Silent but deadly – are electric vehicles a menace?

Cease, look and listen – it’s a familiar road safety message.

But what if you can not hear a vehicle approaching? What if the auto is an electric or hybrid automobile that makes nearly no sound?

The quantity of electric and hybrid cars on our roads is rising: sales were up almost 4fold in 2014 to 14,498, according to the Society of Motor Producers and Traders.

We’ve all been encouraged to go green by plug-in grants towards the acquire cost of vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and the Toyota Prius.

And if your automobile has zero emissions, you will spend zero vehicle excise duty.

Safety implications

But campaigners are concerned about the security implications of silent but potentially deadly automobiles.

And no wonder. Electric and hybrid cars are 40% more most likely to be involved in an accident, and incidents involving quiet automobiles increased by 54% from 2012-2013.

Quiet vehicles are a possible threat to all pedestrians, but blind and partially sighted folks are especially vulnerable.

Sound is also key for the safety of cyclists, horse riders and road upkeep crews.

Near misses

Paralympian Libby Clegg has had 2 near misses with quiet automobiles. She says: “As a guide dog owner I rely on being in a position to hear vehicles to judge when it is secure to cross the road.

“It’s terrifying to cross when you are unable to hear quiet hybrid and electric autos.”

Soundless automobiles can’;t only lead to physical harm, but they can also shatter confidence.

Jennifer Keen, the Guide Dogs’ charity’s spokeswoman, says: “It’s not just about accidents, it is about perceptions and about close to misses. So, if somebody loses their sight they will frequently lose a lot of their confidence to go out by themselves.”

Sound levels

The average street in the UK produces sound at about 70 decibels, but a quiet car generates in between 30 and 50 decibels.

In other words, it is difficult to hear an electric automobile above the standard hustle and bustle of the street.

Studies by the University of California recommend that some electric and hybrid cars can not be heard until 1 second prior to impact with a pedestrian, enabling no time to react to possible danger.

Crossing pedestrians

Audibility is especially crucial at low speeds when vehicles usually closer to pedestrians, for example manoeuvring in a vehicle park or close to a crossing in a city centre.

The danger is confirmed by investigation conducted by the Warwick Manufacturing Group as portion of the Electric Automobiles with Sounds project (ELVES).

It found that “during certain low-speed manoeuvres, an electric vehicle is far more than twice as probably to be involved in an incident with a pedestrian than a vehicle powered by a standard gasoline or diesel engine”.

AVAS, me hearties

Final year, the European Parliament voted to introduce mandatory acoustic car alerting systems (AVAS), which mimic the sound of a conventional engine.

All new electric and hybrid cars need to be fitted with an AVAS by 2021 to defend vulnerable road customers.

The legislation follows lobbying from British MEPs and campaign groups including Guide Dogs. But does it go far adequate?

Out of sight

Keen says: “We’re delighted the European Union has recognised the issues quiet vehicles trigger for pedestrians who cannot hear them coming, but the regulation does not go nearly far enough.

“New quiet cars will not have to be fitted with an artificial sound generator until 2021. This is also late to safeguard blind and partially sighted pedestrians.

“The other key problem with the regulation is that the artificial sound generator will be fitted with a pause switch, enabling the driver to turn it off as they pick.

“This will make it void as a safety function.”

Pause press

Guide Dogs desires the government to make the pause switch illegal on UK roads.

It is also calling for artificial sound generators to be a precondition of state subsidies to the electric and hybrid car market.

In the meantime, we will all have to stop, look and listen really hard when we are crossing the road.

You can support the Guide Dogs’ Secure and Sound campaign by going to the site www.guidedogs.org.uk.

Silent but deadly – are electric vehicles a menace?

“Rapide” Indeed: Aston Martin Building Electric Rapide—with 1000 Horsepower?

Aston Martin’s funkalicious electric DBX concept is the precursor to Aston’s upcoming crossover. But it’s also the precursor to some thing else: Aston’s 1st all-electric model. And after our a single-on-one chat with Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer throughout the New York auto show, we now know 3 things about that electric car: 1) It will be based on the Rapide S, 2) It will arrive in about 2 years, and 3) Aston is considering big when it comes to power. Like, 1000-horsepower huge.

“We green-lighted a technical study for Rapide EV—a pure EV with no range extender,” Palmer stated. Why is Aston going so green, and in such a big way? The short answer to comply with tightening emissions regulations with no, as Palmer told us in Geneva, downsizing engines to the point of ridiculousness. The long answer involves the way that silent thrust can fit into the visceral driving knowledge. Here’s how Palmer sees it, in his own words:

“From the compliance viewpoint, if we as a sports auto business want to continue to make V-12s—I’d hate to be the guy that killed the Aston V-12—then we can make the make the V-12 itself meet the emissions requirement, but you can not anticipate your fleet typical be quite excellent. So if you’re going to make your fleet average genuinely good you have to have a low- or zero-emissions auto.

