2011 Volvo C30 BEV

Volvo presented a driveable prototype electric car in September 2009. Volvo C30 BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) is now being shown at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit companies to take one further step in the development process. Both feature a full interior and full instrumentation, as well as improved battery packs.

"The first prototype to help us identify the main technological challenges, such as battery packs and safety issues. We have discussed this challenge without sacrificing cool the Volvo C30 and fun-to-drive my personality. very pleased with the results. Volvo C30 in Detroit electric BEV is a much more complete product, "said Lennart Stegland, Director Volvo Car Special Vehicles.

The next step in 2010 is a factory-built series of test cars. Selected users will drive the test fleet during a two-year trial period in order to provide Volvo Cars with valuable experience. Not just technical but also behavioural.

The Swedish Energy Agency is supporting the project by contributing SEK 150 million towards its funding.

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

The ESFLOW concept cars will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show (3-13 March) where it will share the Nissan stand with a number of other innovative and exciting newcomers - but with one major difference: these are production ready.

The 2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept isn’t scheduled to be unveiled until the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in just a couple of weeks. Nissan plans to reveal its new electric concept, called Esflow, at the Chicago Auto Show this year. The car will make its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show from March.

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

Nissan has a reputation for creating some of the most exhilarating sports cars on the market. Nissan has also developed the world's first practical Zero Emission family car, the Nissan LEAF. Now Nissan has put that expertise together. It has captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept: ESFLOW.

It may be a concept, but the Nissan ESFLOW electric sports cars proves it's possible to remain environmentally sympathetic without having to give up the joy of driving. It looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. But Nissan ESFLOW Concept cars is different to every other sports car yet built: it's electric. Using technology pioneered in the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the EV concept shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today.

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

Ecological minimalism need not come at the expense of luxury. The cabin of the 2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept is clean and open and weight saving has been a priority throughout its design, but it is still a comfortable and pleasant place to sit. By far the heaviest components in modern cars' interiors are the steel framed, thickly upholstered and increasingly motorized seats. In 2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept the seats are sculpted into the rear bulkhead of the car, negating the need for a heavy frame. This of course means that they are immobile, but this is of no consequence as the fly-by-wire steering and pedals adjust electrically to the best spot to suit each individual driver's size and preferred driving position.

Nissan ESFLOW Concept is rear-wheel drive and it runs on two motors. The car's graceful proportions allow the twin electric motors to be placed above the axis of the rear wheels, in a mid-ship position,. These motors independently control the left and right wheels, and so the torque is optimized to ensure outstanding vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration. The motors produce enough torque in an instant for it to reach a 100kph in under 5 seconds.

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

Power for the motors comes from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the Nissan LEAF, but in ESFLOW the packs are located along the axis of the front and rear wheels. This centralizes the mass of the car, and thus its rotation point, close to the driver's hips. These cleverly positioned batteries enable the car to travel over 240km on one charge.

2011 Nissan Electric Sports Cars ESFLOW Concept

The colors of this Esflow are inspired from glaciers, with highly reflective blue-tinted solidified liquid shapes. Even if this concept will not hit the production line too soon, it could be a great source of inspiration for Nissan’s future sports cars.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

The latest Volkswagen will unveil the 3rd and latest iteration by its roadster diesel-electric hybrid concept serial, the fresh XL1 Super effective Vehicle (SEV) at these week’s Qatar Motor demo, which runs by January 26 to 29. The latest 2011 Volkswagen XL1 Hybrid Concept are motivated by a diminished 800 cc TDI two-cylinder basic rail diesel engine breaking 48 HP.

Vision becomes reality – Volkswagen’s “Formula XL1”:  Volkswagen XL1 prototype consumes just 0.9 l/100 km! Wolfsburg / Doha, 25 January 2011 - Future mobility is one of the most stimulating topics of our time. The key question here: Just how much could the energy consumption of cars be reduced if all the stops were pulled out for efficiency? There is now an answer to this question, and Volkswagen is delivering it in the form of the new XL1. Combined fuel consumption: 0.9 l/100 km. No other hybrid car powered by an electric motor / internal combustion engine combination is more fuel efficient.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Volkswagen will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. “We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013,” Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where Volkswagen unveiled an XL1 prototype. Pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging all play a part in allowing the new Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) to return 260 mpg on the combined cycle to set a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

