Volkswagen News - ECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go
January 28, 2009 by tsikot · Comments Off
ECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Volkswagen, Europe/EU
The guys over at Electric Cars Europe (ECE) have finished the gas-to-electric conversion of the first of 200 Volkswagen Golfs they’ve been tasked to prepare for the Dutch energy supplier, ENEXIS (formerly known as Essent). The fleet, once it’s built converted, is to be used in the testing of the Euro version of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) dubbed the “Mobile Smart Grid” (PDF). Information about the electro-Golf is scant, though it is said to be stuffed with enough lithium ion batteries to take it 300 Km (186 miles). That would make it one of the longest range conversions we’ve ever seen. The ECE team has plenty of experience converting cars and has more recently been doing gas-bypass surgery on Lotus Elises as well as a Proton Savvy on behalf of Detroit Electric. Thanks to Matthijs for the tip!
[Source: ZERAuto]
ECE delivers first electric VW Golf, 199 more to go originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: www.autobloggreen.com
[tags]volkswagen cars, volkswagen news, volkswagen models[/tags]
MINI News - Times of London looks at half a century of the frugal Mini
January 27, 2009 by tsikot · Comments Off
Times of London looks at half a century of the frugal Mini
Filed under: MINI
One of the most iconic and recognizable shapes on the road is the Mini, and 2009 marks the golden anniversary of the original. The brainchild of Sir Alec Issigonis, the Mini was created in response to the 1956 Suez crisis which strangled the supply of Middle East oil to Britain. Issigonis set out to create a car that maximized interior space within a minimal exterior. He came up with a mechanical layout that would eventually be adopted in cars the world over. By turning the four cylinder engine sideways to drive the front wheels, he was able to take all of the powertrain out of the passenger space. The wheels were also pushed out of the way to the corners of the car and shrunk down to a mere ten inches; a change that necessitated the development of new tires. The Mini went through a number of iterations and remained in production until 2000 when it was finally discontinued. The Mini was sold under several brands including Morris, Austin and Rover. At the turn of the millennium, when Rover was under BMW ownership, a new modern MINI was developed. Meeting modern safety requirements meant the MINI grew nearly 22 inches compared to the original, yet it still remains one of the smallest cars on the market.
Happy birthday Mini!
[Source: The Times of London]
Times of London looks at half a century of the frugal Mini originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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[tags]mini cars, mini news, mini models[/tags]
Infiniti News - Infiniti hybrid for 2010?
January 27, 2009 by tsikot · Comments Off
Infiniti hybrid for 2010?
Nissan, one of the Japanese Big Three automakers and a major player in the United States market, doesn’t yet offer its own hybrid technology in a production model. Instead, it opts to license the fuel-saving bits and pieces from rival Toyota for its Altima midsize sedan. Not any longer. News is coming in from John Capps, who serves as chairman of the Infiniti National Dealer Advisory Board, that Nissan’s upmarket luxury division is scheduled to get a new hybrid model for 2010. Instead of using Toyota-licensed parts for its upcoming hybrid, Infiniti has said it will get its own dedicated model. This is an intriguing possibility, especially considering that Infiniti currently focuses on the performance side of the luxury spectrum with a full line of rear- and all-wheel drive coupes, sedans and SUVs. This being the case, we’d imagine that an Infiniti hybrid would compete on equal footing with the Lexus brand of hybrid, which also focus on performance.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Infiniti hybrid for 2010? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: www.autobloggreen.com
[tags]infiniti cars, infiniti news, infiniti models[/tags]
Ford News - $10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976
January 27, 2009 by tsikot · Comments Off
$10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford
2008 marked the first time in history that lots of people started thinking seriously about converting cars to electric drive. But it certainly wasn’t the first time such conversions were offered. In the wake of the first Middle East oil embargo in the mid-seventies, there were plenty of conversions advertised, including one for the Pinto in this 1976 ad from Special Interest Autos magazine. One of the issues with electric cars has always been cost and this 30-year-old Pinto conversion is no exception. The cost of a Pinto new at that time was probably less than $3,000 and $10,000 was a lot for any car. It’s not clear how many of these electric Pintos were ever built, but at least it wouldn’t have an exploding gas tank. Of course, there’s no guarantee that a Pinto loaded with lead-acid batteries is any safer.
[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]
$10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: www.autobloggreen.com
[tags]ford cars, ford news, ford models, ford[/tags]
Nissan News - Rendered Speculation: 2011 Nissan Versa
January 26, 2009 by tsikot · Comments Off
Rendered Speculation: 2011 Nissan Versa
Filed under: Nissan
Nissan’s smallest car in the U.S. market is the Versa and it’s due for a refresh. That new design is expected to appear in 2010 and will be built on the same platform that French partner Renault uses for the Megane. Like the current Versa, it will apparently be coming in both four-door sedan and five-door hatch flavors. Also coming from the French side of the family will likely be some engines. Like those from many other automakers, these are expected to follow the path of smaller displacement and turbocharging. The Renault TCe engines come in 1.4L and 2.0L variants, although it seems unlikely that a 2.0L turbo would land in the Versa.
[Source: CarScoop]
Rendered Speculation: 2011 Nissan Versa originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: www.autobloggreen.com
[tags]nissan cars, nissan autos, nissan news, nissan models, nissan[/tags]
