All Entries Tagged With: "electric vehicles"
Audi eTron Could Be The Sexiest EV Of 2012
Watch out, Tesla and Fisker. A new and improved Audi eTron just showed up at the Detroit Motor Show and it looks sleek. In fact, people are already proclaiming it as the sexiest EV on the block.
Compared to the concept eTron shown off at Frankfurt and LA last year, this new iteration boasts considerably less power. That’s not a bad thing actually, since that means Audi is gearing it for actual road use, rather than showing off their advances in electric car technology.
Audi eTron version 2.0 is just leaner, with more aggressive lines and plenty of stylish cues. Measuring 70 inches wide, 154.72 inches long and 48 inches tall, the car sports body panels made up of mostly carbon-reinforced plastic that’s held together on a space carbon fiber and aluminum frame. It weighs 550 lbs less than the original version and looks particularly tight.
It’s no longer an all-wheel drive, with [...]
Honda EV-Cub Motorcycle Features All-Electric, 2WD Drivetrain, Inter-Vehicle Communications
Bicycle-like in frame and ran by electric power, the Honda EV-Cub is the auto manufacturer’s vision of motorcycles within our immediate future. Sure, it’s not the same burly and macho bike we’ve all been accustomed to, but the sleek little number brings a lot of advantages to the table.
Sporting a two-wheel drive (separate motors running each of the front and rear wheels), the bike should offer more stability and traction on loose and wet surfaces than its rear-wheel counterparts. As such, Honda is touting that it should prove even easier for new riders to get the hang of. What’s even better, though, is that the 2WD motorcycle looks ready to leave the concept realm within the short-term, making it the likely first production vehicle of its kind.
The Honda EV-Cub features a very slim chassis, making it narrower than most motorcycles currently in the market. No details on the drivetrain have [...]
BMW C1-E: An Electric Motorcycle With Car Safety Features
A motorcycle with a roof always seemed like a smart idea, but nothing came out of it when BMW released one back in 2001. With awkward-looking vehicles running on electric motors becoming more acceptable, though, they might have a better shot this time around.
The BMW C1-E is an electric motorcycle with an integrated roof, combining the economical operation of a scooter with the safety features of a car. While not currently intended for production, it’s one of the vehicles under consideration for the company’s Mega City line, a range of affordable urban vehicles that will look to compete with Daimler’s Smart division.
A 27bhp Vectrix electric motor runs the C1-E, powered by a lightweight 125-volt lithium-ion battery panel. The big update, however, are the car-like safety characteristics, which include a wider body, full overhead roofing, rollover bars, a safety cell, a front crumple zone and a seatbelt. It also comes with [...]
EniCycle Makes The Unicycle Easier To Ride, Your Clown Dreams Might Still Come True
Ever wanted to be a circus clown but failed because you can’t ride a unicycle? There’s hope for you yet with the EniCycle, a goofy-looking, self-balancing, one-wheeled motorcycle.
Created by Slovenian inventor Aleksander Polutnik, the EniCycle is a single-seater vehicle that runs on one wheel. Instead of having your clumsy ass try to keep balance while moving, though, the bike does all the work for you, fostering a learning curve of no more than thirty minutes. All you have to do is sit on the stool and lean where you want it to turn (and honk your nose, of course, if you’re riding it as a clown).
Unlike regular unicycles, the 28kg EniCycle puts pedaling and balancing out of the equation. Acceleration is handled by an integrated 1000W electric motor that manages a top speed of 15 km/h. Power is courtesy of an onboard 44V 10Ah battery pack, which juices the ride [...]
2009 Zero S Electric Supermoto: Go Green In Style
If the Segway P.U.M.A. from yesterday is a tad too dorky for your tastes, here’s an electric two-wheeler that may be more to your liking. Clad in a sexy white body and street-legal specs, the 2009 Zero S Electric Supermoto lets you enjoy the same gas-free motoring, with none of the likely ridicule. In fact, you might end up inviting exclaims of admiration instead. Oooooh!
Sharing much of the same aggressive design cues as the off-road Zero X, it features an aircraft-grade aluminum frame, custom-injected molded styling and a low center of gravity. With 62.5 lb/ft of torque and 31bhp instantly available, the one-speed Zero S can race to 60 mph in rapid time. A four-hour full charge of the 4 kWh battery nets you up to 60 miles, though you’ll likely be getting less since this thing looks built to be pushed.
As with all electric rides, the new Zero street [...]
