Hasta La Gadget!

Following the footsteps of other tiny electric vehicles such as the SmartCar ForTwo and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Honda has unveiled its very own miniature car called the MC-β (That’s MC-beta to you and me). It looks to be a refinement of the company’s line of “micro commuters” and is designed to comply with the “micro-sized mobility products” category that’s currently the trend in Japan and Europe (Indeed, it would fit in the latter’s L7 motorcycle category). Meant for eco-friendly short trips around the city, the MC-beta is built on top of a lightweight yet rigid frame and only measures 2,495 x 1,280 x 1,545 mm all around, which is about 90cm shorter than the typical mini car. The release states it has a 3.3 meter minimum turning radius, a maximum range of 80km or so when fully charged, and speeds of more than 70 km/h. As for charging time, the teensy quadricycle takes less than seven hours to get fully juiced with a 100V outlet and less than three with a 200V one. Field tests will begin in Japan this month, so we wouldn’t expect this in showrooms any time soon. Sure, you won’t have room for too much luggage, but at least the MC-beta won’t have to resort to funky folding techniques to park in a tight spot.

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Source: Honda

Palo Alto is an ideal place for electric vehicles when it’s full of wealthy, tech-savvy executives. It only makes sense, then, that the city council has voted in favor of a proposal requiring that new homes include wiring for speedy Level 2 EV chargers. The mandate should add less than $200 to a home’s price, and could represent a bargain for future residents — they’d have to pay four times more for a retrofit, Mayor Greg Scharff says. Established locals may also catch a break, as the council wants to simplify the process of getting an EV charger permit. The moves aren’t very bold — many in the area could buy a Model S with spare change — but they may start a trend that spreads to less affluent regions.

[Image credit: Steve Jurvetson, Flickr]

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Via: VentureBeat

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, Qualcomm has come out to announce that it’ll be bringing its Halo wireless charging technology to the first-ever Formula E electric vehicle race next year. But before y’all get too excited, only the safety cars will be equipped with Halo for the first season, which goes from September 2014 to June 2015 in London, Rome, Berlin, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles and many more places.

As with these safety cars plus trial vehicles from London taxi firm Addison Lee, the current-gen Halo requires electric vehicles to stay still on large charging pads, which isn’t ideal for racing cars. That said, Qualcomm CMO Anand Chandrasekher told us that his folks are already looking into bringing dynamic charging to racing cars starting in the second season. In other words, these battery-powered vehicles will eventually be able to recharge while still running on the race track!

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What good is an EV racing league like Formula E if there’s no way to watch it? Not much, which is why the FIA has reached a deal making Fox Sports the official Formula E broadcaster. The agreement gives Fox a US exclusive for TV coverage as well as a mixture of exclusive and non-exclusive rights (including online content) in over 80 regions. We won’t know if Fox is truly ready for the job until the first Formula E race begins in September 2014, but it won’t be hard to tune in.

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Source: Formula E

BMW’s i3 concept has been kicking around for quite awhile, and so far we’ve seen the carbon fiber chassis, a you-wish prototype, many of the specs and even the price. All that remained was to see an actual car, and BMW has finally pulled the covers off of it today. The $41,350 (US pricing) vehicle will run for 80-100 miles on a charge while going from 0 to 60 MPH in seven seconds, thanks to the 22kWh battery, 170-horsepower electric motor and relatively slight 2,600 pound heft. If you opt to pay $45,200, you’ll be able to nearly double the range, thanks to an optional 34-horsepower two-cylinder backup motor. That’s pricier than the $39,145 Chevy Volt (which also has a backup gas motor), but BMW has equally high hopes for its premiere EV. It launched a dedicated sales channel for the i3 and future i-branded EVs, and even created a division dedicated to creating mobile apps for such cars. It’ll arrive in Europe in November and we’ll see it stateside during the second quarter of next year. Check the source or video after the break for more.

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Source: BMW (International), (USA)