Chevrolet Made With Lego

Chevrolet Made With Lego

Peugeot teases with 'Prologue…' next gen hybrid

French car maker Peugeot is revealing a "next generation hybrid" car at next month's 2008 Paris Motor Show. Judging from the photos, the 'Prologue…' is not the 'RC' coupe that Peugeot has already been teasing us with, and it's certainly not the 307-based diesel hybrid concept the firm has touted at previous shows. So what do we know?

Not a lot, yet. It produces 109g/km CO2 -- hardly spectacular even for today's tech, as the current Prius is on 104 -- and it's a 'strong hybrid'. In other words, it's capable of running solely on electric power for short distances. We also know the car's rated at 200bhp, and Peugeot claims its eco creds won't compromise decent performance.

For more on the Prologue… (yes, it has an ellipsis as part of its name), come back here on 2 October, when I'll be covering the Paris Motor Show with reams of live news and photos.

Peugeot teases with 'Prologue…' next gen hybrid

French car maker Peugeot is revealing a "next generation hybrid" car at next month's 2008 Paris Motor Show. Judging from the photos, the 'Prologue…' is not the 'RC' coupe that Peugeot has already been teasing us with, and it's certainly not the 307-based diesel hybrid concept the firm has touted at previous shows. So what do we know?

Not a lot, yet. It produces 109g/km CO2 -- hardly spectacular even for today's tech, as the current Prius is on 104 -- and it's a 'strong hybrid'. In other words, it's capable of running solely on electric power for short distances. We also know the car's rated at 200bhp, and Peugeot claims its eco creds won't compromise decent performance.

For more on the Prologue… (yes, it has an ellipsis as part of its name), come back here on 2 October, when I'll be covering the Paris Motor Show with reams of live news and photos.

Mercedes hybrid coming June 2009

The first ever Mercedes-Benz hybrid goes on sale next summer. Business Week reports that the S400 BlueHybrid will be available from June 2009 in Europe, with the US and China following later in the year. Mercedes-Benz's press office tells me it can't confirm Britain will get the luxury car; concrete word on a UK edition is expected next month.

While greener than some of Mercedes-Benz's current top-end models, the S400 is still effectively a small tank, so it's hardly the future of sustainable transport. It really just an efficient luxury model, akin to Lexus' LS600h.

The S400 is based on a lithium battery and a 'mild' hybrid system, meaning it can't run on electric power alone. Instead, the electric motors assist the petrol engine to improve its miles per gallon.

If a UK model gets confirmed, you'll read about it here.

Mercedes hybrid coming June 2009

The first ever Mercedes-Benz hybrid goes on sale next summer. Business Week reports that the S400 BlueHybrid will be available from June 2009 in Europe, with the US and China following later in the year. Mercedes-Benz's press office tells me it can't confirm Britain will get the luxury car; concrete word on a UK edition is expected next month.

While greener than some of Mercedes-Benz's current top-end models, the S400 is still effectively a small tank, so it's hardly the future of sustainable transport. It really just an efficient luxury model, akin to Lexus' LS600h.

The S400 is based on a lithium battery and a 'mild' hybrid system, meaning it can't run on electric power alone. Instead, the electric motors assist the petrol engine to improve its miles per gallon.

If a UK model gets confirmed, you'll read about it here.

Ecotricity Tesla-beater promises transparent boot, 96 batteries and twin drive

A British sports car that will "crush the stereotype of electric cars" is speeding up its development. Writing on his blog today, Dale Vince of Ecotricity says his conversion of a Lotus Exige into an electric car is "close to plan and budget" and will sport a transparent boot to show the batteries and technology inside.

In a short video, his team describe the challenge of swapping a combustion engine, fuel tank and more for electric motors and batteries. The team have chosen to fit the car with two electric motors on the rear wheels, plus 96 batteries that they're hoping to site as close to the car's front as possible.

One big issue raised by the engineers is the electric management of the batteries. That chimes with what Toyota's hybrid architect Koei Saga said at the launch of the plug-in Prius last week.
Ecotricity's electric Lotus, which is currently dubbed the 'Wind Car' -- a car powered by electricity generated from wind turbines -- is a proof of concept. Vince, however, says in the video that he hopes it will spawn a limited edition run.

He previously hoped to have the car ready by summer, and has subsequently revised the deadline to Christmas.

