Ferrari-fighting Tesla Model R reportedly in the works for 2017

Electric vehicle automaker Tesla Motors is reportedly working on a successor to its discontinued Roadster, dubbed the Model R, which is expected to take the fight to Ferrari.

A rumor coming out of jolly old England’s Auto Express suggests electric car manufacturer Tesla is looking to bring a new model to the market in 2017.

The new car would replace Tesla’s first car, the Roadster, and be built from the ground up as pure all-electric vehicle (EV). Whereas the current Roadster is underpinned by Lotus’ Elise platform, Auto Express claims the successor to the Roadster, thought to be named the Model R, will utilize the same platform currently underpinning the Model S and the upcoming Model X crossover.

In addition to adhering to the company’s current naming convention, the Model R will reportedly expand on the Roadsters lightning-quick acceleration, which is capable of rocketing from 0-60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and traveling 254-miles on a single charge of its 53 kWh lithium-ion battery.

If true, the Model R would undoubtedly benefit from a platform switch. The Lotus Elise weights about 1800 pounds, while the Roadster weighs in at 2,723 pounds. A new platform built from the ground up to accommodate an EV powertrain has the potential to reduce the weight of the car, while at the same time improving range and acceleration.

Tesla sold the Roadster between 2008 and 2011, with about 2,500 rolling off the line. Base price for the zippy EV started around $109,000. While no longer selling the Roadster, the California-based automaker started a buyback program last month that allows Roadster owners the option to trade theirs in for credit towards a Model S.

According to Auto Express, Tesla has its sights set on Ferrari with the Model R, but we remain skeptical. Still, if the Model R can indeed go toe-to-toe with the iconic Italian automaker we’ll be very impressed. Of course that leaves us with another question: How much will it cost?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Twizy as a fire truck? Renault Twizy EV to be used by Paris firefighters

The ultra-compact Twizy electric vehicle is set to be tested by the Paris fire department as a support vehicle. The specially adapted car will be equipped with emergency response equipment such as fire extinguishers and oxygen tanks.

While most of us are used to seeing firefighters responding to emergency calls in enormous great trucks roaring through the streets with sirens blaring, residents of Paris may be about to witness the tiny Twizy electric ultra-compact tootling out of a fire station on its way to tackle an inferno or some such incident.

Renault, maker of the ultra-small, ultra-light, ultra-short, ultra-cheap, ultra-pretty-much-everything vehicle, this week presented the Paris fire department with a specially adapted Twizy fitted with emergency response equipment such as fire extinguishers, oxygen tanks, a fire suit, a helmet and a first-aid kit. That’s a lot of stuff when you think about it – I hope they’ve left room for the driver.

Co-developed by Renault, Renault Tech and the Paris fire department, the diminutive doorless car – top speed 50mph (80km/h) – is set to be used as a support vehicle for “early interventions ahead of the arrival of more consequential lifesaving equipment,” Renault said in a press release. It will also be used when setting up temporary safety installations at major public events.

Tests will start in November and last for eight months, with the fire department considering the purchase of a fleet of adapted Twizy cars for use across the city.

“This initial prototype is real-life proof of the research and development work carried out together with the emergency services, demonstrating Renault’s ability and determination to innovate to meet the needs of firefighters,” Renault safety officer Claire Petit Boulanger said.

The Twizy was unveiled as a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2009, and went on sale in a number of European countries earlier this year for around $10,000.

How firefighters will feel about jumping into a Twizy after sliding down the firepole remains to be seen. A reviewer writing in the Telegraph recently said when she drove it around London she had “small boys pointing, mothers laughing, men staring.” And hers didn’t even have a siren on the top. Still, if it benefits the work of a firefighter, improves efficiency and is kinder to the environment, it has to be a good thing, right?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Honda to launch new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in 2015

Honda will apply what it learned in its fuel cell pilot programs to a mass-market vehicle powered by hydrogen.

Hydrogen fuel cells were once touted as the path to zero-emission motoring, but advances in battery technology made hybrids and battery-powered electric vehicles more practical. Still Honda, which has built two fuel cell vehicles in the past, isn’t giving up on the universe’s most abundant element. It will launch a new fuel cell car in 2015.

