Go green, go Tesla

Honda and Toyota aren’t the only ones making green cars… Tesla’s Roadster is a superb sportscar and its fully electric!


Who doesn’t like a powerful sports car? But after the ex-communication of SUVs, the fuel guzzling sports cars have started attracting some dirty looks. In India, of course, seeing a sports car is, in itself, an event that warranties more awe than derision. But elsewhere in US$137-a-barrel land (read USA), you will probably catch people lower their heads when confronted with a sports car and look away, hoping to be caught admiring a more efficient Honda or Toyota sedan.

Thankfully, due to some innovative companies, sports-cars needn’t go the same way as the SUVs and pick-ups. They could turn hybrid, still retain the power and looks and get to be trendsetters. Like the Tesla Roadster.

All in the name

You might have heard of Tesla Motors, based in San Carlos, California. And if you have ever read up on green cars, then you have come across the Roadster as the only in-production completely electric sportscar.

The story goes that more than a century ago when Thomas Edison was fiddling around with direct current he had an argument with a Serbian immigrant, Nikola Tesla over a payment of US$ 50,000. While no one is really sure if Edison finally paid or didn’t pay the amount to Tesla, what is known is that Tesla went on to champion the alternating current. Edison meanwhile unveiled the very first nickel-iron electric car battery but it didn’t work out. Apt then, that a century later, the concept of electric cars panned out and the first real electric sports car is called Tesla.

The Tesla Roadster looks like any other sportscar trying to make its mark. It’s sleek with curving lines and some surprising touches. Like the ‘gills’ in the front or the angular wing mirrors or the indented rear bonnet. And it looks very familiar. If you are wondering why, it’s because the Roadster has been developed with the help of Lotus Cars, which extended the chassis of the Lotus Elise to fit in the 1,000-pound Roadster battery. To counteract the added weight, engineers decided for a full carbon fibre body, making it lighter and affordable. The Roadster is less than 10 per cent of the Elise, except for the windshied, airbags, tyres and some dashboard parts. The rest is all genuine Tesla.

The car itself has undergone numerous prototypes from 2004 and 2007. While the batteries have proven excellent, Tesla has had to do more work on the transmission. Already, the second version is being used in production models and a third and fourth versions are under development. The blogosphere is abuzz with how Tesla might counteract a weak transmission and what options they have. But for all that the car still hits from 0-100 in a little more than 4 seconds, good enough for a sportscar, you think?

The genius under the hood

Clearly, the most amazing part of the car is the 3-phase, 4-pole electric motor that develops a maximum power of 248 bhp and a maximum torque of 270 Nm, as good as any other sportscar! What’s more, if you were to compare the efficiency of the motor to a regular petrol one, the Tesla Roadster delivers a whopping 24 kmpl! That is almost 1.5 times higher than the Toyota Prius, the current icon for green cars. On full charge, the 6831-cell, lithium ion battery will give a run of 350 km. Tesla even claims that the Roadster’s efficiency is six times that of rival sports cars (though they don’t really take names) and that its CO2 emissions are ten times less. If green is not enough, Tesla even has thought out the laptop-battery-blowing-up scenario. The cells are all liquid cooled by the same time-tested refrigerant used in ACs and the cells are even immersed in 27 square metres of surface area to squelch any hot spots that might otherwise be left out.

Kick off

The Tesla Roadster created a huge buzz with all serious motorists when it finally went into production in March this year. Self-confessed motoholic Jay Leno said, “If you like sports cars and you want to be green, this is the only way to go. The Tesla is a car that you can live with, drive and enjoy as a sports car. I had a brief drive in the car and it was quite impressive. This is an electric car that is fun to drive.”

A more serious Motortrend aptly capped it all when it wrote that the car was not only undeniably efficient but would be ‘profoundly humbling to just about any rumbling Ferrari or Porsche that makes the mistake of pulling up next to a silent, 105-mpg Tesla Roadster at a stoplight.’ For our part, we can’t wait for the Roadster to make it to India.

Volvo to introduce plug-in diesel-electric hybrid by 2012

Volvo will launch its first series-production plug-in hybrid car in 2012

According to a press release from Volvo, the Swedish car manufacturer will launch its first series-production plug-in hybrid car by 2012. This vehicle will be fitted with a fuel-efficient diesel engine and a lithium-ion battery-powered electric motor, and its combined range would be about 1,200km.

According to the statement from Volvo, ‘Pure electric power from the battery will cover the daily transport needs of 75% of drivers. For longer distances, an efficient diesel hybrid engine will automatically take over when the battery energy levels start to run low. CO2 emissions will be less than 50g/km while mileage figures would be around 148.6mpg.’