The most efficient car in the world. The new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept shows the way forward for extreme economy vehicles and clean technologies. It also demonstrates that such cars can also be fun.  The feeling when driving the XL1 is truly dynamic - not based on pure power, rather on its pure efficiency. Two examples: 1) To travel at a constant speed of 100 km/h, the prototype only needs 6.2 kW/8.4 PS – a fraction of the performance of today’s cars (Golf 1.6 TDI with 77 kW and 7-speed DSG: 13.2 kW/17.9 PS). 2) In electric mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh (82 Wh/km) to complete a one kilometre driving course. These are record values.

Powering the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It's linked to an electric motor producing 27 hp, resulting in a total of 74 hp - a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight of 1753 lbs (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account. Two-cylinder TDI uses mass production technology: The 0.8 litre TDI (35 kW/48 PS) was derived from the 1.6 litre TDI, which drives such cars as the Golf and Passat. The 0.8 TDI exhibits the same data as the 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine in terms of cylinder spacing (88 mm), cylinder bore (79.5 mm) and stroke (80.5 mm).

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

In addition, the Volkswagen XL1 Concept's two-cylinder and the mass produced four cylinder share key internal engine features for reducing emissions. They include special piston recesses for multiple injection and individual orientation of the individual injection jets. The excellent, smooth running properties of the common rail engines were transferred to the two cylinder engine. within addition, a balancer shaft that is driven by the crankshaft turning at the same speed optimises smooth engine running.

When the full power of the hybrid system is engaged, the Volkswagen prototype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 11.9 seconds; its top speed is 160 km/h (electronically limited). Yet these numbers alone do not tell the whole story: Since the XL1 weighs just 795 kg, the drive system has an easy job of propelling the car. When full power is needed, the electric motor, which can deliver 100 Newton metres of torque from a standstill, works as a booster to support the TDI engine (120 Newton metres torque). Together, the TDI and E-motor deliver a maximum torque of 140 Newton metres in boosting mode.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) the ideal material for the body of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept because of its light weight. The 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Conceptweighs only 795 kg. Of this figure, 227 kg represents the entire drive unit, 153 kg the running gear, 80 kg the equipment (including the two bucket seats) and 105 kg the electrical system.

That leaves 230 kg, which is precisely the weight of the body - produced largely of CFRP - including wing doors, front windscreen in thin-glass technology as in motorsport and the highly safe monocoque. A total of 21.3 percent of the new Volkswagen XL1, or 169 kg, consists of CFRP. In addition, Volkswagen uses lightweight metals for 22.5 percent of all parts (179 kg). Only 23.2 percent (184 kg) of the new XL1 is constructed from steel and iron materials. The rest of its weight is distributed among various other polymers (e.g. polycarbonate side windows), metals, natural fibres, process materials and electronics.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Design for a new era: The VW XL1 is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,156 mm tall. These are extreme dimensions. The Polo has a similar length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 m), but it is significantly taller (1,462 mm). The height of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is about the same as that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder (1,184 mm). So, it is easy to visualise just how spectacular such a Volkswagen would appear on the road – as long and wide as a Polo, but with a low profile like a Lamborghini.

The styling of the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is borne out of functional requirements - easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1's overall length and width are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Although the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

The latest Volkswagen will unveil the 3rd and latest iteration by its roadster diesel-electric hybrid concept serial, the fresh XL1 Super effective Vehicle (SEV) at these week’s Qatar Motor demo, which runs by January 26 to 29. The latest 2011 Volkswagen XL1 Hybrid Concept are motivated by a diminished 800 cc TDI two-cylinder basic rail diesel engine breaking 48 HP.

Vision becomes reality – Volkswagen’s “Formula XL1”:  Volkswagen XL1 prototype consumes just 0.9 l/100 km! Wolfsburg / Doha, 25 January 2011 - Future mobility is one of the most stimulating topics of our time. The key question here: Just how much could the energy consumption of cars be reduced if all the stops were pulled out for efficiency? There is now an answer to this question, and Volkswagen is delivering it in the form of the new XL1. Combined fuel consumption: 0.9 l/100 km. No other hybrid car powered by an electric motor / internal combustion engine combination is more fuel efficient.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Volkswagen will build small run of XL1 plug-in hybrid in two years. “We want to go into series production with this car starting in 2013,” Volkswagen chairman Ferdinand Piech told Automotive News Europe on Tuesday at an event in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2011 Qatar auto show where Volkswagen unveiled an XL1 prototype. Pioneering construction techniques, an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain and innovative packaging all play a part in allowing the new Volkswagen XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) to return 260 mpg on the combined cycle to set a new benchmark for vehicle efficiency.

