The Morgan EV3

Small British automaker raised a few eyebrows when it recently announced that it was making electric cars.

They have released a teaser video of the three wheel EV3 which looks as eccentric as their other models.

Chevrolet Volt test drive. Part one.

 I got the Volt yesterday. For a week.
It had an EV range of 45 miles when delivered to me. (Not the full 53 I was hoping for...)

Still, plenty for a few day-drives.
I was curious about the gas mileage when the car is not in EV mode.
So I used the "hold" mode, which saves "the juice" for later. A very cool feature.

 As you can see. For these few miles, MPG was very impressive.
But I also noticed that it did use some of that juice. By the end of the day, in the "hold" mode, my total EV range was only about 39 miles...
(The picture above was taken today, after charging)

At the end of the day, I plugged it in. At a regular 120 outlet. So technically, it should take about 13 hrs to get a full charge.

Which I didn't need since it still said "39".

But, about 13hrs later, I was still at "just"  49 miles. Not the 53 miles advertised for the full charge.

Maybe that plug at the lot where I parked the car was defective? Or something else...

Who knows.

 
 The rear hatch is really big. And quite heavy.
But the inside cover is just a rather flimsy cloth sheet. Unlike the solid stuff found in most other hatchbacks. Maybe to save weight?

 Someone was asking me about rear legroom. so here it is.
I am 5'11" and drive pretty far from the steering wheel, and that's what's left behind me.
Which isn't bad. Technically, the new Volt has a bit more rear legroom.

And here is what it looks like whith an actual super good looking human.

Someone was also asking about visibility. 

And I was mentioning the rather high position of the rear window.

So this is what it looks like when you turn around. 

Not that you really need to, since it comes with a back up camera.

So far there is plenty of power all the time. If you drive in a relaxed manner, the engine almost never comes on during normal city driving.

And when it does, it is much quieter than before. It just seems to be far away...

Next, I will try to compare MPG when the battery is completely empty.

And, of course, check the actual range of the full EV mode.

2017 Chrysler Pacifica

 That's right. The Town & Country is dead.
I guess it sounded too old timey for "new Chrysler"

It looks fine. But not amazing. ( I think the new Kia Sedona does look much better, especially inside)
That chrome window surrounding looks pretty thick.
And the interior, at least in the version pictured above, has some weird red trim that just shouldn't be in a car (Just like that awful gold trim in the 200)

Otherwise, the whole thing looks like a Minivan version of the Chrysler 200. Which is OK.

It is powered by their usual 3.6 Liter V6 with 287HP.
But there is a very interesting plug-in Hybrid model now.
It has the same V6 plus an electric motor. And can do about 30 miles on EV mode.
Which is actually pretty good. Better than most plug-in cars. And almost as much as the "old"
Volt.

2017 Hyundai IONIQ VS Prius. Another cheap shot

I mean really...

2017 Hyundai IONIQ already looks 1000 times better than the new Prius.

I mean really, just look at it.

I mean I am usually not that "anti Prius". I just hate ugly things.

Toyota is always trying way too hard. They are so afraid of being labeled "boring".

The Hyundai could have looked a bit more futuristic. Sure. But at least it's tasteful.

I really hope it steals sales from the Prius.

 Same thing inside. The IONIQ interior isn't futuristic, but at least, the console doesn't look like a bathtub.
With a hybrid, plug-in and pure EV versions, I predict this will do really, really well.
Low gas prices or not.
(You would have to be stupid to think gas prices will stay the way they are now. )

It just seems to be a very nice car. One that can compete with the Prius, Volt and Leaf at the same time.

Hyundai Ioniq

More teasers of Hyundai's all new model.

Looking really nice. And not weird at all. I really think it will steal sales from the new weirdo Prius. (As it should)

On top of that, they will offer 3 models. A "regular" hybrid. A plug-in. And a full electric EV version.
So basically, with just one car, they are going after the Prius, The Volt and the Leaf!

I really can't wait to see more of this.

New SAABs coming ?

 Saab's new Chinese owner, NEVS, has just come up with a plan for the swedish zombie car maker.

First, they still want to keep producing an updated version of the old 9-3. A car that came out about 13 years ago. So good luck with that.