‘The new Volvo plug-in will be a truly enjoyable car to drive, featuring Volvo's high safety and comfort standards. At the same time, CO2 levels and fuel consumption will be as low as half that available on the market today,’ says Stephen Odell, President and CEO of Volvo Cars.

GM’s New Hope in Chevy Volt

General Motors have long recovered from bankruptcy and rearing to show the world its grit in car manufacturing. The proposed launch of the electric vehicle, like none before, is a very good example of this above statement.

Brushing aside the fact that seeing is believing and taking into consideration the past glory of the company one could believe that the assured car from GM, Chevrolet Volt, will be seen in the roads by 2010, as per the promise.

The car has many peculiarities and it is expected to mark a strong comeback by General Motors. The Volt being an electric car and is also an eco-friendly car. By 2010 or 2011, it is expected that the demand for electric cars will increase and General Motors, as it looks, believes in this prophecy.

The Volt is a hybrid car that runs on lithium-ion batteries, the best to start with to begin the list of specialties. The car, like other electric cars, need not be taken to a station for charging their batteries.

The batteries could be charged through electric power or gasoline engine, at the comfort of your home of office or where ever you are, because it just needs a 120-240V AC electrical outlet. It certainly looks like General Motors has bounced back in the big league once more.

The Chevy Volt is powered by a 150 hp electric motor and a 1.4 liter 4 cylinder engine, and with the fully charged batteries of the Volt one can commute around 40 miles.

With more than a handful of hybrid cars and more to be launched by 2011, it could be a tough sailing for the Volt.

New Electric Car in India by 2011

Bavina Cars India, a new electric car company, is setting up its manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu. It will launch its new electric car model in India by 2011. Tamil Nadu State government has already allotted 100 acres of land in Special Economic Zone in Ranipat which is currently being promoted by the State Industries Promotion Corp of Tamil Nadu. With an initial investment of Rs.300 crores, the company will be able to roll out 25,000 units annually from 2011.
Currently, the electric car market in India is dominated by sole player Reva Electric Car Company. Reva also marks its strong presence in the overseas markets, especially the UK. With the launch of new models in the country and a competitor, India will have now have more options to choose from.
The overseas model for electric cars is also quite fresh and even Tata Motors is also planning to launch its electric car this year.

Tata Motors Reveals New Indica EV at Bologna Motor Show, Boasts 124 Mile Range

Debuting at this week's Bologna Motor Show was an all-new electric vehicle by India's Tata Motors called the Indica EV. The plug-in model was built as a result of the automaker's recent majority ownership of Norwegian electric-vehicle-technology company Miljo Grenland/Innovasjon.



Tata's EV employs high capacity lithium ion batteries featuring what the brand calls super polymer cells. With these advanced power supplies, Tata says the small four-passenger car can travel 200 km (124 mi) on a single eight hour charge and can hit 60 mph in a claimed less than 10 sec.

Currently no price has been set, as further testing is still underway. Tata expects to launch the Indica EV next summer.

More 1 Lakh Cars Coming to Compete with Nano!

Tata Motors recently shifted its Nano project to Gujarat from Singur in West Bengal. It seems troubles for their much awaited car are not over as yet. The new electric car, Oreva E, to be launched seems to pose tough competition to world’s most awaited car, Tata Nano. The Gujarat based Ajanta Group recently announced the impending launch of another Rs. 1 lakh car in the India auto market.

Ajanta Manufacturing currently manufactures electric bikes in India which are quite popular and very successful as well. Now they will be making their foray in the small car segment as well. Ajanta has announced to launch their new electric car, Oreva E, in India priced at Rs. 1 Lakh.

"After registering a strong presence in the e-bike segment, we are set to enter the electric-car category," said Oreva e-car dealer Yogesh Tank. "In fact, we have designed the car to rival Nano. That is why Oreva E will be available within the Rs 1 lakh price range," said Tank. On the other hand, Jaysukh Patel, Managing Director, Ajanta Manufacturing Ltd. refused to comment.

Europe awaiting Nano car’s electric version

Though the fate of Tata Motors’ Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal still hangs in a limbo, nations around the world still want to see the cheapest car driving on their roads at the earliest; preferably in its battery-operated, environment-friendly version.

“I can say that alike other nations, entire Europe is also eagerly awaiting the commercial launch of Nano. But keeping in mind the adverse impact of carbon dioxide (Co2) on environment, it would be advisable to have Nano’s electric version. I hope Tata (Ratan) is working on it,” said European Commission’s Director General for Energy and Transport Matthias Ruete.

Emission-free transport

Talking to The Hindu during his recent visit to India, where he forged ties for cooperation in the field of energy and transport between the European Union and India, Mr. Ruete said keeping in mind the growing cost of fuel, electric (battery operated) engine was the only solution to emission-free transport.

