Electric supercar circles Greater London twice on a single charge

UK students have driven an electric car around Greater London twice on a single charge. Using a specially modified electric Radical SRZERO supercar, the Racing Green Endurance (RGE) team from Imperial College completed two laps of the M25 motorway in the wee hours of Friday morning, covering a total distance of 250 miles (400km). The feat is a lead up to an attempt later this year at becoming the first EV to conquer the longest road on Earth - the Pan American Highway.

Built on a Radical Sportscars SR8 chassis and using two lightweight motors designed and built by an Imperial spinout company - EVO Electrics, the 1100 kg SRZERO boasts the specs to back up its "electric supercar" label: a top speed of 200kmh, 0-100 kmh in 7s, a full charge in 6 hours and a 200 mile / 400+ km range. The open-top SRZERO must have been quite a sight as its balaclava wearing drivers steered it around the ring road in the middle of the night. The first lap was completed at 55 mph using 42% of the total energy and ramped up to 60 mph the second time around. 

In July the Imperial College team plans to take on the Pan American highway, aiming to cover more than 16,000 miles (26,000 km) through 14 countries from the northern tip of Alaska to the southern tip of South America. This epic trip is designed to both change public perception of electric cars and evaluate the capabilities of electric vehicles over long distances. 

The Tesla roadster previously held the M25 record, having completed one lap of the M25 on a single charge. The Roadster also traveled 313 miles on a single charge last year on the empty roads of the Australian outback and is currently embarked on its own long range testing odyssey in which it will travel 22,000 miles through Europe, Asia and North America. 

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Congress to introduce bills to provide $11 billion for plug-in vehicle deployment

A pair of identical bills, the "Electric Drive Vehicle Deployment Acts," are expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress today that would provide up to $11 billion in additional funding to spur deployment of electric vehicles (EVs). The hope is to get up to 4 million EVs on the road by 2017, a very audacious goal. The money would primarily go to about five to eight regions that are considered electric-vehicle friendly, which presumably means places like California, New York and some other southern states with significant urban populations.

The funds would be earmarked for additional purchase subsidies for EVs as well as installation of charging infrastructure. The latter may prove to be the more important issue in the near term as limited-range EVs will be mostly used in urban areas where users often don't have a garage. The bills in the House of Representatives and Senate have both Democratic and Republican co-sponsors and may stand a better chance of passage following the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 


SOURCE:greenautoblog

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Concept Cars: Volkswagen Kai-Nalu

The Volkswagen Kai-Nalu is a concept vehicle which was created by Josep Ferriol, a Spanish designer and graduate of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. The Kai-Nalu was created as part of his final year thesis.

The Volkswagen Kai-Nalu is a futuristic sports car concept that features a unique design which is composed of two distinctly different elements. Inspired by the waves of the Mediterranean sea as they smash into the shoreline and rocks near where Ferriol lives, the Kai-Nalu features a flowing glass upper section - which is designed to mimic the sea, and angular, jagged bodywork underneath - which represents the rocks of the coastline.

The mixture of the two differing shapes and textures is designed to present a dynamic and forceful appearance - much like the waves themselves. The Kai-Nalu's styling is quite controversial, and it isn't going to be to everyone's taste. However in a world where many sportscar and supercar concepts follow the same predictable formula, the Volkswagen Kai-Nalu is refreshingly bold and different.

Other highlights of the concept include highly stylized wheels which were inspired by the appearance of bicycle wheels. The VW logo in the center is balanced and mounted on a bearing so it always remains upright. The clear roof, windows, and upper bodywork also provides a glimpse of the vehicle's electric drivetrain, which features two seperate motors, one is mounted up front and the other at the rear to help balance out weight distribution.

Make               : Volkswagen
Model              : Kai-Nalu
Concept year      : 2010
Production year  :-
Engine              : electric

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Presenting the Futuristic & Self Repairing Audi A9 Concept Car Of The Future

Daniel Garcia, a Spanish designer has now come out with an all new concept for the Audi A9 that, not only makes the car give an futuristic allure to its looks, but is also capable of automatically repairing any damage that, the car takes. The A9 concept has been conceived to give a stark competition to some of the most luxurious sports cars in the world including Porsche Panamera and the Lamborghini Estoque.

The entire structure of the car that, consists of the windscreen and the roof is fabricated using the future aiming nano technology, that would also enable the car to automatically make repairs to itself. This unique nano technology will also enable the drivers to change the colors of the car and the opacity of the vehicle as per their choice, all with a single push of a button. 

The entire paint scheme of the car will based on a electronic painting system. Furthermore, the Audi A9 concept is said to be propelled with a state of the art drivetrain system, that would create a symphony between the car’s internal combustion engine and the four in-wheel electric motors, thereby churning out great performance. This one a kind concept vehicle, presents the future of automobile technology as envisioned by Audi and if someday, the A9 concept does turn into reality, it would surely become one of the most sought after vehicles in the world. 

READ MORE - Presenting the Futuristic & Self Repairing Audi A9 Concept Car Of The Future