electric

Audi Tipped to Put E-TRON Concept Into Production

If you still think that electric cars have to be small, weird, uncouth modes of transportation for tree-hugging hippies, may we suggest you look to Germany's latest. At the recently-concluded Frankfurt auto show, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all took the wraps off exotic supercars that will at some point arrive on the market with electric power.

The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept, unveiled in Frankfurt, is tipped to give birth to a new hybrid sportscar from the Bavarian automaker. The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, also unveiled in Frankfurt, is confirmed to breed an electric version. And the Audi e-tron concept, debuted in – you guessed it – Frankfurt – showed the way for what an all-electric version of the company's popular R8 sportscar could look like.

Now reports indicate that Audi is preparing to put the e-tron into production, with working prototypes expected to begin testing within the next two years. Packing four electric motors and a lithium-ion battery, the electric R8 produces a modest 313 horsepower but an absolutely bonkers 3,319 lb-ft of torque, firmly leaving those little electric city cars in its clean wake.

Gallery: Audi e-tron concept

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Tags: audi e-tron, audi e-tron concept, audi r8, AudiE-tron, AudiE-tronConcept, AudiR8, electric, electric car, ElectricCar

Future Vision? Tesla Roadster Sport Cars Seen Charging

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

I snapped these pictures while at the Pebble Beach Concours de Elegance auto show recently. I caught these two new Tesla Roadster Sport all electric sport cars charging quietly behind the scenes. like any electric car, all Teslas need to be charged to juice up. You can see the large plug that comes supplied with the car. I am not totally sure if it can use a stand wall socket, but I don't think so. You probably need a special set up. Unlike gassing up your car, to charge an electric car you need to wait hours, not minutes.

Look into the cabin of the car and you'll find a charging status screen. A green progress bar like you'd find on a laptop computer or mobile phone is accompanied by a mileage indicator of how far you can go on the current charge. While the Tesla is charging, a light around the plug glows and beats to indicate charging is taking place.

Strolling by the scene it seems almost natural, until I realized that this is likely something we will see lots more of in the future. Not to mention the fact that most people have never seen an electric car charging, or even a Tesla for that matter. Gone here are the manicured details of the inside of a showroom or auto show. This image is just what you'd see by having your own Tesla (if you are lucky enough to get one) charging quietly in your driveway or garage. As times go on, more and more electric car charging spots are popping up all over the country. I am sure your city has at least a few with major cities having dedicated parking spots with chargers and more.

Hearing the Tesla start up and drive off is another strange experience. Unlike the bellows of a Ferrari, or the growls of a Lamborghini, the Tesla has a no engine noise, and just the soft sounds of a transmission and tire noise. Like a large radio controlled model car, but made for people. Tesla has had a lot of financial problems, but thankfully many have come to its rescue and the cars are finally ready for prime time.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Tesla Roadster Charging

Tags: car, charging, electric, roadster, sport, tesla

Eco 1 Eco Watercraft, Personal Watercraft Goes Electric

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

We've seen the emergence of electric and hybrid yachts and now the Eco Watercraft Eco 1 is set to be the Tesla of the waves. It's a zippy little electric jet ski that can do more than 60 mph. The personal watercraft has a lithium-ion battery that will last around three hours and will also have solar panels. The craft will be built in a factory in the U.S. that will be 100% powered by renewable sources of energy. Wired reports that the Eco 1 will sell for $32,000 when it goes into production in 2011. An economy model may come out a while later for around $10,000 to $12,000.

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Tags: eco 1, eco watercraft, Eco1, EcoWatercraft, electric, jet ski, JetSki

Will Rolls-Royce Make An Electric Phantom?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Green

It looks very likely that in the near future Rolls fans will have the option of owning an all-electric version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom. Tom Purves, the Rolls-Royce CEO, has revealed that he'd not only like to build an electric Phantom but thinks it would fit in perfectly with what a lot of Rolls customers are looking for. Thanks to the technology used in the new BMW Mini-E the hard part of developing an electric engine that measures up is already done -- it's really just about refinement and tweaking a few technology details.

No word yet on when an electric Phantom can be expected but it sounds like it could be as soon as the next few years.

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Tags: auto, autos, bmw, car, cars, eco-friendly, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, green, mini cooper, mini e, MiniCooper, MiniE, phantom, rolls royce, rolls royce phantom, rolls-royce, RollsRoyce, RollsRoycePhantom, wheels

Ferrari Prances in Hybrid-Electric Style

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Hybrid-electric vehicles seem to be all the rage these days, and the prototypes in the stables at Ferrari's home of Fiorano is no exception.

As part of its 60th birthday celebration, Ferrari unveiled the Mini Chili, a mere 1,000 kg beast almost completely made of carbon fiber sporting fixed seats and carbon ceramic brakes. The need for a dashboard is gone with the driver information systems all being condensed down into the steering wheel, making for a compact little ride. The light weight is offset by an Active Aerodynamics system, which kicks in at the most opportune of moments.

Don't get your hopes too high, though -- Ferrari claims it won't make this car, but be on the lookout for similar technology in future Ferrari vehicles.

[Source: AutoExpress]

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Tags: carbon fiber, CarbonFiber, ceramic brakes, CeramicBrakes, concept car, ConceptCar, electric, ferrari, hybrid, hybrid-electric

Salt and Pepper by Peugeot

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Gadgets

Slashfood likes to spice up their food, and judging by the enthusiasm that they have for Peugeot's electric Salt and Pepper Mills, they don't like to expend a lot of energy to do it. Fortunately for the diner who seeks convenience in addition to good taste, these mills automatically grind up salt and pepper at the touch of a button, no twisting or shaking necessary. The mills use mechanism that is nearly identical to the one that was invented by Peugeot for the first pepper mills back in 1842. Price: $200.

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Tags: design, electric, france, french, gadget, grinder, mill, pepper, pepper mill, peugeot, salt, salt and pepper, shaker