Informing that European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, has been working on a sustainable transport policy that aims at reducing of Co2 emissions and transform public transport, Mr. Ruete said decades ago the industry favoured combustion engine over electric engine as the price of fuel was never an issue, but things have changed now.

Moving backwards

“We are now moving backwards. And once we get the right battery technology for our automotive industry, we will be moving back directly to electric cars or indirectly to fuel cells or hydrogen-operated vehicles,” he added.

Predicting that in another 20 years electric cars will enjoy a good share in the market, Mr. Ruete said new efficient trams were being developed.

“I think soon logistics and delivery system in cities would be shifted to electric vehicles. More hi-speed trains would become integral part of public transport. The whole transport industry and businesses are working on developing new fuel-efficient models. We are also working on finding an alternative to kerosene,” he said, underlying the efforts being taken by the EU to reduce emissions.

Intermediate steps

Talking about alternate source of fuel, Mr. Ruete said bio-fuels or other source like CNG or LPG were only intermediate steps that can could work with existing technologies, but more comprehensive solutions were needed.

Stating that there was no necessary link between higher food prices and bio-fuels, though it might have a link in case of corn, Mr. Ruete said EU wanted that land being used for food production should not be used for bio-fuel production.

“We have to make sure that wasteland and spare land are used for bio-fuel production. We need to have an overall balance. We need to generate second generation bio-fuels from straw or other materials,” he added.

Reva Car Co to hold petrol to electric car exchange mela

Bangalore-based REVA Electric Car Company (RECC), India’s first electric car manufacturer, is organising the first ever “Petrol to Electric Car Exchange Mela” in Bangalore on September 13-14, at its showroom. This will be the first time where customers can actually exchange their petrol cars for a brand new electric car – the REVAi.

R.Chandramouli, President, Sales and Marketing, RECC said, “RECC is really proud to bring the first ever petrol to electric car exchange offer to customers in India. It is a big step towards fulfilling the growing need for a suitable, cost effective, environment friendly transportation alternative. Besides protecting our customer’s pockets; going for electric cars is also friendly to the environment.”

The evaluation for exchanged cars will be done by Mahindra First Choice, a used car dealer. The State Bank of India, which is the partner for this exchange fair will be present at showroom to assist customers on finance matters. REVA has an electric car manufacturing plant in Bangalore with an installed capacity to manufacture 6,000 cars per annum.

2009 Paris Motor Show

Nissan to Present a New View of its Future

A world premiere of a futuristic concept car and of an all-new production car, as well as a heavily revised version of an existing model will be the stars of Nissan’s 2008 Paris Motor Show. All the stars of the show share a philosophy of tackling the reality of mobility in and around the city, today, tomorrow and in the more distant future.

Nuvu
Nissan’s vision for the future of urban transportation is encapsulated in Nuvu, literally a ‘new view’ of the type of car we will be driving in the middle of the next decade. Compact – it’s just 3 metres long – Nuvu is a concept vehicle with unique 2+1 seating. It is aimed at urban dwellers who don’t want to compromise on their personal freedom or their comfort, yet who appreciate that there is a need for a dramatic change in the way we move around our cities.

Nuvu is an electric vehicle, is agile, easy to drive and even easier to park. It represents Nissan’s commitment to electric vehicle technology, considering that Nissan has already announced that it will present a production-ready EV at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, with sales due to start in Japan and North America in 2010.

Whilst Nuvu is not that car, it does share some of the technology that will feature in the planned production vehicle. The vehicle shown at Paris Motor Show incorporates a witty representation of its green credentials: across its all-glass roof are a dozen or so small solar panels. Shaped like leaves on a branch, the power they generate is fed to the battery using a ‘tree trunk’ within the car as a conduit. Nuvu also uses natural, organic and recycled materials within the cabin.

Nuvu is compact on the outside yet roomy on the inside. Built on a unique platform, it’s just 3 metres long and sits on a wheelbase of 1980 mm but is 1700 mm tall and 1550 mm wide to create a large and airy cabin. These dimensions provide all the interior room needed for the vast majority of city journeys. Nuvu has two regular seats and a third occasional chair that can be folded down when required. But, unlike some two-seater city cars currently on the market, it is a thoroughly practical proposition with an integral luggage area providing sufficient space for a typical supermarket or shopping expedition.

“Nuvu is a concept car, for sure, but it is an entirely credible vehicle,” says Francois Bancon, General Manager, Exploratory and Advanced Planning Department, Product Strategy and Product Planning Division, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. “It is light, clean and easy to drive. It is practical and a sensible size, yet it also embodies an element of fun: the future doesn’t look so bad, after all.”

