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Reviews of eco-cars Reviews of clasical vehicles: Problems with AUTO BUILD magazin Selling statistics of vehicles:
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Eco-cars:
The American manufacturer of electro-powered cars, Tesla, made a car last year that caught public attention. Based on Lotus Elise and powered by Li-ion batteries, it should be able to perform as the best sport cars of today. Due to many technical changes during its developement its characteristics varied, but according to last data the Tesla electrocar can attain a speed of 210 km/h, while attaining 100km/h in 4 seconds. Two-seated Tesla roadster uses 6800 slim Li-ion batteries, which gives him the radius of 400km. With previously used NiMH batteries it could reach only 160km. The next step in electrocar production will be so called ’White Star’ model, which is due to ’hit the road’ in 2009. It is smaller vehicle than Tesla and is designed as three-part electrocar. While Tesla roadster is produced in Lotus facilities in the UK, the new three-part limo White Star will be produced in New Mexico. The manufacturer plans to produce 600 Tesla two-seated roadsters in 2008, and the first 50 cars were planned to be delivered to their customers by the end of March.
VOLVO C30 HYBRID – concept If you drive less than a hundred kilometers a day you can drive all the time electro-powered car. Li-ion batteries this car uses give it enough power for 100 km. Afterwards, they should be recharged from a standard home electrical outlet. The recharging time is 3 hours. If you are in a hurry you can recharge only for an hour, which should be enough for covering 50 km. Driving electrocars is about 80% cheaper than driving standard petrol-powered cars. The batteries are designed to last longer than the car itself. When the battery is low to 30%, the backup SUS engine starts. However, this can be controlled by the driver, who can start the SUS engine earlier. With the batteries power used and the SUS engine employed, the car can ccover 150 km, with the consumption of only 1.9L/100km. Its top speed is 160 km/h, and it takes it 9 seconds to accelerate up to 100 km/h.
DAF LH HYBRID prototype – hybrid powered trucks Hybrid cars are no big surprise anymore, but hybrid trucks certainly are. Such a surprise has recently been presented in Amsterdam Transport Vehicle show by the company DAF. It is called LF prototype. DAF LF is powered by 4.5 L engine with 185 KS, together with automatic six-speed transmission. Apart from this, LF has another, electric, Li-ion batteries powered engine. People from DAF like to emphasize the fact that the truck can run only on the electric engine. Potential buyers will soon have the chance to test the hybrid truck. Diesel hybrid engine with 30% reduced consumption Petrol consumption is something that is considered in all car classes today, the elite cars being one of them. And this is not the issue only for the sake of the consumption itself, but also because of CO2 emission. Thus, a new kind of engine is prepared for the Mercedes S-class. The consumption is planned to be reduced on 6.3 L, with 4-cylinder diesel engine with 200KS and 2.2L, together with the hybrid power. It will have the top speed of 240 km/h and acceleration of 9 seconds. The power of the four-cylinder common-rail diesel engine will be raised up to 150kW.
It recharges its batteries up to 80% in only 15 minutes Apart from being a cute car, Subaru G4 concept has very nice performance when powered by batteries. Electro-engine develops power of 88KS, and the car can cover 200 km with one charging, which should be enough for two-day city driving, even in the biggest of cities. Recharging of batteries is the weakest point in electro-cars, but that’s not the case with Subaru G4, which recharges up to 80% of its power in only 15 minutes. The batteries are fully recharged in 8 hours, though. G4 concept borrowed many solutions from its neighbor’s smallest model Mazda2. It is a bit less than 4 meters long, and is spacious enough for five adults. It is not known yet whether this car will be produced serially.
TOYOTA PRIUS – the third generation The new hybrid’s arrival postponed till the spring of 2009 Due to the malfunction of batteries, the third generation of the popular hybrid Toyota Prius has been postponed for next year. Namely, the new batteries, which should have given greater range to Prius, turned out to be unreliable while being recharged. They frequently leaked or even exploded. Until the problem is solved, the old batteries will be used, but the third generation of the hybrid will have to wait for the new batteries. Although planned for the next spring, the exact date will be announced upon solving the problem.
Enhanced version of the vehicle powered by fuel cells The new, enhanced version of the FCX Clarity vehicle powered by fuel cells was presented in Los Angeles by Honda. The limited first series will be offered for rent during the summer of 2008. FCX is a new generation of vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, based on the new V Flow platform. The new PEM cells (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell) have the power of 100kW. When hydrogen from a fuel tank mixes with oxygen from the air, large amount of energy is released, which will power the electro-engine. Los Angeles, the Green Car of the Year 2007 title The GM Chevrolet Tahoe Hybridu has been elected the title Green Car of the Year in LA 2007 Car Show. The jury found it the most innovative for its two-mode composition. Its direct rivals were Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Saturn Aura Green Line and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid.
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