The most efficient car in the world. The new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept shows the way forward for extreme economy vehicles and clean technologies. It also demonstrates that such cars can also be fun.  The feeling when driving the XL1 is truly dynamic - not based on pure power, rather on its pure efficiency. Two examples: 1) To travel at a constant speed of 100 km/h, the prototype only needs 6.2 kW/8.4 PS – a fraction of the performance of today’s cars (Golf 1.6 TDI with 77 kW and 7-speed DSG: 13.2 kW/17.9 PS). 2) In electric mode, the XL1 needs less than 0.1 kWh (82 Wh/km) to complete a one kilometre driving course. These are record values.

Powering the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is a compact 800 cc TDI two-cylinder common rail diesel engine developing 47 hp. It's linked to an electric motor producing 27 hp, resulting in a total of 74 hp - a modest output yet more than enough when the low kerb weight of 1753 lbs (795 kg) of the vehicle is taken into account. Two-cylinder TDI uses mass production technology: The 0.8 litre TDI (35 kW/48 PS) was derived from the 1.6 litre TDI, which drives such cars as the Golf and Passat. The 0.8 TDI exhibits the same data as the 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine in terms of cylinder spacing (88 mm), cylinder bore (79.5 mm) and stroke (80.5 mm).

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

In addition, the Volkswagen XL1 Concept's two-cylinder and the mass produced four cylinder share key internal engine features for reducing emissions. They include special piston recesses for multiple injection and individual orientation of the individual injection jets. The excellent, smooth running properties of the common rail engines were transferred to the two cylinder engine. within addition, a balancer shaft that is driven by the crankshaft turning at the same speed optimises smooth engine running.

When the full power of the hybrid system is engaged, the Volkswagen prototype accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 11.9 seconds; its top speed is 160 km/h (electronically limited). Yet these numbers alone do not tell the whole story: Since the XL1 weighs just 795 kg, the drive system has an easy job of propelling the car. When full power is needed, the electric motor, which can deliver 100 Newton metres of torque from a standstill, works as a booster to support the TDI engine (120 Newton metres torque). Together, the TDI and E-motor deliver a maximum torque of 140 Newton metres in boosting mode.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) the ideal material for the body of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept because of its light weight. The 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Conceptweighs only 795 kg. Of this figure, 227 kg represents the entire drive unit, 153 kg the running gear, 80 kg the equipment (including the two bucket seats) and 105 kg the electrical system.

That leaves 230 kg, which is precisely the weight of the body - produced largely of CFRP - including wing doors, front windscreen in thin-glass technology as in motorsport and the highly safe monocoque. A total of 21.3 percent of the new Volkswagen XL1, or 169 kg, consists of CFRP. In addition, Volkswagen uses lightweight metals for 22.5 percent of all parts (179 kg). Only 23.2 percent (184 kg) of the new XL1 is constructed from steel and iron materials. The rest of its weight is distributed among various other polymers (e.g. polycarbonate side windows), metals, natural fibres, process materials and electronics.

2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept

Design for a new era: The VW XL1 is 3,888 mm long, 1,665 mm wide and just 1,156 mm tall. These are extreme dimensions. The Polo has a similar length (3,970 mm) and width (1,682 m), but it is significantly taller (1,462 mm). The height of the new 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is about the same as that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder (1,184 mm). So, it is easy to visualise just how spectacular such a Volkswagen would appear on the road – as long and wide as a Polo, but with a low profile like a Lamborghini.

The styling of the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid Concept is borne out of functional requirements - easy access to the interior is granted via a pair of elegant scissor doors that hinge on the A-pillar while the profile of the car has been honed in the wind tunnel, the result being a remarkable coefficient of drag figure of 0.186. The XL1's overall length and width are similar to those of a Volkswagen Polo yet its height is more akin to that of a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder.

