Autoblog

Nissan wants to reshape the way we make our way around Gotham, and the Nuvu concept is a means to that greener end. Built atop a new platform measuring around three meters long and featuring an electric drivetrain, Nissan claims that the 2+1 concept is the perfect city car for a better tomorrow.

While the bulbous roofline, squat overhangs and oh-so-cheeky leaf-shaped solar panels (leading into a "trunk" to supply power to the batteries) may be a bit over the top, expect to see some of the styling cues make their way to the revised Note in the next decade, along with Nissan's production EV that's supposedly hitting Japan and the U.S. in 2010.

Make the jump for the press release.

General Motors' goal for the exterior of the 2011 Chevy Volt is to create as much pizazz as possible with superior aerodynamics to ensure the least amount of parasitic loss for the electric drivetrain. The interior, however, is all about how the driver interacts with the vehicle. And with the Volt, GM designers attempted to pull off a Buck Rodgers meets Apple iPod theme.

A quick glance at the futuristic Volt interior shows a very unique approach to integrating design and technology. The first thing we noticed was that GM decided to use two seven-inch LCD screens, with one working as the main driver instrument panel (no gauge cluster here) and the other for everything from navigation to tracking battery charges. Both screens are user configurable, and two different configurations can be saved for two different drivers.

Follow the jump for more including a video demonstration of the Chevy Volt's interior by one of its designers.

The Tesla Roadster launch has been anything but silky-smooth, but the upstart EV automaker hopes its problems are in the rear view mirror with the completion of Drivetrain 1.5, which includes an upgraded electric motor and swapping the original two-speed automatic transmission for a Borg Warner-sourced one speed. The changes will improve the Tesla Roadster's instant torque from 211 to 280 lb-ft while also improving its range by 10% to a shockingly impressive 244 miles.

Drivetrain 1.5 also means Tesla can finally ramp up production of its well-publicized roadster. Within the next few weeks, Tesla will begin producing 10 Roadsters per week. By next March, that number will increase to 40 samples per week, which will go a long way toward satisfying demand for the sexy EV. The new, upgraded Drivetrain 1.5 is so much better than the mechanicals it replaces, Tesla will keeps its promise and retrofit the 38 models already produced and delivered with the new equipment. Hit the jump to view Tesla's official press release.


[Source: Autoblog Green]

Toyota is the undisputed leader in the hybrid space, and the Japanese automaker is looking to expand its kingdom by adding an all-electric vehicle to the mix. While there are few details available, Toyota has said the EV would likely be an urban city-type vehicle that will be available in the "early 2010s". Hopefully it will be more accommodating than Toyota's last attempt at an EV: the eCom (above), which used the innards of the RAV4 EV to achieve a top speed of 62 mph and a range of just 60 miles. Toyota's new EV, however, will be preceded in 2009 by the arrival of the brand's first plug-in Prius hybrid.

[Source: Bloomberg]

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Somewhere, our pal Mike Bumbeck is smiling, because Mitsubishi has produced yet another vehicle worthy of its classic "Super Potential" slogan. No, there's no new-fangled Starion, unfortunately, but there is now an i MiEV police car. Mitsubishi has supplied one of the teensy EVs to the Kanagawa Prefecture police, who will test it through March of next year. Sure, it's not particularly intimidating, but it is (ahem) arrestingly cute. As mentioned at AutoblogGreen, we'd have had that battery pack power a set of on-board tasers, too. Talk about missed opportunities...

[Source: Mitsubishi via AutoblogGreen]

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)]

Being green is all the rage these days, but for some, it's also economical. That's the thought behind the Connellsville, PA Police Department's newest cruiser, a 2000 Chevrolet Impala converted into an all-electric vehicle. The car was just delivered to the precinct today from United First Responders, LLC, the company who built the prototype EV cop car and will be monitoring its use over the next two years. The electric fuzz buster will operate for a full eight hour shift on one charge, and using a 240-volt outlet will recharge fully in just two hours. On pure electrons, that 8-hour shift will cost the city only 35 cents, compared to between $3 and $4 for a gas-powered cruiser. The battery back will last about five years, but the car is limited by its aversion to heavy rain, which could damage the electrical circuits. That's a significant limitation they should look into fixing quickly, as criminals all over Connellsville will have a field day during Spring when April showers begin to fall.

Thanks to Dominick for the tip.

[Source: Tribune-Review]

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Universal Electric Vehicle first unveiled its all-electric Spyder last December at the AltCar Expo in Santa Monica. AutoblogGreen was on hand at the unveiling, but there wasn't much to report in terms of specs and pricing. UEV recently reached out to ABG to plug those holes, and we now know that the Spyder will have a base price of $70,000, which could rise rather quickly depending on what battery option one chooses. It appears opting for the advanced lithium-ion battery pack will not only increase your Spyder's driving range, but also its final price by some $30,000. The standard battery pack is of the oft used Nickel Metal Hydride variety.

While it won't embarass a Tesla Roaster, the Spyder does have an effective range of 70 to 150 miles depending on the battery pack and driving habits of the driver, as well as a 100 mph top speed. It can reach 60 mph in approximately 7 seconds, no doubt a function of its 2,900 curb weight. That's pretty hefty for a tiny two-seat roadster, but batteries aren't light.

Check out all the Spyder's specs here, and see it from every angle in AutoblogGreen's high-resolution gallery of photos.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Bob Lutz used the Geneva Motor Show as the backdrop for announcing that General Motors wants an all-electric vehicle in production by 2010. Presumably that vehicle would be a production version of the Chevy Volt concept that was very well received at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show in January. As the company has been saying since the Volt was unveiled, the major obstacle is battery technology. Current lithium-ion batteries don't have the range or durability to satisfy GM's requirements, so the question remains whether or not they will in a few years or another battery type will emerge as a front runner.

Though the production timeline for the Volt is now set, GM is not entirely sure that it will succeed in meeting it. Lutz commented, "We're sort of outside our comfort zone." While that may be true, GM is the largest automaker ever to have offered a production EV to the public with its now controversial EV1 program. Lutz, however, stated there's still a 10% chance this project will completely fail. He also warned us that a production Volt would not look very much like the concept, especially the front wheels that are optimistically placed too far forward to be production feasible.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]