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Continue reading Toyota demos Prius’ proximity notification system, touts ‘futuristic’ purr (video)

Toyota demos Prius’ proximity notification system, touts ‘futuristic’ purr (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yearning for an EV that can fit within your budget? You may not have to wait too long, according a group of engineers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), who are aiming to halve plug-in manufacturing costs by 2018. It’s all part of something called Competence E — a €200 million ($273 million) initiative that will draw upon the expertise of 250 scientists from 25 different institutes, in the hopes of creating new and more cost-effective methods of producing power trains and batteries. Under the publicly funded project, which was announced at last week’s International Motor Show, KIT’s researchers will construct a “research factory” where they’ll develop and demonstrate their processes and technologies. According to project leader Andreas Gutsch, the idea isn’t to create concepts that could bear fruit a few decades down the road, but to develop more pragmatic solutions that can be integrated at the industrial level within a relatively short time frame. “We are no longer focused on studying individual molecules or components, but on developing solutions on the system level, which meet industrial requirements,” Gutsch told Science|Business. “We are actively approaching industry and will even intensify these efforts…We are conducting excellent research for application, not for the drawer.” A full 50 engineers will begin working on Competence E next year, with the project scheduled to wrap up by 2018. Purr past the break for more details, in the full press release.

Continue reading German engineers want to halve EV manufacturing costs by 2018, seem confident about it

German engineers want to halve EV manufacturing costs by 2018, seem confident about it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the Tesla Roadster‘s tenure drawing to a close and a proper two-seat replacement seemingly just a twinkle in Peter Rawlinson‘s eye at this point, there’s something of a coming void in the world of the electric supercar. Artega would love to fill that with the SE. It’s an all-electric version of the company’s GT supercar, and while the GT will not see a release on American shores, we got confirmation from Artega that the battery-powered SE will — eventually. The 375 horsepower motor drives the car to 62MPH in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 126.5. Maximum range is 172 miles, but drive the car “more enthusiastically” and you can expect a more realistic 124.

The car was announced earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show and here in Frankfurt we were able to spend a few minutes ogling its curves in a variety of interesting colors, including one model with a cut-away fender showing off the positioning of some of the 16 battery modules. 12 of those are scattered around the rear of the car, while four are up front, giving the car a rearward-biased 40:60 weight distribution. Cost is said to be 150,000 euro, or about $207,000. That’s nearly twice the cost of a Roadster. Worth it? We’ll see.

Artega SE electric supercar is coming to the US, we go eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fisker Karma pushes deliveries back again as it awaits federal emissions certification originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi isn’t the only one with a tiny little EV with exposed wheels at Frankfurt this year. Parent company Volkswagen has one too, but this is even smaller. It’s called the Nils and it’s designed for commuters in the “world of tomorrow” — commuters who will be very thin and, apparently, short. Big people just don’t fit well into this tiny thing, but if you’re of modest size or below this could be an interesting little ride. It has only 34-horsepower (25kW) available from a rear-mounted electric motor, but since it weighs just 1,000-pounds (460kg) that should make for some peppy commutes — of less than 40 miles (65 kilometers), which is the maximum range here. More details after the break.

Continue reading Volkswagen Nils concept has an HTC Desire HD dashboard, seats one Engadget editor

Volkswagen Nils concept has an HTC Desire HD dashboard, seats one Engadget editor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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