Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept

Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept

Skoda has revealed its first-ever battery powered vehicle, the Octavia Green E Line concept, at the Paris Motor Show. Mobility for people and clean cars for the environment - these are Škoda's commitments. Mobility without emissions is the future. "The Skoda Octavia Green E Line embodies the values of the brand absolutely perfectly - the vehicle combines the desire for individual mobility with our environmental goals", said Škoda Auto BOD Chairman Prof. Dr. Winfried Vahland.

The Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept is based on the Škoda Octavia Combi. With its modular chassis design, this series-production car is the ideal option in terms of arranging the batteries, electronic control units and the electric engine with its constant power of 60 kW and max. power of 85 kW. Available right after the start (as is typical of this type of drive), the maximum torque of 270 Nm gives the car enough power for sharp acceleration and a good amount of agility and responsiveness, which the driver will appreciate mainly in busy city traffic. The OSkoda ctavia Green E Line Concept Cars accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just twelve seconds, and the car's maximum speed is limited to 135 km/h.

Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept

The electricity for the Skoda Octavia Green E Line Concept is supplied by a modern lithium-ion battery. With a range-per-charge of 140 kilometres, the Škoda Octavia Green E Line comfortably meets the requirements of most everyday commuters in Europe. Located under the middle and rear parts of the floor and extending partly into the luggage compartment, the 26.5 kWh battery is made up of 180 lithium-ion cells (diameter 150 mm, length 650 mm) and weighs about 315 kilograms. However, the battery has almost no impact on the volume of the passenger and luggage compartments. The Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept is fitted with five comfortable seats, and its passenger compartment is identical with that of the Octavia Combi with a combustion engine.

With smart dashboard indicators, the driver of the Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line always stays in control. The computer screen provides continuous information including instant output, power consumption, battery charge and the remaining range. The navigation display describes the energy flow, i.e., informs the driver that the electric engine is being supplied with electricity or, on the contrary, that it is generating electricity as the car decelerates or goes downhill.

Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept

The look of the Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept conveys the environmental-friendliness of its electric drive. Pearl-white exterior colour and elegant chrome-trim on both the front and rear of the vehicle as well as on the wheels create an impressive contrast with the glossy black roof with integrated energy-generating photovoltaic panels.

Skoda Octavia Electric Car Green E Line Concept

Škoda Auto is planning to create a test fleet of Octavias Green E Line in 2011 with the objective of obtaining additional information relevant to the further development of the electric drive.

Electric cars need steel bodies

The next generation of electric cars will need specifically designed steel bodies to exploit their green potential, according to the world’s biggest steel makers.

A new research project, the Future Steel Vehicle (FSV), is testing redesigned structural parts in an electric car’s bodywork, including the sills, front crash structure, roof and battery carrier, to cut weight and save energy.

Engineers are also weighing up a variety of steels to balance their strength in an EV body against the energy used in its manufacture. This will reduce the whole-life energy costs of an EV.

Previous steel industry projects have advanced the design of lightweight steel car bodies, doors and suspensions.

Can Electric Cars Deliver As Promised?

By the sound of it, electric cars are poised to reshape the automotive industry in a way not seen since, well, the internal combustion engine was introduced. 2010 is shaping up to be an important year for electric cars as several new models are slated to hit the market. That's good news for environmentally conscious consumers, but do electric cars deserve our attention more than highly fuel efficient gas or diesel models?

Certainly, electric cars offer a huge appeal for the simple reason that visits to the gas pump are no longer part of the equation. Instead of fueling up, electric car users will plug it in at home, at work or while on the road. It's all about tapping the power grid in ways not seen before.

I've been covering electric cars on my flagship The Auto Writer blog for several years, but not too many people dig deep when investigating vehicle electrification. I'm not about to tell you to buy one product or stay away from another one, but what I will say is that there are some things to consider before deciding in favor of an electric model versus something else:

Vehicle Cost - Surprise, surprise! Electric cars are pricey as we learned when the then $98,00--now $109,000 on up--Tesla Roadster hit the market in 2008. Sure, Tesla is an exotic car, but most electric vehicles are priced north of $40,000. The good news is that some models carry a $7500 federal rebate with individual states adding their rebates or tax abatement into the mix.

Vehicle Availability - When the first big wave of electric vehicles rolls out, the Nissan Leaf, Ford Transit Connect EV, Chevy Volt and other models will be available in limited numbers. That's because manufacturers still aren't sure if customers will embrace the technology. Some models will be scarce until production is ramped up which means you may have to wait six months, perhaps a year before buying one.

