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.

Electric Car - Tesla Sedan

The Model S opens a new chapter in automotive history. Tesla Motors is the Silicon Valley start-up that jump-started the electric car industry with its 2 seat superfast electric Roadster that began selling in 2008.

The Model S is a 4-door sedan that has beautiful austere styling with European influence. It is highly refined and highly sleek delivering an incredible CD of 0.26, on an aluminum chassis with a total curb weight of 4000 pounds.

Tesla points out that both the drivetrain and battery are floor-mounted. This creates two special opportunities. It allows the hood to function as a second trunk and the battery pack the capability of being quickly swapped out, should charging infrastructure go in that direction.

There are also three on-board charging options, 120V, 240V, and 440V with the latter allowing a charge within 45 minutes. Tesla states that this rapid charge feature could conceivably allow a driver to go across country if they could find rapid charging stations along the way, and charge up in as little time it takes to have a meal.

Three battery options will be available. The standard carries 160 miles of charge, and there are 230, and 300 mile versions.

The interior of the car is spacious too. It has seating for 7, and when the rear seats fold down, the car could carry both a 50 inch flat screen TV and a surfboard simultaneously. There is also a radical 17 inch pure LCD touchscreen instead of a console. This eliminates the use of buttons and since it is 3G enabled, allows the use of Google Maps, Internet radio and what is certain to be a myriad of other web-vehicle technologies. Drivers will be able to communicate with the car remotely via iPod too to check their state of charge.

The car is rear wheel drive and can do 0 to 60 in under 6 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. A sports edition will deliver performance well under 5 seconds, and the single gear transmission offers responsive handling. An all-wheel drive version is under development.

Pricing of the car is set at $57,400, which after government tax credit of $7500 brings the functional price down to $49,900.

Tesla is now taking orders online, and hopes to build 20,000 per year beginning in third quarter 2011. Production depends on $350 million in Department of Energy loans that the company expects to receive, which it requires to build the factory.

One can also order the car at Tesla's dealerships now in California and Chicago. Additional locations are expected in New York, Miami, Seattle, Washington DC, London, and Munich in 2009 and 2010.

Toyota Prius - A Fun Drive Hybrid.......

The Prius has been the mpg leader—a title it has earned yet again with its 2010 model. A low (0.25) coefficient of drag is where the efficiency starts, but the real secret is in the refinements to Toyota’s hybrid system. The 1.5-liter engine has been replaced with a torque-rich 1.8-liter unit that still operates with the late-intake-valveclosing Atkinson cycle. More low-end torque means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard. The hybrid system uses the same planetary continuously variable transmission (CVT) as before, but with a new twist. The main electric motor drive was downsized and produces less torque (153 lb-ft versus 295). But a reduction gearset that connects it to the gearbox allows that motor to spin faster. Consequently, it makes 80 peak hp, 13 more than before.

The nickel-metal-hydride battery pack has a more effective cooling system too, which allows peak output to rise from 25 kilowatts to 27. And now, finally, Prius owners can hit an EV button and cruise for about a mile locked in electric drive. On a recent test, the car delivered a thrifty 52 mpg in the city—even better than the EPA’s 51-mpg rating.

Toyota’s hybrid system remains the benchmark. But the tech extends beyond the drivetrain with optional solar ventilation, radar-based cruise control and intelligent parking. Yet it’s the driving dynamics that make the Toyota appealing to a wider audience. This is the first Prius that’s actually fun to drive.