Hasta La Gadget!

With gas prices topping $4.50 per gallon in some parts of the country, a car that costs a fraction of a penny per mile to drive (and looks like it belongs on the road) is sure to get our attention. The 275-pound, 2,200MPG Celeritas appears to be the closest we’ve come to having a solar-powered car that could one day take to the streets, however, which explains why the vehicle scored first prize in the Urban Concept category in this year’s Shell Eco-marathon. While it can only transport a single person (the driver), the car includes headlights, taillights, a trunk and even backup cameras. Notably absent from this version are air conditioning and a license plate — the latter of which would (naturally) be required before the car becomes street legal. The Purdue University design team chose “Celeritas” (Latin for “swiftness”) as the name for this soon-to-be-street-legal roadster, though in a category that’s notorious for slower vehicles, we wouldn’t expect the prototype to fly past us in the fast lane. Perhaps we can get Celeritas and IVy together for some alone time before we’re dropping Hamiltons for a gallon of regular?

Purdue’s Celeritas car scores 2,200MPG from the sun, wins Shell Eco-marathon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Los Angeles pilot program offers up to $2,000 off EV charging stations

Los Angeles pilot program offers up to $2,000 off EV charging stations originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wheego has, at long last, let its first $32,995, 100-mile range LiFe electric two-seater loose on the public, and added another cute little electric car to the US EV collective. By either stroke-of-luck or sheer coincidence (no way is it intentional), the first of the breed was delivered today, otherwise known as Earth Day, to a couple of lucky owners in the ATL. Good to see Dixieland drivers (who often prefer something with a lift kit and Super Swampers to fuel-efficient subcompacts) bringing cleaner motoring to the derrrty South.

Couple in Atlanta finally gets a LiFe, courtesy of Wheego originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Nissan announced the Leaf RC we, naturally, were expecting a little radio controlled version of the battery-electric sedan that’s making its way to driveways now — slowly. We certainly didn’t expect a race version of the thing, but that’s what Nissan created, and now here it is at the New York International Auto Show, sitting on a turntable and spinning away. In fact you could envision that spinning stretching it out. It’s rather… longer than the stock Leaf. In fact, it really looks nothing at all like the stock car, but if it did it’d be all the more strange on the track than this long, low, spread-out, carbon fiber wedge. They are at least both pure electrics and both painted blue, though under the cerulean lights here just about everything is looking decidedly cool. Okay, so 107HP, a top speed of 93MPH, and a maximum duration of just 20 minutes on the track will hardly see this winning any WTCC races, but with a weight of just 2,068 pounds (some 700 less than a Tesla Roadster) we’d certainly take one for a spin — even if it were a short one.

Nissan Leaf Nismo RC all-electric race car eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electric vehicles may have that instant torque thing going for them, but they’re still a bit behind when it comes to giving heart palpitations to those diehard petrolheads. Hoping to change that perception, Nissan is setting up to unveil a brand new concept vehicle, dubbed the Leaf Nismo RC (that stands for Racing Competition, not “radio-controlled”), which strips the one-size-fits-all Leaf down to its constituent elements. The drivetrain is still 100 percent electric, however it’s now powering the rear wheels instead of the front, while things like the rear seats, trunk, audio system, carpeting, and navigation have been completely removed. A carbon fiber chassis helps the Nismo RC keep weight down to 2,068 pounds (938kg), equivalent to just 60 percent of the original Leaf’s heft. Yes, the Leaf is now lighter! In performance terms, you’re looking at a car that can hit 62mph within 6.85 seconds, max out the speedometer at 93mph, and last a terrifying 20 minutes under racing conditions. This prototype vehicle will debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show and will thereafter help Nissan research better aerodynamics and, presumably, slightly better energy efficiency.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf Nismo RC swaps basic comforts for a carbon fiber body and some racing good looks

Nissan Leaf Nismo RC swaps basic comforts for a carbon fiber body and some racing good looks originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 07:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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