BMW Hybrid cars: Top performance, stylish and economical

High performance and economical is not something you hear together when you are talking about cars. Well, BMW offers three varieties of hybrid cars offering the same exciting top performance and quality which we associate with the BMW brand, along with reduction in fuel consumption and reduced emissions.

When the first hybrid cars came out, I guess the design and styling was not what the car manufacturers had in mind – they simply looked horrendous. Thankfully that’s changing now as we can see from the range of sexy designs being launched annually. The BMW ActiveHybrid models across their popular 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series range are among the best looking hybrids available in the market now.

3 Series ActiveHybrid Sedan

The BMW ActiveHybrid 3 is the World’s first BMW full hybrid compact executive saloon and available as a Sport, Luxury or M Sport model. Prices for the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 in the UK starts from £42,145.

As for the technical specs, the ActiveHybrid 3 is powered by a Turbo six cylinder 3 litre (2979cc) VALVETRONIC with Double-VANOS direct injection, in-line petrol engine with a max output of 306hp (let me catch my breath). The engine is mated with BMW's eight-speed automatic transmission. The car stores and draws power when required from a lithium-ion high-performance battery. The electric engine comes on for silent urban driving for approx 1-2 miles with a maximum speed of 37mph. It also automatically recognises when the car is going up a gradient and the boost functions comes on automatically to support the combustion engine. The car also charges by itself when it is going downhill.

5 Series ActiveHybrid

The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 powertrain is very similar to that of the BMW ActiveHybrid 3. I have always had a soft spot for the 5 Series models - neither too small nor too large. Just the right size. The ActiveHybrid 5 is significantly more economical and with reduced CO2 emissions. Prices in the UK start from £47,790.

7 Series ActiveHybrid

The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 is squarely aimed at those with a taste for luxury but also want to do their bit for the environment. The car is powered by a 3 litre TwinPower Turbo V8 engine. The car features a 0.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. You have the choice of several options to personalise your BMW ActiveHybrid 7 including a choice of paint finishes and extensive range of alloy wheels.

M Sport package

Pictured is the optional 20" M light-alloy wheels in double-spoke design for the M Sport model. Prices for the BMW ActiveHybrid 7 start from £66,200.

There are actually several hybrid cars offered by other manufacturers available in the market and many of them cheaper than the BMW models. However, they simply cannot match the performance of the BMW ActiveHybrid models. And when it comes to design and styling, the BMW cars are heads above the competition.

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Sponsored video: Toyota Dominoes - spirit of Toyota innovation

"A car company with a positive environmental effect" sounds like an oxymoron. Well Toyota is trying to show that this is not impossible with the launch of Toyota hybrid technology!

Their new Fuel cell vehicle (FCV) shows that cars can be eco-friendly.

In case you are wondering how a Fuel Cell Vehicle works, read on....
IN a FCV, the Fuel Cells generates electricity through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen to power the motor driving the vehicle. Hydrogen, which replaces conventional fuels (Petrol and Diesel) is an environment friendly energy source that can be produced from various raw materials. However, the most amazing thing in FCVs is that they have zero emissions or in other words, zero CO2 emissions during operation.

The dominoes picking themselves up in this clip captures the essence of the spirit of Toyota innovation.



Explore Toyota's Global website to learn more and watch more videos on their YouTube page.

This post is sponsored by Toyota, but all of the thoughts are our own.

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Can you power cars using AA batteries

What did you think of the post "Clubbing together for an electric revolution!" yesterday?

I am sure most of you must have realised that it was a spoof post.

"LipraLoof" is an anagram of APRILFOOLS

Unfortunately, you can't power cars using AA batteries yet.

Happy April Fools Day

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World Premiere of the BMW i3

The BMW i3 was launched today simultaneously in New York City, London and Beijing.

It is the first purpose-built plug-in electric production vehicle to be made primarily from carbon fiber.

Watch it here:




http://www.live.bmwgroup.com

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How are cars made - a look at the Tesla factory

Video gives us a glimpse into how the Tesla model S is manufactured in their factory using specialised robots.

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Toyota Auris Hybrid ad

Early preview of the new Toyota Auris Hybrid TV ad.

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Car that runs on water

Car that runs only on water from Japanese company Genepax.

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GE Joins Hands with Nissan

GE and Nissan has announced a joint, two-year R&D collaboration to speed up the creation of a reliable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles like the Nissan LEAF.



They plan to focus their resources on two key research areas:

1. integrating electric vehicles with homes and buildings and
2. investigating EV charging dynamics and the future impact on the electricity grid once millions of EVs are on the road.

I found it really interesting to learn that 25 percent of the world’s electricity is generated or distributed by equipment designed and made by GE,;

For more information read the complete GE Report.

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Results of the Largest Electric Vehicle Trial

Late 2009, I wrote a post "Electric cars tested in the UK" about CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators) - the UK’s largest study into long-term low carbon vehicle use.



The results of the test were released by researchers in Aston university, Birmingham last month. Their press release says among others:

• ..that in spite of initial scepticism surrounding the capability of electric vehicles and concerns over range ‘anxiety’, they are more than capable of meeting the needs of drivers that require efficient urban transportation.

