Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Carbon Motors picks Connersville, IN for new HQ, E7 police car production]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/carbon-motors-picks-connersville-in-for-new-hq-e7-police-car-p/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/carbon-motors-picks-connersville-in-for-new-hq-e7-police-car-p/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/30/carbon-motors-picks-connersville-in-for-new-hq-e7-police-car-p/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Carbon Motors E7 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Carbon Motors, soon-to-be makers of a dedicated police cruiser known as the E7, has finally chosen a new place to call home: Connersville, Indiana. Taking up residence in an abandoned plant from auto parts supplier Visteon, Carbon intends on investing $350 million to renovate the 1.8 million square-foot facility that it plans to use for production of the E7. The company could bring 1,500 new jobs to the area and plans to have the E7 into production by 2012.

Now that a production plant has been procured - and assuming there aren't any major snags along the way - it's expected that Carbon Motors will make an application to the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which is intended to help spur the development of new fuel efficient vehicles. Carbon Motors' E7 was developed from the ground-up for police duty and features a 3.0-liter diesel that the company claims could cut police fleet fuel usage by 40% along with a barrage of other high-tech goodies perfect for fighting crime. Click past the break for the official press release.


Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car


[Source: Carbon Motors]

Continue reading Carbon Motors picks Connersville, IN for new HQ, E7 police car production

Carbon Motors picks Connersville, IN for new HQ, E7 police car production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carbon Motors E7 - Click above for high-res image gallery

As it turns out, there's quite a backlog of pent up demand for a purpose-built police car. Who knew that law enforcement officers were so fed up with their current fleet of Ford Crown Vics, Dodge Chargers and Chevrolet Impalas? Apparently, that would be Carbon Motors, which is now reporting an impressive 10,000 pre-orders for its diesel-powered E7 cruiser despite the fact that production isn't schedule to start until 2012.

We can understand the interest. Each E7 will boast an impressive lise of features like 360-degree built-in police-duty LED lights, suicide rear doors with hose-out rear passenger compartment and a separate front compartment with high-tech touches like radar, LoJack, an automatic license plate recognition system, radiation and biological threat detectors and Carbon's exclusive On-board Rapid Command Architecture (ORCA), which features a large touchscreen display and keyboard.

Perhaps the best bit of all is the aluminum-intensive space frame construction with composite body panels, which keeps weight down low enough that the 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine with 300 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque can propel the E7 to 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph. Fuel economy is pegged at 28-30 miles per gallon, which is well above what any current police vehicles are likely to achieve.

Of course, before they can make good on any of those 10,000 pre-orders, Carbon Motors needs a place to build their wares. While the company has yet to make a decision, it has admitted that officials from Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina and South Carolina have approached them with offers. Check out Carbon Motors' official statement after the jump for more details.


Gallery: Carbon Motors E7


[Source: Carbon Motors]

Continue reading Carbon Motors reports 10,000 pre-orders for diesel-powered E7 police car

Carbon Motors reports 10,000 pre-orders for diesel-powered E7 police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A NEW KIND OF COP CAR, A NEW KIND OF BUSINESS MODEL

Autoblog has followed the developments at Carbon Motors ever since the start-up unveiled its new police cruiser a year and a half ago. And while the car looks impressively good, what makes this company worth watching goes well beyond the product. Carbon has come up with a business model that could let it carve out a profitable chunk of the automotive market that, up to now, was always controlled by major car companies.

The key is that Carbon is building the first-ever vehicle specifically designed for police work. It's based on research from 2,800 law enforcement personnel from 800 different law enforcement agencies spread throughout the United States. From that, Carbon developed a proprietary list of 101 critical items needed to meet the needs of these customers - like a front seat that can accommodate a cop who is 6'10". As a result, this is not a modified version of some mass-market sedan, or a clever combination of parts from a bin. The Carbon Motors E7 is a clean-sheet design for a purpose-built police car.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

Continue reading Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click on the image above for a high-res image gallery of the Carbon Motors E7

The Carbon Motors E7, a purpose-built car for law enforcement, is continuing to march toward reality. Carbon Motors has targeted 2012 as the start of production, and cars can already be pre-ordered at the company''s website as a way to raise capital for the start of series production.