Pixo
Continuing the theme of compact urban motoring, with outstanding green credentials – but this time for the more immediate future, Pixo is an accessible city car which offers low emissions and consumption at an extremely accessible price. Pixo is a five-door, four-seater with a roomy interior and generous luggage space thanks to its efficient design and packaging. It has a lively highly efficient three cylinder 1.0-litre engine. Thanks to its brand new lightweight construction, with resulting benefits in performance, very low fuel consumption and emissions.



Pixo will be among the best value eco-cars in the small city car category.

Pixo is 3565 mm long, 1470 mm tall and 1600 mm wide. It has a wheelbase of 2360 mm. Built in collaboration with Suzuki Motor Corporation, at state-of-the art facilities in Delhi, India.

Pixo is a brand new four-seater competing in the fast growing A-segment. Unlike some of its immediate rivals, however, Pixo is far from a micro car. It has five doors to ease ingress and egress to and from the rear seats but remains sufficiently compact to be agile to be ideal for city driving.

Unusually in this class, Pixo is also available with a full four-speed automatic, reinforcing its suitability as a town car that’s perfectly capable of longer journeys when needed. Sales start in late spring 2009.

Suzuki plans shifting research, development to India

The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India, Tuesday said its Japanese parent Suzuki Motor Corp.

Suzuki wants to shift the bulk of its research and development work on cars with engine capacity of 1200cc or lower to India.“Now 60-70 percent of it is being developed in Japan. Suzuki wants to develop 90 percent in India,” company chairman R.C. Bhargava told a shareholder’s meeting here.

He, however, did not give any time frame.

The company also sees a greater focus on fuel-efficient small cars, hybrids, electric and multi-fuel cars, but has no plans to launch an ultra-cheap small car.

Tata Motors is scheduled to roll out the world’s cheapest car, Nano, for Rs.100,000 - or $2,500 - next month.

Maruti Suzuki said due to higher input costs, it sold 59,908 units in August compared to 65,968 units in the same month last year, a fall of 9.2 percent in sales - reflecting the single-largest decline in the past 30 months.

Electric car from Mahindra and Mahindra in India by 2010

India automaker Mahindra and Mahindra plans on introducing four-seater electric car for India, which is expected to hit the roads by 2010. However, power shortage and electric-drive in the country may cause problems.

The Indian Auto major, Mahindra and Mahindra, known for their sturdy SUV’s, is working on an electric car for India. The E-car is expected to hit the Indian roads by 2010. This four-seater will run on lead acid battery initially and later on nickel metal hydride.

The company claims this E-car will be bigger than Maini REVA brand and also little expensive. Currently REVA comes with the price tag of Rs 3.5 lakhs for the base model in Bangalore and in New Delhi it starts with Rs 2.9 lakhs onwards.

Once the car is settled and achieves success in India, it will be launched in other countries too. It is true that e-cars are the best solution for increase in fuel hike and the pollution level. But practically speaking, it is difficult for the electric cars to sustain in India, as the country is already experiencing power shortage and electric-drive versions are not as economical as CNG vehicles.

The CNG is readily available at gas stations now. A solution to this is to build up low-carbon electricity technology and the auto companies are looking at tying up with energy companies.

After the wikipedia, get ready for the wikicar now

TAKING a page out of the Wikipedia, a Finnish Internet community, eCars- Now!, is seeking to apply the collective approach taken by online collaborators like the authors of Wikipedia, to start converting used petrol-fuelled cars to electric ones, with the first roll- out due this year.

The Finnish- language forum claims to be first of its kind in the world, and wants to provide an alternative to what its members perceive as foot-dragging in the oil and auto industries. It is working in the tradition of ‘ open source’ projects laid down by information technology. “ If we succeed it will create similar projects across the world with whom we can share what we know,” said project participant Jukka Jarvinen, adding that a similar scheme was being launched in Denmark. “We’re hoping to create a global movement,” he said.

Electric cars have struggled to shake off a quirky image with tiny sales of often fantastical vehicles at prohibitive prices, or economy- sized golf carts with limited range. But because they are charged from the power grid and make more efficient use of energy, they produce fewer emissions and are seen as a promising clean- air alternative to petrol powered vehicles.

When it comes to promises, auto- makers are keen to capitalise on mounting consumer concern about high gasoline prices which are prompting trade- ins of gas- guzzling SUVs. But the Finnish group offers an outlet for fans who have so far been disappointed by the car industry. Some experts say it will still take 5-10 years for alternatives to petrol-fuelled cars to take root, given the capacity challenge for an auto industry that is adding 65 million new cars a year to a fleet of 1 billion.

The group is starting small. It has identified demand for more than 500 electric conversions in Finland and its website aims to begin introducing potential buyers to sellers of suitable used cars and components, and mechanics who can make the conversion with an electric motor and lithium batteries. Its first conversion model will be a Toyota Corolla which it says would have a range of 150 kilometres per charge and a top speed of 120 km/h.