Wednesday, 6 August 2008

Nissan Unveils Electric Vehicle For 2010: Twice The Power Of Current Tech

Nissan have unveiled their new prototype electric vehicle which comes equipped with batteries that are twice as powerful as those in use today. The boxy-looking car also features a new motor, delivering 80kW (105 hp) of power for quick acceleration.


The batteries were developed in partnership with NEC and use advanced lithium-ion technology, offering twice the power of nickel-metal hydride batteries in current electric vehicles. They are stored under the floor of the vehicle to maximize interior space.


Nissan wants in on the electric car market and is aiming to be industry leader, despite a very slow start. They plan to begin selling an electric vehicle in both Japan and the U.S. in 2010 and the rest of the world in 2012.

Nissan have also unveiled a hybrid vehicle with numerous innovations to improve on efficiency such as a parallel-powertrain. The hybrid will launch alongside the electric model in 2010.

They are clearly taking the low/zero-emission market very seriously and are working on the development of a hydrogen fuel-cell car to round out their offerings.

Sources:
TGDaily
Physorg

Monday, 21 July 2008

BRB Evolution Folding Car Looks Like A Dyson. This Time An Upright.

Designer Daniel Bailey has taken the folding car concept to a new level with his BRB Evolution, which looks like a Lamborghini when in driving mode, but is as compact as an upright Dyson when parked.


The foldable design manages to cut the original size of the car in half to squeeze into the tiniest of parking spaces. Apparently the car rolls itself up once you’ve exited and uses two rollers to slide the car in sideways.


As you can see in the pictures below the styling is sleek and sexy, inspired by the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Peugeot 908. The car would use a hydrogen fuel cell for power and feature a 180 degree moon roof.

It’s a fascinating concept that essentially jacks the car up onto its nose to minimize its use of parking space. The transformation would have to be fast, I’d imagine, not just for convenience but in order to get the car out of the lane so that traffic doesn’t start backing up behind you.











Sources:
Tuvie
FreshGizmos

Friday, 27 June 2008

Peugeot Ozone: Rolling Fuel-Cell Car Concept

A new design for Peugeot has been unveiled which could be the most ‘out there’ vehicle design to date. Introducing the Ozone concept vehicle. Shaped like a drain pipe, yet strangely beautiful. It runs on hydrogen fuel-cells, naturally.


The cabin is positioned between two giant wheels (don’t know how well they would steer) which are each controlled by their own electric motor.


The body is equipped with doors that slide 360 degrees into its own frame which is impressive enough on its own.

Steering is handled via a joystick which if I remember correctly, Mercedes was experimenting with about a decade ago.

More pics below.



Sources:
New Launches
Ozkan Koral Industrial Design

Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Suzuki Announces SX4-FCV Fuel-Cell Car

Suzuki has announced the development of its SX4-FCV fuel-cell vehicle which will soon begin road tests as it progresses towards commercialization. It can reportedly run for 250km per hydrogen charge at speeds of up to 150km/h.


The vehicle has just been certified by Japan’s Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).


The SX4-FCV features a General Motors (GM) fuel cell module, a downsized light capacitor and a 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank. The body is the same as that on Suzuki’s SX4 compact car.

The fuel-cell vehicle will be on show at the G8 (Hokkaido Toyako) summit alongside Japan’s Zero Emission House.

Source:
Tech On

Wednesday, 21 May 2008

Hydrogen-Powered Phones On The Way

French researchers have invented a hydrogen fuel cell that can be used in mobile phones as a back-up power supply.

The fuel cell is miniature in size and is designed to be carried in a belt pouch or pocket. The gadget has been in the works since 2005 with a semi-conductor group called STMicroelectronics.

The cartridges are being developed by Bic – the same company who makes also those ubiquitous razors, lighters and pens.


Designed to work as a hybrid system, the phone draws on the ordinary battery first and uses the fuel cell once it runs dry.

The greatest benefit of the cartridge is that despite its small size, it will supply power equivalent to three to five recharges, getting you through weeks without a charger or perhaps even weeks away from an electricity supply.

The fuel cell is not due to hit the market until early 2010 and the price has not yet been disclosed.

Photo credit: Flickr’s Michael (mx5tx)