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Lola-Drayson B12/69EV – a 850 HP EV That Accelerates From 0 to 60 in 3 Sec

January 17th, 2012

The 6th MIA International Low Carbon Racing Conference was the place where people were able to witness the presentation of the mind-blowing electric racecar created by Drayson Racing and Lola.

Dubbed the Lola-Drayson B12/69EV, the vehicle is able to generate 850-horsepower (640 kW) from an electric charge.

It also boasts acceleration from 0 to 60mph in just 3 seconds and from 0 to 100mph in 5.1 seconds, being able to reach a top speed of 200 mph.

It is worth mentioning that this car is the first in a series that Drayson Racing looks forward to bringing to the 2013 world championship for electric racing cars called FIA Formula E series.

Here are a few specs of the vehicle: it has 4 YASA-750 axial flux motors that power the the car’s 700 volt system, a composite three part 60 kWh battery that can be recharged using the brand new inductive Qualcomm Halo system.

[via Green Autoblog]

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

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Posted in Concept, Electric Vehicle, Supercars

Tags: electric engine sports car

Joule – The First EV from South Africa

November 30th, 2011

For the first time information about the first electric vehicle from South Africa appeared online in 2010 and recently some additional data and images were brought.

Called “Joule”, the five-seater passenger car is not as technologically advanced as its famous counterparts Nissan Leaf and Honda Fit, but it is worth talking about.

The vehicle was built by Optimal Energy (Pty) Ltd, a private company established in 2005. The project got assistance from the government so that Joule would meet all standards set by UN-ECE.

The vehicle boasts a city range of 186 miles and a lithium ion battery that is fully recyclable, which makes South Africa even more proud of its car. The battery requires about 7 hours to get fully charged using a 220 volt home outlet.

It is worth mentioning that the South-African carmaker has its headquarters in Cape Town, the city where most of the nation’s renewable energy projects are being developed.

The vehicle’s top speed is 87mph. It measures 12.8 feet long, 5.9 feet wide and its trunk has a volume of 185 gallons.

Joule is expected to hit the South-African market by 2015 and later be rolled out in other countries.

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Posted in Electric Vehicle

Tags: electric engine

Moto Undone – Electric Bike Designed for Silent Ride

November 21st, 2011

The latest concept unveiled by designer Joey Ruiter is an electric motorbike that looks nothing like a regular bike.

Dubbed Moto Undone, the vehicle features two wheels, a motor and brakes, all of them being probably the only things that may give a clue about the resembles of the vehicle with usual motorcycles.

The things that make it special are: the somewhat futuristic design, absence of noise and lack of fancy paint. At first glance the vehicle seems to be trapped in an aluminum case. Ruiter’s goal was to create a bike that would eliminate the fanciness and coolness of regular motorcycles.

Inside the bike one will be able to discover a 1000 watt, 48 volt electric motor that, according to the designer, allows the vehicle to run 90 miles or about 3 hours on a single charge.

All the necessary information, such as like speed and GPS info, is wirelessly transmitted via smart phone.

[via Earthtechling]

Rating: 8.0/10 (2 votes cast)

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Posted in Bike, Electric Vehicle

Tags: Bike electric engine

RYNO – Compact, One-Wheeled Self-Balancing Electric Vehicle

November 14th, 2011

RYNO Motors, a company with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, has recently presented an electric vehicle that has just one wheel.

Dubbed RYNO, the vehicle is not meant to replace the motorcycle, though it looks like one. It can reach a top speed of 25 miles per hour (40km/h) and can run on a single charge up to 30 miles (48 km). With its dimensions, the vehicle can be ridden even among pedestrians.

The developers look forward to launching RYNO onto the market, with the target being those who like scooters, meaning small, low cost vehicles that can be easily maneuvered in tight quarters.

The vehicle is equipped with a lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack, which, according to the company, can recharge in just an hour and a half. RYNO is also rather light, weighing 125 pounds (57 kg).

Its turning radius ranges from 0 to 3 feet (0.9 meters). In case the rider tries to exceed the speed or tilt limits, the vehicle’s Auto Balance System will initially signal about it, and then take control of the machine for a short time.

Currently the company is hand-building 50 limited edition pre-production RYNOs. These will be launched onto the market wearing a price tag of $25,000 each. The production model is expected to appear early next year and its price will be around $3,500.

Check out the video below to see the RYNO in motion:

[via RynoMotors]

Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)

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Posted in Bike, Concept, Electric Vehicle

Tags: Bike electric electric engine urban

Varley evR450 – Ultra-light Electric Sportscar

October 31st, 2011

A new powerful electric car is going to be built by an Australian firm that specializes in aerospace, defense and EVs.

The prototype of the Varley evR450, which costs just under $215,000, was unveiled at the Third Annual Australian Electric Vehicle Conference.

The materials used in the vehicle make the car extremely lightweight and the 125-year-old company looks forward to collaborating with experts from Tritium and Ultramotive in order to introduce new features in its vehicle.

Varley has equipped its electric car with two Ultramotive CARBON motors. Weighting just 30 kilograms, each motor can generate a maximum of 150kW and provide continuous power of 58 kW.

According to the Australian company, its new car will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and register a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph).

In case an extra lithium-ion battery pack is added, the range of the car will double from 150km (93.21 miles) to 300km. the batteries used in the car can be recharged if plugged in to mains power.

[via Gizmag]

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

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Posted in Concept, Electric Vehicle

Tags: electric engine sports car

Student-Built Electric Vehicle Sets New Land Speed Record

October 13th, 2011

A group of students from the Brigham Young University managed to set a new speed record for EVs with their electric bullet car.