“Or we stick to the traditional manufacturer’s route, which is that the V-12 becomes a V-8, and the V-8 becomes a V-6, and the V-6 becomes an inline-4, and you just downsize and use turbos . . . which brings me to my subsequent point: Let’s hypothesize that you could make a 1000-hp Rapide.” Yes, let’s! “It fits beautifully with the ethos of the company—power, beauty, soul. The auto is already lovely. And it is enormously strong. And then you get to the soul—one of the points of the soul of an Aston is the sound of a V-12, but we know we need to have some thing that can bring the CAFE typical down. So would you rather listen to the sound of an inline-4, or would you rather listen to silence? My hypothesis is if you can have fabulous acceleration, a visceral encounter, and silence, it’s almost as lovely as the sound of a V-12. I just consider that visceral expertise is considerably greater if it is silent than if it is an I-4.

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What about range, overall performance, and charge times? Palmer didn’t get particular, but receiving the V-12 out the engine bay creates possibilities, he said. “We have a series of targets, and obviously they’re greater than technically achievable,” he stated, with a laugh. “And [the functionality] depends significantly on temperature and driving conditions, but we have a minimum parameter that I know that we can meet. We have a weight distribution that in the end gets 51 percent over the rear axle, so the standard package operates. A single of the positive aspects of possessing a V-12 in the nose is that it is bloody heavy so when you take it out, abruptly you have got a lot of space and a lot of weight to play with. And due to the fact the transmission is over the back axle, that becomes packaging space for batteries. So you get the weight pretty even.”

If this is the price of compliance, we’re happy Aston is paying it with this currency. Tesla, you have been warned—a 1000-horse Aston EV could be coming for you.

“Rapide” Indeed: Aston Martin Building Electric Rapide—with 1000 Horsepower?

Report: Apple’s Electric Car Will Be Self-Driving

Following yesterday’s unexpected report that Apple is assembling a group to create an electric car, we’ve got much more surprising information: According to unnamed sources within the company, Apple desires that automobile to be self-driving.

Reuters reports today that the California tech giant is gathering details and professionals on auto creating and the nuances of self-driving technology. The report repeats yesterday’s news from The Wall Street Journal, alleging that Apple has plans to create an all-electric car to take on Tesla, and it adds the exciting aspect of self-driving technology to the mix.

“It’s a computer software game. It is all about autonomous driving,” the anonymous insider told Reuters. And that makes sense: As Reuters points out, there’s plenty of cash to be produced on cutting-edge vehicle computer software. A self-driving operating system requires higher-definition mapping, and the electric auto that Apple is allegedly developing will require bespoke computer software. The company’s greatest competitor, Google, has been exploring autonomous automobiles for more than a year.

Apple could be interested in moving into the burgeoning self-driving auto marketplace the way it entered the smartphone and digital music spheres: by creating both hardware and computer software in-residence, rather than pursuing partnerships with current suppliers. “They don’t appear to want a lot of help from carmakers,” stated the Reuters source.

Notably, the tech company hired Johann Jungwirth, former head of investigation and development at Mercedes-Benz, back in September. Jungwirth’s responsibilities over the past 5 years at Mercedes included autonomous driving, connected auto tech, and electric-vehicle powertrain analysis. A Mercedes spokesman told Reuters that the company’s autonomous-auto engineering team remains intact.

An Apple spokesperson declined comment to Reuters.

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Apple’s alleged automotive endeavor, code-named “Project Titan,” could end up poaching numerous authorities from throughout the auto market. According to yesterday’s WSJ report, the team is being led by solution design and style VP Steve Zadesky, a former Ford engineer who’s been authorized to produce a team of up to 1000 men and women.

Report: Apple’s Electric Car Will Be Self-Driving

Apple Building an Electric Vehicle, Wall Street Journal reports

Apple’s mysterious minivans have been in the news the past couple of days, and a significant report suggests the Cupertino-based organization is searching to expand far beyond its consumer-technology base. The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is preparing to get into the electric-automobile game with a “minivan-like vehicle” with a project code-named “Titan,” which is being worked on by a team of many hundred individuals.

Daisuke Wakabayashi and Mike Ramsey say that people familiar with the project said initial designs resembled a minivan. They report that the project started far more than a year ago—ex-Ford engineer and Apple exec Steve Zadesky was provided the okay to assemble a team of practically 1000 people for the project.

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This story initially appeared on popularmechanics.com.

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Apple Building an Electric Vehicle, Wall Street Journal reports

Can an Electric Vehicle Genuinely Replace Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages?

Comparison Tests

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Horses of Babylon: The final battle in between horse and vehicle is taking place in Central Park.

From the December 2014 issue of Vehicle and Driver

“We are as famous as the gondolas in Venice. That’s how iconic we are in this city.” So says Ian McKeever with his Irish brogue and the hyperbole that apparently affects all the horse-drawn-carriage drivers in New York City’s Central Park. “I’d say that 90 percent of the horses you see here, if they weren’t right here, they’d be dead.”

