing their driving habits? The results were spectacular, because not only all of the MINI E pioneers proved without unquestioningly that it could be done, but also that doing so required no change in their daily routine! The only exception and difference was the plugging-in instead of stopping at the gas station.
The Moloughneys today became the first dealership who will lease a BMW ActiveE for a two year period. Deliveries will continue over the next several weeks. As already tested – the MINI E provided valuable information about the life with an EV; now is the BMW ActiveE lease period is prepared to be used to gather feedback that will be part of the development of the BMW i3 (the latter will come to market in 2013). More importantly, the ActiveE is the only car that is 100% Electric and 100% BMW. And it will definitely provide the performance and efficiency everyone has come to expect from The Ultimate Driving Machine®. It has an output of 170 hp (125 kW) and maximum torque of 184 lb-ft (250 Nm) from a standstill. Hence, it is possible for the BMW ActiveE to accelerate from 0–60 mph in under nine seconds. Moreover, newly developed lithium-ion batteries facilitate a driving range of up to 100 miles on a full charge.
BMW Group makes a big step towards an emission-free, mass-produced electric vehicle with the launch of this BMW ActiveE. Within the framework of project i, the BMW Group is carrying out research and development work on the development of electrically powered vehicles. The next step will be the BMW i3, which is prepared for launching in 2013. The design of the vehicle will meet the demands of a sustainable mobility solution for congested urban areas. Therefore the drive components and battery technology that are going be used in the BMW i3 are now being tested in the BMW ActiveE. However the ongoing field tests involving more than 600 MINI E cars, have already given important information about the demands on future electrically powered production vehicles. Beginning with year in the US, Europe and China, a test fleet of over 1100 BMW ActiveE vehicles, produced at BMW’s Leipzig plant, will provide further valuable insights into the everyday use of the vehicle. Furthermore, the feedback from customers driving the MINI E and the BMW ActiveE will be used directly into series production of the BMW i3.
Source: BMW
Mitsubishi to Launch Eight Electric Vehicles by 2016, Including a Light Truck
Mitsubishi has achieved decent quantities of success with the i-MiEV electric vehicle in its house land, and also in Europe, exactly where this model is also sold badged as a Peugeot iOn. Subsequent month, the i-MiEV will be going on sale in America (called just the “i” in our market place), which will no doubt increase sales numbers of this revolutionary commuter vehicle. Not ones to rest on their laurels, Mitsubishi has announced an ambitious plan to electrify themselves, by producing eight electric-vehicles by 2016. These will include plug-in hybrids and total electric cars. Part of this new strategy is to generate little SUV’s and light trucks which will attract farmers, contractors, and others who use light trucks as component of their perform. Mitsubishi is well below way with this new project, and expects to place its electrical truck on sale globally by April 2013.
Originally appeared on: Autoguide.com
Battery supplier for Fisker Karma says there may be potential safety issue
Massachusetts primarily based A123 Systems, a creates of batteries for electric-vehicles, said that it has located a ‘potential safety issue’ in the batteries that it supplies to Fisker Automotive for its Karma plug-in hybrid sedan.
Examine out out Best 10 things you need to have to know about the Fisker Karma.
The business stated that hose clamps that are portion of the internal cooling system of its batteries provided to Fisker have been ‘misaligned’ and may trigger coolant to leak. The leak could lead to an electrical brief circuit.
Click right here for more news on the Fisker Karma.
“We have developed a confirmed repair for this predicament,” stated CEO David Vieau. He mentioned that the firm has began fixing the fewer than 50 automobiles that have been affected. He stated the company’s connection with ‘Fisker’ still ‘remains sturdy.’
2012 Fisker Karma Pedestrian Warning Sound
You asked for it, you got it. Our very short stint in the 2012 Fisker Karma didn’t allow time to produce a full video of the pedestrain warning sound it makes, but we did have time to shoot a short clip with something better than a camera phone.
Here I’m entering our shop in electric mode or, as Fisker calls it, “Stealth” mode. The sound you hear is a somewhat louder than it really is outdoors because I’m entering an enclosed space where it can reverberate off the concrete block walls.
Two speakers emit the noise: One under the front bumper (not inside the grille, but under and behind) and another the center of the rear bumper. Two diamond-shaped cutouts in the rear bumper LOOK like should be the speakers, and they’re even labelled “hybrid Hz”, but they’re fakes.
To me the sound is has elements of a P-51 Mustang squadron flyover, Tron lightcycle, 2001: A Space Odyssey monolith and that Droid phone commercial noise looped in midstream.
