Mini by puma.
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Mini and Puma extend joint design and accessory program.
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How things work: data drives zipcars.
data tells zipcars where to place their cars and which cars in which neighborhoods. via ad age [RK]
Ferrari 360 modena front fender deconstructed.
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no, we did not misspell deconstructed in the title. designapplause crash spotter on the scene along with chicago police. not sure what happened but owner in pink shirt (obscured by post) is on cell phone and not happy. nothing on scene is banged up. possible owner does not know that someone took the front off his car while he was in starbuck’s and he hears funny dragging sound as he drives. we feel his pain. cut-away view of front bumper fascinating though. sit back and enjoy the video below. [ ferrari ]
Tesla s launches.
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Tesla Motors announces 520 reservations for the Model S, an all-electric family sedan that carries up to seven people and travels up to 300 miles per charge. The Model S launched March 26, and orders immediately began streaming in online and at showrooms in California. Tesla plans to open stores in Chicago, London, New York, Miami, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Munich this year.
“Frankly the number of cars reserved in the first week has exceeded our optimistic internal projections,” said Tesla CEO, Chairman and Product Architect Elon Musk. “Enthusiasm surrounding the Model S is proof that there’s pent-up demand for more affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles – including those made in America.”
The Model S will likely be the world’s first mass-produced, highway-capable electric vehicle. The company has applied for a $350 million loan from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which would be used to build the Model S assembly plant in California.
The East Coast premier of the Model S was at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The drivable prototype also will be shown in New York, Chicago, Miami and Seattle this summer.
The Model S can be recharged from any 120V, 208V or 240V outlet or quick-charged from an external direct current supply in only 45 minutes. You can recharge the car during rest stops or meal breaks, enabling the Model S to go from L.A. to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car.
The Model S does 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, and will have an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. A 17-inch touchscreen with in-car 3G connectivity means you can listen to Pandora Radio or consult Google Maps, or check the car’s state of charge remotely on your iPhone.
The anticipated base price of the Model S is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. The $5,000 reservation fee is refundable, and the car is a better value than far cheaper cars.
If you account for the much lower cost of electricity vs. gasoline at a likely future cost of over $4 per gallon, the Model S is equivalent to buying a gasoline car with a sticker price of about $35,000, such as a Ford Taurus. Importantly, those savings are realized immediately if you lease a Model S, so there is no need wait years to earn back the price difference.
Three battery pack choices will offer a range of 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. The company has not released options pricing.
battery slab cover bottom of car
Tesla also is taking reservations for the Model S Signature Edition with a $40,000 reservation fee. Tesla will produce only 2,000 Signature Edition cars, which will be the first built and have unique interior and exterior features. Signature Edition cars will be evenly split between U.S. and European customers.
[ Proven Technology ]
Tesla is the only production automaker selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe today. With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class, yet is more than twice as energy efficient as a Toyota Prius and delivers 244 miles per charge.
Tesla delivered 104 Roadsters to customers in March, marking the first triple-digit delivery month in the company’s history. Tesla delivered over 170 cars in the first quarter – more than the total delivered in 2008.
Tesla has delivered about 320 Roadsters so far. The base price of the Roadster is $101,500 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
Teslas do not require routine oil changes, and have far fewer moving (and breakable) parts than internal combustion engine vehicles. They qualify for federal and state tax credits, rebates and sales tax exemptions. The Roadster costs roughly $4 to drive more than 240 miles – a bargain even if gasoline were less than $1 per gallon.
Tesla plans to introduce more affordable cars and partner with other automakers to help them produce mass-market EVs. Tesla announced in January it is partnering with Daimler AG to produce the battery packs and chargers for at least 1,000 Smart EVs. “Tesla is relentlessly driving down the cost of battery technology – similar to what other technology companies did to make cellular phones and laptop computers low-cost commodities,” Musk said. [ tesla motors ]
Pininfarina in london. Italian cultural institute.
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Pininfarina is best known as the designer of bodies for Ferrari and Maserati and other car brands. Its famous red 1947 Cisitalia sports car enjoys a place of pride in the design collection at MOMA in New York. But it is from another side of its work that Pininfarina has drawn most of the 400 pieces of its work set for display at the Italian Cultural Institute in Belgrave Square in London beginning June 22. Four lovely cedar scale models represent highlights of the auto design history and present—the 1947 Cisitalia 202 Berlinetta , the 1967 Ferrari Dino 206 Gt , the Birdcage 75th concept and the recent Cambiano concept, an extended range plug in electric debuted at this years Geneva Motor show.
