Kobot V Electric car (weird cars)

Kobot V

Kowa, a company that engages in medical and optoelectronic business, and Tmsuk Co. Ltd., a robot development manufacturer, joined forces to create three attention-grabbing electric-powered prototypes under the Kobot brand name.

The Kobot V has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show along with the Kobot B (with the green finish) both mix elements from cars, motorcycles and trikes, and the relatively more conventional Kobot P  with four wheels and an enclosed cabin for the driver.
The Japanese company did not release any further details on the three concept models nor its plans for the future.

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CCrab (Cuba Crab) concept electric car (Future Cars

Juha-Pekka Rautio’s Citroen CCrab

Juha-Pekka Rautio’s Citroen CCrab concept takes inspiration from the animal kingdom and its small Cuba Crab.

The CCrab concept was designed in conjunction with French automaker Citroen as part of a program that takes designers and provides them with feedback and access to various resources for their design concepts. For its part, Citroen is able to work closely with designers to help create and foster new designs for electric vehicles.

Although very much a concept, the idea behind the Crab was to create a vehicle that could move omni-directionally in and around the city, weaving effortlessly through traffic and in and out of tight spaces.
It might be a long way to go before we see anything like the CCrab on the production line, but with innovative designers and more automakers like Citroen stepping up to introduce new and exciting designs, it may only be a matter of time before we see a vehicle like the CCrab on the roads

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Nissan Shows Off Pivo 3 EV Concept

Nissan is showing off a new electric vehicle concept that makes its current Leaf look like an oversized vehicle. The diminutive Pivo 3 is Nissan’s concept for an urban runabout for the future.

Nissan Pivo 3 EV Concept

This little EV, which was unveiled ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, looks quite odd and may actually see production in the future according to Autoblog Green. The Pivo 3 takes a page out of the McLaren F1 design book on inside with a tiny centrally mounted driver seat and two equally small passenger seats behind and to the sides of the driver.
The car features a zero emissions electric drivetrain and each wheel is driven by its own electric motor. The Pivo 3 has an insanely tight turning radius of only 6.6 feet. That tight turning radius will allow the car to make a U-turn on a road that is only four meters wide. The doors are another interesting feature that pop out and slide back similar to a sliding door on a minivan.
Even though the Pivo 3 seems to be a production capable car, Nissan's Francois Bancon says that so far there has been no decision to usher the vehicle into production. However, the car is one of the candidates for a future Nissan EV.
If the car did see production, it would be after the LEAF, NV200 EV, and an unnamed future Infiniti EV. That would mean, according to Bancon, that the Pivo 3 wouldn't be able to hit market until 2016 or 2017 at the earliest.

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Suzuki's Toy-Like Q-Concept Electric Mini Car

For those of you that found the Suzuki Regina that we showed earlier today, a bit too down to earth for a Tokyo Motor Show concept, the Japanese automaker has another study up its sleeve. Of course, there's the argument that the Q-Concept looks more like a toy than a real car, but that's another story.

Q-Concept Electric Mini Car interior

Suzuki's second concept for this year's edition of the Tokyo motorshow is a tiny city car that measures just 2,500mm long, 1,300mm wide and 1,650mm tall.
The company says that the Q-Concept offers "an entirely new kind of mobility — one that’s positioned between conventional motorcycles and cars". We'll assume that Suzuki has yet to learn about the existence of the production Renault Twizy

Q-Concept Electric Mini Car

Inside, the Q-Concept seats two passengers in tandem, though Suzuki says that the rear seat can be removed completely to increase the cargo area when needed.
The Q-Concept is powered by an electric motor that provides a driving range of up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) and a top speed of 60km/h (37 mph).

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Eco-friendly futuristic fold-out camper van

ECCO

Despite the state of the art design, the driver must give up the most important human freedom: driving without pants. The 4.62-meter-long electric vehicle, which is set to go on sale as early as 2014, can sleep up to five people and sports a quaint little kitchen, bathroom and lounge area.
Soon the trailer park will no longer connotate beer cans and shot guns. Round up a couple of these bad boys and you've got a neighbourhood fit for The Jetsons.

ECCO-ii

Inspired by the most famous Swiss compact design -- the Swiss Army knife -- Swiss design company NAU is creating an eco-friendly egg-shaped camper van that folds out into a comfortable living space.
The camper van -- called ECCO -- gives off zero emissions, but that doesn't mean other cars won't be eating its dust--the aerodynamic van can reach a top speed of 145 kph, not bad for a portable home.
The vehicle can be quickly charged at a standard 240V station. It is topped with a solar panel roof to charge a battery. Just eight hours of charging can provide 24 hours of use.
The NAU website explains,"When used for extended living purposes, even where no electricity is available, it has a built-in photovoltaic panels and solar sail roof, meaning it can cut out the middleman and charge directly from the sun."

