Autoblog

2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth - and U.S. bound [*UPDATED w/vids & live photos]

Chris Paukert — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:48:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan, Technology, Hatchback, Nissan, Design/Style, Electric

2010 Nissan Leaf EV - Click above for hi-res gallery

It would be easy to paint Nissan as late to the burgeoning U.S. green party, as the company essentially only counts the Altima Hybrid to sell among its alt-fuel offerings - and that sedan utilizes technology borrowed from Toyota, and it's only sold in a few states in small volumes. While that may be the case, Nissan says their near-term prospects are really quite different. While the company has admittedly been cautious in marketing alt-fuel vehicles in North America, they have been hard at work developing electric vehicles - as well as the advanced lithium-ion batteries to support them - since 1992. What's more, officials say they are now singularly well-placed to leapfrog "transitional" powertrain solutions like gas-electric hybrids in favor of genuine zero-emissions vehicles, and they are promising that their first pure-electric car will reach U.S. shores late next year.

That car, the Nissan Leaf shown here, is the reason we find ourselves in the company's brand-new Yokohama headquarters today. Designed as a four-to-five seat, front-drive C-segment hatchback, Nissan says the Leaf is not just for use as a specialty urban runabout, but rather, it was designed as an everyday vehicle - a "real car" whose 160-kilometer+ (100 mile) range meets the needs of 70% of the world's motorists. In the case of U.S. consumers, Nissan says that fully 80% of drivers travel less than 100km per day (62 miles), making the Leaf a solid fit for America's motoring majority, even taking into account power-sapping external factors like hilly terrain, accessory draw, and extreme temperatures.

We were afforded an advance look at the Leaf ahead of the car's unveiling today, and while it was a hands-off affair, we did have the chance to formulate some in-the-metal first impressions and take a deep dive into the car's technology. Click through to the jump to learn all about it.

Gallery: 2010 Nissan Leaf EV

Gallery: 2010 Nissan Leaf EV- Yokohama Introduction

Continue reading 2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth - and U.S. bound [*UPDATED w/vids & live photos]

2010 Nissan Leaf electric car: In person, in depth - and U.S. bound [*UPDATED w/vids & live photos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW plans 500 Electric MINIs for California

Chris Shunk — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:32:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Green, Hatchback, BMW, Mini

BMW's MINI brand already produces some of the most efficient vehicles for sale in the US, and sources say the pint-sized cars will soon go emissions free, at least in California. BMW is planning to lease 490 Minis in California, with an additional 10 vehicles planned for show car duty. The emissions-free MINIs will be silver with a yellow roof, which should stand out nicely in the land of fruits and nuts.

There are no details at this point pertaining to EV range or date of availability, but BMW claims it will make an announcement regarding electric vehicles later in the year. With all the talk of game-changing vehicles coming in the near future, we're getting the feeling that the upcoming auto show season could be one of the more memorable on record.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

BMW plans 500 Electric MINIs for California originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compressed air car on track for production this year

Dan Roth — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:03:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Europe, Green, Plants/Manufacturing

Guy Negre's compressed air vision has crossed our desks before. The vehicle, which uses a motor powered by 4,000 psi of compressed air stored in carbon fiber tanks, will actually start production in India soon - after 15 years in development - thanks to some help from India's biggest automaker, Tata, which itself just unveiled the world's least expensive car called the Nano. The MDI Citycat and Minicat are built from lightweight materials and offer large passenger and luggage space with zero emissions motoring. The energy required to refill the compressed air tanks reportedly costs about $2, and there are optional propulsion units to extend the roughly 90-mile (at speeds of 40mph or below) range of the vehicle so you aren't stuck if your air car runs out of breath.

We wonder if the MDI Citycat and Minicat might actually increase the demand for compressed air. We can just imagine someone finding a way to make money selling high-octane squeezed atmosphere. Regardless, 100 miles of zero emissions sounds good to us, and MDI is also considering setting up local factories in various markets to virtually eliminate transport costs and pollution, too. With Tata's large resources and the insatiable demand of the burgeoning Indian market, these clever cars stand a good chance of success.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Compressed air car on track for production this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yearly update on Project 1221

Dan Roth — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Green, Technology

It's as close as we'll come to a Mr. Fusion for a long time. Project 1221 is an independently-funded project to develop a zero-emissions gas turbine powered vehicle.

