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A race track is not the typical environment for an electric city car with narrow tires and upright styling.Nevertheless, that's exactly where the 2014 BMW i3 finds itself in BMW's latest video, displaying its handling prowess on a closed circuit.It's a place few actual i3 owners will ever venture, at least in the i3 itself. But there are perhaps a few good reasons BMW has chosen to demonstrate its diminutive electric car in such a manner.The first is that it simply makes for a cool video. More and more, we're seeing electric cars used in situations they might previously have been ignored, and putting an electric city car on track shows there's more to it than meets the eye.The second is that BMW has a reputation to uphold. The company still sells cars under "The Ultimate Driving Machine" tag--hyperbole perhaps, but a message that needs to infuse all its products to some degree.Finally, early reviews of the i3 have been a little mixed when it comes to the way the car handles--plenty of understeer, or lacking steering feel next to other BMWs--and this video is perhaps the company's way of reassuring potential buyers that there's still fun to be had.SOURCE
Showing posts with label Car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Car. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2013
2:01 AM
Unknown
It's been said before but bears repeating: One of the best ways to get people interested in electric cars is to get "butts in seats"--getting potential customers behind the wheel to experience the cars and see just how good they are to drive.
It's not always easy to do, though. Some people don't have the time to spend a weekend test-driving cars. Others may be dissuaded by hard-sell tactics.
That's where Tred comes in.
The Seattle startup is a new way of testing electric and hybrid cars (among other vehicles). The idea behind Tred is that for a small fee, the company can bring vehicles to your door to drive.
Unlike dealers, there'll also be no pressure to buy--Tred's experts simply answer questions on the vehicles, letting potential buyers know everything they need to know about the car. Better still, Tred can deliver two vehicles at once to test back-to-back--not always easy to do when traveling from dealer to dealer.
Should a driver like the car, they can then use Tred to get offers from local dealers and buy without ever setting foot in a dealer.
So what's the catch? Actually, there isn't one, as far as we can see. Where normally you'd have to pay $19 for a test drive, Tred has made all electric and hybrid vehicle drives completely free--so there really is no risk. And you get to drive the car on familiar roads, since test drives start from your front door--something you may not have the benefit of at a dealer.
As The Seattle Times reports, one of Tred's backers is ex-GM CEO Rick Wagoner. There's a solid premise behind the idea too--a Kelly Blue Book survey in 2011 discovered that 56 percent of drivers would definitely schedule a test drive if the car could be delivered to them.
Apply that figure to the number of people potentially interested in trying out an electric vehicle, and you really could get plenty of extra butts in seats.
Not everyone is guaranteed to buy a car, of course. But a sale is significantly more likely if someone new to the vehicles is handed one on a plate with no obligation to buy.
If you've not yet tried an electric car, would you give a system like Tred a try? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Friday, December 13, 2013
1:48 AM
Unknown
People tend to recall bad or frustrating experiences more acutely than good ones.
Which is likely why a staple of plug-in car forums is the bad-treatment-at-a-car-dealership story.
Anecdotes abound about Chevrolet and Nissan dealers who tried to pull Volt and Leaf buyers away from plug-in electrics into gasoline cars.
Or said, "Your battery will go dead and you'll be stuck on the side of the road."
Or knew nothing at all about Federal, state, or local incentives--from tax credits to purchase rebates, from free charging to carpool-lane access--that make owning a plug-in car easier.
Or consistently block access to their "publicly available" charging station with gasoline vehicles.The stories go on and on.
So it's important for all potential car buyers to understand how dealers operate, so they can be better prepared before they walk through the dealership doors.
The first thing to realize is that the salespeople at the dealer do not work for the carmaker. They work for independent third-party businesses, over which the carmakers have limited control.
In most states, auto companies are specifically banned by law from selling cars to retail buyers.Automakers would dearly love to have more direct say over the dealership experience, of course, because it reflects directly on their brand.
But auto-dealer groups have worked closely with state politicians throughout the country to get laws enacted to protect existing franchised dealers against company-owned competition.
While carmakers can set certain conditions under which dealers are allocated specific types of cars, they can't--in the end--control the sales experience.
