Hasta La Gadget!

Another tasty electric race bike has been unveiled, this one with a lovely promo video — and an opportunity for you to ride one. It’s the eCRP 1.4, an evolution of the company’s 2010 eCRP 1.2 and poised for entry in the all-electric TTXGP series. This new bike offers two motors pumping out a combined 70hp and 89 lb-ft of torque and making a lovely sound you can hear for yourself in the video below. More interestingly you can rent one and hear it for yourself, hanging on for dear life around some of the best tracks the world has to offer. Cost? That’s between you and eCRP, of course, but we’re guessing it won’t be surprisingly affordable.

Continue reading The eCRP 1.4 electric race bike revealed, captured screaming around the track (video)

The eCRP 1.4 electric race bike revealed, captured screaming around the track (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW already has one of the shortest names on the auto front, but it’s about to get shorter. The company has just launched “i,” a sub-marque much like the company’s M cars but, rather than focusing on performance, highlighting new technology to create cars that are “good for us” while also being “good for our planet.” It’s what the company calls “premium mobility,” cars for daily commuting that will let you “enjoy the finer things in life” without killing the planet in the process. The first two cars are the i3 (formerly known as the Megacity) and the i8 (the auto formerly known as Vision EfficientDynamics), both of which are said to be as fun to drive as a current car but much more efficient thanks to composite construction and electrified powertrains.

Additionally, the company is also working with the My City Way apps, which cover 40 cities in the US and that many abroad, offering traffic cameras, POIs, and even public transit info — a little odd for a car company. The company is pledging that we’ll see these “born electric” cars in production by 2013 and coyly specifies that three is not the smallest number nor eight the largest, meaning we should expect other models to fill that gap — just like the company’s current alphanumeric lineup. We’ll surely be learning more about these cars at Geneva in a few weeks, and if you think BMW is just being trendy using the lower-case i moniker, it did launch its iDrive controller back in September of 2001 — a month before the iPod really made “i” super trendy.

BMW launches new ‘i’ brand focused on electrification, lower-case letters originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you have the money to consider owning a Rolls, we doubt you’re worried about gasoline, but that hasn’t stopped the manufacturer from finally electrifying its Spirit of Ecstasy. Two years after teasing a fully-electric Phantom, Rolls-Royce has built the car for real, a one-off prototype it’s dubbed the 102EX, or Phantom Experimental Electric. You won’t be able to buy one, though, no matter your estate, as rather than produce the vehicle Rolls is taking it on a world tour to gauge the reaction of the luxury automobile community. First stop: the Geneva Motor Show on March 1st, where the company will reveal the vehicle’s full technical specs. While you wait, you’re welcome to peruse the entirely unhelpful video teaser and modestly useful press release after the break.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce electrifies Phantom sedan, tests the waters of luxury (video)

Rolls-Royce electrifies Phantom sedan, tests the waters of luxury (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know electric cars are in the ascendancy when even the fearsome 4x4s start looking to add an extra little spark to their energy production and storage. Land Rover has just announced it’ll demo one — there are multiple working versions — of its development prototypes at the Geneva Motor Show next month, treating us to an exhibition of what a diesel engine can do when augmented with some electric firepower. The Range_e’s design is based on the Range Rover Sport and its 3.0-liter TDV6 core, however the new vehicle is capable of going a full 20 miles purely on its electric charge and touts a whopping 690-mile range altogether. Let’s hope Geneva shows enough interest in the Range_e to compel Land Rover to turn it into a commercial reality.

Land Rover develops Range_e hybrid, will show it off at the Geneva Motor Show originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota has been showing off an electric vehicle concept based on its iQ ultra-compact for a couple of years now, but it looks like it’s finally worked up enough confidence to actually put it into production. The first step down that road will occur at the Geneva Motor Show next month, where Toyota will show off a “near-production” prototype of its iQ EV (not necessarily the actual name), which is apparently much like its FT-EV concept, but with an improved lithium-ion battery pack that promises a range of 105 kilometers (or 65 miles) on a single charge. Assuming all goes as planned, the car will then be put into production following some additional testing later this year, and Toyota will reportedly begin leasing it to consumers at some point in 2012 — Europe seems to be first in line for the car, but it will apparently be headed to North America as well.

Toyota to show off iQ EV prototype, put it into production next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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