All it took was 10K to turn this MG to an eco, electric mode of transportation.
Showing posts with label electric cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label electric cars. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
tesla motors: new boulder, colorado location
Tesla Motors has opened a Colorado gallery at 915 Pearl St. on the Pearl Street Mall as it's newest strategic regional hub. Tesla is currently the only automaker producing and selling highway-capable EVs as well as the only automaker offering “house calls” with a mobile service squad, all customers can enjoy hassle-free service without leaving their home or office. Convenient, low cost house calls will be made for annual inspections, firmware updates and other services--Teslas require less maintenance than a conventional car. The Boulder facility the sole hub for customers throughout the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.
The centennial state aims to be the most environmentally friendly in the nation, with Gov. Bill Ritter getting accolades as America’s “Greenest Governor.”US Roadster owners get a $7,500 federal tax credit, and Colorado’s progressive public policy offers additional incentives for residents who buy this year. Coloradans get more benefits if they replace their gas guzzler with an all-electric, zero-emission Roadster – the only car that’s faster than a Porsche 911 and twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius.
To date, Tesla has delivered nearly 900 cars, and many owners in Northern climates drive them all winter long. Tesla performed cold-weather testing on a frozen lake in Arvidsjaur, Sweden. Scandinavia is a leading European sales market, and Canadian deliveries start later this year. Electric seat warmers and heating vents thaw drivers on frigid nights. The Roadster can also be fitted with snow tires and chains, and customers may select from two hard-top roof options. In addition to being four-season friendly, the Roadster consumes no gasoline whatsoever and therefore never requires a time-consuming detour to the pump. Owners simply charge the Roadster overnight from a conventional 120- or 240-volt outlet, and every single morning the car is fully charged – roughly 240 miles of driving. With an EPA-estimated range of 244 miles per charge, it costs less than $5 to refuel.
Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla sells cars online and has delivered nearly 900 Roadsters to customers in North America and Europe. In addition to Boulder, Colorado, Tesla has showrooms in California’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, London and Munich.
The centennial state aims to be the most environmentally friendly in the nation, with Gov. Bill Ritter getting accolades as America’s “Greenest Governor.”US Roadster owners get a $7,500 federal tax credit, and Colorado’s progressive public policy offers additional incentives for residents who buy this year. Coloradans get more benefits if they replace their gas guzzler with an all-electric, zero-emission Roadster – the only car that’s faster than a Porsche 911 and twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius.
To date, Tesla has delivered nearly 900 cars, and many owners in Northern climates drive them all winter long. Tesla performed cold-weather testing on a frozen lake in Arvidsjaur, Sweden. Scandinavia is a leading European sales market, and Canadian deliveries start later this year. Electric seat warmers and heating vents thaw drivers on frigid nights. The Roadster can also be fitted with snow tires and chains, and customers may select from two hard-top roof options. In addition to being four-season friendly, the Roadster consumes no gasoline whatsoever and therefore never requires a time-consuming detour to the pump. Owners simply charge the Roadster overnight from a conventional 120- or 240-volt outlet, and every single morning the car is fully charged – roughly 240 miles of driving. With an EPA-estimated range of 244 miles per charge, it costs less than $5 to refuel.
Tesla’s goal is to produce increasingly affordable cars to mainstream buyers – relentlessly driving down the cost of EVs. San Carlos, Calif.-based Tesla sells cars online and has delivered nearly 900 Roadsters to customers in North America and Europe. In addition to Boulder, Colorado, Tesla has showrooms in California’s Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, London and Munich.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
energy back to the grid: google
Google has made its commitment to clean energy known--the company has made more than $10.5 million in goethermal energy investments and has declared that it wants to make renewable energy cheaper than coal. Now the search engine giant is expanding its ever-growing reach to include plug-in hybrid vehicles. Dan Reicher, Google's director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives, announced today that the company is working on software to better integrate PHEVs into the power grid.
The software will reduce strain on the grid, possibly by letting cars send stored energy back to the grid--so utilities can have extra energy on-tap during times of peak usage. In such a scenario, utilities might also have the power to turn charging EVs on or off during peak times. In return, the car owner could receive a credit from the utility.
Google hasn't revealed a timeline for the software, but the company has been experimenting with PHEVs since 2007. It is inevitable that car companies will release competing plug-in software once more PHEVs hit the streets in the next few years. Perhaps the biggest competitor will be Ford, which embarked last month on a three-year project with the Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute to test vehicle-to-grid technology.
via Reuters
The software will reduce strain on the grid, possibly by letting cars send stored energy back to the grid--so utilities can have extra energy on-tap during times of peak usage. In such a scenario, utilities might also have the power to turn charging EVs on or off during peak times. In return, the car owner could receive a credit from the utility.
Google hasn't revealed a timeline for the software, but the company has been experimenting with PHEVs since 2007. It is inevitable that car companies will release competing plug-in software once more PHEVs hit the streets in the next few years. Perhaps the biggest competitor will be Ford, which embarked last month on a three-year project with the Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute to test vehicle-to-grid technology.
via Reuters
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
tesla motors: new models for its electric cars
Tesla Motors has secured a low-interest $350 million loan under the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program. The program, created as part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and appropriated in the fall of 2008, is unrelated to the current stimulus or “bailout” package of some American automakers. The goal of the bipartisan ATVM is to accelerate the production of fuel-efficient vehicles for mainstream Americans and reduce the nation’s dependence on oil. The new loan from the DOE will enable Tesla to accelerate the production of fuel-efficient vehicles using their existing platform all electric power train of the S model by expanding upon it to create an all-electric family sized minivan, a crossover SUV, and a utility fleet van.
