Jan.07 — Daimler AG Chief Executive Officer Ola Kallenius unveiled a flashy concept vehicle inspired by one of the most expensive Hollywood blockbusters ever made. The Mercedes-Benz AVTR, is named after the environmentally-conscious sci-fi film Avatar. Oscar-winning director James Cameron joined Kallenius on stage at CES in Las Vegas.
Tag Archives: Electric Cars
2020 Auto Trends: “VinFast” Electric Cars From Vietnam Will Start At $17K
Even in the U.S., VinFast faces stiff competition from Toyota, Ford and Hyundai. VinFast hopes its low prices — starting at $17,000 — will give it an edge.
Technology: VW’s New “Mobile Charging Robot” Turns Every Carpark Into EV Charging Stations
From a VW media online news release December 26, 2019:
“The mobile charging robot will spark a revolution when it comes to charging in different parking facilities, such as multistorey car parks, parking spaces and underground car parks because we bring the charging infrastructure to the car 
and not the other way around. With this, we are making almost every car park electric, without any complex individual infrastructural measures”, summarises Mark Möller, Head of Development at Volkswagen Group Components.
“It’s a visionary prototype, which can be made into reality quite quickly, if the general conditions are right”, Möller continues. Volkswagen Group Components is researching different approaches to the assembly of charging infrastructure and has already developed several successful products. The flexible quick charging station and DC wall boxes are already part of a future charging family. Customer-oriented, intelligent and flexible approaches to charging are at the centre of the research. Other innovative products such as the charging robot are currently being developed.
- Volkswagen Group Components presents a new and visionary charging concept
- Mobile robots will charge electric vehicles completely autonomously in future
- Every parking space can become a charging point
Volkswagen provides a glimpse into the future in which the search for charging stations for electric cars comes to an end. Volkswagen Group Components’ mobile charging robot takes over this task – and drives to the electric car completely autonomously.
Urban Trends: “Avant2Go” Electric Car Sharing In Slovenia (Podcast)
From the Avant2Go.com website:
Avant2Go car sharing is an effective way to cut and manage your mobility expenses. Find an available car and reserve it using the Avant2Go mobile app. The first reservation (15 min) is free. Use the app to end your rental and settle the final cost. The rental price includes car registration, insurance, fuel*, running costs, vignette, loss of value, free parking at Avant2Go spots and more.
- Pay only for when you actually use the vehicle.
- Electricity and insurance are already included.
- In your neighbourhood and city, driving to the airport …
- State-of-the-art electric vehicles for any rental period.
- No vehicle ownership or running costs.
- A mobile app for using the service.
Electric Cars: “Why Ford Is Risking Mustang To Take On Tesla” (CNBC Video)
Ford is introducing a new, eco-friendly electric four-door crossover. The Mustang Mach-E is making waves in the electric car community and will compete with Tesla for satisfied drivers. Some car enthusiasts challenge Ford’s decision to replace Mustang’s namesake 8 cylinder engine. But others argue a Mustang is a Mustang.
Automotive Trends: Tesla Unveils “Cybertruck” With “Ultra-Hard 30X Stainless Steel”, 500+ Mile Range
From the Tesla website:
- Cybertruck is built with an exterior shell made for ultimate durability and passenger protection. Starting with a nearly impenetrable exoskeleton, every component is designed for superior strength and endurance, from Ultra-Hard 30X Cold-Rolled stainless-steel structural skin to Tesla armor glass.
- With up to 3,500 pounds of payload capacity and adjustable air suspension, Cybertruck is the most powerful tool we have ever built, engineered with 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including a magic tonneau cover that is strong enough to stand on.
- Space for your toolbox, tire and Cyberquad, with room to spare. Utilize 100 cubic feet of exterior, lockable storage — including the under-bed, frunk and sail pillars.
- Seat six comfortably with additional storage under the second-row seats. Complete with an advanced 17” touchscreen with an all-new customized user interface.