Issue is, New York’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, wants them gone. And the animal-rights activists who helped elect him final year have already created an option: a 6400-pound electric dreadnought styled to resemble brass-era motor carriages. Named the Horseless eCarriage, it’s intended to maintain all the 160-or-so existing carriage drivers—every a single a card-carrying Teamster—employed, while the 220-or-so geldings and mares presently in the tourist enterprise are retired to glistening glades exactly where they’ll uncover gentle contentment amongst self-actualized unicorns and technicolored rainbows. Or, conversely, if you believe the drivers, shipped to a rendering plant.

Cars won the war against horses far more than 100 years ago, but here’s one lingering battle. It was a all-natural for a comparison test, although it would have to be performed in the middle of site visitors in one particular of the busiest cities on earth. Except that the private Central Park Conservancy that manages the place generally despises all automobiles and doesn’t want the eCarriage in the park, considerably less a car magazine testing one. And the leaders of the pro-horse Historic Horse-Drawn Carriages of Central Park NYC wanted absolutely nothing to do with us, either. Undeterred by the challenges and unwounded by these slights, we did it anyhow.

Exploring the governance of New York City is unpleasant. But to inform this story, we need to. Gotham politics are an intramural blood sport. Practically everybody involved is a Democrat, the rhetoric is over the prime, the newspapers blast lurid headlines, celebrities stir the pot on each sides, and real estate is often lurking at the core of every concern. All New Yorkers have an opinion, though only 24 % of eligible voters turned out for the last mayoral election.

New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Protected Streets (NYCLASS) is the animal-rights group behind the eCarriage. Founded in 2008 by Steve Nislick, a 70-ish parking-garage mogul who lives near Central Park, the group has relentlessly ­portrayed the horse-drawn-carriage owners and drivers as cruel and ­abusive to the animals. It’s also been politically savvy in backing de Blasio. According to the New York Everyday News, Nislick contributed $ 174,000 for the 2013 Democratic main, like money for attack advertisements against putative front-runner Christine Quinn that a lot of think opened the door for de Blasio’s nomi­nation. The mayor owes him and his horse-hugging cohorts.

Thinking about Nislick’s real-estate acumen, the carriage drivers read into the NYCLASS campaign not an effort to save equines, but a cynically veiled attempt to make a deal for the ridiculously valuable land beneath the stables in which their horses are housed. “I’ve by no means been interested in these properties and do not want them now,” Nislick wrote on the NYCLASS site in January, further promising to not bid on any of the 4 stables, all situated in the swiftly gentrifying west-side neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen, need to they come up for sale.

Even though de Blasio has promised to get rid of the horse-drawn carriages, no such legislation has however produced it to the contentious 51-member city council. And the situation appears to be slipping down the mayor’s list of political priorities. NYCLASS, although, had the eCarriage prototype prepared for us to drive.

Continued…

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Can an Electric Vehicle Genuinely Replace Central Park’s Horse-Drawn Carriages?

Automobile assessment: Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid electric SUV

This high-tech hybrid electric SUV is in a class of its personal. A great decision for environmentally-conscious households, writes car reviewer Tim Barnes-Clay.

The Mitsubishi PHEV could look like a normal Outlander, but hiding behind the mask is the most technologically advanced sport utility vehicle (SUV) on the market.

PHEV stands for plug-in hybrid electric automobile. It indicates the SUV can be fed by electricity from a domestic socket to power electric motors that are supported by a petrol engine.

2 electric motors drive the front and rear axles separately while batteries enable electricity-only driving at up to 75mph.

Beyond that pace, or should the battery pack drain to significantly less than 30% of its charge, a 2.-litre petrol engine kicks in to life.

It acts as a generator to help the PHEV accomplish a total driving variety of about 500 miles on a full tank. 

Great fuel efficiency

The Outlander PHEV is also the most fuel efficient 4-wheel drive.

That’;s astounding for a household-size automobile that guidelines the scales at a bulky 1,810kg, and seats 5.

As a international 1st, the Outlander PHEV also has no direct rival.

The closest is the Lexus RX450h, though it cannot be recharged via a powerpoint and cannot run on electricity alone.

All mod cons

Befitting its very first-class status in the Outlander variety, the PHEV is extremely nicely stacked with kit.

It has 18-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing auto headlamps, touch-screen with satellite navigation and reversing camera, climate manage, parking sensors and 6 airbags.

The flagship GX4hs was driven for this evaluation and the model comes with added functions such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. 

The latter squeals at you if it detects you have drifted across the road’s white dividing lines.

Impressive following a slow commence

If you’;re used to a common automobile, it is going to be a peculiar expertise the first time you gently push the gearstick over to the correct into D and drive off in silence.

Even sharp jabs of the throttle create the exact same quantity of hush, although that has its rewards – the audio unit is only typical, so at least there is plenty of clarity in the quiet cabin.

