Nissan and Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) are providing range-anxious and stranded Leaf drivers, as described above, an “Option”. They have launched a mobile charging unit that helps juice up the dead batteries.

It will not just recharge dead batteries but is also equipped to assist other EV problems. Certain facts are still not clear, as in, how much time the batteries will need to charge up. The Nissan Leaf takes approximately 7 hours at 220/240V to fully recharge the 24-kWh battery, which gives the vehicle a 100-mile range.

Nissan Leaf roadside charging in partnership with JAF

Using an 80-volt quick-charge station, it takes approximately 30 minutes to achieve 80 percent battery capacity. The mobile service will not provide you the full charge. Its job instead will be to provide enough juice for you to reach a charging station.

In Japan, Nissan offers an optional tow plan for Leaf owners, which covers up to $6,599 in tow fees.

Source – Cnet.com

By Gaurav Malik

One such car is the DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future. Designed by Italians, engineered by Brits and marketed by an Americans, this car was really a summation of all 3 motoring cultures of the world.

Much of here is for show, but electricity sends drive to the wheels

Now, Wired Italia has made a replica of the car for a cross-country race from Rome to Milan. But what separates this car from its superstar cousin is that this is an electric car which is powered 90 kW motor. Wired Italia says that the purpose of creating this car has been to promote electric power and environmentally-sustainable motoring.

I’m sure the crowd-pulling DeLorean can send the message across.

DeLorean BTTF replica

source – eurocarblog.com

Volvo Mean Green

Volvo Mean Green has a 16-liter twin turbo engine that generates 2000+ hp

Why is it Green?

It is green because it is hybrid of a Diesel and Electric engine. It gets 200 horsepower and 1100 Newton meters of torque from the onboard electric motors. This makes it the first hybrid truck in the world.

(Now for the good part) Why is it Mean?

Two words – 1900 hp! The truck is also powered a 16-liter conventional engine which is twin turbo charged. At the same time, it is lighter than its predecessor. They managed to save a total of 160 lbs by fiddling with the front axle, gearbox and wiring. The truck is also aerodynamically design in a wind tunnel to give maximum down force. The plan is to try to exceed the current top speed record of 206 km/h within 1000 meters.

Volvo Mean Green's pilot is asked to lose 20kg for a better power-to-weight ratio

So would it make it? Well we will have to wait for the spring season for an answer when the racing team will take a shot at the title. In the meantime more developmental work on the truck is on the way.

Source – Motoring iAfrica

Range anxiety is surely among the leading reasons why people don’t buy electric vehicles. Fear of driving their electric vehicles far away from their homes only to discover that they’ve run out of charge and cannot make it back has warded off thousands buyers. People also fear of getting stuck in traffic on an electric vehicle. Run the air conditioner for long and you’d be left stranded.

For every problem, there is a solution and fortunately there’s one too for range anxious EV buyer.

A Swiss company named Nation-E runs a fleet of vehicles that are mobile charging stations. If you’re stuck somewhere with dead batteries, you ring up Nation-E and they arrive on the scene with their plug point on wheels which has a 230V power socket that can fill up a considerable level of juice in 15 minutes or less. This will help you reach a nearby charging station in the least.

The company is in the testing stage. It will run its vehicles in Europe and America and hopefully catch the attention of auto manufacturers working on electric vehicles to invest or support this venture.

Source – Eco Friend

ÖkoGlobe’s first prize for ‘ground-breaking innovations in concept and small vehicles’ (yes, that’s how big the category was) went to Xenova’s Terryman, a lightweight, fully electric powered van that can, so to say, ‘save the environment.’

With ‘Eco-friendly’ being the buzz word of the 21st century, we see a lot of these eco cars at motor shows regularly. So what makes this van different?

Xenova Terryman has been designed so that the new drive technology is optimally implemented. This results in a free space charge distribution in the interior and high efficiency in the use of the electric-utility vehicle.

It even has its own photovoltaic roof that generates approx 10% of its daily usage. It has a length of 2800mm, a width of 1700mm and a height of 1600mm making it a perfect size for city commutes.

Michael Viktor Kamp, managing director of Xenova, even plans to start a fleet test by this year end so the concept can be eventually put to production.

