The city of Auxerre has commissioned the French manufacturer Safra to deliver five fuel cell buses by the end of this year. To be precise, these are hybrid buses that combine a 30-kW Symbio fuel cell system with a 30-kilo hydrogen tank and a 132-kWh battery pack.
Weiterlesen
The FIA World Motor Sport Council has announced decisions on the future of various racing series. The trend – particularly in rallying – is increasingly towards electric drives.
Weiterlesen
Porsche converted the last set of tyres from its 919 Hybrid that won Le Mans in 2017 into a record of the feasible kind. They pressed the tires into a vinyl record titled ‘The 24 Minutes of Le Mans’ that is a retelling of Porsche’s history at the 24-hour race. What a lifecycle.
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The FIA World Endurance Championship will deepen their focus on top-notch hybrid technology. ACO and FIA plan to introduce a new class for 2020 – 2024. Moreover, a special class at 24 hours in Le Mans in 2024 will introduce fuel cell racers.
Weiterlesen
The former Williams engineer has given up on his open source project to design and develop a hybrid race car for the LMP1, and instead is looking to enter the 2019 Le Mans race with a fully electric race car in the innovation class Garage 56.
Weiterlesen
Fernando Alonso will not only be racing as a Formula 1 driver this year, but will also be starting in the endurance racing series WEC. He will be driving for Toyota in the hybrid class LMP1 and is set to race in almost all races for Toyota, including the season highlight in Le Mans.
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Accelerating times ahead: Le Mans will have new rules for its hybrid racers for the 2020 season, essentially turning them into proper plug-in hybrids. A pit stop thus must include a rapid battery refill but also each PHEV will need to run the first kilometres after the break all-electrically. On top of that, the LMP1 competitors must cross the finish line in electric mode as well.
electricautosport.com
Ballard to take flight: Ballard subsidiary Protonex has written an order from FlyH2 Aerospace, a developer of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for commercial applications based in South Africa. It seeks to power its three UA Alpha flagships in the making with Protonex’ fuel cell propulsion system and FlyH2 gears for a 30 kilo utility aircraft with 9-hour flight endurance.
greencarcongress.com
Bio battery: Californian BioSolar has come to an agreement with Top Battery from Korea. The latter will utilise BioSolar’s silicon alloy nanocomposite anode material in its Li-ion batteries. The material is said to deliver high capacity at low cost.
altenergymag.com
EV acoustics: Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+ is Autoneum’s is not to have EVs make noise but to drown out sounds previously covered by an engine’s hum such as fans and pumps. The noise and heat protection components include carpets made from a novel and environmentally-friendly fibre.
automotiveworld.com
Video tip: In the latest episode of Fully Charged, Robert Llewellyn meets up with Jess Shanahan, who travelled 2,580 miles across the British Isles in a KIA Soul EV to educate people about electric mobility.
youtube.com, jurysinns.com (Jess’s journey)
Click tip: French design student Martin Chatelier shows his version of the Mercedes headed for Le Mans. The DTW-Concept is powered by two electric motors and a Tesla turbine.
boldride.com
1bn euros for disruption: Siemens set up an incubator for start-ups and plans to invest 1 billion euros over the next five years. The unit called next47 aims to foster disruptive technologies with one of the first projects being a cooperation with Airbus to electrify aviation (we reported). Employees as well as founders, external start-ups and established companies are invited to tap into the new segment.
eu-startups.com, siemens.com
Charging while driving: A 10 ton truck was charged wirelessly while driving with up to 70 kph in a test conducted by Bombardier Primove. Four charging segments with a total length of 20 metres provided up to 200 kW inductively and on demand. Primove technology is already in use in public transport systems around the world but trucks and ultimately electric cars are the next step.
elektroauto-news.net (in German)
German EV R&D in China: FEV has opened its Beijing Vehicle and Powertrain Development Center in the Chinese capital. At the facility, electric drives, batteries, and fuel cells will be developed and tested for both Chinese as well as international clients.