But the focus of this show is Pininfarina Extra, which specializes in product design and more recently interiors. It was set up in 1986 and directed by Paolo Pininfarina and has its studios in Cambiano near Turin. Its products include ski boots and motorcycle helmets. Credits include the Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks machine, the Snaidero Ola 20 kitchen, and the Primatist B62’ yacht. Among its most recent projects in architecture are the Keating Hotel in San Diego, the interiors of the Juventus Stadium, and a residential tower, the Millecento in Miami.
Older items include the Riva rocking horse and the Guerlain Homme perfume bottle. The most recent, seen in London, are a new Lavazza espresso maker and, being unveiled for the first time, a sort of monorail or so-called personal rapid transportation system developed with Vectus, a Korean company, shown in model form at the gallery. Along with the show the firm is sponsoring a design contest for Royal College of Art students; winners will be announced June 21. [ details ]
date> 22 june > 15 july 2012 | london
venue> italian cultural institute
organized by: italian cultural institute in collaboration with: Pino Pietrolucci and Pininfarina
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Three concepts. Detroit auto 2012.
all-electric bmw i3 | click > enlarge
The new i3; BMW’s first series-produced all-electric car, was created for practical everyday driving. It focuses primarily on the drive-ability in urban settings and of course zero emissions. This may be the best of the all-electrics due out and looks to be out first.
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Toyota’s smallest Prius, the Prius C (think city) concept includes a 1.5-liter engine and 144-volt nickel metal hybrid battery. Toyota claims this car will offer up the highest mileage of any non-plug-in hybrid.
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The fusion is not only getting better, it’s getting greener by dropping all V-6 engines and instead adding a pair of greener sedans: a hybrid and plug-in-hybrid.
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Bonus: Smart For Us urban pickup truck is tiny, a two seater, zero emission, all-electric just over 11.5 feet long and under 5 feet wide. It will haul anything as long as it’s small.
[ more on bmw i3 ]
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Lexus LF LC design concept winner. Detroit auto 2012.
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This year, the [ Eyes on Design ] awards were handed out to the Lexus LF-LC in the concept category.
The 2013 Ford Fusion won in the production category. The Fusion’s fellow finalists were the 2013 BMW 3 Series and 2013 Cadillac ATS, while the LF-LC eked out a W over the Chevrolet Tru 140S and Lincoln MKZ.
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Volkswagen e-bugster. 2012 detroit auto show.
VW presented at the Detroit Auto Show a 2013 Jetta Hybrid and an all-electric E-Bugster. Let’s take this moment to talk about the concept car E-Bugster. The two-seat speedster-style coupe powertrain is named “Blue e-motion” using a 114-hp / 85 kW electric motor fed by a 28.3 kWh lithium-ion 665 pound battery pack. 0-60 mph takes 11 seconds with a city driving range of up to 110 miles. VW says that the E-Bugster can be fully charged in 35 minutes from empty using a fast-charging system. The plug is located beneath the VW logo on the hood.
It uses altered LED running lights borrowed from the Beetle design and rolls on 20-inch wheels. Inside are gauges tailored to the E-Bugster’s electric prowess, and the tachometer is swapped for an energy-consumption display. There are indicators for the battery range and charge. This car looks like a serious all-electric future contender.
Nissan leaf and nyc taxi new pilot program.
nissan leaf ev
Winning a $1 billion exclusive contract from 2013 to supply NYC with its taxis for ten years, Nissan’s new take on the NYC taxi is based upon a modified passenger version of its NV200 compact commercial vehicle already common on the roads of Japan, Europe and China. But wait! Six taxi drivers will be given a Nissan Leaf EV for a year!
nv200 compact
The taxis will run regular business for a year, and compile important data comparing the Nissan Leaf’s performance to traditional taxi cabs. A concern is the Nissan Leaf has a 100-mile range. But New York City’s cold and stormy winters will take it’s toll on that range. Most New York City cab drivers tend to drive an average of 100 miles a day. However, the EV taxi service is will operate out of a central garage that will more than likely have a 480-volt DC fast charging so taxis can get back on the road in 30 minutes. There has been no mention of having batteries available to switch out when the one in-use gets depleted. The deal is still early, so of course there are kinks that need to be worked out. In collaboration with the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission.
Mitsubishi raises price of i-ev.
Earlier this year Mitsubishi touted the comparatively low price of its all-electric i: $27,990 (which drops to $20,490 after the $7,500 tax credit is applied) for the base ES version. The SE and SE Premium were $2,000 and $4,790, plus $720 destination charges tacked on. At the time, Mitsubishi tried to get the after-tax credit price of the entry-level ES under $19,990, but that the Japanese earthquake prevented this.
All models will see a price increase of $1,135:
ES: $29,125 ($21,625 after tax credit)
SE: $31,125 ($23,625 after tax credit)
SE with Premium package: $33,915 ($26,415 after tax credit)
The cars are still lower than other all-electrics in the U.S.