FRITZ Henderson, the new chief executive of General Motors (GM), says his company has to reinvent itself very quickly. US President Barack Obama exhorts American carmakers to regain the lead and make fuel-efficient vehicles. Washington provides US$2.4 billion to develop advanced electric-powered vehicles and a better battery. And Michigan gives tax incentives of half a billion dollars, including US$200 million for advanced batteries, to invigorate the auto capital.
Will all this spark an auto revolution in the United States? For GM, the situation has to be bittersweet, after stopping production of…Â Details
Twenty-three electric motorcycles will line up for the start of the world’s first zero-emissions grand prix, a 37-mile dash around the famed Isle of Man that’s drawn riders no less impressive than the machinery.
Eighteen teams have answered the challenge thrown down by British entrepreneur Azhar Hussain, who founded the TTXGP motorcycle race to prove going green doesn’t mean going slow. Teams will descend on the Isle of Man – home of one of the oldest and most storied races in all of motorsports – from as far away as India for the June 12 event.
“We are thrilled with the high level of interest the TTXGP has generated globally, and the superb quality of the teams that will be involved,” Hussain said in a statement.
The bulk of the teams come from the United States and the U.K, but other countries we’ll see on the grid include India, Germany, Austria and, of course, the Isle of Man… Details, pictures, teams and riders
Cars like the million dollar Porsche Carrera GT and Ferrari Enzo are rightly considered supercars with their lightweight carbon fiber construction and 650 hp (477 kw) thoroughbred mid mounted engines making them capable of 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. The amazing thing is that electric vehicles like the 250 hp (183 kw) Tesla Roadster, which produce 100% instant torque from zero rpm, can accelerate to 60 mph in the exact same time, and at costs as low as $0.02 per mile. Paul Evans takes a look at the leading lights of this new breed of speed demon – the top 5 fastest Electric Vehicles in the world.
The two aforementioned supercars are officially rated at around 12 mpg (19.6L/100km) in city driving, depending on your local fuel price, meaning it could cost as much as $40 in fuel to drive 100km. An EV with similar performance will travel the same distance on just $1.20 worth of electricity ($0.60 in charged over night at off-peak rates). That’s not just a slight improvement, that’s a huge leap forward.
As an answer to those who say e-cars will never take off because their range is limited, this isn’t at all bad. A Tesla Roadster managed to cover 241 miles on a single charge while taking part in the Rallye Monte Carlo d’Energies Alternatives.
Organised by the Automobile Club of Monaco, the annual rally is open to cars powered by just about any ‘alternative’ fuel source, such as LPG, ethanol or even petrol-powered hybrid drives.
The rally course runs 390km (241 miles) from the town of Valance in France to the Principality of Monaco and covers a mixture of trunk roads, motorways and single-carriageway roads that wind through the mountains.
This year’s all-electric entrants included a Ruf-modified Porsche 911 and a handful of Mitsubishi iMiEVs but…Â Details
FRITZ Henderson, the new chief executive of General Motors (GM), says his company has to reinvent itself very quickly. US President Barack Obama exhorts American carmakers to regain the lead and make fuel-efficient vehicles. Washington provides US$2.4 billion to develop advanced electric-powered vehicles and a better battery. And Michigan gives tax incentives of half a billion dollars, including US$200 million for advanced batteries, to invigorate the auto capital.