The Outlander PHEV isn’;t rapid from a standing start, but tremendous pulling energy tends to make up for it when you get going.

Initial acceleration suffers simply since of the heavy jumble of battery and electric motors that the regular Outlander doesn’;t possess.

Simple charging

When you need to have to recharge on the move, all you need to have to do is hit the Charge switch behind the joystick, which fires up the 4-cylinder engine to replenish the battery.

A single charge through a powerpoint requires 5 hours, which could price you next to practically nothing based on the time of day you decide on to plug in to the grid.

Inside, it is pretty much common Outlander layout apart from the joystick-style gearstick and electric charging buttons.

The tachometer has also been replaced by a energy meter, which shows when you’;re charging up or utilizing the battery, or operating the engine.

Green, yet effective

Behind the wheel, physique handle is good for an SUV of this weight as the Outlander PHEV profits from Mitsubishi’;s Super All-Wheel Manage (S-AWC).

This is a program that ensures maximum stability when cornering.

Certainly, for its green yet powerful talents, Mitsubishi’;s PHEV is an SUV that a lot of British families will take to their hearts. 

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: Pros and cons

• Low cost to run √


• Pulling power √


• Lots of kit √


• Secure √


• Initial acceleration X

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: Fast details

• Max speed: 106 mph


• -62 mph: 11 secs


• Combined mpg: 148.7


• Engine: 2.-litre petrol plus 2 electric motors


• Max. power (bhp): 119 at 4500 rpm


• Max. torque (lb/ft): 140 at 4500 rpm


• CO2: 44 g/km


• Cost: £40,054 on the road

Evaluate automobile insurance coverage – you could find a deal in minutes Get a car insurance coverage quote

Automobile assessment: Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid electric SUV

Car review: Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid electric SUV

This high-tech hybrid electric SUV is in a class of its own. A great choice for environmentally-conscious families, writes car reviewer Tim Barnes-Clay.

The Mitsubishi PHEV may look like a normal Outlander, but hiding behind the mask is the most technologically advanced sport utility vehicle (SUV) on the market.

PHEV stands for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. It means the SUV can be fed by electricity from a domestic socket to power electric motors that are supported by a petrol engine.

2 electric motors drive the front and rear axles separately while batteries allow electricity-only driving at up to 75mph.

Beyond that pace, or should the battery pack drain to less than 30% of its charge, a 2.0-litre petrol engine kicks in to life.

It acts as a generator to help the PHEV accomplish a total driving range of approximately 500 miles on a full tank. 

Great fuel efficiency

The Outlander PHEV is also the most fuel efficient 4-wheel drive.

That’;s astounding for a family-size car that tips the scales at a bulky 1,810kg, and seats 5.

As a global first, the Outlander PHEV also has no direct rival.

The closest is the Lexus RX450h, though it can’;t be recharged via a powerpoint and cannot run on electricity alone.

All mod cons

Befitting its first-class status in the Outlander range, the PHEV is very well stacked with kit.

It has 18-inch alloy wheels, dusk-sensing auto headlamps, touch-screen with satellite navigation and reversing camera, climate control, parking sensors and 6 airbags.

The flagship GX4hs was driven for this review and the model comes with additional features such as adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. 

The latter squeals at you if it detects you’ve drifted across the road’s white dividing lines.

Impressive after a slow start

If you’;re used to a standard car, it’;s going to be a peculiar experience the first time you gently push the gearstick over to the right into D and drive off in silence.

Even sharp jabs of the throttle produce the same amount of hush, though that has its rewards – the audio unit is only average, so at least there’;s plenty of clarity in the quiet cabin.

The Outlander PHEV isn’;t rapid from a standing start, but tremendous pulling power makes up for it once you get going.

Initial acceleration suffers simply because of the heavy jumble of battery and electric motors that the standard Outlander doesn’;t possess.

Simple charging

When you need to recharge on the move, all you need to do is hit the Charge switch behind the joystick, which fires up the 4-cylinder engine to replenish the battery.

A single charge via a powerpoint takes 5 hours, which could cost you next to nothing depending on the time of day you choose to plug in to the grid.

Inside, it’;s pretty much standard Outlander layout apart from the joystick-style gearstick and electric charging buttons.

The tachometer has also been replaced by a power meter, which shows when you’;re charging up or using the battery, or running the engine.

Green, yet powerful

Behind the wheel, body control is good for an SUV of this weight as the Outlander PHEV profits from Mitsubishi’;s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC).

This is a system that ensures maximum stability when cornering.

Indeed, for its green yet powerful talents, Mitsubishi’;s PHEV is an SUV that many British families will take to their hearts. 

