Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Rimac Automobili - Concept One in Frankfurt Auto Show

Concept one at Frankfurt-motor-show




FRANKFURT, September 13th, 2011. – Rimac Automobili is unveiling the world's first electric supercar - the Concept_One.
The Concept_One  is an exceptional  supercar with a new propulsion concept. With a curb weight of 1650 kg, and 1088 HP, the Concept_One can reach 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.8 seconds and continue to accelerate to the limit of 305 km/h. 92kWh of energy in the Battery Modules delivers enough juice“for up to 600 km of range.
Rimac Automobili developed a unique powertrain which is divided into four sub-systems, each consisting of one motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Each of those systems drives one wheel, working completely independent one from the other. It's called All Wheel Torque Vectoring and it allows a new approach to vehicle dynamics. Mate Rimac, the CEO of Rimac Automobili says: “I believe that the electric motor is a much better machine compared to the ICE, in almost all aspects, especially for a sports car.“
The carbon-fibre body is designed by Adriano Mudri: „Exploring the labyrinth of creativity, it was obvious at an early stage that the design had to be simple and clear with a lot of sporty elegance to easily catch up with its competitors in this power & exclusivity class.“  
The interior is designed by a team of former Pininfarina employees, led by Mr. Goran Popović. After the Rimac Automobili engineering team finished the development and prototyping of the interior parts, the leather-specialist Vilner stepped-in. The result is a high-tech-supercar interior which can be both appealing and pleasant to interact with, at the same time. Special attention has been paid to the infotainment system and gadgets like head-up-displays and soft-close doors which had to match the propulsion technology in its advancement. 
Rimac Automobili is a young company which develops and produces high performance electric vehicles, drive trains and battery system. This all began when the founder of Rimac Automobili, Mate Rimac, converted his old BMW to a race EV. He explored the technology by improving every part and began to team-up with experts from different fields in order to develop the next generation supercar. The old BMW is now officially homologated as a “Rimac Automobili e-M3“and is used as a test mule for battery technologies, battery management, propulsion systems and latest in-house developments. Describing their beginnings Mate Rimac points out: “Our first car evolved in a short period of time into a project that didn’t give a final result - instead it was a start, the start of the world’s first electric hyper car – the Concept _One”. A group of 20 multi-talented engineers and designers settled in Croatia near Zagreb and are making something new and revolutionary. The production of the first model, the Concept_One, is limited to 88 units, starting with deliveries in 2013.
For additional information, photos, video material or interviews please contact us:
press@rimac-automobili.com or visit our web site: www.rimac-automobili.com

Monday, September 12, 2011

Clean Cities Initiative Awards $8.5 million

September 08, 2011

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced 16 projects supporting activities in 24 states and the District of Columbia to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in communities across the nation, and seven additional projects in seven states to help prepare college students for careers designing and building advanced vehicle technologies.

"By developing the next generation of automotive engineers and preparing communities for plug-in electric vehicles, these projects will help reduce our nation's dependence on oil imports, create jobs, and help America capture the growing global market for advanced vehicles," said Secretary Chu.

Clean Cities Initiative Awards $8.5 million

Projects to support community planning for plug-in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure will receive $8.5 million through DOE's Clean Cities initiative to facilitate local public-private partnerships that will develop EV deployment strategies. The funding recipients range from communities with extensive EV planning experience to those that are eager to begin, but have not previously had the resources to do so. These one-year projects will help communities address their specific needs, which include updating permitting processes, revising codes, training municipal personnel, promoting public awareness, or developing incentives, and each will create a plan that will be publicly available so that other stakeholders can learn best practices.

View a map of the award locations and read the full list of Clean Cities' award winners.
The Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) Initiative Awards $6.4 million

DOE's Graduate Automotive Technology Education (GATE) initiative will award $6.4 million over the course of five years to support seven Centers of Excellence at American colleges, universities, and university-affiliated research institutions. The awardees will focus on three critical automotive technology areas: hybrid propulsion, energy storage, and lightweight materials. By funding curriculum development and expansion as well as laboratory work, GATE allows higher education institutions to develop multidisciplinary training. As a result, GATE promotes the development of a skilled workforce of engineering professionals who will overcome technical barriers and help commercialize the next generation of advanced automotive technologies.