Weather Extremes - Just how durable are electric cars when facing weather extremes? Manufacturers are trying to find that out by putting their vehicles through various tests, but a Minnesota winter or Arizona heat may be hard to replicate. Look for these cars to carry generous warranties just in case the unthinkable happens...whatever that might be!

Unseen Pollution - Electric vehicles emit no carbon pollution, right? Well, while on the road they don't. However, when powering up electric vehicles use electricity derived from coal burning plants. And, in the manufacturing process they consume precious resources just like any other car. Overall, their impact on the environment may be lower than a clean burning diesel or highly efficient gas engine, but if you're trying to "save the earth" with an electric vehicle you may be disappointed.

There are other factors such as registration costs, insurance, maintenance and repairs and depreciation which also must be factored in. Likely, electric vehicles will improve over time and prices will drop, making power grid enabled vehicles hot sellers down the road.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan

Japan's Electric Cars 2010

Electric cars that zip by have always been more sci-fi than reality, thanks to pop culture. But in fact, the earliest cars were running on electricity long before the energy and automobile industry decided to convert Detroit into a gas guzzling machine based on the internal combustion engine. And precisely because of that, electric cars are making a comeback. With fuel prices soaring, and fossil fuel itself adding ever more to greenhouses gases that cause global warming, the world is betting on solutions such as alternative clean fuels, and zero or low carbon emitting cars powered by electricity.

As Detroit is to the American automobile industry, Japan is fast becoming to the world. And their fleet of hybrid cars, those that use an alternative clean energy only or in combination with gas is helping Japan's position as a global leader in the auto industry big time. Last summer, while Toyota took the lead from Ford and became the second most selling brand of automobiles in America just after GM, Honda comfortably outsold DaimlerChrysler.

Toyota and Honda, both Japanese companies, are also the only mass producers of hybrid vehicles and enjoy steady success in that market. By 2003, Honda had sold over more than 37,000 units while Mazda expected to sell at 7,000 units of its 4WD Demio series. And according to a research by J.D Power, 350,000 units of hybrids will be sold in the US alone by 2008. You can rest assure that the Japanese brand of EVs will make a significant chunk of that market. It helps to get the word out when celebrities like George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio are already hybrid drivers.

Japanese automakers Mitsubishi too is hoping to re-brand its market imagine by launching a series of EVs in Japan by 2010. Subaru too is teaming up with the Tokyo Power Company to launch a series of electric vehicles, based on Subaru's R1e minicars that will challenge Toyotas hybrids when it is launched.

While Japan continues to work on mass market models of EVs, engineer and designers there are also working on ever more impressive line of sporty and luxury models. The Eliica electric car, still only a prototype, can climb up to a speed of about 100mph in 7 seconds and reach a top speed of 400kmph. A brain child of Prof. Hiroshi Shimizu, Keio University, the car was produced with the help of a team of students.

Did we mention it has 8 wheels, four in the front and four in the back? A full charge from a normal outlet takes about 10 hours and that will keep you going for 200 miles. The point was to show the potential of EVs, and it's a point well taken. The California born Tesla is the only Super EV coming out anytime soon but it's a luxury sports car. And Detroit is still grumbling. But you can count on Japan's EV industry to take the world on a clean, eco-friendly spin.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Christodoulou

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Renault will release a series of two electric cars - Twizy ZE and Zoe ZE

On Friday, the company Renault has confirmed its plans for mass production of two electric vehicles, built on the explanation of the concept cars ultra Twizy ZE and a small compartment Zoe ZE, tells the magazine Autocar. Production of the first one in 2011, will be established at the Spanish plant in the city of Valladolid, and the second - in France, a year later.

It is expected that the French Renault factory in the town of Flaine become a kind of center for the development programs of the company to produce to the market of compact electric - at this facility will meet the key models of electric vehicles, as well as to production and processing of batteries used in the propulsion machinery. In "Reno" suggest that the model Zoe will have two-thirds of the total European sales of electric vehicles.

As previously reported, the concept car Renault Zoe ZE equipped with 95-horsepower electric motor, receiving energy from lithium-ion batteries. These batteries provide a vehicle movement over 160 kilometers, and their charge from household electrical outlet will take from four to eight hours. Compact car Twizy ZE were equipped electric power of 20 horsepower and can travel without recharging about 100 kilometers. Maximum speed of the prototype was 75 kilometers per hour.



We note that on Friday, the alliance Renault-Nissan has also negotiated with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Strategic Investment Fund, the French agreement of intent to establish a joint venture that will investigate, the transfer of industrial production and recycling of batteries for electric vehicles. Renault plans to produce batteries at plants in France, Britain and Portugal.

by AutoNews

Electric cars: the future of personal transportation?

Electric cars: the future of personal transportation