Xenova Terryman Image Gallery

Source – Cars World

Zeroshift, a UK based transmission company has made a significant breakthrough that could change the way we drive electric vehicles. They have developed a clutchless multi speed gearbox that uses dampers inside the gear hubs along with the electronic control of the motor for changing gears. This is a seamless operation.

There is no interruption whatsoever in torque allowing the motor to run at a higher efficiency, which in turn extends the range and battery life by as much as 10%. The electronic control of the electric motor is used to match shaft speeds and an integrated passive damper system within the drive hub that can isolate vibrations. With sealed pockets of silicone fluid and mechanical compression springs, the shifts are virtually unnoticeable to occupants.

Now the concept is being developed using Zeroshift’s proprietary gear-shifting system. This could allow electric vehicle motors to be downsized and keep them running for longer at medium loads and speeds with peak efficiency of 95%.

It is also believed that the improved efficiency could extend battery life. Improving the motor efficiency uses less of the energy stored for a journey, which eases the discharge-recharge cycles and cuts recharge time. This means that the cars can go on running for a longer duration.

Source – Green Car Website

For all of those who thought electric vehicles were only meant for inter-city transport and grocery store runs, think again.

Nissan will send the Land Glider Concept into production by using the Leaf EV’s platform. The Nissan Leaf EV sports coupe will be available in the United States in the next three to five years according to reports.

The Nissan Land Glider concept has four wheels, but it leans into corners like a motorcycle. Two people sit one behind the other and the easy navigation allows you to cut through traffic in the comfort of an air-conditioned cabin.

Measuring nearly half the width of a family car, the Land Glider Concept has a maximum top speed of 62mph.

There are no details available at this point on how much of all that is going to cross over into the production model, but expect something much more conventional from Nissan. If the vehicle turns out to be as sporty as the rendering here, then I see a lot of buyers licking their lips!

Image Source – Auto In Car

With a zero-emission powerplant, this Airport luggage carrying trolley is designed by Anupam Singh Parihar who hails from India. Anupam’s “Togian” is a compact load hauler which can move up to 3 tons of weight.

The vehicle’s focus is transporting maximum possible load and hence there’s not much room for the operator. With a tiny cockpit built for a single person and his assistant, we’d say this sleek equipment is cleverly designed. The windshield is large which allows for high visibility, a critical factory in an environment such as an airport.

There’s aggression too – headlamps, tail lamps, flashing lamps are all designed to gel well with the overall design. The vehicle makes use of lead acid batteries, the range or the top speed is not specified.

The futuristic load carrier will look out of place in today’s airports. Perhaps ten years down the line, the Togian could carry your and my luggage while we’re in transit.

Togian by Anupam Singh Parihar

Here’s another graphic representation of the much awaited 2012 Audi A2 MPV. According to latest reports the next generation A2 (shown here) will come with an electric powertrain.

The car will be pitted against the likes of the Mercedes Benz B-class and the new range of BMW Megacity electric cars which reach the markets globally in 2013.

Audi is looking to resurrect the A2 using the low-cost Audi A1 platform and giving it an electric heart.

The 2012 Audi A2 will be classified as a compact electric MPV with a monocoque shell. The interiors are designed to offer maximum room and the car will be dubbed “A2 e-tron”

Could Audi use a small diesel or petrol engine to boost the A2′s range? Only time will tell.

The biggest challenge auto manufacturers are facing today with electric vehicles is it takes far too long to replenish the batteries giving EVs an unattractive image.

What JFE Engineering has innovated can potentially eliminate that problem completely. The Japanese engineering firm has developed an electric charger that plugs into your EV and provides up to 70% charge in a matter of 5 minutes!

If you’re in a rush to the local supermarket, you can get 50% charge in just 3 minutes. That’s less than what it takes to perform a “splash and dash” fuel stop at the local petrol station.

JFE Engineering Official -

We have shortened the charging time to three minutes, the same amount of time for refueling petrol or making a simple purchase.

EV charging infrastructure available today in modern cities take almost overnight to provide full juice to batteries. This is a common reason why people prefer combustion models. But with such drastic improvements made in the electrical industry field, EVs might take over our world very soon!

By the end of March 2011, this JFE hopes to install the charger in petrol stations across Japan for the public to use. There is no word on the cost yet.

Source – Car Advice Australia