What is Porsche doing to me? I had just gotten over my teenage-like, eco-speed-lust with the 918 Spyder hybrid from yesterday’s announcement, and now Porsche has to go and release a video showing it actually driving? It’s not right. A man can only take so much.
As if just seeing pictures of a car that can get 78 mpg yet get from 0-60 mph in 3 seconds wasn’t enough.
We’ve been hearing rumors and speculation regarding a Ferrari hybrid for months now. But the Geneva Auto Show opens tomorrow, and the media has had access since Monday, meaning Ferrari finally had to lift the veil on its much-touted hybrid concept.
Called the HY-KERS concept, it is in most basic terms a Ferrari 599 with an electric motor powered by a Kinetic Energy Recovery System, or KERS. This concept will serve as a basis for a road-going Ferrari hybrid which should be on sale in the next three to five years.
[Update 3/2/2010: Porsche has also released a video of the 918 Spyder in action]
Remember that old myth that went something along the lines of “if you sneeze, fart and burp at the same time, you’ll explode”? Well, Porsche’s new 918 Spyder hyper-eco-super-sports-plug-in-hybrid concept has accomplished all three while simultaneously rubbing its head and patting its belly. And I can’t believe it doesn’t explode simply from being looked at.
Talk about jaw-dropping brain candy for car enthusiast greenies with a need for speed.
Part Bat-Mobile, part jet fighter, all race car. That is the best way to describe the DeltaWing IndyCar Concept, which is on display at the Chicago Auto Show right now. The DeltaWing’s creators hope that the revolutionary design could be “the future of open wheel racing”. It certainly looks like something straight from the future.
The DeltaWing combines slick aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, the DeltaWing should be able to achieve speeds in excess of 200 mph using less horsepower and as much as half the fuel of current Indy cars. It is slated to begin testing this summer.
I am a big fan of Local Motors and their crowd-sourced Rally Fighter. A custom vehicle with its own frame and body–built borrowing many bits from dozens of other cars–the Rally Fighter manages to merge fun and fuel efficiency in one cool-looking body. Plus, CEO Jay Rogers built it to prove that there is a better way to build an automobile.
The Rally Fighter has been under development for some time now, but it is finally ready to take flight, as this video (after the jump) shows. The video combines some quality off-roading with interviews, some technical info, and a brief explanation of why Teddy Roosevelt and Pancho Villa adorn the Rally Fighter’s doors.
There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of small niche-market car makers across the globe. Some cater to the extremely wealthy, while others are more dedicated to the pursuit of performance. But as the global market shifts away from petrol and towards electric cars even these smaller shops are considering EV projects.
Take Caterham for example. Well known in racing circles, this company has essentially survived for decades by building variants on just one type of car, the Series 3 Lotus Seven. Traditionally powered by English-built Ford Kent or Cosworth engines, head honcho Ansar Ali suggested in an interview with Autocar that they maybe, possibly, could-be adding an electric variant to their lineup.
Today at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota, in conjunction with its Gazoo Racing development team, launched the GRMN Sports Hybrid concept car (that last link is to a Japanese page that is translated with Google translate… some of the translation is a really good laugh).
Reportedly, the car is based on the outgoing MR2 platform and packs a serious punch by combining a 3.3 liter V6 to drive the rear wheels and an electric motor to power the front wheels using the company’s THSII hybrid system. The 4WD sports car develops 392 horsepower and apparently can go from 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds. Not only that, Autocar UK is reporting that the car has the ability to drive in electric vehicle mode in the city.
Getting the racing world to take electric cars seriously will go a long way towards acceptance by the general public as a whole. And electric cars have a lot going for them in that regard. Few moving parts, lots of torque, and all of that power is available at 0 RPM’s.
A British company called Westfield Sportscars, who builds kit cars designed for track racing, is dipping their toes into the water of electrified sports cars. They plan to produce the iRacer, a lightweight, rear-wheel drive electric race car with an asphalt tearing 730 ft-lbs of torque. Sounds vicious.
Most of the technology we take for granted in our daily drivers had to work a long, harrowing course on the race track before every making it to our driveways. The money and competition that fuels high speed races often perfects technology on the track before making it to market. This fact has not gone unnoticed in the Green Revolution and why it needs to cozy up to some speed freaks and show the world that fast and green go hand in hand.
The organizers of this years TTXGP electric motor cycle race realize this perhaps better than anyone. Since the TTXGP was such a hit, they are kicking it up a notch with an all-electric race through the Levellois bourough of Paris. Sweet!
Volkswagen has announced that the documentary “Racing Under Green”—detailing the trials and tribulations of the Jetta TDI Cup, the U.S.’ only professional green racing series—will premiere the week of January 18 on the various channels of Discovery Networks, including Planet Green, Discovery Channel, and The Science Channel.
In addition to following the stories of last season’s 25 drivers, the hour long documentary will examine some of the “green” aspects of the Jetta TDI Cup, including the use of biodiesel blends and the support of carbonfund.org.
I am extremely vocal on the topic of electric cars, especially when it comes to their performance potential. Instant torque is very, very fun—to say the least—and makes a lot more sense on the racing circuit than internal combustion engines (at least in short bursts). Makers of high-end exotics are starting to pick up on this trend, though Ferrari is (as far as I know) the first supercar maker to confirm it will be adding and electric-hybrid to its lineup.
Of course, they claim this is to improve handling and not fuel efficiency. But hey, I’ll take what I can get from the prancing horse.
As I’ve said before, SEMA is not usually a place you expect to see lots of alternative fuel vehicles. But in recent years there has been a paradigm shift, and increasing floor space has been devoted to debuting technologies and cars that conserve gas, rather than waste it.
Factory Five, out of Wareham Massachusetts, is a well-known maker of kit cars based on classic Shelby designs including the Cobra and Daytona. Amp=D has taken one of their kit cars based on the iconic ‘33 Ford and built a powerful electric drivetrain around this handsome hot rod.
Spectators at next years Sonoma Showdown at California’s Infineon Raceway will be treated to something they’ve never seen before – the nation’s first ever zero-carbon motorcycle race.
The Sonoma County event, known as the Time Trial eXtreme Grand Prix, will form part of the AMA Motorcycle Sonoma Showdown weekend, May 14-16.
Conventional drag racing is pretty much the furthest thing from a green sport, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of it. Yet even this tire-melting, gas-wasting sport is diving into the realm of alternative fuels for a variety of reasons.
Roush, a leading builder of aftermarket Mustangs, is developing two Mustangs for the drag strip powered not by gasoline, but clean-burning propane.
The new Volkswagen Scirocco is one of those cool cars America will never get (yes, I know we had it once, but the new one is sooooo much cooler). VW’s hot little hatchback has the looks and power to make most American small cars cringe in fear. Even cooler? They are working on a version that runs on carbon-neutral bio compressed natural gas.
Try saying that five times fast!
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Since November 2007, Gas 2.0 has been dedicated to news and information for those looking to move beyond petroleum-based fuels.
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