ECCO-iii

The 4.62-meter-long electric vehicle, which is set to go on sale as early as 2014, can sleep up to five people and sports a quaint little kitchen, bathroom and lounge area.
A NAU spokesman says that the ECCO was inspired by the VW and the Airstream caravan.
The company hopes the futuristic vehicle will prove as iconic as the VW camper van (without the suggestion that a questionable cloud of smoke shall emit from the door during a music festival).
Passengers enter the ECCO via a convenient stairway that folds into the ceiling.
While a bit wider than its Volkswagen predecessor, the ECCO’s form is more aerodynamic, and rides closer to the ground.  NAU says it has not yet decided on a price for the vehicle.

NAU

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Tesla Model S Sedan Makes First Public Appearance

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors threw open its factory doors to customers who have preordered its forthcoming Model S Sedan on Saturday evening. The company is now putting the finishing touches on its Model S electric sedan, which is currently in beta testing. The beta is the phase of vehicle development before it reaches production. The press was allowed to watch while interested potential customers received brief rides around the parking lot.
We need your help, Elon Musk, CEO and founder of Tesla Motors told hundreds of customers after driving onto a stage in a red Model S, saying many people thought of electric cars as unrealistic unicorns. He asked the crowd to talk up the car and announced Tesla would be introducing a faster Model S that goes from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds, shaving more than a second off current acceleration. Of the speediness of the Model, Musk said: That’s quicker than a 911. Not bad for an electric luxury sedan.

While some users might baulk at having to recharge the vehicle, Musk and his team have designed the vehicle to be as practical as possible. Using its QuickCharge system, the Model S will take only 45 minutes to charge up (With its fastest industrial charger, slower chargers take a more conventional five to 12 hours). Alternatively, owners can purchase a second battery and swap out the spent battery in just five minutes. The 2012 Model S will be available in three trim levels, delivering a driving range of 160 miles, 230 miles, and 300 miles respectively. Musk also highlighted the entertainment system on the Model S. He compared it to being akin to having an iPad in the console as it stores music onboard and will respond to music requests made by voice.
Tesla has received more than 6,000 reservations for the Model S, a four-door, sportback sedan with room for five adults. The Model S starts at $57,400 or $49,900 after the U.S. federal tax credit. The 230-mile Model S starts at about $10,000 more and the 300-mile Model S starts at about $20,000 more than the base price. Model S sedans will start being delivered to customers in mid-2012 with a target production of 5,000 units in 2012 and 20,000 vehicles per year after that.

Tesla also used the launch of the Model S Beta to unveil its new Tesla Motors website, which contains a wealth of information about what to expect when the car reaches the market after it completes its Beta shakedown.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, introduces customers to the Model S sedan at the company's Fremont factory

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Student-built electric car sets world land speed record of 155.8 mph

Brigham Young University (BYU) students are celebrating after setting a new land speed record for an electric car in the "E1" (under 1,100 lbs/499 kg) class. The record of 155.8 mph (250.7 km/h) set by the "Electric Blue" streamliner at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah was averaged over the two required qualifying runs, one of which saw the car reach a speed of 175 mph (281.6 km/h). The record marks the end of a seven year quest by BYU students led by Perry Carter who, having just retired as an associate professor, gets to bow out on top.