It’ll do 0-60 mph (0-98 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, and a quarter mile in a ridiculous 10.8 seconds in its highest performance variant. In top spec, it’ll go as far as 500 miles (800 km) on a charge, making it a genuine option for multi-day off-road adventures, and its 250-plus kilowatt charging capability means fast top-ups are on the cards, too. Towing capacity is over 7,500 lb (3,400 kg), which Musk happily demonstrated in an uphill tug of war against a hapless F150.
Website: https://www.tesla.com/cybertruck
Automotive Nostalgia: 1940s British Van “Morris Commercial” Relaunches With All-Electric Model
From a AutoCar online article:
The van is new from the ground up, sitting on a new modular platform and featuring a 60kWh lithium ion powertrain said to endow it with a “power-to-weight efficiency that fully maximises the range of the vehicle”. It can fast charge to 80% in 30 minutes.
Morris Commercial ranks it alongside the Mini, Morris Minor and Land Rover Defender as a “truly iconic post-war British automotive design”.
Revived thanks to unnamed UK and European financial backing, Morris Commercial’s first production model since the 1960s has a 200-mile range, a 1000kg payload and a 2.5-tonne gross weight.
Company website: https://www.morris-commercial.com/
It’ll be priced from £60,000 and set to be built in the UK at an undisclosed location, with the design an engineering taking place in a facility in Worcestershire.
Automobile Trends: Ford Unveils “Mustang Lithium” High-Performance EV
From a Ford online release:
Built in collaboration between Ford and Webasto, Mustang Lithium project vehicle generates more than 1000 ft.-lbs. of instant torque and more than 900 horsepower for new levels of performance and technology with its 800-volt Webasto battery system with EVDrive technology.
Best of both worlds, Mustang Lithium accelerates the next generation of performance: unique 6-speed manual shifting, track handling and stunning quarter-mile acceleration with instant electric torque, and zero emissions.
Ford and Webasto today reveal Mustang Lithium, an ultra-high-performance battery electric Mustang fastback prototype. With more than 1,000 ft.-lbs. of torque and more than 900 horsepower instantaneously available, this Mustang amps muscle car performance to a new level and helps gauge the level of interest the next wave of performance customers have in lightning-quick performance that only fully electric powertrains can deliver.
Transportation: Cambridge University Builds Ultra-Efficient, 560-Mile Range Electric Car
From a Dezeen.com online review:
On a single charge, Helia can cover a range of 900 kilometres – the distance from London to Edinburgh. Again, compared to the Tesla 3, the Cambridge University team’s car has double the range on a battery a quarter of the size.
The ability to cover this distance is aided by Helia’s chassis and body panels made from carbon fibre, which grant it a kerb weight of 550 kilograms.
Students from Cambridge University have built an ultra-efficient electric car that drives using only as much power as it takes to boil a kettle.
The Cambridge University Eco Racing (CUER) student society built the four-seater car, named Helia, with efficiency as the main goal.
Their achievement has been to produce a car that can travel 80 kilometres-per-hour using only 2500 watts, or as much power as it takes to boil a single kettle, which is equivalent to 31 watt-hours-per-kilometre.
New Electric Cars: “2019 Mazda MX-30” Is An “Everyday” Vehicle With “Freestyle” Doors
From a DesignBoom online review:
the mazda MX-30 delivers 141bhp and 195lb ft from an electric motor powered by a 35.5kwh battery, offering a range of 130 miles. it is capable of 6.6kW domestic charging and and 50kW rapid charging via a ccs connection, the latter of which will give 80% charge in 30 to 40 minutes, claimed mazda.
the MX-30’s freestyle doors use custom-designed hinges that allow the front doors to open to 82° and rear doors to open to 80°, giving the car a distinctive and elegant cabin silhouette. this should make loading and unloading cargo easier as well as providing easier access for strollers and wheelchairs.
japanese automaker mazda has unveiled it’s first mass-production electric car. unveiled at the 2019 tokyo motor show, the mazda MX-30 features unique freestyle doors, ecological materials and the automaker’s new fuel-efficient skyactiv-x engine, marking a positive step in mazda’s multi-solution approach to reducing emissions.
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