The Geneva Motor Show is the best way to see what the international automobile industry is doing. This year, alternative energy takes a big step forward.
There are car shows, and then there are car shows. While Detroit is the mass-produced, mass-available car show, others lean towards different aims. The Geneva Motor Show is all about international. If you want to know what is happening on this globe in the automotive industry, then the Geneva Motor Show is the place to go or follow.
Alternative Energy At Geneva. Alternative energy cars are taking a certain stage. The Geneva Motor Show allows you to glimpse in one event what the international automobile world of is up to.
BMW i3 & i8. No doubt here the Bavarian traditional car maker is battling hard to place itself as one of tomorrow’s electric drive leader. The BMW i3 Concept Coupe will celebrate its European premiere in Geneva with its BMW i8 Concept Spyder sister. With its all electric i3, now with an “extended range” option via a BMW motorcycle, flat-two engine below its trunk, the little i3 in either version will surely win over a few of the diehard clientele. Once you drive an electric car, you get it. See our; BMW Brings i3 and i8 To The U.S.
http://www.torquenews.com/1079/bmw-brings-i3-and-i8-us
Land Rover Now Electric! Yes, as surprising as it might seem, the lovingly decidedly not green SUV you can bring anywhere is now turning a new leaf, a green one that is. Land Rover is showing its E Defender. The SUV is powered by a 94-hp electric motor with 447 lb-ft of torque resting on the automaker’s Advanced Engineering Team.
VW Bets Electric And More. Two interesting VW alternative energy vehicles, a commercial vehicle, the e-Co-Motion concept electric vehicle has a modular battery configuration that allow up to 124 mile range electric vehicle. Its 50 kW (68 hp) and its maximum power of 85 kW (115 hp) gives it a maximum torque of 270 Nm with a top speed of 75 mph. Also, the XL1 Turbo Diesel Plug-In Hybrid is ready for production with a 0.186 aerodynamics coefficient drag for a total weight of only 1,750 pounds. Using a tiny 47 horsepower 0.8-liter two-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine mated to a 20-kilowatt (27-hp) electric motor and a 7-speed automated dual-clutch transmission, the XL1 achieves 261 MPG on the European test cycle.
Mitsubishi 20% Alternative. Can Mitsubishi achieve 20% alternative energy cars by 2020? With these two appealing concepts, the Concept GR-HEV resting on the company’s next generation hybrid drivetrain making use of the company's Super Select 4WD (SS4) and S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) systems at the same time with a 2.5L diesel engine mated to an electric motor. The Concept CA-MiEV reviews aerodynamics with this new design giving the car a potential 186 mile range with its 80 kilowatt (107 horsepower) electric motor and its 28 kWh lithium-ion battery. Mitsubishi says the idea is to take electric cars beyond the urban environment.
Toyota i-Road Concept. Yes, Toyota who still claims despite otherwise evidence that the electric car is not ready, clientele neither and technology years away is also presenting a fascinating concept for tomorrow’s urban commute, the Toyota i-Road concept is nothing new per se but presents it in a more palpable and realistic way. Think of the Renault Twizzy meets the Piaggio three wheel active tilting mechanism and you get it. With little power, shy of 5 horsepower, the small electric battery pack provides 30 miles with two 2 kW electric motors.
Here are a few of the more interesting things you can see with alternative energy vehicles at the Geneva Motor Show now.