With its long, slender shape and enclosed wheels to reduce air resistance, Electric Blue falls into the category of a streamliner. The BYU students modeled the vehicle's body using a wind tunnel program on a computer and custom built it using carbon fiber. The team says the aerodynamic body, in combination with the vehicle's lithium iron phosphate batteries helped the car reach its record-setting speeds.
The Electric Blue was piloted on its two runs by Utah Salt Flats Racing Association president, Jim Burkdoll, and they were certified by the Southern California Timing Association - Bonneville Nations, Inc.
The 155.8 mph time is record-setting rather than record-breaking as there were no prior certified speed runs for the lightweight "E1" class. This is because electric vehicles rely on heavy batteries and engineering a speedy vehicle that complied with the 1,100 pound weight restriction had proved difficult. However, previous unofficial records were in the 130 mph (209 km/h) ballpark, with the BYU team completing a qualifying run of 139 mph (223.7 km/h) last year, but failed to complete the second run when the car rolled, damaging its body.
To put the record in some kind of perspective, the Electric Blue's 155.8 mph record leaves the Tesla Roadster, with a top speed of 125 mph (201 km/h), in its wake and is just short of the 176.43 mph (283.9 km/h) record set by the Riches/Nelson E-Race electric motorcycle. The BYU team's effort also outdoes the 161.5 mph (260 km/h) top speed of the TMG EV P001, which broke the lap record for an electric vehicle at the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in August. Although the Electric Blue, with its one inch of ground clearance and extremely wide turning circle, would likely struggle to negotiate the turns on the legendary Nordschleife (northern loop).
Of the roughly 130 BYU students that have worked on the streamliner program over its seven years, about half have been manufacturing engineering technology majors, about 40 percent mechanical engineering majors, and the remainder coming from various other disciplines. While many worked on the car as part of an annual capstone course, most were unpaid volunteers.
"This is a wonderful closure to 31 years of teaching at BYU and many projects," Carter said after the record was certified. "But this is the one that takes the cake. I'm done."

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Morgan and Zytek team up to build high performance EV

The Morgan Aero SuperSports is a pretty impressive automobile, even in its standard form. It has a lightweight aluminum body, a hardwood and leather cockpit and a top speed of 170 mph (273 km/h). It also has a 4.8 liter BMW V8 engine, although in a project currently being undertaken by the British automaker and Zytek Automotive, that power plant will be replaced with a 70kW electric motor. The result will be known as the Electric Morgan +E. Although only two of them will be made, the company says that if the experience proves favorable, "further developments" could result.
The 70kW (94 bhp) 300Nm motor will be derived from a model already made by Zytek, that is currently being supplied to some American EV manufacturers. It will be mounted in the transmission tunnel, where it will require connections for cooling water, high voltage electrics and low voltage electrics. Power will be supplied by a lithium-ion battery pack, which will be integrated into the cars' aluminum chassis.
Anyone who likens driving electric cars to driving golf carts will be glad to know that the +E shall retain the SuperSports' manual transmission. "Keeping the motor in its sweet spot will help it use energy more efficiently, which will increase the vehicle's range," stated Zytek engineering program manager Neil Cheeseman. "It also allows us to provide lower gearing for rapid acceleration from pull-away and higher gearing for top speed.
Not only that, but it should also make driving the cars a lot more fun.
The Morgan/Zytek collaborative project has received funding from the CENEX-run Niche Vehicle Network CR&D Programme, which promotes the application of new technology for making low-carbon vehicles more marketable. Morgan previously received funding from the group for development of the new version of its iconic Three Wheeler.
Work on the two +E's began in July, and should be completed by January. Morgan is also working on a fuel cell-powered prototype automobile, known as the Lifecar.

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BMW's Electric and Plug-In Cars Revealed

BMW revealed two new electric, hybrid, and range-extended models -- the BMW i3 electric car and the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid -- at a special press conference in Frankfurt earlier today.

GreenCarReports editor John Voelcker is there, and he's managed to snap some up-close shots of the "Drive" powertrains of these vehicles, along with their advanced "Life" carbon-fiber bodies, which would have the most extensive use of carbon fiber in a mainstream, relatively affordable vehicle yet.

BMW i3

The rear-wheel-drive i3, which appears to be chasing the Nissan Leaf, albeit in a higher price bracket, has its 170-hp motor system mounted in back, under the cargo area. Range is an estimated 93 miles, and BMW claims that with quick charging it can get back to 80-percent charge in less than an hour.

Both models have been teased for years -- the i3 as the Megacity EV, and the i8 as Vision EfficientDynamics design study vehicles.

In the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe, the battery pack fits into the drive tunnel, with a new 1.5-liter, three-cylinder, direct-injected version of BMW's new modular engine family mounted in front, hooked to a yet-unidentified dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT). Especially noteworthy is that even this model has an electric-only mode that will last up to 20 miles.

BMW i8

But that's not all; BMW announced plans to offer the range-extending option, called REx, in the i3, though the range-extended model would have a range greater than that of the Chevrolet Volt.

There's still no word on pricing, which could be the key to the i3's success if BMW builds them in the volumes it's anticipating.

Though still technically concepts, both models could closely reflect what we might see on streets between a year and two years from now. See these posts at All Cars Electric for more details on the BMW i3 electric car and i8 plug-in hybrid, and stay tuned for a more in-depth technical analysis and other updates regarding both models; and in the meantime, click through the images in the gallery

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