400 MPH on an electric motorcycle

Her husband created the Killacycle, the quickest EV on Earth. Her father is a mechanical genius and championship-winning designer and rider in the 1960′s. Introducing Eva Håkansson – who became immersed in the world of business and environmental science at Malardalen University in Sweden. Electric motorcycles are the quickest, cleanest, and most efficient vehicles. Lots of hard work (and money) resulted in the ElectroCat, a 100 MPH (top speed) electric bike with a range of about 50 miles per charge. This might sound meager compared to gasoline powered motorcycles, but Eva hopes to rework the ElectroCat to run in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a grueling stage of 156 turns across over 12 miles which climbs over 4,700 feet in elevation. The course is taxing on even the best drivers in the best cars, and Eva hopes to be the first to do it on an electric motorcycle.

Eva figures she’ll need about 400 horsepower to make a good showing in Bonneville with their new streamliner. They don’t expect to break 400 mph first go-around, but are hoping to break Kent Riches’ 176 mph pass made with the Airtech-Lightning Bolt streamliner motorcycle. So far Eva and her husband, Bill Dubé have engineered suspension parts and the chrome-moly frame for their new creation.

The team doesn’t just embody green thinking in their motorcycles. Their tow rig and generator they use to recharge batteries run on biodiesel. The forklift they use is electric, and their daily driver is a 1986 VW Cabriolet converted to battery power. This team is doing their best to spread the green philosophy into motorsports and we applaud their work. We are looking forward to seeing their latest creation at Bonneville, and best of luck to the team.

Korea's KAIST bus-train is an EV with a twist

The Korea Advanced Institute of Technology (KAIST) has developed an On Line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) which draws current through non-contact magnetic strips embedded in the road at an amusement park in Gwacheon, Korea. The train-looking bus sucks power from strips during about 400 meters of the total 1.4 mile route (18-20% of the total distance). If the system proves successful, Korea will build a larger system in Seoul for buses.

The exciting thing about this technology is it migrates the cost for the vehicle’s technolgies into the development costs of roads. If electric vehicles on the roads could draw power while gliding over magnetic strips, there will be less necessity for expensive, heavy battery cells in the vehicles. The result could be EVs with batteries that are only 20% as large and powerful, and cut the cost of production in half.

Here’s a thought: Remember these RC cars you had as a kid? Imagine real race tracks with embedded strips allowing your EV racecar to grab voltage from the pavement. The results could be pretty awesome as you know from those RC micromachines that did loops.

The sad thing about cars is that they never grow out of their ugly duckling phase. That’s a real shame for the Protoscar Lampo2 concept headed to the Geneva Motor Show, because beneath that unconventional skin sits some very excellent bones. Protoscar started with the General Motors Kappa platform – you know, the chassis responsible for cars like the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky – and dropped in two electric motors. The result is 408 horsepower and 472 lb-ft of torque – good enough to embarrass plenty of gas-swilling muscle cars out there.

The company says the Lampo2 can dart to 60 mph in under five seconds, but the really impressive stats come from the batteries. The 30 kw lithium-ion packs give the car a range of around 124 miles – not great, but supposedly there’s a quick charge system that can give an extra 62 miles of travel with just 10 minutes of plug-in time. If you’re wondering what’s going on with the car’s exterior, Protoscar says it has everything to do with aerodynamics.

That may be true, but we’d like our EV sports car to boast equal parts green and sexy. Unfortunately, the Lampo2 can’t quite make that happen for us. With its blocky nose and fender-skirt rear, there’s very little to love on the car’s exterior. Fortunately, the Lampo2 is still a concept, so there’s a chance the production model will be a little more mainstream. Keep your eyes out for the unique EV at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

With nearly every manufacturer on the planet at least dipping a pinky toe into greener waters, Jaguar’s lack of anything with a hybrid drivetrain sticks out like a sore thumb. It looks like our favorite leaping cap may be taking a long hard look at jumping into the EV game along with Land Rover. Whispers are beginning to dust up that both companies are interested in working together on an extended-range EV based on the next-generation XJ. While an electric motor would handle most of the hauling duties, there would be a small internal combustion engine on board to boost the vehicle’s range and allow the car to tackle long romps in the countryside.