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: Pros and cons

• Cheap to run √


• Pulling power √


• Lots of kit √


• Safe √


• Initial acceleration X

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV: Fast facts

• Max speed: 106 mph


• 0-62 mph: 11 secs


• Combined mpg: 148.7


• Engine: 2.0-litre petrol plus 2 electric motors


• Max. power (bhp): 119 at 4500 rpm


• Max. torque (lb/ft): 140 at 4500 rpm


• CO2: 44 g/km


• Price: £40,054 on the road

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Car review: Mitsubishi Outlander hybrid electric SUV

Blowing Your Way to Savings: How Electric Superchargers Boost MPG

October 8, 2014 at 2:54 pm by Don Sherman | Photography by Michael Simari, Illustration by Chris Philpot

When you want a potent engine or a sturdy gearbox for your fantasy supercar, Ricardo ought to be your first call. This U.K.-based engineering firm has roots reaching back much more than a century and branches that cover Europe, Russia, Asia, and the U.S. of A. Ricardo’s expertise can be discovered across the business. Among its recent projects is the HyBoost, a Ford Focus fitted with an electrically driven supercharger. Ricardo constructed this HyBoost with 2 objectives in thoughts: topping Toyota Prius fuel efficiency even though skirting the expense, bulk, and weight of the Prius’s 2 electric motor/generators and battery pack. The experiment is a timely one—every carmaker sees 2025’s 54.5-mpg CAFE requirement looming, and most need to have help meeting it. To develop the HyBoost, Ricardo replaced the original 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with a 1.-liter EcoBoost 3-cylinder and augmented that engine’s turbo with a Valeo electric supercharger. 2 years ago [“A Genuine Electric Charge,” January 2012], we speculated that BMW may possibly use an electric supercharger to sharpen throttle response at low engine speeds. Even though that has yet to come to fruition, Audi has one particular under the hood of its RS5 TDI concept car.

Primarily a turbo’s compressor mated to a DC electric motor, this supercharger can spin to 70,000 rpm in significantly less than .4 second, supplying 77 psi of enhance ahead of the HyBoost’s bigger exhaust-driven turbo wakes up. Ricardo met its aim of rising the Focus’s fuel efficiency from 39 mpg to 59 in European test cycles. A switch permits acceleration testing with or without the electric blower operating. We employed 4th-gear acceleration from 30 to 50 mph and from 50 to 70 mph to gauge the supercharger’s effectiveness. Goose the HyBoost’s throttle and there’s a shuffle beneath the hood accompanied by a modest enhance in forward surge as this device goes to work. The key word is “modest.” The supercharger trimmed the 9.-second 30-to-50-mph run by only .3 second. In the upper speed variety, there’s significantly less advantage due to the fact there’s sufficient exhaust flow above 2800 rpm to spin the turbo. Regardless of the HyBoost’s poor displaying on the test track, we’re enthusiastic about the Valeo supercharger due to the fact it runs cool and can be mounted nearly anyplace under the hood. Count on seeing this device on production models soon.

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Hyaboosta: Ricardo’s mpg particular ditches the Focus’s 1.6-liter for a 1. and its 5-speed for a 6. It has an electric supercharger and a quit-begin method. The blower gets its juice not from a battery, but from 10 supercapacitors that capture power throughout deceleration.

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Blowing Your Way to Savings: How Electric Superchargers Boost MPG

Electric automobiles: is the revolution on its way?

You might not have noticed, but we’re ‘on the cusp of a technological revolution’ which in just a few decades will see almost every motorist embrace ultra-low emission cars.

Well, that’s what speakers at the Electric Vehicle Summit, which took place on earlier this week at the University of Surrey, would have us believe.

Leading the charge

The summit is a meeting place for the automotive sector, government and academia to share their knowledge about the development of the electric vehicle sector.

It is held at the University of Surrey because it is one of the leading centres for research into electric car technology. The county is also home to many of the companies at the forefront of this sector, including Toyota and McLaren.

Speakers this year included a lecturer in environmental psychology, a Renault product manager and a professor of Energy and Environmental Systems. Together, the group looks at investment and funding issues, as well as how to encourage take up of electric vehicles.

Miles off target

Only a tiny fractions of the UK’s 30 million motorists have yet to embrace electric cars, with many perhaps deterred not only by their cost, but by the fact that mileage on a single charge remains relatively low.

As Baroness Kramer, Minister for Transport, admitted at the summit, in 2010 just 111 plug-in cars were bought in this country.

3 years on, that figure had reached 3,585 and, between January and August this year, so far 6,000 electric cars have been sold.

However, Baroness Kramer claims we’re set to see a change on the roads over the next few years which will be “as significant as the move from coal to petroleum.”

She said that by 2050, almost every car on the roads is expected to be ultra-low emission.

The government is certainly doing all that it can to encourage electric car take-up, pledging £37 million to make it cheaper to install charging facilities both at home and on streets, and providing at least £100m for British businesses for green vehicle research and development.

Volt face

It’s certainly hard for any motorist to ignore the benefits of going electric.

Imagine the ease of simply plugging in your car every evening to charge it up for the following day. No more stinky petrol fumes, or waiting around on garage forecourts for the next pump to become free.

