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Geneva 2009: Clever EDAG "Light Car Open-Source" is like safety television for tailgaters

Chris Paukert — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Green, Technology, Hatchback

Click above for high-res gallery of the EDAG Light Car - Open Source

EDAG has presented its new "Light Car - Open Source" concept here at the Geneva Motor Show, and while it outwardly appears to look like any other nondescript electric bubble car, there's a lot of innovative content on the inside screaming for attention.

It's hard to know where to start: The use of (O)LED technology as both driver-configurable exterior lighting units and as a television screen-like safety feature that alerts those behind of road conditions; its 100% recyclable basalt fiber chassis (said to be at once lighter and cheaper than carbon-fiber or aluminum); or the fact that this is an open-source effort, with EDAG taking the lead but freely opening up the car's technologies to outside developers for improvement and modification.

In any case, the fact that the lithium ion-powered compact car utilizes in-wheel motors that help maximize interior space is a neat detail, but we're actually most intrigued by the (O)LED technology, which gives the Light Car an egg-smooth exterior. Out back, the (O)LEDs are used to show trailing vehicles not only the LCOS' strength of braking, but also road conditions ahead - a pedestrian crossing the road, say, or whether there's a speed or construction zone ahead. We imagine this sort of tech would be murder to legalize (at least in the States), but it does have us thinking in new ways about vehicle safety and car-to-car communications. See the EDAG's (O)LED tech in action in a video after the jump, and learn more from the official press release by downloading the PDF here.

Gallery: Geneva 2009: EDAG Light-Car Open-Source

Gallery: EDAG Open-Source Light Car

Continue reading Geneva 2009: Clever EDAG "Light Car Open-Source" is like safety television for tailgaters

Geneva 2009: Clever EDAG "Light Car Open-Source" is like safety television for tailgaters originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: Mighty Morphin' iChange proves Rinspeed is up to its old tricks

Chris Paukert — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:58:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Technology

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Rinspeed iChange

From the gloriously fertile mind of Frank Rinderknecht comes the Rinspeed iChange, a shape-shifting zero-emissions concept car. As its name suggests, the iChange actually morphs its body shape depending on how many people are going to be onboard, thus optimizing its aerodynamic profile around the passenger load that is called for.

The Swiss auto designer's creations have always been a highlight of the Geneva Motor Show, from outsized roadsters with crazy paint jobs to cars that run on garbage and have tilting occupant cells to exoskeltal minimalist roadsters to Lotus Elise-based roadgoing submarines. Next month, we expect the iChange to be no different.

In the main, the lightweight (1,050 kilograms, or 2,315 pounds) zero-emissions iChange starts off as a one-seat sports car that is capable of changing to a three-seat coupe thanks to a pop-up rear end.

In the drivetrain department, the iChange is motivated by a 150-kilowatt motor, whose power is routed through a six-speed "pre-selector" gearbox which Rinspeed says is borrowed from Subaru's WRX. Juice storage is provided by one of two stack configurations of lithium-ion batteries, depending on whether short- or long-distance driving is planned. So-equipped, the iChange will whir its way to 100 kilometers-per-hour (62 miles-per-hour) in just over four seconds, topping out at 220 km/h (137 mph). The car's pure-electric drivetrain is further supplemented by a roof shingled in solar panels, which generates power that is stored in the batteries and also helps operate cooling fans to vent the interior.

Click on the jump for more details and a stupendously-large press release, and check out the 70+ image high-res gallery below.

Gallery: Geneva Preview: Rinspeed iChange concept

[Source: Rinspeed]

Continue reading Geneva Preview: Mighty Morphin' iChange proves Rinspeed is up to its old tricks

Geneva Preview: Mighty Morphin' iChange proves Rinspeed is up to its old tricks originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Next-gen Prius coming in January with more power, efficiency

Dan Roth — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Green, Toyota

The current Prius is baked from a refined recipe that results in a roomy, practical and efficient vehicle lurking under an eco-statement exterior, or at least we thought so. Five years on, it's still the most popular way to conspicuously consume under the guise of saving the planet. Toyota hasn't been resting on the success of its green badge of targeted consumerism, so we're going to see a new Prius at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in January, according to Toyota President Watanabe. The 3rd-generation Prius will grow in size, and engine displacement will be bumped to 1.8 liters to increase performance. Despite the increase in size and sprightliness, weight will reportedly hold steady. Further changes are in store after the launch, with plug-in and Li-Ion updates to come.

The nameplate will also move beyond a single model and become a sub-brand during the reign of Prius the III. More body styles are coming, and if you think the Prius is a roachy-looking thing, the concept hints Toyota has given us are possibly even weirder. The sub-1,000 pound 1/X might offer a glimpse at another type of Prius, though more realistically, the sad-eyed Hybrid X vannish concept suggests the way things are headed without the ridiculous pronunciation of its featherweight companion. If things go according to Toyota's plan for world domination, the Prius will become one of the pillars upon which the marque is built, next to the Corolla and Camry institutions.

Gallery: Review: 2007 Toyota Prius Touring

[Source: Auto Observer]

Next-gen Prius coming in January with more power, efficiency originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota delays launch of third-generation Prius

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:49:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Technology, Toyota

According to Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Toyota is going to postpone the launch of its next generation Prius. Originally planned for fall 2008, the release has been pushed back to spring 2009. This will be the third generation of the popular hybrid-only model, and it was expected that we'd see the first use of lithium-ion batteries in this new model. Toyota, however, has apparently decided to stick with the nickel-metal hydrides, and delayed the launch of the new car until further development could be done on that system. Toyota's battery partner, Matsushita, could be partly to blame here, but officially Toyota says there is no delay. They maintain that the launch date was never announced and that when they feel everything is in place, the new car will appear. With or without the li-ions. The Prius is by far the best selling and most widely known hybrid on the market. Toyota sold 186,000 of them last year, and 313,000 hybrids overall.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]

Toyota delays launch of third-generation Prius originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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