He's also in search of a name for the car; do you SmartPlanet people have any suggestions? The best I can do is a tongue-in-cheek, Tesla-baiting 'Edison'.

Ecotricity Tesla-beater promises transparent boot, 96 batteries and twin drive

A British sports car that will "crush the stereotype of electric cars" is speeding up its development. Writing on his blog today, Dale Vince of Ecotricity says his conversion of a Lotus Exige into an electric car is "close to plan and budget" and will sport a transparent boot to show the batteries and technology inside.

In a short video, his team describe the challenge of swapping a combustion engine, fuel tank and more for electric motors and batteries. The team have chosen to fit the car with two electric motors on the rear wheels, plus 96 batteries that they're hoping to site as close to the car's front as possible.

One big issue raised by the engineers is the electric management of the batteries. That chimes with what Toyota's hybrid architect Koei Saga said at the launch of the plug-in Prius last week.
Ecotricity's electric Lotus, which is currently dubbed the 'Wind Car' -- a car powered by electricity generated from wind turbines -- is a proof of concept. Vince, however, says in the video that he hopes it will spawn a limited edition run.

He previously hoped to have the car ready by summer, and has subsequently revised the deadline to Christmas.

He's also in search of a name for the car; do you SmartPlanet people have any suggestions? The best I can do is a tongue-in-cheek, Tesla-baiting 'Edison'.

Smart diesel will become UK's lowest CO2 car

It may be small, but the latest Smart ForTwo looks bound to win a big prize next year by becoming the UK's lowest emission car. While the diesel supermini has already hit German and Italian roads, February 2009 will be the first time British drivers can try the right-hand drive version. Thanks to its 88g/km CO2, they won't have to pay for vehicle excise duty either.
The latest Smart achieves its low carbon rating mainly due to its new ultra efficient motor. The car's size -- a fraction of CO2 rivals like the BlueMotion Polo and Prius -- doesn't hurt either. The other big green feature is the inclusion of a closed particulate filter to cut down on diesel air pollution.

Smart's new uber eco car does have a downside: performance. With a 0-60mph of 19.8 seconds, it's much slower to accelerate than the petrol ForTwo. Of course, if you're in the market for this new Smart, you're probably already practising eco driving techniques so you'll be accelerating gently and smoothly.

Tests for journalists are starting now -- I'm hoping to trial one for SmartPlanet later this month, so watch this space. The production version's due February 2009 for £8,000. If you really can't wait, there's a left-hand drive version on eBay right now.

Smart diesel will become UK's lowest CO2 car

It may be small, but the latest Smart ForTwo looks bound to win a big prize next year by becoming the UK's lowest emission car. While the diesel supermini has already hit German and Italian roads, February 2009 will be the first time British drivers can try the right-hand drive version. Thanks to its 88g/km CO2, they won't have to pay for vehicle excise duty either.
The latest Smart achieves its low carbon rating mainly due to its new ultra efficient motor. The car's size -- a fraction of CO2 rivals like the BlueMotion Polo and Prius -- doesn't hurt either. The other big green feature is the inclusion of a closed particulate filter to cut down on diesel air pollution.

Smart's new uber eco car does have a downside: performance. With a 0-60mph of 19.8 seconds, it's much slower to accelerate than the petrol ForTwo. Of course, if you're in the market for this new Smart, you're probably already practising eco driving techniques so you'll be accelerating gently and smoothly.

Tests for journalists are starting now -- I'm hoping to trial one for SmartPlanet later this month, so watch this space. The production version's due February 2009 for £8,000. If you really can't wait, there's a left-hand drive version on eBay right now.

Chevy Volt Unveiled For Real, Inside And Out

Last week we showed you some leaked photos of the production Chevy Volt, with the good bits mostly obscured by GM execs. Yesterday, the Volt had its official coming out party, with plenty of pictures, video, and a meaty press release. Pretty much the very first paragraph of the press release is designed to explain the, shall we say, subdued production version of the Volt relative to the original concept: Because aerodynamics plays a key role in maximizing driving range, GM designers created an aerodynamically efficient design for the production vehicle. Many of the design cues from the concept vehicle endure in the production Volt, including the closed front grille, athletic stance, rear design graphics, outside rearview mirrors and more. Besides the nebulous “athletic stance,” those are all basically frills. But again, GM has a point: in this case, less exciting design = more MPG.