NEVS claims that model will "generate the cash it needs to bring out four more models".
Again, good luck.
They say the design will be updated. What it will need by 2017 will be an all new design.
Not sure what they mean by "updated".

Here are the new guys.

All new designs are based on the Phoenix platform Saab was working on while they went under.
The company also claims that all these new models will be sold in the US.
All of these will be electric only.
Cars sold in Europe and the US will be built in Sweden. While the ones for China will be built locally.
It all sounds good, I must say. And these drawings above look pretty nice. Really.
(Better than what Saab was working on as the "next 9-3")

There was a time, just a few years ago, when people were laughing at the idea of brand new Volvos under Chinese ownership. Look at them now.

So even though sarcasm is very tempting here, I am actually pretty optimistic about this.

A Saab rebirth and re-invention as a modern "all electric" car company.
Why not...

What do you think?

VW new Electric Concept

Yes, another concept from VW.
Not a production car. It seems they have no problem showing us tons of concepts every year.
Their problem is, (Besides cheating on diesel emissions) actually coming up with new production models.

The last one we saw was the new Tiguan. (And God only knows when that will come to the US.)

There were rumors about a new version of the retro Microbus for this concept. Imagine, a cool looking all electric Microbus.
But no... From this picture, it just looks like yet another new front end design. (With that weird LED light that doesn't fit the rest of the design)
Of course, we can't see what's behind that front end, but I can tell you it's probably not a cool
Microbus.

We'll see the whole thing really soon, since they will unveil it at the CES show.

Hyundai IONIQ

We finally get to see something official about the all new Hyundai Prius competitor.

This does look more interesting than the camouflaged cars we have seen.
And, a thousand times nicer than the horrific new Prius. (Which is even much worse in real life)

I think there is a huge opportunity for Hyundai here.
As many people considering a Hybrid might be turned off by the new Prius (Including current Prius owners)

Hyundai has already mentioned 3 models. A regular Hybrid, a plug-in as well as an all electric version.That sounds like they will be covering all the bases.

The regular hybrid is even supposed to be using an new technology that allows the movement of the car to recharge the batteries.
(Which could mean seriously great gas mileage)

I always wondered about that. Why something couldn't be connected to the wheels so all that energy produced would be used...Since they do use energy from braking.


We will see the whole thing early next month.

BMW i5

BMW is supposed to add an all new i5 model to its hybrid/electric line up.
And it could be as soon as late next year.

It is supposed to be based on a longer version of the carbon fiber (expensive) i3 platform.
Therefore sharing some of the cost of the i3.

The larger model will be, of course more expensive. But would also have a much better range.
There is a rumor about it being a long range plug-in hybrid.
Using the updated 2017 i3 power train/batteries with a 3 cylinder range extender.

The 2017 i3 is rumored to get a range of around 125 miles. Or more.
This, combined with a 3 cylinder would make a truly great plug-in hybrid sedan .

Peugeot Fractal concept

Peugeot has unveiled the new Fractal concept ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show. This is an electric urban coupé which explores the sense of hearing in addition to sight and touch. According to Peugeot, it makes driving "even more instinctive, creating an unparalleled on-board experience".

It was designed by StelLab, a PSA Peugeot Citroën research unit. The Fractal concept was developed in partnership with sound designer Amon Tobin. It features a high-definition holographic head-up display screen. A 45-degree polycarbonate strip delivers additional information and creates an impression of depth. This allows the driver to customise the way information is shown.

The concept also explores new design and manufacturing processes. 3D-printed parts represent more than 80% of the interior trim surface. The anechoic materials were made through generative design - a process used to achieve the perfect component.

A 30 kW/h lithium-ion battery powers two electric motors, each delivering 75kW/102hp, fitted to the front and rear axles to provide a total output of 125 kW/170hp and combined-cycle autonomy of up to 450km. Variable ground clearance allows the vehicle to adapt to different types of terrain. The 7cm clearance for motorway driving improves aerodynamics to range and boost battery life. This can be increased to 11cm in urban environments, allowing the car to take speed humps and car park entrances in its stride.

As for it's dimension, the car is extremely compact, at 3.81m long and 1.77m wide, allowing it to weave through heavy traffic. The 19‑inch Tall&Narrow wheels are positioned at either end of the car, with an overhang of just 0.52m front and back to improve manoeuvrability.