This only happens in EV mode at speeds under 25 mph. Volume and pitch rises and falls with speed to a subtle yet effectve extent, and it fades down (but not out) at idle. Or whatever you call “idle” when an electric car stops at a red light.
In Tokyo, Honda Reveals Details of Push Toward 30 Percent Emissions Cut by 2020
Published December 2, 2011
Honda AC-X Concept.
At the Tokyo Motor Show this week, carmakers revealed the usual array of concepts ranging from fuel cell sedans to electric sports cars. Honda plays this game as well as any major carmaker, and this year brought an electrified version of its Fit subcompact, an electric Micro Commuter Concept that somewhat resembles a Renault Twizy, a 100-mile-range electric roadster similar in size and style to the Honda S2000, and a plug-in hybrid concept called the Honda Advanced Cruiser-X (AC-X), similar in functionality to Toyota’s forthcoming Prius HPV plug-in hybrid.
But beyond the concepts, Honda president Takanobu Ito’s message to reporters at Tokyo this year was focused on the near term, namely the period between model year 2012 and 2020―by which time Honda has pledged to reduce average emissions of its vehicles by 30 percent. When asked whether Honda plans to keep pace with Nissan’s electric vehicle program and its goal of selling 1.5 million electrics by 2015, Ito urged a broader view of green vehicle technologies, which by his company’s vision include electric vehicles but are by no means centered around them.
“If you think about the concept EVs introduced by Honda at this Tokyo Motor Show, you see that electric cars are important. I will not deny that,” said Ito. “But when you consider the performance of batteries, the charging times, plus the cost of batteries, I think pure EVs would be best for compact, very small cars.”
For larger vehicles―which will undeniably continue play a significant role in the consumer automotive market for the foreseeable future―Honda favors hybrid technology like that that will be featured in the newly resurrected Accord hybrid, which will reportedly go on sale in Japan next year. The original Accord hybrid was a flop in the U.S. thanks to its $ 3,000 price premium and relatively low fuel economy compared to other hybrids. Though the car offered superior performance and more roominess than other gas-electrics and offered considerable fuel savings compared to the standard Accord V6, hybrid shoppers favored cars at the higher end of the efficiency spectrum, like the Prius.
For the forthcoming Accord hybrid, Honda has developed a new dedicated powertrain for mid- and large-sized vehicles that includes an updated continuously variable transmission and a new variable valve timing system, which transitions the engine from Atkinson cycle timing for highway driving to a standard Otto cycle for improved performance in the city.
Out of Business: EV Maker Aptera Powers Down
Aptera, the would-be manufacturer of a streamlined, plastic-bodied electric car, has closed its doors after failing to raise $ 150 million in private investment to activate a federally guaranteed loan commitment for an additional $ 150 million.
The Southern California based company made waves with a three-wheeled, bicycle-fendered, teardrop-shaped EV but said today that it had quietly developed a prototype mid-size four-door sedan using the same composite materials and electric drive technology developed for the three-wheeler. It was that vehicle, said Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur, that had won the company the Energy Departments commitment for a $ 150 million loan guarantee, conditioned on the company raising a matching amount in the private investment market.
The economy just wasnt with us, Wilbur told Edmunds.com. We were hampered by the global economic condition and by a strict non-disclosure agreement with the Energy Department that prohibited Aptera from telling potential investors about the matching loan. He said the prototype Aptera sedan was tested at 130 miles of range on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery and used a industry-first direct recharging system that allowed the battery pack to be recharged directly from any 240-volt outlet in about an hour.
BMW Considering Selling i-Models Online
With the launch of BMW‘s next-generation i-models, the German car manufacturer is also looking for new ways to sell its lineup of green machines. Tim Abbott, BMW’s UK Managing Director, has expressed an interest in more flexible test drive times, a mobile sales force for the i-models, and turning to the Internet for online sales.
Abbott spoke about how test drives could become more flexible, with catering to customers at odd hours of the day and taking the vehicle to them for a test drive. But more importantly is BMW’s hope to turn online for future car sales for the BMW brand. “That could even stretch to selling cars online, with the back up of our existing dealers of course. eBay manages it, so why can’t manufacturers sell cars online too?” Abbott said.
Lastly, BMW is also looking into changing the usual three-year buying cycle around, possibly offering customers the ability to swap out their electric vehicles for a more flexible sedan (5-Series for example) when the customer wants to take a long trip. Essentially a system of car swapping could be possible with just a 12-hour notice.
Will BMW successfully spearhead the change of convention dealerships and having to deal with a physical salesperson to purchase a car? We sure hope so, everything else can be bought online these days.