The event took place on the Salt Flats of Utah, where the student-built electric vehicle was able to reach a top speed of 175mph. It would be interesting to note that the record is the ideal close for Professor Perry Carter, the leader of the group, who is retiring after spending 31 years teaching and 7 on this project.

The average speed registered by the one-seater aerodynamic car, dubbed Electric Blue, was 155.8 miles per hour, which is a new speed record for its weight class.

The wheels of the Electric Blue are enclosed so the vehicle could deter air resistance. The body is made carbon fiber and was designed using a 3D modeling wind tunnel program that helped students build a more aerodynamic car able to reach maximum speeds for its class.

In addition, the car was able to show good results thank to lithium iron phosphate batteries. The hovers of the vehicle are just an inch above the ground. It is worth mentioning that in 2010 the car created by the same team was able to reach a speed of only 139 miles per hour and the current result is definitely a win.

[via Physorg]

Rating: 9.7/10 (3 votes cast)

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Posted in Electric Vehicle, Supercars

Tags: electric engine

Nissan Working on Fast EV Charger

October 13th, 2011

Probably the biggest problems that make customers doubt electric vehicle is a low driving range and long charging time.

With this in mind the famous car-maker Nissan decided to solve one of these problems – recently the Japanese news agency Nikkei announced that the company managed to come up with an experimental system that makes it possible to fully charge an EV battery in just 10 minutes.

The technology features a capacitor in which the electrode is created using a mix of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide that replace the conventional carbon. This considerably increases the power of the charger, allowing it to function much faster.

Nissan has carried out tests on the batteries and did not find any considerable effects concerning voltage or their storing capacity.

The new charger is about half the size of the fast charger that Nissan currently uses. It was also said that the new device will be able to charge batteries from different manufacturers. At the same time it is worth mentioning that it might take about 10 years before the EV charger hits the market.

[via NY Daily News]

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

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Posted in Electric Vehicle

Tags: electric engine Nissan

Electric Scooter from Czech Republic Sets World Record Traveling 706 Miles in 24 Hours

September 30th, 2011

Akumoto, the company with headquarters in Czech Republic, in collaboration with ČEZ, an electricity generation conglomerate, managed to create an electric scooter that set a new world record among its electric counterparts for the longest distance crossed in 24 hours.

This week the Akumoto electric scooter managed to register a figure of 1,136.3 kilometers (706.1 miles). The companies calculated that the trip needed only 40.8 kWh of electricity and cost only 190 Czech Korunas, which is about $10.35.

Lukáš Drahovzal, the sales manager at Akumoto, outlined that the test of the new electric scooter and the record it set was meant to illustrate that two-wheeled electric vehicle are more versatile than some might think.

ČEZ mentioned that in the near future there plans to carry out tests of electric vans and trucks.

[via Akumoto]

Rating: 10.0/10 (2 votes cast)

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Posted in Bike, Electric Vehicle

Tags: Bike electric electric engine

Concept_One EV from Mate Rimac Unveiled

September 26th, 2011

Finally the Concept_One EV, one of the most awaited eco-friendly vehicles of the Frankfurt Motor Show, has been presented. The electric vehicle was designed by Mate Rimac, a 23-year-old designer from Croatia.

There are two things for which Concept_One can be highly appreciated: its sleek design and mind-blowing technical specifications. With 1088 horsepower, the vehicle can accelerate from 0 to 62mph (100kph) in 2.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 190mph (305kph).

In addition, the car can register a range of 370 miles (600 kilometers) on a single charge. There will be 88 limited-edition production models launched in 2013.

It would also be interesting to note that Rimac Automobili, a company based near Zagreb, Croatia, equipped its Concept_One with 4 independent electric motors (one motor installed in each wheel).

The design and engineering team that worked together at Rimac factory includes Goran Popovic, the leader of the team composed of former Pininfarina employees and former Magna Steyr designer Adriano Mudri.

Popovic and his team worked on the design of the “driver-focused” interior covered in leather from Vilner and a head-up-display.

Mudri, in his turn, worked on the carbon-fiber body of the vehicle. So far no word on pricing has been given.

[via Rimac automobili]

Rating: 10.0/10 (3 votes cast)

Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)

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Posted in Concept, Electric Vehicle

Tags: Concept electric electric engine

Electric Tron Lightcycle from Parker Brothers Choppers

September 23rd, 2011

The fans of TRON will definitely appreciate the new eco-friendly Lightcycle from Parker Brothers Choppers.

Currently engineers are carrying out tests of their electric bike. However, soon the bike will hit the roads officially.

It would be interesting to note that in 2010 the Parker Brothers Choppers have presented their gas-powered version of the famous LED Lightcycle.

Although the new bike is not advised for heavy use, the developers say that its 96 volt electric motor allows the vehicle to reach a top speed of 100 mph. In addition, 15 to 35 minutes will be enough to charge the built-in lithium battery pack that will allow the vehicle to register a range of 100 miles before it will require recharging.

It would also be interesting to note that the Lightcycle is available with a TRON-style helmet. With just a flip of a switch, the driver can activate the LED lights on the bike to illuminate its rims and body.

Just like the gas-powered Lightcycle, this vehicle features 22″ x 12″ dual hubless wheels with custom tires, a tough steel frame, and body made of carbon fiber and fiberglass to make the bike more lightweight.

The price for the gas version is $55,000, but there’s so far no word on the price of the electric version.