The car styling features dynamic lines that flow along the length of the smooth body. The Coupe Franche, a straight line dual paint finish, further enhances the sense of vitality with a sharp shift from intense pearly white to matt black at the door hinges. The upper body features a removable roof to turn the coupé into a cabriolet. An LED strip above the vent at the rear shows the battery charge status via an equalizer-type display. These LEDs also act as rear lights when PEUGEOT FRACTAL is moving. The light signature in the front starts below the grille and flows over the headlamps. It also includes scrolling indicators.

Toyota has started the next revolution for UK motorists

THE other day I got to try out a real technological groundbreaker – but it wasn’t a car.

Nope, I was playing Pong on an Atari – it wasn’t the first computer game, but it was the one that really caught the world’s attention. It seems weird to think that in 1972 playing a crude electronic representation of table tennis was at the cutting edge of killing time with a friend, but we wouldn’t have got to Angry Birds and Grand Theft Auto V without it.

On the way home from toying with Atari’s finest – and having a nostalgic test drive of Super Mario Kart on 1992’s Super Nintendo while I was at it – I overtook what I reckon must be the motoring world’s Pong on the motorway.

Time really hasn’t done the original Toyota Prius any favours. In the same way the Atari looks impossibly simple in a world where you download slick games straight to your smartphone, the original Prius looks positively prehistoric next to say, a Focus or an Astra of the same era. Then again, that’s the price you pay for being first out of the blocks with something new.

The Prius might look gawky now but it offered us the first chance to drive something other than a straightforward petrol or diesel – a hybrid - and it paved the way for today’s BMW i8s, Vauxhall Amperas, ‘h’-badged Lexus limousines and KERS-assisted Ferraris. Toyota now offers six different hybrids of its own, including a third-generation Prius that’s a lot more Call of Duty than Pacman.

But Toyota isn’t prepared to leave it at that. For as long as anyone can remember it’s been perpetually locked in a technological arms race with Honda, and both reckon the next big thing is fuel cells. In a nutshell, cars that can refill in an instant with hydrogen, somehow make it into electricity without any need to cue the Pathé newsreel of the Hindenberg disaster and then tootle along leaving only water vapour in their wake.

Honda’s already been at in the States with the FCX Clarity, and now Toyota’s taken a tentative leap into the British market with the Mirai.

The Japanese giant is playing it cautious – perhaps not surprisingly, given the £56k price tag and the almost non-existent hydrogen fuel network here at the moment – and you can tell by its slightly edgy styling that it’s going to be another machine that’ll date horrifically.

Chances are you won’t be ordering one of the first cars off to roll off the boat this month – not when it costs nearly twice the price of a Range Rover Evoque – but you’d be a fool to bet against it.

Toyota and Honda are bankrolling fuel cell cars, and they’ll be everywhere in 15 years’ time. The Mirai will look crude in no time, but the revolution’s got to start somewhere.

The inconvenient truth about electric car sales

HERE’S some shocking news you probably weren’t expecting – sales of electric cars have gone through the roof!

That’s the message from the Department for Transport, which is proudly trumpeting the fact that sales of what it calls Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles are up 366 per cent from this time last year. That’s plain English for not only the likes of Nissan’s LEAF, which run on electricity alone, but plug-in hybrids like Toyota’s Prius, which lace the eco-friendly cocktail with a spot of petrol power to spice longer journeys up a bit. It’s a huge rise, which is why the Government’s just committed to chucking half a billion quid at boosting ULEV sales.

But – surprise, surprise – there’s a catch. Dig a little harder into the figures Whitehall would rather you didn’t read and it turns out it’s not quite the miracle you’d think.

Yes, sales of the sort of eco-friendly offerings that get Whitehall’s official stamp of approval – and for that, you need fewer than 75g of carbon dioxide to escape from your tailpipe, or preferably none at all – are three times what they were a year ago. In the first four months of this year, Britain took 9,046 of them to its bosom. To put that into context, the total for all vehicles – cars, vans, buses, bikes, the lot – was 872,000. In other words, even with the huge surge in popularity the eco-friendly ones the Government’s so keen to push make up barely one per cent of the total.