“This new fuel cell vehicle will showcase further technological advancement and significant cost reduction that Honda has accomplished,” Honda CEO and president Takanobu Ito said at his mid-year speech in Japan.

Ito said the new fuel cell vehicle will be sold in the United States, Europe, and Japan. Development at North American Honda’s Research & Development Center in Liberty, Ohio is ongoing.

Honda has already put two fuel cell vehicles, the FCX and FCX Clarity (pictured) into limited production. These cars constituted a “pilot program,” similar to what Honda and other companies such as BMW and Audi are using to develop battery-powered electric vehicles. The data gleaned from the FCX models will help Honda’s engineers design a mass-market fuel cell vehicle.

While the first FCX was more of a science project than a practical car, the FCX Clarity has everything the average buyer could want. Launched in 2009, it is about the same size as the outgoing Accord sedan, and its 134 horsepower electric motor offers similar performance to a midsize sedan with a four-cylinder gasoline engine.

Ito did not reveal any technical specifications, but the new Honda will most likely be powered by an electric motor, with the fuel cell in place of a conventional EV’s battery.

In fuel cell cars, hydrogen is stored under high pressure, then run through the fuel cell to generate electricity. The system emits nothing but water.

The fuel cell car will be built as either a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback like the FCX Clarity.

Honda may have perfected fuel cell technology, but that doesn’t mean everyone will be filling their cars with hydrogen by 2015. Fuel cells come with the same range and availability issues as batteries.

Honda claimed a 270-mile range for the FCX Clarity, about the same as the most powerful Tesla Model S. However, there are virtually no hydrogen filling stations, while EV charging stations are slowly springing up across the country.

Making battery-powered cars more practical is just a matter of building more stations, and hooking them up to an existing electrical infrastructure. Things get more complicated with hydrogen.

Hydrogen may be the most abundant element in the universe, but it usually comes bonded to something else. An environmentally responsible way of refining industrial quantities of hydrogen has not been devised.

Still, fuel cells offer the possibility of eliminating emissions without heavy batteries and long charging times. It may be a gamble for Honda, but it will offer consumers yet another alternative to fossil fuels.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The Aerofex hoverbike: The future of fan-driven personal transport?

This is the Aerofex hoverbike, a personal hover vehicle concept that promises to be as easy to control as a bicycle.

Right now, you could probably take a walk down to the shops and buy yourself something with two wheels on which to have some fun, be it a scooter, a bicycle or a motorbike.

But what if you don’t want wheels? Motorized fun on land without them is a little more difficult; but if you’re keen, personal hovercrafts can be found too.

However, they’re noisy, not all that practical and unless you’re on water, you’re certain to look ridiculous. California-based company Aerofex is looking to change all that with their own land-based personal hovercraft, which is less fish-out-of-water and more Speeder Bike from Return of the Jedi.

According to the company’s blog, the project has been running since 2008, but has recently made significant progress resulting in video footage of the vehicle being released.

It doesn’t seem to have a name yet, and the design isn’t finalized, but that doesn’t stop it from being exciting. It looks like a massive motorcycle, but instead of wheels, it has two ducted fans to provide lift and drive.

Aerofex is working on making the hoverbike as easy to operate as possible, so it won’t use any special computer systems to maintain stability, relying instead on the same techniques used to ride a normal bike.

In contrast to the insane Malloy Hoverbike, which could reach an altitude of 10,000 feet and a speed of 173 miles-per-hour, Aerofex’s vehicle is far more sensible. So, while an altitude of 15 feet and a top speed of 30 miles-per-hour won’t get the heart pumping in the same way, it will at least minimize the chance of perishing in a huge fireball.

Reading through the company’s website, it’s clear they’re not really aiming the hoverbike at thrill-seekers anyway, as they mention fleets of first-response ‘bikes used by emergency teams, border patrols and even “aerial mustering” of livestock as possible uses.

However, the concept drawing of the next phase does make the hoverbike look far better, and a regular commercial version must surely be considered.

Aerofex hasn’t published any information on the potential release or the cost of its hoverbike, but it’s definitely a project to watch.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com