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

The electric car's faster than Porsche and Ferrari

Very nice video about history of electric cars. Must see. :)

Tazzari Zero.mp4

Tazzari Zero Electric


The Tazzari Zero is a compact two-seat vehicle powered by lithium-ion batteries.  This gives the car a range of around 140km or about 87 miles. The car has an electronically capped top speed of around 100 km/h (62mph) with acceleration from zero to 50km/h (31mph) in less than five seconds.

The Zero is therefore not really for your long distance journeys.  It is an urban-focused electric car for those who want to look good as they cruise about town. Including the 142kg battery pack, the Zero weighs under 550kg!

One thing to note however, unlike other electric vehiclest, the Zero has been built to fit within European quadricycle rules, rather than the full-blown passenger car regulations.  Quadricycles are not required to pass crash tests or meet certain other safety regulations.   

Overview: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Targa Tasmania 2011 - In the Cockpit of a Tesla Roadster

Goodbye to electric sport car icon – Tesla will stop producing Roadster in December 2011

Goodbye to electric sport car icon – Tesla will stop producing Roadster in December 2011

Electric RAV4 jolts Toyota

January 27, 2011|By Nobuyuki Kojima and Takanori Yamamoto, McClatchy/Tribune news

The much-vaunted systems used by Toyota Motor Corp. to churn out millions of vehicles are being put to one side as the automaker tries to crack new markets in the U.S.

Speed has been at the fore in Toyota's joint development of an electric version of its RAV4 sport-utility vehicle with startup manufacturer Tesla Motors.

On May 20, Toyota and Tesla made the surprising announcement that they were forming a corporate tie-up. But that was not the only startling development.

Tesla-developed RAV4 EV

We made the first prototype car in only three weeks," said Shigeki Terashi, president of Toyota Technical Center USA. Despite being on the front line of the joint development, even Terashi was unable to suppress his surprise at Tesla's nimbleness and ability to get things done quickly.

This "second-generation" RAV4 electric vehicle will hit the U.S. market in 2012. In 1997, Toyota rolled out the first-generation electric RAV4, and leased and sold 1,484 units in six years.

Joint development with the seven-year-old Tesla Motors on the new RAV4 has given Toyota a dose of "culture shock."

The two companies used Tesla's technology for basic parts such as the battery system and motor. The performance of the battery, which usually accounts for about half of an electric vehicle's price, generally decides the electric vehicle's performance.

Toyota's decision to adopt a relative newcomer's technology for the core components of a new vehicle marked a seismic shift for an automaker that had prided itself on using its own technology in new cars since its founding.

In another move that raised a few eyebrows, Toyota entrusted the joint development to the engineering staff of Toyota Technical Center USA in Michigan. In years past, Toyota would have insisted that engineers at its headquarters in Japan be responsible for this key work. But Toyota President Akio Toyoda decided the "hands-off" approach was the right one.

The development timeline also brought up some stark differences between the two companies.

While Toyota usually makes intricately-detailed plans before starting development, Tesla tends to proceed with development first and correct any problems as they arise. Respecting schedules may be appropriate when developing many cars, but one should not be afraid to make mistakes when trying to achieve something more quickly, Tesla Chief Technical Officer J.B. Straubel said. That is the basis of Tesla's development philosophy.

More than half a year has passed since the tie-up was announced, and some changes are rubbing off on Toyota: It has started to expand the responsibilities of its U.S. engineers, just like Tesla does, on a trial basis. "We are learning from each other. … Hopefully we can collaborate to improve our (development) process in the future (by adopting the flexibility of Tesla)," said Greg Bernas, Toyota's chief engineer for the joint vehicle development program.

Toyota and Tesla unveiled a prototype RAV4 electric vehicle at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Further tweaks and modifications will be made until the vehicle is released in 2012.

transportation@tribune.com