Tag Archives: electric cars
Renault has unveiled the final production versions of two all-electric cars – the Fluence ZE sedan and the Kangoo ZE van. Both have a range of 160 kilometres and will be available in 2011. The Fluence Z.E. is the first production-ready car that can take advantage of Better Place’s battery swapping system and will be the basis of the Better Place network in Israel. It will be sold through dealers in Europe. Renault Fluence ZE Renault Kangoo ZE
According to Evan Thornley, chief executive of Better Place Australia, 51 new models of plug-in electric cars are planned to on the world market by 2012. Mr Thorley believes that the complete conversion to electric cars is inevitable. "We know how the movie ends. Battery prices are going down, petrol prices are going up – that tells you what’s going to happen. It’s just a question of how long that takes," he said. "We think it will take between 20 and 25 years for the entire Australian fleet to transition from petrol to electric because it takes a while for … Continue Reading
In an interview with BBC, Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault-Nissan, has outlined how he is pinning the future of his company on the electric car. "I think the trends we’re seeing are all pointing in the same direction," he said. "Oil is a challenge, both price and availability. Regulations about environments are going to get tougher and tougher. I think the new generation is much more demanding about respect for the environment than we have ever imagined." Mr Ghosn believes that the only technology which could compete with electric cars is the hydrogen fuel cell car but these are … Continue Reading
British company, Riversimple, has shown its Mk 1 "network electric" car. The car is a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle about the size of a Smart Car. The car features unique technologies that enable it to run on a 6kW fuel cell, with a fuel consumption equivalent to 0.008 litres per kilometre with greenhouse gas emissions at 30g per kilometre – less than a third of that from the most efficient petrol-engine cars (and ten times better than that if the hydrogen comes from renewable resources). It has a range of 320 kilometres and a top speed of 80 kilometres … Continue Reading
Ford has showed off a prototype of what is being called called the Model T of the company’s electric car strategy – the battery-powered Focus sedan. To keep costs down, the Focus will be built on the company’s global “C” platform, which is used in two million cars a year. “This is about affordable transportation for the masses – this is not about a small niche,” said Nancy Gioia, Ford’s director of global electrification. “The assembly line in Michigan will produce the battery-electric Focus and also, with minor modifications, the gas Focus, We can change production as the market shifts.” … Continue Reading
The French Government has announced plans to invest €1.5 billion ($au 2.5 billion) in infrastructure for the two million electric and hybrid cars it wants on the road by 2020. The plan includes industrial research, making batteries, producing clean cars and building a nation-wide network of battery-charging stations. Under the plan, a million battery-charging points will be built by 2015. From 2012 all new apartment blocks with parking lots will have to include charging stations. The network will grow to a total of four million points by 2020. Funds will also be provided for the development of elecric cars by … Continue Reading
Wolkswagen has demonstrated the concept version of it’s E-Up! – a fully electric car which it says will be "the Beetle of the 21st century". VW says that the car will have a maximum speed of 135 kilometres per hour and a range of 130 kilometres. Fully recharging from a standard 240 volt outlet will take five hours but quick charging to 80% capacity will only take one hour. Charging from the mains will be supplemented by solar panels in the roof and the sun-visors. At 3.19 meters long. the E-Up! will be about 50centimetres shorter than the current Mini … Continue Reading
Citroen, Renault and Peugeot have all displayed new electric concept cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Citroen showed its ultra-chic plug-in REVOLTe hybrid concept inspired by its iconic 2CV. The REVOLTe measures just 3.68m long, 1.73m wide and 1.35m tall. The most interesting feature is its original and distinctive three-seater layout – the driver’s seat is to one side with the two passenger seats behind it. The rear seat is designed to resemble a lounge with the passenger on the opposite side to the driver being able to stretch out their legs fully into the space where the front passenger … Continue Reading
In an interview on the American Charlie Rose television show, Elon Musk, head of Tesla Motors, has described the company’s plans following the success of its Roadster sports car. Tesla has already previewed its Model S, an electric sedan that Tesla says will carry seven passengers and provide more cargo space than any other sedan currently on the market. The Model S will be available in the United States in 2011 for about $US50,000. Tesla expects to sell about 20,000 sedans a year. The Roadster, which is claimed to be the fastest mass market sports car in the world, sells … Continue Reading
Nissan Motor Co. has unveiled the car that it claims will be the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, the Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback that comfortably seats five adults. Scheduled for launch in late 2010 in Japan and the United States and in 2012 in Australia, the Nissan LEAF uses a combination of regenerative braking system and innovative lithium-ion battery packs to achieve a range of more than 160km on a single full charge. The car can be charged up to 80% of its full capacity in just under 30 minutes with … Continue Reading
Videos
Renewables News- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted WaterScientists from Deakin University, together with French colleagues, say that they have manufactured a lightweight and reusable material that can absorb up to 33 times its weight in a wide range of spilt oils, chemical solvents and dyes, while repelling … Continue Reading → […]
- Aussie Researchers Make Efficient Solar Cells from Low-grade SiliconResearchers at the University of New South Wales have found a way to make very high efficiency solar cells out of cheap, low-grade silicon. It has been known for several decades that hydrogen atoms can be introduced into the atomic … Continue Reading → […]
- First Aussie “Hot Rocks” Power Plant Begins ProducingThe first power plant in Australia to produce electricity using an enhanced geothermal ("hot rocks") system has begun producing electricity in the far north-east of South Australia. The one-megawatt Habanero pilot plant near outback Innamincka is operated by Geodynamics. Geodynamics … Continue Reading → […]
- New Aussie Technology to Clean Polluted Water