There are low running costs too – it’ll set you back as little as 2p a mile to drive an electric car, so you could kiss good-bye to expensive fuel costs.

You also escape car tax and the London Congestion charge, and you can get a generous grant towards the cost of your electric vehicle. The government will give you 25% off the cost of a car, up to a maximum of £5,000, and 20% off the cost of a van, up to a maximum of £8,000.

The grant will be deducted automatically at the point of purchase, so you don’t even have to submit an application to get the cash.

The government has pledged £200m to extend this plug-in grant, but even with this subsidy, the biggest sticking point with electric cars remains the cost.

Leaf well alone

I, like many people, would happily considering buying an electric car when my battered Peugeot 207 finally gives up the ghost – if only I could afford one.

The Nissan Leaf, for example, costs around £16,000, even after the £5,000 grant has been deducted, which is out of the reach of many people.

And it doesn’t seem as though costs are likely to fall any time soon. According to the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, the total cost of owning an electric car is unlikely to approach that of a conventional car until around 2030.

So, while the funding and progress outlined by Baroness Kramer at the summit is certainly welcome, it still seems as though it’s going to be some time before electric cars become an affordable option – and the “revolution” can really begin.

Electric automobiles: is the revolution on its way?

2015 Volkswagen e-Golf 1st Drive: VW Gets Some Electric Feel

First Drive Evaluation

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VW gets some electric really feel.

In case you are keeping score, when we close the books on calendar-year 2014 there will be 13 distinct pure-electric automobiles for sale in the United States. And for the very first time, 1 of them will be wearing the familiar VW badge.

As with almost all other electric cars besides the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Model S, the e-Golf is an adaptation of a vehicle obtainable with an internal-combustion engine. In contrast to the others, the electric Golf benefits from VW’s modular MQB architecture, designed to accommodate a range of automobile kinds and powertrains. And in contrast to the Leaf, a versatile platform supporting a special product, the electric Golf operates tough at seeking like the other members of its comprehensive family. Cosmetic distinctions are relatively subtle, restricted to LED headlamps and operating lights, modest badging, special 16-inch wheels, a revised front-grille shutter, a exclusive rear spoiler, and C-pillar air vanes.

In addition to having it appear like a garden-assortment Golf, the development team wanted the e-Golf to drive like one particular, and in basic they’ve been productive. In Typical mode, the e-Golf has the dynamic persona of its internal-combustion siblings, with a firm suspension, limited physique motions, much better-than-average transient response, and moderately brisk acceleration.

The 264-cell, 24.2-kWh, lithium-ion battery pack weighs 688 pounds, and even even though the absence of a traditional engine mitigates that mass to some extent, the e-Golf is almost 370 pounds heavier than a simple Golf 5-door automatic, according to VW.

Electric motors give every thing they’ve got from the first rpm, but there’s not as a lot motive energy on tap as in the standard Golf’s 1.8-liter gasoline turbo 4. Torque is about even (199 lb-ft for the e-Golf, 200 on dinosaur juice), but the gas engine has a huge edge in horsepower, 170 versus 115. So even though the e-Golf gets out of the blocks without hesitation, arriving at 60 mph takes a claimed 10 seconds or so. On the other hand, VW says the e-Golf can reach 30 mph quicker than a GTI, which would imply about 2.5 seconds.

Eco Ops

So far we’re talking about Typical mode. But the e-Golf has other operating parameters to optimize the duration of its battery charge. For example, there are Eco and Eco+ modes, which successively limit horsepower and leading speed, from a Standard max velocity of 87 mph to 56 mph in Eco+. There are also presets for the regenerative braking technique, which entails 4 modes, each with a a lot more active level of regeneration.

Availing oneself of all of these features whilst monitoring battery reserves might give the operator an illusion of perpetual motion, but of course that’s just what it is. Making use of Eco+ and the maximum regen setting and by no means exceeding the pace of an elderly migratory moose, a driver may exceed 100 miles on a single charge. But the reality isn’t really so compelling. VW forecasts an operating range of 70 to 90 miles, which is pretty typical for most present electric automobiles.

Recharging with the standard onboard method and household current will consume nearly an complete day, according to VW. The organization strongly recommends its $ 550, optional 240-volt wall-mount charger, which reduces charge time to less than 4 hours. VW says installation price will run anywhere amongst $ 300 to $ 1000, based on the residence.

Beyond that, the Golf includes a Combined Charging System capable of zapping up at SAE standard public DC quickly-charging stations. Volkswagen says the Golf can obtain an 80-% charge from 1 of these in roughly half an hour.

As with other electrics from key makers, the e-Golf is presented as a premium model with a comprehensive array of features—navigation, leatherette-covered seats (heated up front), a rearview camera—and a hefty price tag tag: $ 36,265, which can be mitigated by numerous government subsidies. It will be much more extensively obtainable than some, such as the Chevy Spark EV and the Fiat 500e (each California and Oregon only), but the auto will still be restricted to the 11 California-mandate states (the ZEV Confederacy) and Washington, D.C.