automotiveworld.com
FCVs to enter Le Mans and WEC: FIA and Le Mans organiser ACO are working on a new set of rules that would allow hydrogen powered racers in the 24h and WEC competition. Also, a new hybrid LMP1 sub-class allowing for more retrieved energy has been confirmed for 2018 alongside a third KERS.
autosport.com, e-racingmag.com
EVs with exchangeable batteries: Chinese manufacturer Lifan Auto announced plans to introduce 20 new EV models by 2020, all featuring exchangeable lithium batteries. Moreover, the carmaker plans to terminate the production of combustion engine vehicles in the same move.
ecns.cn
South Korea minimises: The country will invest in the development and commercialisation of small electric cars and electric three-wheelers to hit the market in 2017. The micro e-cars are said to cost less than 10 million won (9,000 dollars).
koreatimes.co.kr, koreabizwire.com, koreaherald.com
Smart EVs: Chinese online content provider LeTV and state-owned telecom carrier China Unicom announced their cooperation in developing “smart” electric cars. According to Bejing’s Economic Observer, it could include setting up LeTV power charging posts at Unicom business outlets.
wantchinatimes.com
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Italian supercar: Torino Design premiered its ATS Wildtwelve plug-in hybrid concept at the Parco Valentio Salone in Turin, Italy. The sports car has 860 hp and is said to make it from 0 to 100 kph in just 2.6 seconds. Some 30 units will be built.
electriccarsreport.com, autoevolution.com, gtspirit.com
Double win: Porsche has not one, but two reasons to celebrate. Nico Hülkenberg, Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy drove the winning Porsche 919 Hybrid across the finish line at the 24 hour race in Le Mans, followed by teammates Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley and Mark Webber in the sister car. The third Porsche team came in fifth.
electric-vehiclenews.com, greencarcongress.com, autovolt-magazine.com
Will Nissan double its range? A Nissan press conference revealed some interesting information about Nissan’s new and improved battery pack that will give upcoming electric models a definite range boost. If the proportions of the shown graphics are any indication, range could double, reaching around 450 km. Whether the new technology will be used for a new Leaf or a different model was not announced.
dailykanban.com
A peak at Nissan’s Le Mans racer: First images of the GT-R LM Nismo have emerged on the web, with which Nissan will compete against Audi, Porsche, and Toyota in Le Mans later this year. The video also gives a taste of what Nissan´s new hybrid racer sounds like.
jalopnik.com via gas2.org
LG Chem sees business grow: The South Korean battery-maker announced that its business improved considerably last year due to an increasing demand from Chinese carmakers. The operating profit more than doubled compared to 2013, reaching 64.9 billion won (around 60 million dollars).
koreatimes.co.kr
AWD Caddy in the pipeline: According to media reports, Cadillac is working on a high-performance electric all-wheel-drive system that could be used in their V-Series or crossover models. Other Alpha-platform-based vehicles from GM could also profit, such as the Chevrolet Camaro.
edmunds.com, electric-vehiclenews.com
Most clicked link on Monday was Wrightspeed expanding its business with a new facility planned in the immediate future.
hybridcars.com
Impressive 300 electric kph was the record-breaking top speed reached by Nissan’s driver Satoshi Motoyama in the ZEOD RC at the qualifying in Le Mans. It has been a good day for the Japanese carmaker as Wolfgang Reip was able to complete a full all-electric lap – a first in the history of Le Mans’.
greencarcongress.com (300 kmph), nbcsports.com (electric lap)
Video tip I: Car and Driver put the Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt, and Mercedes CLA into a wind tunnel to see who is the most aerodynamic. Guess who has proven the most slick (it bears a capital S in its name)?!
youtube.com
Video tip II: Audi sent a special ambassador, the R18 e-tron quattro, to Porsche’s headquarter in Germany to deliver an impressive welcome message. Porsche is returning to the Le Mans race course after 16 years of absence and will compete in the 919.
youtube.com (video message) via autoweek.com