We'd love to get our hands on one of these, as the E7's technical details intrigue: a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, aluminum unit-body and performance numbers that leave Ford's old Crown Victorias sucking wind. The media might get a chance to try the E7 within about 18 months, and pricing will be announced at the end of this year. When it does reach local PDs, perps will have something new to fear and officers might finally have a modern vehicle that accommodates police work.

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car


[Source: Straightline]

Carbon E7 police car headed for duty in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Law enforcement officers have more reasons to be excited with Carbon Motors' release of a few more images and a video of its purpose-built Police car. The E7, as it is currently known, looks to be much more capable than the thousands of Crown Vics, Impalas and Chargers currently roaming our streets due to its rather amazing list of specifications and gadgetry. Included are a diesel engine capable of accelerating to 65 in under 7-seconds, composite body panels attached to an aluminum structure, 360-degree built-in police-duty LED lights, suicide rear doors with hose-out passenger compartment and a separate front compartment with plenty of techno-goodies. Radar, LoJack, an automatic license plate recognition system, radiation and biological threat detectors and Carbon's exclusive On-board Rapid Command Architecture (ORCA) which features a large touch-screen display plus keyboard (see above), are all included. We think that this sucker should get the job done rather nicely. Click here for a short video of the E7 in action.

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car


[Source Fox News Chicago via Jalopnik]

Carbon Motors releases first video of E7 cop car and in-car gadgets originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for more shots of the Carbon Motors E7

We haven't heard a peep from Carbon Motors in a very long time, but that doesn't mean the company hasn't been hard at work on its purpose-built E7 police car concept. To prove that it's moving forward, the automaker-to-be has just released two shots of a real E7. What's more, the company will show the car to prospective clients - police officers - at the upcoming 115th Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference and Exposition. Unlike curent cop cars driven by these officers, usually police-spec Crown Vic Interceptors, the E7 was specifically designed just to do police duty. Instead of a 4.6-liter Ford V8 engine underhood, the E7 will feature a clean-diesel engine capable of running on biodiesel. With a cockpit derived from jet-fighter technology that includes built-in radar, radiation and biological threat detectors among other techno goodies, the E7 sounds suitably high-tech for real-life crime fighters of the modern era. To further highlight this point, check out the video, along with the press release, after the break.

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car


[Source: Carbon Motors via Jalopnik]

Continue reading Carbon Motors releases real shots of purpose-built E7 police car

Carbon Motors releases real shots of purpose-built E7 police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Checker did it with taxi cabs a generation and a half ago, but since then, purpose-built working cars haven't been produced in mass quantities. Carbon Motors thinks it's about time the fuzz get their own purpose-built ride, instead of being forced to modify a civilian car. Law enforcement agencies have kept Ford's Panther platform alive long past its expiration date, but even that is winding down. Carbon's E7 looks to step in and fill the niche that the eventual phasing out of the Panther will provide (nevermind that there's been some adoption of the even tighter quarters of the Chrysler LX cars). Police need cars that are tough and economical to run and maintain. With those criteria, it's easy to see why the Crown Victoria is the Queen of fleet. They take a pounding, they're relatively cheap, and they're big enough to hold the constabulary essentials and leave room for perps, even if there's precious little elbow room for Officer Krupke.

Carbon's got to make a case for a niche application, limited production vehicle with some expensive hardware. A twin-turbo diesel inline six is not as cheap a power unit as Ford's long-serving and robust (let's not talk about valve guides and seals, please) modular V8. The aluminum spaceframe that Carbon designed as the basis of the E7 is also not cheap, but the tradeoff for the high cost componentry is a 250,000 mile durability spec. By the time Crown Vics reach that kind of mileage, they're no longer cruisers - usually having long been handed down to less demanding city departments. The car looks like vaporware currently, though there's plenty of CG eye candy at the Carbon Motors website for dreamers to feast upon. Hey, fire trucks are manufactured by niche producers that charge a bundle for vehicles that serve forever, and it could make sense for police departments, too. It all comes down to how durable the cars actually are, how expensive they are to run and maintain, and how much the initial cost is. You know, just a few minor numbers to run.

[Source: Carbon Motors via Paul Tan]

Gallery: Carbon Motors E7 police car

Continue reading Calling all cars: Carbon Motors purpose-built police car

Calling all cars: Carbon Motors purpose-built police car originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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