ElectricCars

Luxury Goes Green: Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom Under Development

Yes, an electric Rolls-Royce. And why not? The torque curve of an electric motor – making maximum pulling power right at zero RPM – would seem to suit the RR mission perfectly, as would the distinct lack of noise, vibration and harshness. Sounds like a match made in heaven, no?

Well, of course there are issues to overcome, not the least of which is sourcing a suitably large battery for the three-ton Phantom sedan. According to Auto Express in the U.K., that battery pack would feature lithium ion cells, which happens to be the same technology used by parent company BMW in its electric Mini E.

These rumors aren't exactly new – we last heard of an electric Roller about a year ago – but this time the addition of a possible range extender is mentioned for the first time. Such a configuration is featured in both the upcoming Chevy Volt and the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept BMW just showed off at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The unnamed spokesperson cited by Auto Express doesn't offer any sort of timetable as to when we might see an electric Phantom, but we're not exactly holding our breath.

[Source: Auto Express]

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Tesla Finally Shows Off Real Images of Roadster Sport

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Tesla Roadster Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

It's been seven months since Tesla first announced its intentions to build the Roadster Sport, a higher performing version of its standard electric sportscar, and the Silicon Valley-based automaker has finally offered up some real high-res images of the EV along with a bevy of details on what makes the Sport extra special.

First and foremost, the Sport's hand-wound electric motor adds a bit more oomph to the already quick Roadster, taking off two-tenths of a second on the rush to 60 at 3.7 seconds. Also included are bare carbon fiber hood louvers and rear spoiler, a push-button transmission selector to replace the aluminum shift knob and a central touch screen that displays estimated range along with the total number of oil barrels saved over a fossil-fueled automobile. That last tidbit is worth the $20K price increase itself, as far as we're concerned.

Gallery: Tesla Roadster Sport

[Source: Tesla via World Car Fans]

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Mercedes Announces All-Electric Version of Upcoming SLS Gullwing Supercar

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

There's been a horsepower war being waged between German automakers for years, and Mercedes has been one of the biggest armies on the front line. An endless succession of big V8 and twin-turbo V12 engines have seen to Benz's dominance, housed in everything from station wagons to sportscars. Following the likes of the SLR McLaren and SL65 Black Series, the latest of the latter is almost here. But while the SLS "gullwing" will shout the battle cry of the horsepower wars with typical zeal, confirmed reports now indicate that it will also offer a more peaceful solution in the form of an all-electric version.

While the conventional SLS will be powered by a 6.3-liter V8 producing 563 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque, the electric version will produce the equivalent of 526hp and 649 lb-ft, offering potential buyers no excuse for sticking to the fossil-fuel-burning version once the electric model makes its debut. The electric Mercedes supercar promises to accelerate to sixty in four seconds flat, that motivation being delivered courtesy of four individual electric motors and a 48 kWh lithium ion battery pack. Given Mercedes parent company Daimler's recent investment of $50 million in Tesla, it's safe to say that the California startup will be helping out in the development, but while a launch date for the electric SLS hasn't been revealed, sources expect to see it on the road by 2015.

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Liberty Electric Cars to Convert Thousands of Luxury Autos

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

Over in the UK there's a new company in town called Liberty Electric Cars, and it's looking to turn the electric car industry on its head. Liberty Electric Cars has plans to take £30 million and use it to convert "tens of thousands" of luxury vehicles over to electric power. The world's first zero emission electrically powered Range Rover will be among their offerings, and depending on the model the Rovers will be priced at £95,000 - £125,000 (or about $187,000 - $246,000). Apparently the electric power technology they plan to use is cutting edge and will result in cars with more power and longer time between charges. Sounds cool but too good to be true? Guess we'll find out!

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Tags: auto, autos, electric cars, ElectricCars, environment, green, liberty, liberty electric cars, LibertyElectricCars

Tesla To Electrify Chicago

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Electric supercars seem to be all the rage, or so we're led to believe with the unveiling of crazy-fast ones like Hybrid Technologies' 2007 L1X-75 and Commuter Cars Corporation's "Tango." Not to be outdone, Tesla Motors and the $93,000 electric sports car it's selling are taking their act to The Windy City, where the Silicon Valley startup is shopping around for 8,000-10,000 square feet of space in the River North, Gold Coast and Streeterville neighborhoods -- close to luxury retail that attracts the kind of customers Tesla is looking for, according to Phil Baugh, a vice-president with Baum Realty Group and the brokerage professional helping Tesla out with its search.

The roadster, which is made in a Lotus factory in England, can heat up the track with the best of them, clocking in at just 4 seconds going 0-60 and hitting at least 130 mph. Better yet, the distance between charges is as much as 200 miles -- quite a cut above most electric car ranges.

So far, the company boasts that 400 orders have been placed with deposits of $30,000, putting them well within range of the 800 to 1,000 vehicles the company expects to sell by October, when customers can take delivery.

This news comes as we're also getting details on the new partnership between Lotus Engineering and the electric car maker ZAP, presumably to produce a new crossover sport utility vehicle based on Lotus Engineering's APX aluminum chassis technology.

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Tags: alternative fuel, AlternativeFuel, electric cars, ElectricCars, green, lithium-ion, tesla