The big draw of the Volt is arguably the 40 miles of gas-free driving you get after charging the car’s 220 internal lithium battery cells. “The Chevrolet Volt can be plugged either into a standard household 120v outlet or use 240v for charging. The vehicle’s intelligent charging technology enables the Volt’s battery to be charged in less than three hours on a 240v outlet or about eight hours on a 120v outlet. Charge times are reduced if the battery has not been fully depleted. At a cost of about 80 cents per day (10 cents per kWh) for a full charge that will deliver up to 40 miles of electric driving, GM estimates that the Volt will be less expensive to recharge than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee. Charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electric energy annually than the average home’s refrigerator and freezer units.” That’s not only incredibly cheap (an average driver will save about $1500 per year), but you can get a warm fuzzy feeling from charging the Volt with renewable energy. And how does the Volt handle on batts? “The Volt’s electric drive unit delivers the equivalent of 150 horsepower, 273 lb-ft. (370 Nm) of instant torque, and a top speed of 100 miles per hour. The lack of engine noise, combined with special sound-deadening materials, make the Chevrolet Volt an extremely quiet vehicle to drive.”

The interior is very iPody (although you can get it in metallic black or green in addition to white), with touch sensitive controls and two user configurable 7″ LCD screens. Here’s a walkthrough from interior designer Tim Greig:

Oh, and of course, price and availability… Production is scheduled to begin late 2010 for models in the United States. Pricing has not been announced. Call me jaded, but my guess is that we’re going to see another price hike or two before the Volt finally hits the showroom floor.

[ Chevy Volt ] VIA [ Autobloggreen ]

Chevy Volt Unveiled For Real, Inside And Out

Last week we showed you some leaked photos of the production Chevy Volt, with the good bits mostly obscured by GM execs. Yesterday, the Volt had its official coming out party, with plenty of pictures, video, and a meaty press release. Pretty much the very first paragraph of the press release is designed to explain the, shall we say, subdued production version of the Volt relative to the original concept: Because aerodynamics plays a key role in maximizing driving range, GM designers created an aerodynamically efficient design for the production vehicle. Many of the design cues from the concept vehicle endure in the production Volt, including the closed front grille, athletic stance, rear design graphics, outside rearview mirrors and more. Besides the nebulous “athletic stance,” those are all basically frills. But again, GM has a point: in this case, less exciting design = more MPG.

The big draw of the Volt is arguably the 40 miles of gas-free driving you get after charging the car’s 220 internal lithium battery cells. “The Chevrolet Volt can be plugged either into a standard household 120v outlet or use 240v for charging. The vehicle’s intelligent charging technology enables the Volt’s battery to be charged in less than three hours on a 240v outlet or about eight hours on a 120v outlet. Charge times are reduced if the battery has not been fully depleted. At a cost of about 80 cents per day (10 cents per kWh) for a full charge that will deliver up to 40 miles of electric driving, GM estimates that the Volt will be less expensive to recharge than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee. Charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electric energy annually than the average home’s refrigerator and freezer units.” That’s not only incredibly cheap (an average driver will save about $1500 per year), but you can get a warm fuzzy feeling from charging the Volt with renewable energy. And how does the Volt handle on batts? “The Volt’s electric drive unit delivers the equivalent of 150 horsepower, 273 lb-ft. (370 Nm) of instant torque, and a top speed of 100 miles per hour. The lack of engine noise, combined with special sound-deadening materials, make the Chevrolet Volt an extremely quiet vehicle to drive.”

The interior is very iPody (although you can get it in metallic black or green in addition to white), with touch sensitive controls and two user configurable 7″ LCD screens. Here’s a walkthrough from interior designer Tim Greig:

Oh, and of course, price and availability… Production is scheduled to begin late 2010 for models in the United States. Pricing has not been announced. Call me jaded, but my guess is that we’re going to see another price hike or two before the Volt finally hits the showroom floor.

[ Chevy Volt ] VIA [ Autobloggreen ]

Unboxing: Lamborghini Reventon

this is the first of the 20 units. Yeah there were only 20 Reventons produced and each sold at $1,000,000 and they were all sold out. Just like the gadget unboxing, take a look at the pic-by-pic they unbox the Lamborghini Reventon from the container.

Unboxing: Lamborghini Reventon

this is the first of the 20 units. Yeah there were only 20 Reventons produced and each sold at $1,000,000 and they were all sold out. Just like the gadget unboxing, take a look at the pic-by-pic they unbox the Lamborghini Reventon from the container.