With the DOE loan, Tesla joins Ford and Nissan as the first recipients of federal loans designed to move America’s car companies toward more fuel-efficient technology. No funds have been dispensed yet, but Tesla has big plans for its taxpayer injection, most importantly the development of an assembly plant for the Model S sedan (the first actual mass-production car from the company) in Southern California and a powertrain manufacturing facility in Northern California, which combined should employ about 1,650 workers. Tesla unveiled the Model S sedan in March, but so far there's no word on when it will hit showrooms.
Tesla hopes their platform power train could be adopted or licensed in a sense by other manufacturers, saving them the time and cost of developing their own technology. This could help large entities like utilities or municipal governments save big money while drastically reducing carbon emissions.
With a range of 244 miles (on electricity only), the Tesla Roadster is six times as efficient as a gasoline car, and twice as efficient as a Prius. Now that the Roadster has proven Tesla’s powertrain works, if the company can flip that technology into mass-marketable vehicles.
Their power train manufacturing facility in Northern California, already sell EV components to Daimler, which will soon begin marketing an electric version of its popular and affordable Smart car.
via Treehugger
With the DOE loan, Tesla joins Ford and Nissan as the first recipients of federal loans designed to move America’s car companies toward more fuel-efficient technology. No funds have been dispensed yet, but Tesla has big plans for its taxpayer injection, most importantly the development of an assembly plant for the Model S sedan (the first actual mass-production car from the company) in Southern California and a powertrain manufacturing facility in Northern California, which combined should employ about 1,650 workers. Tesla unveiled the Model S sedan in March, but so far there's no word on when it will hit showrooms.
Tesla hopes their platform power train could be adopted or licensed in a sense by other manufacturers, saving them the time and cost of developing their own technology. This could help large entities like utilities or municipal governments save big money while drastically reducing carbon emissions.
With a range of 244 miles (on electricity only), the Tesla Roadster is six times as efficient as a gasoline car, and twice as efficient as a Prius. Now that the Roadster has proven Tesla’s powertrain works, if the company can flip that technology into mass-marketable vehicles.
Their power train manufacturing facility in Northern California, already sell EV components to Daimler, which will soon begin marketing an electric version of its popular and affordable Smart car.
via Treehugger
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
audi e-tron electric car: my haute heaven
Audi has just unveiled the e-Tron, an electric concept car with four motors, super acceleration and uber torque.
The German automaker set out to prove electric cars can rival the best sports cars, so it gave the all-wheel-drive two-seater 230 kilowatts (313 horsepower) and 3,319 pound-feet of torque. Um, SICK!!!!
To put that number in perspective, the Tesla Roadster, arguably the benchmark for production electric sports cars, produces 276 foot-pounds. The Dodge Viper gets 600 out of its huge V10. The Bugatti Veyron puts down 922. And the M1 Abrams tank produces 2,750 (at 3,000 RPM).
70 percent of this torque goes to the back 19" wheels. Audi claims the concept e-Tron will do zero to 100 km/hr (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds. It also will do 60 to 120 km/hr (37 mph to 75 mph) in 4.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 200 km/hr (124 mph) to maximize battery range.....or keep you alive.
Speaking of, the e-Tron gets its juice from a 42.4-kilowatt-hour, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with a range of 154 miles. Recharge time is six to eight hours at 230 volts. The pack weighs 1,036 pounds and powers four asynchronous wheel-mounted motors with a total output of 230 kilowatts. (For the sake of comparison, the Roadster’s 53 kw/hr pack weighs 1,000 pounds and its motor produces 185 kilowatts).
The e-Tron weighs a light 3,527 pounds. That’s just 253 pounds more than the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Audi made extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber in building the car — which is slightly smaller in every dimension than the R8 — and made the doors, roof and other body panels of fiber-reinforced plastic. Audi says the car has a 42:58 weight distribution.
At this point the e-Tron is just a concept...... BOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Thank you for making my day Wired!
The German automaker set out to prove electric cars can rival the best sports cars, so it gave the all-wheel-drive two-seater 230 kilowatts (313 horsepower) and 3,319 pound-feet of torque. Um, SICK!!!!
To put that number in perspective, the Tesla Roadster, arguably the benchmark for production electric sports cars, produces 276 foot-pounds. The Dodge Viper gets 600 out of its huge V10. The Bugatti Veyron puts down 922. And the M1 Abrams tank produces 2,750 (at 3,000 RPM).
70 percent of this torque goes to the back 19" wheels. Audi claims the concept e-Tron will do zero to 100 km/hr (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds. It also will do 60 to 120 km/hr (37 mph to 75 mph) in 4.1 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 200 km/hr (124 mph) to maximize battery range.....or keep you alive.
Speaking of, the e-Tron gets its juice from a 42.4-kilowatt-hour, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery with a range of 154 miles. Recharge time is six to eight hours at 230 volts. The pack weighs 1,036 pounds and powers four asynchronous wheel-mounted motors with a total output of 230 kilowatts. (For the sake of comparison, the Roadster’s 53 kw/hr pack weighs 1,000 pounds and its motor produces 185 kilowatts).
The e-Tron weighs a light 3,527 pounds. That’s just 253 pounds more than the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Audi made extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber in building the car — which is slightly smaller in every dimension than the R8 — and made the doors, roof and other body panels of fiber-reinforced plastic. Audi says the car has a 42:58 weight distribution.
At this point the e-Tron is just a concept...... BOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Thank you for making my day Wired!
Monday, August 24, 2009
teenager creates electric car
Sorry about the lack of posts dear readers, I had to take a vacation. To start things off, here's and inspirational read about a high schooler who no longer wanted to pay for gas--so, naturally he turned his car electric! He makes it look so easy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