The e-Golf is competent and quiet, sustaining VW’s dynamic virtues in a zero-emissions package. Interestingly, Volkswagen sees the car’s standout virtue as interior volume, which is unaffected by the battery pack that resides amidships beneath the floor.

But be that as it may, it adds up to a pleasant but costly Golf with the exact same limitation that affects other electrics—driving range. Believe of it as beginning every trip with about a quarter-tank of fuel, plus the possible uncertainty about exactly where you may possibly replenish your provide. That tends to make the Volkswagen e-Golf, like other electrics, strictly an urban warrior. Measured on that scale, it stacks up as effectively as any.

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Electric Cars a Mixed Bag in Very first Front-Corner Crash Tests

Final results were so-so for 2 tiny electric auto models that underwent their first-ever front-corner crash tests, according to a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Security (IIHS) report.

The plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt got an “acceptable” rating, and the EV Nissan Leaf got a “poor” rating in the “small overlap test,” which was made to be tougher than other crash tests carried out by the IIHS. The tiny overlap assesses frontal collisions in between a vehicle’s corner and objects like light poles.

The Volt and Leaf are the initial electric models tested by the modest overlap crash. Considering that its introduction in 2012, the test has stumped a handful of automobile models and types, especially smaller sized-sized vehicles.

Related Story: Most Minicars Flunk Frontal Crash Test

“Electric vehicles have a exclusive challenge in the little overlap test simply because of their heavy batteries,” Joe Nolan, senior vice president for vehicle research at IIHS, mentioned in a statement. “The Volt performed reasonably effectively, earning an acceptable rating, while the Leaf struggled.”

The Volt showed low danger of substantial injuries simply because the driver compartment “maintained reasonably effectively” in the crash test, according to the Institute.

The Leaf, nonetheless, was a diverse story. In the crash test, the Institute said, many places of the automobile have been “pushed back” into the driver compartment that could outcome in injuries to the driver’s left leg.

The Volt model, which has the choice of a forward-collision warning technique, was the only 1 of the group to get a 2014 Top Safety Choose+ award.

The 2 electric cars had been part of a crop of 12 small vehicle models recently tested by the Institute.

The Mini Cooper Countryman was the only vehicle model to get the Institute’s highest general rating of “good.” It was also a Best Safety Choose. Here is the listing of the automobile models that have been awarded Best Safety Picks:

• Mini Cooper Countryman


• Ford C-Max Hybrid


• Mitsubishi Lancer


• Scion FR-S


• Subaru BRZ

Photo courtesy of Kārlis Dambrāns

Electric Cars a Mixed Bag in Very first Front-Corner Crash Tests

2016 Jaguar XE Information: F-type–Derived Suspension, Electric Power Steering, and Much more

Jaguar has set a date for the debut of its all-new BMW 3-series competitor, the 2016 XE, and the company also has released a handful of technical highlights. The XE, which was initial officially confirmed at this year’s Geneva auto show, will greet the planet on September 8, 2014, at a “star-studded event” in London. To give us tech geeks something to chew on in the time just before the reveal, Jaguar detailed the XE’s front and rear suspension styles, steering setup, and new traction-control program. 

When it comes to making the XE a accurate “sports sedan,” it would appear Jaguar is not messing about. The automaker describes the XE’s unequal-length control-arm front suspension as becoming “F-type–derived.” The rear suspension is getting called an “Integral Link” design and style that Jaguar claims is a lot more powerful than a common multilink setup when it comes to longitudinal and lateral stiffness, though it does not specify just how the Integral Link’s benefit is gained. In each the front and rear suspension assemblies, lots of forged- and cast-aluminum pieces are utilized to keep unsprung weight in check.

For the very first time in a Jaguar, steering assist will be handled electrically, no doubt to help maximize fuel economy. The automaker promises that the XE’s electric energy steering will have all of the really feel and character as its generally outstanding hydraulically assisted setups, but we’ll wait to render final judgment till we drive the XE for ourselves. Switching to an electric rack allows Jaguar to link the steering really feel to diverse drive modes—e.g., stiffer for a sport setting, lazier for a comfort mode, and so on.—as properly as enabling integration with a host of unspecified driver-help technologies (probably which includes a lane-maintaining feature).

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Finally, Jaguar has previewed the XE’s new traction-control system, dubbed “All Surface Progress Control,” once again without having going into a lot detail. As Jaguar describes it, All Surface Progress Handle “works like a low-speed cruise control to provide optimum traction in the most slippery situations without having skidding and without the driver making use of the pedals.” It sounds intriguing, but so far all we know is that it will be offered on the rear-drive XE its availability on the anticipated all-wheel-drive XE has not but been specified.