As many dealers complain, those experiences are generally shared only when they're bad.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
2:02 AM
Unknown
Tesla Model S Road Trip:-
Once Tesla Motors built out its Supercharger network of quick-charging stations along Interstate 5.It was almost 600 miles from our home in West Sacramento to our hotel room in Portland, so it would be a long day's drive. But we would save about $400 on airfare, and another $150 or so on not needing a rental car once we got there.
Starting with a full "range charge" of 271 miles in our 85-kWh Tesla Model S, we headed out at 5:30 a.m. to the first charging station in Corning, California, about 110 miles away. We arrived at the Corning Supercharger about 7:15 am, and after plugging in we walked 200 feet to the nearby Starbucks for coffee and a bathroom break. We were on the road again in 25 minutes, with almost 255 miles of range, refreshed and heading for the next stop in California's famed Mount Shasta. We were using up about 20 percent more range than each recharge had provided, but we were also driving against a constant headwind.
I use cruise control pretty much all the time on the interstates, so I was holding to the regular "posted speed limit," either 65 mph or in a few areas an awesome 70 mph. The Model S is so solid and steady on the road that the only way we knew it was windy was after the sun rose...seeing how much the trees and bushes bent over in the gusts.Arriving at the Mt. Shasta charging units, in the parking lot of a nice Best Western Hotel, we had covered 107 miles from Corning in just under two hours. An indulgent breakfast was in order, so we walked across the street in the cold brisk wind to the Black Bear Diner.
Returning to the Model S, we now had a full 270-mile "range charge," and we headed out into the headwind (15 to 25 mph) towards Grants Pass, the first charging point in Oregon.
We crossed the 4300-foot pass between Mt. Shasta and Grants Pass and arrived about 1 pm, after covering only 88 miles. However, we had used up almost 110 miles of "projected range."Since our next stop was to be Springfield, Oregon--almost 140 miles further north--we took a 25-minute charging break and left with 215 miles showing on the projected range display. It was still sunny, but the headwinds were also still fighting us.
From Grants Pass to Springfield was the longest segment between Supercharger locations; we arrived at Springfield with just 30 miles of range remaining on our dashboard display. The 140 miles had used about 175 miles of originally projected range! Headwinds hurt range.
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
2:27 AM
Unknown
2015 Ford Mustang
The 2015 Mustang will offer a four-cylinder engine, the model's first since 1993--though the new 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four is actually being presented as a performance option, not a fuel-economy special.
Ford says that the base engine will remain a 3.7-liter V-6 that will produce at least 300 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque, paired with either a six-speed manual gearbox or an optional six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.The base V-6 model of the 2014 Mustang is still rated at 23 mpg combined (19 mpg city, 31 mpg highway) with the six-speed automatic, and 1 mpg less in every reading with the six-speed manual.
We may see the V-8 versions priced comparatively higher for 2015 than they have been in the past, to skew the mix more toward the more efficient engines.
Ford's only improving the gas mileage because it has to do so for all its cars under the Federal gas-mileage mandate. Which is why it's at least"considering" alternative powertrains--diesel, hybrid, even electric--for Mustangs of the future.We'll take a stab here and suggest that the base V-6 car could reach 25 mpg (21 city, 33 highway) and the EcoBoost will be marginally higher than that.
2:22 AM
Unknown
If you live in parts of California, electric cars--from the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid all the way up to the Tesla Model S--are no longer uncommon.
The streets of Palo Alto, in the center of Silicon Valley, are practically crawling with Teslas these days.
But in other parts of the country, you may go months without seeing a single car with a plug.
Three weeks ago, Mother Nature Network took a look at which states have the most plug-in electric cars, and why.
California tops the list, of course, due to state rules that require sales of certain numbers of zero-emission vehicles by the six carmakers with the great sales in the state (Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota).But after California, there are a few surprises.
Two years ago, Pike Research predicted that Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, D.C. (technically not a state, but OK), and Delaware would have the highest percentage of electric vehicles on their roads.
Among the top 10 best markets for the Nissan Leaf, for example, is Atlanta--due largely to Georgia's $5,000 state tax credit for purchase of a battery-electric vehicle.