So far details are painfully absent, but Autocar has gone so far as to say the electrified XJ will get its pep from a 194 horsepower motor with close to 295 lb-ft of torque. Depending on battery configuration the set up would allow for a range of around 600 miles at 57 mpg. Now here’s the really cool part – both Jag and Land Rover are turning to lotus for the range-extending engine. Could this be the first commercial application of that company’s Omnivore? Could be.

What does Land Rover get out of this deal? Eventually the company will benefit from the same technology, but exactly which model will get the electric treatment remains to be seen. In the mean time, we’re left wondering: will the XJ EV manage to maintain the performance credentials buyers have come to expect from Jaguar? I think the better question will be whether or not customers will be willing to jump into an EV from a company with a long and storied history of questionable electronics.

Source\ Autoblog

The 2010 Tokyo Motor Show turned out to be a hot spot for green machines with a pulse. Even Toyota, a company known more for the bran-flake Prius than its sporting intentions, showed off some lean hardware. Chief among those was a collaboration with Gazoo Racing called the MR2 Sport Hybrid. Based on the last generation MR2 roadster – you know, the one that went out of production way back in 2007 – the car packs a number of changes to make it a worthwhile competitor on track.

For one, the company ditched the anemic 1.8-liter four-cylinder for a 3.3-liter V6 mounted mid-ship. Coupled to Toyota’s THSII hybrid system, the car is good for 392 horsepower. An electric motor spins the front wheels, making this MR2 officially all-wheel drive. All that grunt puts this topless wonder into the 4.5-second 0-60 mph range. But will Toyota build it? Not likely, at least not in the iteration you see here. A few rumors have been dusting up over the company’s desire to build a Honda CR-Z competitor, but the odds of an MR2 resurrection seem slim.

Toyota has officially said it would like to produce one million hybrids per year by 2011. That means we can expect to see quite a few new hybrid models in the company’s arsenal and soon. Whether or not a convertible, high-powered model like the MR2 Sport Hybrid is one of them remains to be seen. You know we’ve got our fingers crossed on this one.

Endurance driving has long been the litmus of mechanical reliability. It’s why races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Paris-Dakar rally raid are such lightening rods for manufacturer R&D. Unfortunately for EVs, range woes tend to put aspirations for long-distance travel in the same category as running a car on water – ain’t gonna happen. That is unless you’re as determined as the guys from Radical. The company plans to take its SRZero supercar down the full length of the Pan-American highway. That’s around 16,000 miles for those of you who are counting.

According to Radical, the SRZero is a pretty special machine. The car gets its power from two 550-volt electric motors good for a combined 400 horsepower. Gearing limits the top speed to around 118 mph, but the speedster is capable of hitting 60 in a slick 3.5-seconds. Perhaps most impressively, range sits at 340 miles thanks to unique lithium-phosphate batteries. No one’s saying exactly how long it takes to charge the car, but it doesn’t take a mathematician to realize it’s going to take Radical a very, very long time to make the drive.

The company plans to start off in Ushuaia, Argentina and finish in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. The trip will put the SRZero up against every type of weather imaginable and prove the open-top racer has what it takes to be a car worth driving.

Source AllCarsElectric

TTXGP can mark up another victory against the rival electric motorcycle racing series by FIM. A team by the name of 666 Road Racing has cast its lot with the TTXGP crew, lending even more credence to the smaller sanctioning body. If you’ve spent any time at all following two-wheeled motorsports, 666 Road Racing likely sounds familiar. The company spends its time and dollars supplying parts to teams from across the manufacturing rainbow. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda – it doesn’t matter to these guys. With electric moto racing in its infancy, the team felt this was the perfect time to strut their stuff on the race track with a field of e-bikes.

Expect the 666 Road Racing Team to show up on a brand-spankin’ new TTX02 eSuperBike when the series kicks off. There aren’t too many details on range, power or weight just yet, but all of those specs should be coming along soon. Famed endurance racer Nick Potts will be in the saddle. Potts has a history of setting up camp on podiums around the world, so if we were putting money on this year’s championship, the 666 Team would be a safe bet. Electric moto racing is still in Huggies though, so who knows what the first handful of races will have in store.

Source Autopia

This year’s North American International Auto Show has already proven itself to be a candyland of green racers. Carmakers from Ford to BMW are displaying their latest fuel saving or skipping hardware, and most of them look like they would be more than capable on our favorite track. The star of the show has to be Audi’s latest take on its E-Tron EV. The company unveiled an electric version of the mid-engine R8 supercar in Frankfurt last year, wooing the motoring press with a 3,000 lb-ft torque figure. That turned out to be more like 500 lb-ft, but who cares? The car was all-electric and all-sexy.