Primarily based on an image of the XE’s chassis technologies released by Jaguar, it would seem as though 3 far more XE-particular info drops are headed our way ahead of the vehicle debuts in September. We wouldn’t be surprised if one particular of the next XE tidbits offers info on its engines. Jaguar not too long ago detailed its new Ingenium family of turbocharged 4-cylinders (1 of which is anticipated to power the XE), and we know the F-type’s supercharged V-6 is headed to the XE’s engine bay, too. We’ll keep you posted as a lot more details becomes offered.

2016 Jaguar XE Information: F-type–Derived Suspension, Electric Power Steering, and Much more

Get your motor whirring… Harley Davidson goes electric

The throaty roar of their V-twin engines usually offers Harley Davidsons away lengthy ahead of you catch sight of them. So will Harley fans, a lot of of whom fine-tune their touring bikes to make them even louder, go for an environmentally and ear-friendly electric model?

That was the query getting posed earlier this week, when the initial electric Harley Davidson hit the road at a launch occasion in New York.

Simple rider

Named Project LiveWire, the black, red and chrome beast that is the electric Harley Davidson undoubtedly looks the part.

It can go 130 miles ahead of it requirements charging (a approach that takes between 30 minutes and an hour) and will offer riders a best speed of 92mph.

The manufacturer also claims the bike can go from -60mph in just 4 seconds.

But rather than putting its electric bike out on common sale, Harley Davidson has decided to test its functionality and reputation by asking some of its loyal consumers to test drive the new model although touring around the US.

The tour will incorporate a trip down the popular Route 66 amongst Chicago and Los Angeles, and will take in at least 30 Harley Davidson dealerships just before the finish of the year.

Silent running

With its relatively modest 74 horsepower and a best speed beneath 100mph, the electric Harley Davidson is unlikely to appeal to bikers with a require for speed (and a scant regard for the law of the land).

That is not the biggest dilemma, even though. Like other electric vehicles, the engine on Harley Davidson’s Project Livewire prototype is practically totally silent.

And that is probably to prove off-putting for those Harley fans who get pleasure from the admiring glances attracted by the gutsy engines on the manufacturer’s far more traditional touring bikes.

It would also be exciting to see how insurers would react to an electric bike – would it be noticed as intrinsically low-danger, and consequently deserving of decrease motorbike insurance coverage premiums?

New in town

However, attractive to its traditional buyer base might not be the point of this groundbreaking new bike from Harley Davidson.

Robin Farley, an analyst at UBS, thinks that the motorcycle maker is trying to show it can attract a new sort of consumer, something “that’s been a challenge for them in the past”.

And this opinion appears to be supported by the truth that Harley Davidson has recently launched 2 bikes aimed at females, who now acquire 1 in 10 of the Harleys sold in the US.

Motorcycle diaries

Any person keen to get their hands on an electric Harley will have to wait for a although at least, although. There are no firm plans to bring the Project Livewire electric bike into production as but.

A Harley Davidson spokesman said: ‘Any final decisions about regardless of whether to bring an electric motorcycle to marketplace – and when – will be created at a later date.’

Get your motor whirring… Harley Davidson goes electric

Is it As well Fast For Really like? Harley-Davidson Announces Project LiveWire Electric Motorcycle

“The Motor Firm.” It’s motorcycle slang for Harley-Davidson, and the Milwaukee-primarily based concern is lucky that “The Engine Company” didn’t wind up in the parlance, because it’d throw an identity wrench into their newest venture — an electric motorcycle.

Wisconsin, land of thowmping pushrod V-Twins, is about the last place you’d expect a mainline production e-bike to emerge from. And one particular hasn’t emerged but, but H-D is seriously taking a look in that direction and they’re utilizing Project LiveWire to do it.

They also look to have cribbed the name from Mötley Crüe’s ideal song.

Project LiveWire isn’t a for-sale sort of factor. Rather, it’s a analysis-gathering roadshow wherein Harley brings the bike to different cities and lets folks take it for a spin, all in an effort gather impressions with an eye toward future production electric cycles.

We have to say, we like the look of the LiveWire. It’s a melding of Yankee face-punch and Italian-streetfighter sophistication. In truth, it recalls the perform the company’s Buell division was undertaking prior to Harley shuttered it.

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The tour begins on June 24th in New York and moves to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee from the 26th to the 29th. There’s an event in Boston from the 27th to the 29th, and then one particular in Philly July 17–19. Future dates will undoubtedly be added, but for correct now, it looks like Left Coast e-bike enthusiasts will have to wait for future dates to be announced.

Oh, and on the LiveWire FAQ, HD does refer to the bike’s powerplant as “an electric engine,” which suggests there’s plenty of traditional pondering left in Milwaukee. So like, worry not, backpatch aficionados: your loud pipes will undoubtedly continue to preserve your lives for quite some time.

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Is it As well Fast For Really like? Harley-Davidson Announces Project LiveWire Electric Motorcycle