Little Normal, Illinois, designated itself "EVtown" and has more than 300 plug-in vehicles in a city of 54,000.
And even regions not necessarily known for being particularly green in their transport--think pickups, not Priuses--are starting to look at their own efforts.
Among southwestern states, for example, Colorado is best, Wyoming is worst in policies supporting adoption of plug-in cars.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
2:05 AM
Unknown
Looking for a good deal on a used diesel car?
Turns out Buffalo is the best place to go, according to new data from iSeeCars.com. The home of chicken wings and the Bills football team is the least-expensive city in which to buy a used diesel, with prices 6.0 percent below the national average.
The combined Providence, Rhode Island-New Bedford, Massachusetts metro area came second, with used diesel prices there 5.1 percent below the national average. The Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida metro area was third, with prices 5.0 percent below the national average.
In contrast, Seattle was the most expensive city to buy a used diesel car. Prices in the Emerald City were 7.1 percent above the national average. It was followed by Indianapolis (4.1 percent) and Baltimore (3.5 percent).
Used diesel cars tend to be more expensive in areas--such as the West Coast--where green cars are already in demand, iSeeCars.com CEO Phong Ly said.
He noted that cities with the priciest secondhand diesels also tend to have higher overall used-car fuel economy.
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Friday, December 6, 2013
3:36 AM
Unknown
Car production isn't the greenest of processes, but in recent decades many automakers have at least made attempts to reduce environmental impact--and General Motors is the latest to take a step towards improving it.
The automaker has announced a $24 million investment in the use of landfill gas at its Fort Wayne, Indiana and Orion, Michigan assembly plants.
GM says the new equipment has the capacity to generate more than 14 megawatts of electricity from landfill gas--saving over 89,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year. For some idea of the emissions savings, that equates to over 18,500 passenger vehicles per year.
Landfill gas is a mix of different gases produced from the chemical reactions and effects of microbes on waste products. Between 40-60 percent of the gas is methane, while much of the remainder is made up of carbon dioxide, and traces of other gases.By separating natural gas from the other gases, this can then be used in facilities like GM's assembly plants.
Not only does this reduce the output of waste gases into the atmosphere, but also reduces the need for gas from fossil fuels. It's also cheaper for big companies like General Motors--which expects to save a combined $10 million in energy costs each year at its facilities.
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1:48 AM
Unknown
Beware of unfamiliar outlets.
Charging an electric car at the first available power source can have unfortunate consequences, as an Atlanta-area Nissan Leaf driver recently found out.
As always, though, there's more to the story than the first live-TV report indicates.
Atlanta's 11Alive (via Transport Evolved) reports that Kaveh Kamooneh was arrested for stealing electricity from Chamblee Middle School after he left his Nissan Leaf electric car plugged into a school outlet while playing tennis.According to a statement issued by Chamblee City Manager and Police Chief Marc Johnson, Kamooneh admitted that he didn't have permission to use the plug, and accused the officer of damaging his Leaf.
The officer filed a report and--when police followed up with the school--officials recognized Kamooneh, noting that he had previously been told he wasn't allowed on the tennis courts.
The "totality of the circumstances" led police to issue a theft warrant, the statement said.
for more
Thursday, December 5, 2013
2:06 AM
Unknown
Hyundai is an aggressive company, and that applies to its green cars as much as the bread-and-butter sedans and crossovers it sells in growing numbers.
So when the company approached Green Car Reports to ask if we'd like to drive its new, hydrogen-powered 2015 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell vehicle, that was a no-brainer.
All in all, we spent about two hours in the zero-emission compact crossover, mixing freeway driving and suburban stop-and-go travel with a refueling stop at a rare hydrogen filling station.
While Hyundai's sibling rival Kia has launched the 2014 Kia Soul EV, a battery-electric conversion of its all-new 2014 Soul "tall box" compact hatchback, Hyundai believes that hydrogen fuel cells are the better path to zero-emission vehicles.Hyundai has been developed its own fuel-cell technology since 2000, and has shown a few concept cars over the years.
