Showing posts with label hybrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hybrid. Show all posts

Sunday, July 31, 2011

BMW UNVEILS ELECTRIC i3 AND i8 CONCEPTS


BMW's been teasing us with its vision for electric motoroing for years, and today, folks, the trend continues. The German automaker has unveiled two concepts from its upcoming i sub-brand: the city-dwelling i3 and a rehashed version of its i8. This is the first time we've officially seen the smaller of the two, as the car formerly known as the Megacity had only been spied in an official render and during routine testing at the arctic circle. It'll haul four peeps with its 150km range (around 100 miles) and accelerate from 0-60mph in around 8 seconds. As for those with range anxiety, the German company will soothe such fears with an optional range-extending motor dubbed "REx." Either variant could land in your garage in 2013, where you'll be able top them up in 6 hours with a standard socket, or up to eighty percent in an hour if you're rocking a spiffy high capacity charger.

The i8, which you'll recall for its radical aerodynamic design and hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain, has received a bevy of aerodynamic tweaks and junked its oil burner, opting for a gasoline one instead. Engine swap aside, the sporty coupé apparently drinks only 2.7 liters per 100km -- 87 mpg (!) for yanks -- which is unreal in a car that'll accelerate to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. Sound too good to be true? We'll have to wait until 2014 to see if München can make good on those promises

Sunday, May 22, 2011

EUROCOPTER X3 HYBRID SETS NEW SPEED RECORD



The Eurocopter X3 can cruise at more than half the speed of a commercial jet. Although the helicopter was striving to hit 220 knots, it actually blew past that milestone to maintain 232 knots (450 km or 279.6 miles per hour) in level, stabilized flight -- a new record for this aircraft. For the uninitiated, the X3 earns its "hybrid" moniker by combining two turboshaft engines that power five-blade main rotor system and two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings -- which, in layman's terms, allows it to hover like a helicopter should while reaching the kind of speeds you'd expect from a turboprop-powered aircraft.

While we love the idea of a high-speed joy ride for tourists, this thing will be used for long-distance search and rescue missions, along with border patrol, coast guard duties, offshore operations, passenger and troop transport, and medical evacuation.

Monday, February 28, 2011

HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID DELAYED INTO 2011 BY VIRTUAL ENGINE SOUND REQUIREMENTS


The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was ready to roll, in the US, in late 2010. Then the US government enacted a new law requiring all hybrids to have an audible "engine noise" so sight impaired individuals, and distracted folks, will be able to hear the near silent vehicles.

This required Hyundai to redesign the wiring harness, UI software and user manuals to meet the requirments set forth in the new legislation. These tweaks had to be done "amazingly late in the process," according to Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik.

Monday, February 21, 2011

VOLVO TO UNVEIL DIESEL ELECTRIC HYBRID IN GENEVA


Current gasoline-powered hybrids can barely manage to keep ahead of small diesels in the mpg wars that will shape our future transportation structure, but in theory a diesel hybrid would rule the roost -- for the moment, at least. That's what Volvo will be showing off in Geneva shortly, promising a whopping 124MPG from the V60 plug-in diesel hybrid it announced a few weeks back. The car uses an internal combustion engine driving the front wheels and an electric one to spin the rears, meaning 2WD efficiency but AWD grip -- and a combined 285hp to handily blow the doors off any Prius that dares step up at a streetlight. Volvo is saying the car will take about five hours to charge on a standard household outlet and that you'll be able to monitor that status from your iPhone. Check it out in the video below.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

URBEE HYBRID BODY CAME FROM A PRINTER

The Urbee Hybrid vehicle is a concept with an interesting twist. The body of the vehicle was produced from a printer...a really big 3D printer. The result is a partnership between Kor Ecologic, a transportation company, and Stratasys, a printer company that markets its 3D printers as HP Designjets.

Kor provided the concept and the underpinnings of the thing, a design that amazingly has its roots in the early '90s but has been given a new, teardrop body 100 percent printed by Stratasys. Underneath is a plug-in hybrid powertrain that manages up to 200mpg on the highway and 100mpg around town running on ethanol or plain 'ol gasoline. No, there are no plans for the three-wheelin' Urbee to actually see production, and beneath that luscious shape rolls something that looks rather more like a work in progress. [Engadget]



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Sunday, August 29, 2010

LEAKED: HONDA FIT HYBRID

The 2012 Honda Fit Hybrid is set to make it's debut at the Paris Auto Show in September.  Car and Driver magazine has some photos and specs of this new vehicle.

It will wear the Jazz name in Europe and Fit Hybrid in Japan.  Unfortunately, there are no plans to bring it to the US at this time.  The hybrid will have the usual powerplant of electric and gas engines sandwiched together that Honda uses in most of its hybrid vehicles.  [Photo Gallery]

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