View a map of the award locations and read the full list of GATE award winners.
DOE announced the availability of funding for these projects in February and April 2011. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. Visit EERE's Clean Cities and GATE websites for more information on the work being done under these initiatives to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector. In addition to EV infrastructure planning, Clean Cities supports a broad portfolio of technologies, including alternative and renewable fuels, fuel economy measures, idle reduction technologies, and emerging technologies. Since its inception in 1993, Clean Cities and its stakeholders have decreased the equivalent use of more than three billion gallons of gasoline.


News Source: U.S. Department of Energy


Category: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, Legislation and Policy, Lightweight, USA


Tags: clean cities initiative, department of energy, doe, electric vehicle, electric vehicle adoption, gate, plug-in hybrid,plug-in vehicle

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Opel Euro One EV Hits Frankfurt Motor Show


Opel Euro One EV Hits Frankfurt Motor Show

by Aaron Colter, September 11th, 2011
European automobile manufacturer Opel, a subsidiary of GM, is looking to challenge the traditional model of modern cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 by debuting a new electric vehicle concept that is lightweight, slender, and drastically different in frame than most models appearing at the world event.
Opel’s electric vehicle, called the Euro One (at least for now, although the file name of press photo is label “Corsa”), is a two passenger car that features tandem seating. Opel says the Euro One, dubbed such because it has a claimed fuel efficiency of being able to travel 100 kilometers (62 miles) for just €1 ($1.40), weighs roughly one-third of that of normal small cars and can reach a top speed of just 28 miles per hour.
Opel Euro One, Opel, Electric Vehicles, Electric Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
image Opel
The somewhat unusual design of the Euro One may not look so strange at the international auto show in Germany this year as we’ve seen at least two other electric vehicles that skew a bit more futuristic, like the KTM E3W out of Australia and the NILS from Volkswagen.
Opel Euro One, Opel, Electric Cars, Electric Vehicles, Concepts, Frankfurt Motor Show 2011
image via Opel
The new electric car from Opel is certainly stylish, but whether or not consumers will embrace the strange tandem seating for two, and low speeds, is yet to be seen. Of course, at this point the vehicle is merely a concept, and could simply be a way for Opel to test interest in similar models that could be released in the future.
http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/09/opel-euro-one-ev-hits-frankfurt-motor-show/
Source: 

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Rimac: An E.V. Dark Horse Heads to Frankfurt