It’d be tempted to sign off in the same way my Maths teacher used to when I tried to pull a statistical fast one – a terse ‘must try harder’ – but that’d be skipping an even more inconvenient truth. You shouldn’t dismiss the eco-friendly offerings as sales also-rans, because they’re getting ever better.

The prototype electric MINI I remember driving five years ago – which had batteries so enormous they took up the back seat area and made the whole car feel weirdly leaden – has evolved into the brilliant BMW i3 and its i8 supercar sibling, the latter of which surely qualifies as the first truly cool plug-in hybrid. The Nissan LEAF might not be my cup of tea but you can’t fault its ability to do humdrum hatchback things on volts alone. Best of all, the pub argument credentials for my favourite electric car – the mildly wacky Renault Twizy – has been strengthened by the fact Sir Stirling Moss has recently bought one. Oh, and it’s mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive and tuned by the same people who do the Renaultsport Clio.

If you’re seriously thinking of getting a ULEV, don’t do it because it ticks the bureaucratic boxes. Do it because – once you get past the environmental flim-flam – some of them are actually really good. That’s the real shock behind the sales figures.

Nissan LEAF leads electric car sales charge

SALES of electric cars more than doubled in 2014 compared to the previous year, new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reveal.

Among the biggest sellers are Nissan’s LEAF and Vauxhall’s Ampera, but even at current rates the electric vehicles still only account for one in every 220 new cars sold in the UK.

Tesla Model S 2014 scores 5/5 in Euro NCAP crash test

The Tesla Model S electric car has scored 5 stars (the maximum) safety rating after testing by the Euro NCAP.

The 4 door saloon falls under the executive class.

Read the full report here.

The Strati -World's first 3 D printed car

Welcome to the age of printed cars. Arizona based car manufacturer Local Motors has come out with the World's first 3 D printed car - the Strati. It won the 2014 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award in New York yesterday.


The car chassis/frame, exterior body, and interior features are made from ABS plastic reinforced with carbon fibres. The electric engine, wheels and other parts were sourced from Renault’s Twizy. It takes the company around 44 hours to print out.

It only has a top speed of about 40mph (60km/h) but I am sure the speeds will improve as time goes by. I am just thinking at the possibilities. In the future, you can probably print out spare parts at home.

Can you power cars using AA batteries

What did you think of the post "Clubbing together for an electric revolution!" yesterday?

I am sure most of you must have realised that it was a spoof post.

"LipraLoof" is an anagram of APRILFOOLS

Unfortunately, you can't power cars using AA batteries yet.

Happy April Fools Day

Clubbing together for an electric revolution!

The UK’s largest independent car club, City Car Club, is working with innovative start-up LipraLoof Technologies Ltd, to trial smart power technology, which could one day see cars powered by AA-style batteries. Who’d have thought it?

James Finlayson, Managing Director of the hourly rental car club said: “When LipraLoof approached us we instantly realised how exciting this technology was – it has the potential to revolutionise the way we drive. However, like with any new technology, rigorous real-world testing is a must and with a 700+ fleet of cars which are used mainly for short journeys, we are in the perfect position to help.”

LipraLoof’s batteries contain complex mix of four metal hydrates which creates a quad, or 4A battery, which produces far more power than a standard battery. When these batteries are combined with technology that harnesses, stores and reuses the energy usually wasted when driving, it creates a system capable of powering a car up to 88mph over a significant distances.

LipraLoof’s founder and managing director Dr Ed Heaverben, explains: “We’ve combined our quad batteries with virtually 100% regenerative breaking which harnesses the energy normally lost when we brake. Another significant area where we’ve conserved energy is with the tyres – we’ve developed a specially designed tread that ‘grabs’ energy which normally escapes onto the road as heat. This saved energy is then stored in a French-Luxemburg engineered Flux Capacitor, ready for use when needed.”

It’s expected the trial and development phase will last around two years, and hopefully the commercial version of the complex system will be ready for market in 2016-17, and we at Auto Lah can’t wait to test it!

Car clubs are all about providing a realistic, flexible alternative to car ownership that benefits individuals, the wider community and are environmentally sustainable.
For further information visit www.lipraloof.co.uk.


Happy April Fools day

Nissan Esflow

Electric / range: 150 mi (240 km) / 0 - 62 mph (100 km/h: 5,0 s

(click images for a larger view)