The E-Tron that showed up in Detroit is a different beast all together. Instead carrying the majority of the car’s weight mid-ship like the first E-Tron, the Motor City’s version is designed to handle more like a front-engine rear-wheel drive beastie. Audi says it’s managed to get the car’s weight down to a manageable 2,976 lbs – not light by anyone’s standards, but not the chubbiest kid on the dodge ball team, either. Power comes from two electric motors, good for a combined 204 horsepower and, according to Audi, 1,955 lb-ft of torque. We’re guessing that, like the first E-Tron, that figure comes at the wheels and in the final gear. In all reality, torque from the two motors likely sits in the neighborhood of a more believable 350-400 lb-ft.

Lithium-ion batteries give the car a range of around 155 miles, though a standard 220v household socket will top off the packs in 11 hours. Yikes. The good news is all that power makes this EV pretty quick. The run to 60 mph takes around 5.9 seconds. Not too shabby.

Now here’s the real stunner – Audi has already said this thing is headed toward production, and fast. The first models should hit showrooms as soon as late 2012, and analysts believe the car will show up as the much whispered about R4. We can’t wait.

New Focus Revealed Today

Ford revealed the new 2011 Ford Focus today in Detroit. The next-generation Ford Focus compact is finally going to be released around the world as roughly the same car. Until 3 years ago, we were still driving the MK1 Focus here in the states while Europe got a new design. The Focus has been one of the best handling cars in its class for a while, and with this global launch comes a redesign of its multi-link rear suspension and subframe. Many luxury cars now include a Dynamic Cornering Control system. The new Focus will apply those technologies for this front-wheel-drive compact. The system should provide better handling balance and less understeer. There’s also a new electric power assist steering system which should provide more feedback for better control and actually improves mileage. In addition, the Focus’ interior is expected to be greatly improved. The Focus will get the optional MyFord Touch control system from the Lincoln MKX and an interior brimming with luxuries like an 8-inch screen.

We’re attracted by the excellent handling of the Focus line, and our next question is what are the engine options? Ford says it will be powered by a new 2.0L direct-injected I4, or a likely optional 1.6L Turbo EcoBoost engine or the upcoming 2.0L EcoBoost. The normally aspirated engine will make about 155hp and be equipped with a start-stop feature which shuts the car off when at a stop. Another engine option we’ll see is a Lithium-ion battery electric motor with a range of about 100 miles. Ford is clearly concerned with mileage as one of the most interesting features is as the Focus climbs in speed, and less air is needed by the radiator, shutters in front of the radiator close, chanelling more air around the car which improves aerodynamics.

We’re excited about the new Focus. It shows Ford is taking the initiative to offer a better-built compact car with improved mileage without compromising handling. I’ll try to avoid hurling insults at the styling, as the Focus is growing and maturing, the new Fiesta needs to assume a more exciting younger market for Ford.

Last week, BMW’s EV work hit a stumbling block when MINI E testers started noting a drastic loss of range. With winter temperatures setting in all across the country, some drivers saw range drop by as much as 50 percent. Ouch. That’s bad news for BMW and EV hopefuls everywhere, but the German carmaker says its learning volumes from the MINI E program in general, and it’s putting those lessons to work in its latest EV effort headed for the Detroit Auto Show – the Concept Active E. Based on the company’s 1-Series coupe, the car is fully electric all the time, and unlike the MINI E, its batteries are specifically designed for automotive duty. The lithium-ion packs boast a liquid cooling system to maintain an optimum operating temperature and boost battery life. That’s cool and all, but the best part is the Concept ActiveE’s beating heart – a 170 horsepower electric motor positioned at the rear of the car.

The engine and all of its associated gadgetry is mounted on top of the rear axle, leaving the traditional engine bay open for battery storage. That helps the car maintain a 50/50 weight distribution, a hallmark of Bimmer products. Unfortunately, the car’s waistline has swollen to an unbelievable 3,900 lbs. This in a car that seats two adults and two small children. Supposedly the Concept ActiveE will have a range of 150 miles, but there’s no word on performance figures. We can imagine this sucker isn’t the quickest kid on the block with a mere 170 horsepower to pull around nearly two tons of heft. The good news is BMW will be testing the car on a larger scale than the MINI E’s 600 units sometime soon, so keep your eyes open.

Source BMW