The Tucson Fuel Cell was announced at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012, where it was known as the ix35 Fuel Cell (the Tucson's model name in Europe).
It entered production this past February, and it was one of three hydrogen fuel-cell cars shown at November's auto shows in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
Now, its first low-volume production hydrogen car--built on the same Tucson assembly line in South Korea as the gasoline version we get--is here.
It will be offered for lease next spring at a cost of $499 per month for three years, with $3,000 down.
For more
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
2:35 AM
Unknown
As the year winds toward a close, U.S. car sales are at their highest levels in years. And modern plug-in electric cars will set a new sales record too.
With one month left, November deliveries of cars with plugs look like they'll hold steady with last month's.
The Chevrolet Volt sold 1,920 units last month, against 2,022 in October, bringing its sales for the year to date to 20,702.Sales of the Volt through the first 11 months of the year are now essentially equal with those from last year, despite a $5,000 price cut on the 2014 Volt in August.Neck and neck with the Volt, the Nissan Leaf battery-electric car logged 2,003 deliveries, precisely one car more than the October number of 2,002.
That raises the Leaf's 2013 sales so far to 20,081, just 621 units behind the Volt. Nissan noted that, once again, Atlanta was the hottest market for Leaf sales.Neck and neck with the Volt, the Nissan Leaf battery-electric car logged 2,003 deliveries, precisely one car more than the October number of 2,002.
That raises the Leaf's 2013 sales so far to 20,081, just 621 units behind the Volt. Nissan noted that, once again, Atlanta was the hottest market for Leaf sales.Overall, it's looking like plug-in electric cars will total between 90,000 and 100,000 sales for 2013, out of a U.S. market of more than 15 million vehicles.
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2:29 AM
Unknown
Once more into the fray: Another state's car dealers are pushing for legislation to ban Tesla Motors from selling its electric cars directly to buyers.
This time it's Ohio. And legislators have unexpectedly moved up a hearing on the new law to today, according to a letter from Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA].The hearing takes place early this afternoon.
The Ohio Dealers Association is backing an amendment to Ohio Senate Bill 137--an unrelated bill that requires Ohio drivers to move left so as to leave an empty lane between themselves and highway maintenance vehicles at the side of the road,
Attaching the anti-Tesla amendment to an uncontroversial bill already moving toward adoption could see it become law more quickly than on its own.The proposed amendment would ban Tesla's practiceof selling its electric cars directly to customers, who place their orders online with the company after seeing and learning about the Model S in company-owned stores.
That would require Tesla to transact its sales through independently-owned third parties, which is to say, traditional car dealerships.
for more
Saturday, November 30, 2013
1:58 AM
Unknown
The month wouldn't be complete without another battery technology breakthrough, and this time it's the turn of lithium-sulfur technology.
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are experimenting with a lithium-sulfur battery design with twice the specific energy of lithium-ion batteries, and a usefully long life under repeated charging and discharging cycles.
According to Green Car Congress, such batteries would also be cheaper and safer than lithium-ion designs--without the overheating and fire issues that have made the news over the last few years.
In a paper in the ACS journal Nano Letters, the researchers explained how they've overcome one of the main limitations of existing lithium-sulfur designs--a poor life cycle.
Normally, lithium polysulfide particles dissolve in the electrolyte during discharging and react with the lithium anode, forming a barrier layer. The conversion reaction under charging and discharging can also cause the sulfur electrode to swell and contract, causing damage.
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Tuesday, November 12, 2013
6:00 PM
Unknown
When battery maker A123 Systems went bankrupt, it seemed to be just one in a long line of failed energy startups--albeit one with some high-profile customers.
Stalled battery production after A123's bankruptcy is considered one of the main catalyst's for Fisker's litany of struggles, while electric-car enthusiasts wondered what would happen to cars like the Chevrolet Spark EV, powered by A123 batteries.
Now, are things different under Chinese ownership?
Several companies expressed interest but in the end only two came away with the spoils--Chinese group Wanxiang won through with a $256.6 million bid. A123's military business was sold separately to Navitas Systems.One of those was the highly-rated Chevrolet Spark EV, while BMW fits A123 batteries in its 3-Series and 5-Series hybrids.
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