Electric Car: Mitsubishi iMiev - Wireless Charging...

When the four-seater electric iMiev goes on sale in Britain next year, Mitsubishi will make great virtue of the city car’s 30-minute charging capability, but the next generation of electric car promises to re-charge quickly, wirelessly and maybe even on the move.

The iMiev has a range of around 90 miles on a full charge, which would take approximately eight hours from a household electrical supply. However, a fast charger supplied by the Tokyo Electric Power Company is able to restore 80 per cent of the battery’s power in half an hour – making it ideal for installation at motorway service stations or supermarket car parks.

A spokesperson at the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Even though a 90-mile range is more than adequate for most journeys, people are understandably apprehensive about electric vehicles that take many hours to re-charge – fast chargers will make electric cars a more practical proposition.”

Plugging in an electric vehicle in order to re-charge its batteries may eventually seem as outmoded as early remote controllers that were attached to the television set by a wire.

Electro-conductive charging allows electric vehicles to power their batteries without the need for cables by simply parking near a charging point. The system does away with the heavy, and awkward industrial-size plug needed by conventional fast charger.

Plug-less electro-conductive charging stations could be located anywhere that cars are likely to stop and would comprise half of what is essentially a transformer, while the other half will be mounted as an adapter on the front of the electric vehicle. When the car is parked near the charging point, the two halves work together to produce the electric current needed to charge the battery.

Electric Car: BMW ActiveE Concept

Drivers of the latest electric car from BMW can phone the vehicle to check its battery charge or ask it to heat or cool its interior ahead of their arrival.

The ActiveE Concept is based on the BMW Series 1 and boasts a recharge time of three hours and a range of 100 miles.

The configuration of the 125KW electric motor and lithium ion batteries ensures that the 50-50 weight distribution for which BMW cars are known is preserved; the drivetrain is mounted within the rear axle and most of the batteries are located in place of the fuel tank and under the bonnet where the internal combustion engine would normally be found.

The BMW Concept ActiveE will now undergo testing by select fleet customers and a handful of private motorists.

New hybrid car: Hyundai Nuvis - Bluehybrid...

In the Nuvis, an extra-wide opening on each side sheds light upon a four-place interior that unusually needs three rows to accommodate. Also concept car like is a control panel mostly devoid of switchgear, with all controls available via iPod-like touch-sensitive smooth surfaces, similar in concept to Fisker’s new Karma sedan. Cabin fabrics are made from 100-percent recycled materials, fitting for a vehicle with such a future-think drivetrain.

Hyundai, a conservative company when it comes to drivetrain innovation, uses the Nuvis to show off the latest iteration of its BlueHybrid system, first introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November of last year. A battery pack made from advanced lithium polymer cells makes sure that it’s not only state-of-the-art but also as environmentally friendly as the newest technologies allow.

The production version of Hyundai’s BlueHybrid system will debut next year in the next-gen Sonata, and in the future is expected to enhance the brand’s more popular models, such as Santa Fe.

As for the Nuvis, enjoy the much less radical upcoming Tucson when it arrives next year. It’s more mainstream for sure, but nevertheless incorporates the core design elements that make this concept so attractive from (almost) every angle, while cleaning up the more potentially controversial characteristics.