Hasta La Gadget!

There are two ways to make a car go faster, add power or subtract weight, and Porsche has done a little bit of both to its new 911 GT3 R hybrid racer in preparation for this year’s Nürburgring 24-hour race. Porsche took last year’s version, put it on a 50kg diet, and bumped the output of each of the car’s two KERS-powered front-wheel electric motors by 21hp (giving drivers 202 ‘lectric horses and 480 of the ICE variety for a pavement-melting 682hp total). The boys from Stuttgart hope the Jenny Craig routine will improve performance, fuel economy, and the car’s chances of winning the endurance event in June. The hybrid-drive technology — originally sourced from Williams’ F1 cars — made an appearance in the firm’s 918 RSR hybrid and is largely unchanged from the 2010 model. Unfortunately, this is a racing-only situation, what with the KERS flywheel riding shotgun, but we’re sure one of the hundreds of other technologically-inclined 911 variants will sate your need for speed.

Porsche gives 911 GT3 R hybrid more power, less weight — swears it wasn’t fat or anything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s an unfortunate lack of details on this one at the moment, but it looks like BMW has something a little special in store for China at the Shanghai Motor Show next month. It will be showing off its new 5 Series “New Energy Vehicle,” a plug-in hybrid that, as previously suggested, will be exclusive to the Chinese market. That will presumably be somewhat similar to the company’s ActiveHybrid 5 concept pictured above, which it first showed off last year but still hasn’t put into production. As Motor Authority notes, however, the New York Auto Show actually coincides with the Shanghai show, so there’s a chance that BMW could be set to provide an update on the ActiveHybrid 5, or possibly introduce a North American counterpart to the New Energy Vehicle.

BMW promises 5 Series ‘New Energy Vehicle’ for China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grainy pictures are pretty neat, but spy videos of an unreleased car in motion are a little more titillating. That’s what we have this morning, video of the BMW i8 concept car motoring around in the snow — flanked by a series of rather more pedestrian Bavarian autos. The i8 is the auto formerly known as Vision EfficientDynamics, name shortened but concept kept the same: 62MPG from a vehicle that’s still fun to drive and reasonably quick — 0 to 62 in 4.8 seconds. The quality of the footage is perhaps a little low, but if anything that just adds to the excitement.

Continue reading BMW i8 prototype caught on video having fun in the snow

BMW i8 prototype caught on video having fun in the snow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It isn’t exactly the hottest hybrid we’ve ever seen, Porsche’s ludicrous 918 RSR still takes that crown, but the Veritas RSIII Roadster Hybrid is certainly no wheezy commuter. It’s a tiny, open-topped racer that features a 507HP V10 from BMW that’s been paired with a 105kW motor to spin the front wheels. It’s much the same arrangement of the Porsche, again relying on a KERS flywheel to generate electricity that’s stored in a Li-ion battery pack, which can also be charged separately. The car can actually limp around for up to 31 miles powered by just that front motor, but when both sources of thrust are called upon the sled gets to 62MPH in 3.1 seconds, as fast as a 911 Turbo S, and it’ll keep on going until the speedo hits 205 — or the car hits something immovable. No word on price or availability, but there is a version with a roof coming this summer, and a fully-electric model due in 2013.

Veritas RSIII Roadster Hybrid melds plug-in tech with 600HP originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember how at the end of last year the US legislature decided to make it mandatory for EVs to churn out an audible noise while in motion? It was all in the name of saving pesky pedestrians from getting in the way of your gliding electro-car, but the new law itself has managed to create a bump in the road for at least one company. Hyundai’s Sonata Hybrid was all set to launch in late 2010, equipped with a “virtual engine sound” system that the user could toggle on and off, however the government’s request that it be kept permanently on required modifications to the vehicle’s wiring harnesses, UI software and user manuals, delaying its debut into late January. These tweaks had to be done “amazingly late in the process,” according to Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik, but the delay will at least ensure that all of Hyundai’s Sonatas will sound the same. Which is something, we guess.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was delayed into 2011… by ‘virtual engine sound’ system originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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