They've released their yearly update, which offers scant information shrouded in obfuscatory nebulous prose. From what we can glean, they've hit a wall and are now actively seeking alliances for design, engineering and manufacturing assistance to help bring the project to successful fruition, having exhausted the extent of their expertise and experience. Perhaps outside involvement will move the project along at a greater clip.

The wild-card in the mix is the gas turbine powerplant. Chrysler did significant engineering work in the '60's and throughout the '70s (they even put a turbine in a Volare, what a fall from grace from powering jets), but the technology has been largely dismissed as being not viable for mass-produced automobiles. With a goal of zero emissions, complete combustion of fuel is a must.

Make the jump for the rest of the story.

Related posts:
Project 1221 updated
Project 1221 releases really bad pic
Project 1221 MF1 to make 1,500bhp
More Project 1221 details revealed

Continue reading Yearly update on Project 1221

Yearly update on Project 1221 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jan 2007 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electric truck hauls amps

Chris Tutor — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:55:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Green

Slowly, the arguments against owning an alternative-fuel vehicle are being made invalid. There's an electric car for speed junkies. There's even a hybrid for hauling more than two people. The Prius not orange enough for ya? You're covered too.

But until now, if you wanted to haul cargo, your choices were limited, if not nonexistent. Phoenix Motorcars hopes to fill that need soon with its uncreatively-named Sport Utility Truck. The midsize pickup will use not one drop of gasoline while hauling your oversized sheets of plywood or mounds of mulch. The four-door cab will even let you take five of your closest home-improvement-able friends to the megastore, while the 480-lb-ft of torque takes the vehicle to 60 mph in a claimed 10 seconds and on up to 95 mph.

Phoenix says the SUT's battery pack will recharge 95% in 10 minutes with the off board charger and in six hours with the on board charger. The company says its NanoSafe battery packs will get 100 miles on a charge, and are guaranteed for 12 years. It just received a $750,000 order for 10 of the 35KWh packs from Altair Nanotechnologies. That order will help the company meet its goal of selling 500 of the California-built pickups in late 2007 in that state, and 6,000 nationwide by 2008.

Autoblog Green reported on the company from SEMA and has all the technical details on their site.

More photos after the jump.

[Sources: TechEBlog and The Auto Channel]

Continue reading Electric truck hauls amps

Electric truck hauls amps originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: Peugeot 207 EPURE Concept

Alex Nunez — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:20:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Europe, Green, Paris Motor Show

The Peugeot 207 EPURE concept looks like a production car because, for the most part, it is. What you see is the new Peugeot 207 CC ... almost. A peek underhood reveals the "concept" part of this little French bulldog: it's powered by a fuel cell.

The car's name is an obvious nod toward it's green credentials, and Peugeot used the car's colors to help communicate that theme as well. The white paint, white leather interior, and soft "absinthe" green carpeting and accents communicate the cleanliness associated with its alternative fuel source. Some interior features are concept-specific, such as the instrumentation used to monitor the car's power sources. In addition to that, a lot of the leather-covered interior surfaces will likely be hide-free when the production 207 CC bows.

Peugeot says that it was natural to use a convertible as the platofrm here because the open air dirving experience is most enhanced by the car's quiet operation and emissions-free nature. The power source is a GENEPAC 20 (20 kW) fuel cell that is fed by five 15-liter hydrogen cylinders stored at the bottom of the car's trunk. The fuel cell powers the EPURE's electric motor (Peak power: 95 hp / 133 lb-ft) and recharges its 50 kW Lithium-Ion battery.

(More info, photos, press release after the jump)

Continue reading Paris Preview: Peugeot 207 EPURE Concept

Paris Preview: Peugeot 207 EPURE Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Sep 2006 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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