September 7, 2011, 6:00 AM

Rimac: An E.V. Dark Horse Heads to Frankfurt

A teaser shot of the Rimac Concept One, scheduled to be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show on Sept. 13.A teaser shot of the Rimac Concept One, scheduled to be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show on Sept. 13.
“Croatia has no auto industry,” says Mate Rimac, a 23-year-old entrepreneur and automotive designer. “But that is about to change.”
Mr. Rimac has recently founded Rimac Automobili in an industrial park near Zagreb, the Croatian capital, where he has been constructing what he calls “a tremendous supercar.”
Mr. Rimac is taking that vehicle, the Concept One, to the 2011 Frankfurt auto show next week, where it could be regarded as the most unexpected vehicle of the hundreds to be displayed.
Mate Rimac, the 23-year-old designer of the Concept One.Mate Rimac, the 23-year-old designer of the Concept One.
“It is an electric supercar,” Mr. Rimac said. “It makes 1,088 horsepower, 3,800 newton-meters of torque (2,803 pound-feet) and is capable of going more than 300 kilometers per hour.” For now, he says that the top speed is being electronically limited.
Claims of generating Veyron-like power are remarkable for a car powered by an internal combustion engine, let alone an electric propulsion system. Asked whether the Concept One had been tested to 300 k.p.h. — or if it had indeed been driven at all — Mr. Rimac would say only that the car’s components were tested in a prototype on closed courses. A teaser graphic posted on the company’s Web site depicted the Concept One only in the design and construction phases.
The Concept One is powered by “four independent electric motor drive units,” Mr. Rimac said, producing a total of 800 kilowatts — the factor by which its horsepower calculation was achieved. He anticipates building 88 examples of the car and pricing them “a bit below the gasoline-powered competition from Pagani, Koenigsegg and Bugatti.” Rimac Automobili has firm preorders from “the Abu Dhabi royal family,” he added.
“The front and rear systems are separate units,” he said. “Each of them includes two high-speed, liquid-cooled permanent magnet electric motors, two liquid-cooled inverter units and two reduction gearboxes, integrated into one small unit.”
Mr. Rimac claimed that the vehicle would have a range of 366 miles on a single charge, beating the 300-mile range projected by Tesla for its Tesla Model S Signature series sedan. The Concept One features a carbon-fiber body atop an aluminum frame; total vehicle weight is said to be 3,630 pounds.
Additional details on the vehicle will be made available when the Concept One is introduced on Sept. 13, the first day of press previews at Frankfurt, Mr. Rimac said.
Mr. Rimac said he competed last month in an 800-kilometer “e-miglia” race in the Italian Alps for electric vehicles; he drove an older-model BMW E30 that he converted to run on some of the same electric propulsion technologies he developed for the Concept One.
“We didn’t know what we were doing, but we had fun,” he said. “The car performed great, even though we couldn’t use our speed advantage. We did enjoy passing all the Teslas, though.”
The E30 BMW converted by Mr. Rimac to compete in an e-miglia event held in the Italian Alps in August.The E30 BMW converted by Mr. Rimac to compete in an e-miglia event held in the Italian Alps in August.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/07/rimac-an-e-v-dark-horse-heads-to-frankfurt/
Source: 

2011 Audi A2 Electric Car Concept









Late last week Audi released some teaser sketches of its A2 concept car due at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, now less than a week away.

Due to be positioned between the A1 minicar and upcoming Audi A3 Sedan compact car, the new A2 is spiritual successor to the original A2, an aluminum-bodied, ultra-efficient subcompact that went on sale in Europe in 1999.

The early information and sketches didn't reveal many details about the A2 Concept but we now know it also uses aluminum construction, and carbon fiber elements too. This helps keep the weight quite low, at 2,535 pounds. That's more than the original A2 but certainly light by electric car standards. That aluminum body is a svelte 12.47 feet long, 5.54 feet wide and 4.89 feet high, but Audi promises impressive interior space.

The electric drivetrain uses a 114 horsepower, 119 pound-feet of torque electric motor, with power going to the front wheels. Performance is brisk at 9.3 seconds to 60 mph, and top speed is limited to 93 mph.

A lithium-ion battery under the floor gives enough charge for 124 miles of range, and can be charged in as little as 1.5 hours using a custom 400 volt charger. Recharging from a regular wall outlet takes 4 hours.



The A2 concept will showcase Audi's new dynamic lighting technology too, known as matrix beam lighting. It uses microreflectors to direct a high resolution and low-glare light pattern onto the road. LED lighting also runs the length of the body and permeates through into the interior.

High-tech rear lighting adapts its illumination depending on visibility and weather conditions, and a laser light unit at the rear can even project a warning triangle onto the road behind the car.

The interior itself is stark and modern as you'd expect from a concept car. It uses a flat floor to give a feeling of space despite the small body size, four individual seats and a center console attached to the driver's seat.

The Audi A2 Concept will join Audi's other take on an urban electric car at Frankfurt, the sporty Audi Urban Concept.

The 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show begins on Tuesday, September 13. You can keep up to date with all our Frankfurt coverage by clicking here.





Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065860_2011-audi-a2-electric-car-concept-new-info-images#1000116190

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