Although the 2011 Volkswagen Sports Cars XL1 (SEV) Roadster Diesel-Electric Hybrid is still very much a concept, its unveiling marks the next step towards the birth of a new class of Super Efficient Vehicles, while the advent of a process such as RTM is a significant milestone.

2010 Toyota FT-EV Electric Cute Car

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it will display the Toyota FT-EV concept on opening Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), confirming its plan to launch an urban commuter battery-electric vehicle (BEV) by 2012. This announcement, coupled with its compressed natural gas powered Camry Hybrid concept display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, signal Toyota’s intention to broaden the scope of its advanced alternative-fuel vehicle development.

“Now, more than ever, while we are so focused on the pressing issues of the moment, we cannot lose sight of our future,” said Irv Miller, TMS Group Vice President, Environmental and Public Affairs. “Nowhere is this more important than with our industry’s duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.” The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering exceptional mileage, sporty performance, unique refinements and a fun, youthful image.

Toyota’s FT-EV concept imagines an urban dweller, driving up to 50 miles between home, work and other forms of public transportation, such as high-speed rail. Although, for now, the FT-EV remains a pure concept, it represents a natural pairing of product strategies.

“Last summer’s four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly. It was a brief glimpse of our future,” said Miller. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.” Although BEVs and new smaller vehicles like the iQ will be a key component of Toyota’s sustainable mobility strategy, the conventional gas-electric hybrid, like the all new third-generation Prius, is considered Toyota’s long-term core powertrain technology.

Last year, Toyota announced that it planned to sell one million gas-electric hybrids per year sometime during the early 2010s. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch as many as 10 new hybrid models by the early 2010s, in various global markets. The new third-generation Toyota Prius and all new Lexus HS250h, both debuting in Detroit, are the first two examples of that effort. Also, last year, Toyota announced that it would roll-out a large number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to global lease-fleet customers in 2010. That schedule has been moved up.

Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers. The first-generation lithium-ion batteries powering these PHVs will be built on an assembly line at Toyota’s PEVE (Panasonic EV Energy Company, LTD) battery plant, a joint-venture production facility in which Toyota owns 60 percent equity. During its development, the new Prius was designed and engineered to package either the lithium-ion battery pack with plug-in capability, or the nickel-metal hydride battery for the conventional gas-electric system. The 500 PHVs arriving globally in late 2009 will be used for market and engineering analysis. Lease–fleet customers will monitor the performance and durability of the first-generation lithium-ion battery, while offering real world feedback on how future customers might respond to the plug-in process. “Future customers will have high expectations for these emerging technologies. This Prius PHV fleet program is a key first step in confirming how and when we might bring large numbers of plug-in hybrids to global markets,” said Miller. “Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future.”

Special edition smart fortwo car2go 2011 photo and details

Companies car2go and Smart presented a new interpretation of the smart fortwo, which received the name smart fortwo car2go edition. Issue has received new tools and options, including a new touch-screen display, a roof with solar panels, etc.

All new systems are integrated into one system and integrated with the car electronics, in turn, solar energy not only provides the performance of some systems and is also used to recharge the battery.

Exagon Furtive-eGT electric sports car with 340 hp

So far, developed the company based in Magny-Cours Exagon electric race car. Now we'll do a road car with emissions-free drive. The latter provides a torque of 480 Newton meters between zero and 5,000 rpm. The sprint from zero to 100 km / h, the car created in 3.6 seconds, the 200 mark is reached after 14.6 seconds. A top speed of 287 km / h are given - on the race track, normally will be controlled at 250 mph.

The 4.50 meters long 2 +2 seater coupe has short overhangs, the design is cool and straightforward. A special feature is the double-bubble roof. To drive two provide very compact electric motors from Siemens. The liquid-cooled units provide 125 kilowatts each. Together, this results in an output of 340 hp, which is 5000-10000 rpm. Whether the motors driving one axis, so that a four-wheel drive results, is indicated. The electric machines are combined with a three-speed transmission that can be operated via shift paddles on the steering wheel. As an energy store lithium-ion batteries used by the manufacturer juice, which hold a capacity of 50 kilowatt hours at a voltage of 700 volts. In three and a half hours, they can be recharged to 20 percent charged to 80 percent. The batteries survive ten years or 3,000 charge cycles, so Exagon.