All-electric BMW by 2013

BMW will launch its first all-electric vehicle in 2013 – and is planning to create a sub-brand to market it.

However, although the company is currently trialling electric versions of the Mini and 1 Series, it is the as-yet-unseen Megacity urban electric vehicle project which will make it to showrooms first.

'It will be sold under the BMW name but as a sub-brand, and we are currently deciding what that sub-brand will be called,' said Ian Robertson, the board member in charge of sales and marketing.

Robertson confirmed that the car would carry the iconic blue-and-white BMW propeller badge and have a carbonfibre passenger cell. BMW has gone into partnership with an American company to set up a carbonfibre production plant in Washington state.


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“Green” Hybrid and Electric Cars Have Their Drawbacks

Recent issues with the Toyota Prius notwithstanding, there is much that is good about the new breed of “green” hybrid and electric cars. Namely, they do not spew poisons into the atmosphere that reputable, independent scientists now determine are largely responsible for global climate change as well as an explosion in respiratory ailments in many regions. They are also very quiet-running and do not contribute to noise pollution – and herein lies a problem.

The Danger of Silent Running

Yes, we are all (hopefully) taught from an early age to look both ways before crossing a street – but the reality is, we rely on our ears almost as much as our eyes – and in the case of the visually impaired, the ability to hear traffic is vital. In September of 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA) issued the results of a study, reporting that the risk of injury accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists are “significantly higher” when it comes to hybrid and electric vehicles, particularly when these vehicles are traveling at typical city speeds (20 – 35 MPH).

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Electric cars widely available in Canada by 2012: automakers

TORONTO — Fully electric vehicles should be widely available to Canadian consumers within two years, with offerings in the pipeline from Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and others, automakers say.

"I think what you're hearing across the board is that 2012 is the time when you're going to have critical mass and a huge number of (electric) products coming forward from every manufacturer," Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada, told a conference on green vehicle technology Friday in Toronto.

"(That) becomes the big moment when you see that transformation in the auto industry in North America and electric comes on big time. It'll be very fascinating to see how the market responds to that," Beatty added.

Nissan is poised to be the first major carmaker to introduce a purely electric consumer vehicle into the Canadian market, with its Leaf set to be in showrooms here by late 2011, said Mark McDade, director of marketing at Nissan Canada.

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Electric vehicles becoming much more viable

Critics of electric vehicles maintain the technology is too expensive and too limited to ever make EVs as practical as vehicles using petroleum products for fuel.

Up to a point, the critics are correct. And the oil industry, with loyal allies in the news, media has artfully played on the concerns about alternative energy. But the huge and unchecked spill of oil in the Gulf of Mexico by British Petroleum underscores “Drill Baby Drill” was certainly a clever slogan, but never a practical solution to the U.S. energy woes, starting with the overwhelming dependence on imported oil.

The idea the oil industry, which is heavily subsidized by the U.S. government through tax breaks and cheap mineral leases, could find enough petroleum in our own backyard to meet everyday needs is limited by technology and cost. The oil barons also have been able to use their enormous political clout to push for special benefits — or bailouts — whenever they have needed them in the past.

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Electric cars taking hold in auto industry

ATLANTA - Volkswagen and other German automakers are investing heavily in electric vehicles and bringing more green autos to dealerships near you soon, industry experts said Thursday.

"It's one of the mega trends," said Karsten Schmidt, chief executive of the U.S. office of global engineering design company Bertrandt AG, about the increasingly key role of electric cars in the auto industry.

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General Motors may launch electric vehicle in India

US car-maker General Motors [ Images ] on Friday said it would either launch or showcase an electric vehicle in the Indian market next year, but ruled out competing with the Tata Nano [ Images ] on price point.

The President and Managing Director of GM India [ Images ], Karl Slym, said here: "I would like to say that you will start to see opportunities for sale (electric vehicle) to you or demonstration (in India) next year."

He said this electric vehicle would be a "pure" GM car and not in collaboration with any other player. Asked if GM plans to launch a car to directly compete with the Tata Nano, Slym told reporters on the sidelines of the Karnataka [ Images ] government-organised Global Investors' Meet here, "It's true that we are looking at (launching) cars in various different segments." But he added, "I don't think it's fair to say we are trying to launch a Nano."

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Electric cars - learning from the past

In 1880, they said that the future of the car was electric. In April 2010, Bill Ford of Ford Motor Company said "It appears that the biggest game-changer will be electric vehicles."

 

Ford said the automotive industry must introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles in order to meet the challenges of diminishing oil reserves, global warming and a desire by customers to spend less money on gasoline. He could have added that local pollution has also become a major issue. Cynics will say that there is something of a groundhog day in all this - a malign repetition of historic failure - but the true situation is more positive.

Resonances with the past

There are certainly resonances with the past. The pure electric car was invented by Thomas Davenport in England in 1834 and a usable one was first made by G Trouvé in France in 1881. They were very popular until about 1910 when the gasoline car won because longer range and faster refuelling. Fast forward to today and batteries and motors are now so much better that electric cars have even appeared as designer sports vehicles that accelerate faster than existing luxury designer brands, potentially threatening their aura (read premium pricing). The Frazer Nash UK sports car brand of the 1920s, has returned in the form of an electric sports car capable of 150 mph. Then there are the voluptuous Tesla and Fisker electric cars in the USA as well as the Lightning in the UK. They all accelerate to 60 mph in only a few seconds, for those that care about such things.

 

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Mitsubishi First to Launch Electric Cars in Australia

Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko announced that the price of electric cars will be cut to half in the next two years due to incline of production, in order to meet more demands. With this, he also announced that next month will see the first batch of battery-powered automobiles for Australia.

Mr. Masuko admitted that Mitsubishi was on a step to take a lead with the technology and thus, the Company’s car called iMiev had been under fleet trials around Australia for months. He added, “This announcement will ensure that we will be No 1 in bringing the electric vehicle to Australia”.

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New plug-in electric vehicle unveiled

Keep your eyes peeled for a brand new electric vehicle – the GT3 plug-in electric from T3 Motion, Inc.

The GT3 features a proprietary rear-wheel design with a single, wide stance wheel with two high performance tyres that share one wheel. With the two tyre design traction, stability and handling are improved and the use of low rolling resistance tyres and a rounded profile increases energy efficiency.

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