All Entries Tagged With: "electric vehicles"
Ryno Motors Unicycle Brings Aggressive One-Wheeled Styling
Based on how many unicycle designs we’ve seen since last year, it’s fair to say that the motorized single-wheeler just might really have a relevant place in our future. Ryno Motors’ Prototype II is the latest of the bunch and, to its credit, looks decidedly less circus-inspired than other unicycles currently searching for funding.
Designed for short-range transport (similar to a Segway), the single-seat vehicle is electric-powered, with a small onboard battery feeding it juice for up to 30 miles on a 1.5-hour charge. Like we said, it features notably more aggressive styling, making it perfect for biker clowns and men who can’t bear the idea of driving around on a vehicle that’s less manly than Malibu Barbie’s Mustang.
Ryno Motors doesn’t even have an official name for the bike yet (it’s just Prototype II), so you can imagine just how far away this is from even nearing production. Of all the [...]
Brammo Empulse, A 100-Mph Electric Bike
Want an electric motorcycle with the muscle to stand up to its powerful gas counterparts? Far from the cute and charming style long associated with battery-powered bikes, the Brammo Empulse is a beastly two-wheeler that’s as burly as they come, packing some serious power to boot.
Boasting “a more efficient battery, a more efficient controller [and] a more efficient motor,” the vehicle claims to reach speeds of up to 100 mph, easily besting the company’s previous consumer electric bike, the 60-mph Brammo Enertia. Not only is it fast, the top model averages a generous 100 miles of driving range on a single charge too, making it a functional everyday commuter apart from being a sporty street racer.
The Brammo Empulse is powered by a liquid-cooled AC Synchronous motor (a first for production electric bikes), putting out 55bhp and 59 lb/ft of torque. It weighs a light 390 lbs, giving it one of [...]
Green Cri, An All-Electric Aerobatic Plane
At the recent Paris Green Air Show, one plane stood apart as arguably the most popular of the event. Called the Green Cri, it’s a compact aerobatic airplane that runs on pure electric power.
Looking like a toy instead of a scary flying machine probably had something to do with all the attention it received. After all, how many planes that weight a floaty 387 lbs (INCLUDING the pilot) do you actually get to see everyday?
Created for scientific research rather than commercial sale, the Green Cri (whose body is based on 70s-era Cri Cri aircrafts) is intended as an experimental platform for green propulsion technologies. The prototype shown at the event uses four high voltage, low intensity brushless electric motors with counter-rotating propellers, shedding the usual fuel engines found on regular aircrafts.
This is the second electric aerobatic plane prototype from EADS Innovation Works (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company), who showed [...]
ZEV Trail & Utility: A Cargo-Hauling Scooter
Electric motorcycles aren’t just about city-slicking with the least environmental footprint. ZEV’s Trail & Utility electric scooter, for instance, brings the same eco-friendly credentials to hitting dirt roads, all while carrying heavy loads.
Designed as dual-purpose on-road and off-road bike, it was originally fashioned for delivery services and police use. Not long after, folks wisened up to the electric two-wheeler’s other potentials. Park rangers, for instance, appreciate the lack of a hot tail pipe, which has been known to cause forest fires; hunters appreciate the electric motor’s noiseless operation; and folks generally love the cargo-hauling capabilities, leading some fans to call it “a two-wheeled pickup truck.”
The ZEV Trail & Utility scooter comes in two models, 5100 and 6100, which are generally similar, save for a few performance differences. Built for rugged operation and larger than your traditional toy scooter, both have a 1.65-inch OD frame tubing and a 60.62-inch wheelbase, paired [...]
Mondo Spider, An Eight-Legged Walking Vehicle
For the record, Spiderman doesn’t need a car. The guy can literally dart ropes of web and swing across buildings faster than a supercar on an open highway. But if he did want to look more intimidating, imagine the friendly neighborhood superhero riding on top of the Mondo Spider. Absolutely wicked.
Originally created by a Vancouver crew for Burning Man 2006, the mechanical arachnid is a full-fledged single-seating vehicle that remains an operational spectacle today. Instead of rolling along on wheels, the apocalyptic beast walks on its eight spider legs, at around the same pace as someone jogging slowly. It can turn by skidding (like tracks), walk backwards and crush small things littering its path. Ooops, there goes your puppy.
Earlier this year, the Mondo Spider received a makeover of sorts from “art lab” charity eatART, which took out the original gasoline engine and replaced [...]
ZEV7000 Claims To Be The Fastest Production Electric Scooter
American motorcycle manufacturer ZEV recently showed off their new ride, which they claim to be the fastest and most powerful production electric scooter in the market. Called the ZEV7000, the bike has a listed top speed of 70mph.
Personally, I’ve had it with these claims of being the fastest electric scooter in the universe. It’s not as if people are buying battery-powered vehicles, much less scooters, because they’re batshit-crazy speed freaks. It’s like netbook buyers arguing about which one of their computers has a better shot at running Crysis, you know? However that being said, any one who has test driven ZEV vehicles seems to love them.
The 759-lb ZEV7000 puts out a continuous output of 7kW, with a peak power of 8kW and a launch power of 14kW. It boasts a peak torque of 184Nm, courtesy of its large-diameter multiphase motors, which places a heavy emphasis on [...]
Shadow Electric eBike Sheds Spokes, Wires, Non-Bright Colors
Daymak Inc. calls their Shadow eBike “the most advanced electric bike today.” The claim does sound a little lofty, but I’ll give them this: it’s definitely intriguing. Not because of the ultra-bright yellow paint job either.
How? Well, it’s the first bicycle I’ve seen that’s both spokeless and wireless. You heard that right. There are no spokes on the wheels and there are absolutely no wires – not even ones hiding inside the frame. It’s not the kind of thing that will compel me to buy, but I’d certainly like to try one out.
The Shadow eBike is an electric-powered bicycle measuring 3.6 x 2 x 5.6 feet (H x W x L) and weighing 59lbs. Like we said, it’s completely free of wires and spokes, with the entire electronic mechanism hidden inside the closed wheels. How does the brake, throttle and [...]
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 [...]