• most journeys undertaken (77%) lasted less than 20 minutes and only 2% used more than 50% of the battery

• electric vehicle users are not motivated to replenish their vehicle’s battery by reaching a particular point of depletion; rather they are driven by convenience and with data showing the vehicles are parked for 97.2% of the time (23.3 hours each day) it is apparent that there is ample opportunity for them to be plugged-in.

More details can be found on the CABLED site.

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Toyota Advanced Technology Vehicle Display

­Little Tokyo Design Week: Future City announces the Toyota Advanced Technology Vehicle Display. The event will be held this coming July 14-17 in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, California).

They plan to exhibit the Prius Plug-in, the RAV4 EV battery-electric vehicle and the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid.

The range of the Prius Plug-in is approximately 13 miles (at speeds up to 60 mph). The compact Lithium-ion battery can be fully recharged quite fast - in 3 hours on 110 volts and 1.7
hours on 220 volts. The best part is that when the EV power is depleted, the Plug-in performs like a
conventional Prius.

Toyota plans to launch the car for sale in the first half of 2012 in the US.

The RAV4 EV is a joint project with aims to develop an electric version of the RAV4 with the intent to bring a RAV4 EV to market in 2012.

Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle fleet has logged several million miles since hitting the road in 2002, with significant technological improvements along the way. Toyota's current FCHV-adv
nationwide demonstration program is placing more than 100 vehicles with demonstration partners by 2013, providing one of the largest fleets of active fuel cell vehicles in the country.

The primary goal of the demonstration program is to spur infrastructure development prior to fuel cell vehicle market introduction in 2015.

For more information, visit the ­Little Tokyo Design Week site.

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Only green cars allowed in cities

The European Commission plans to gradually phase out ‘conventionally fueled’ vehicles from cities here. According to the new set of transportation plans adopted by the Commission cities here will cut down in half the number of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and completely remove them by 2050.

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The Electric Car Wars

Edited from the press release by Dr Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx

Toyota announced today that their global cumulative sales of hybrid vehicles have reached 3.03 million worldwide. They entered the market with the Coaster Hybrid bus in August 1997 followed by the original Prius in December of the same year. 

The Toyota Prius, now made in still drives almost all of its hybrid car sales. It is now joined by the hybrid version of the Auris, global production being in the UK. Other electric versions of all its car models are being rapidly introduced. Toyota is not very keen on pure electric cars at present levels of battery performance and focusses on the hybrid versions of their model.

Many car companies only realised the potential too late and the only way they had a chance of competing with Toyota from a position a long way behind, was to form alliances with other car companies. 

Now the BMW cooperation with PSA Peugeot Citroen is being solidified into a 50:50 joint venture, functioning in the second quarter, to share the formidable cost of developing hybrid powertrains and seek early volume.

Before that, Daimler AG, bought 10% of Tesla, and developed electric Smart and Mercedes models. They have struck a partnership with Renault Nissan to develop small cars, notably pure electric ones. Renault Nissan also partners with Mitsubishi on this. Mitsubishi promises electric versions of all new car models. Like Nissan and Fiat, it seems to prefer the pure electric small car route.

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New Honda Civic concepts

Honda unveiled the ninth-generation Civic concepts at the North American International Auto Show in in Detroit, Michigan.

This two new cars are the Civic Si Concept coupe and the Civic Concept sedan. They will come as hybrid and natural-gas variants. The new Civic hybrid will feature a lithium ion battery cell, the first ever for a Honda hybrid.

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A Green Car Featured in London Science Museum

Countless people have taken a peep at the transport of the future after a new hydrogen fuel-cell powered car proved to be the star of the show at London’s Science Museum this winter.

The new car built by manufacturer, Riversimple has been on display in the museum’s new gallery "atmosphere.... exploring climate science". It is thought that the two-seater vehicle could be on British roads within two years.

Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple said: “Many of the most iconic pieces of machinery in our island’s history are in the Science Museum and this is a tremendous honour for us. The new industrial revolution, in which we move from fossil fuel dependency to a sustainable economy, is underway and we are proud that our contribution has been recognised.”

The cars which have a top speed of 50 miles per hour and can go 200 miles on one tank of hydrogen, were first road tested in 2010. It is hoped that they will officially be on British roads by 2012.

The car, which weighs about 350kg, can recapture its own motion energy when braking, providing 80% of the power needed for acceleration. The only waste produced by the car is a few drops of water.

As part of plans to create a sustainable vehicle for use in cities Riversimple, which has so far spent £3 million developing the technology and the car, will lease the vehicles rather than sell them.

Drivers will pay approximately £200 a month and then 15p a mile as part of a business model similar to a mobile phone contract.
Riversimple hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on long journeys. By 2020, it plans to have tens of thousands of the cars of British roads.

Green cars are capturing the public's interest in a large scale. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to consider buying a used car. Compared to a new car, it has a much lower footprint of grey energy. Even though producing new cars has become much more efficient these days, it still consumes huge amounts of resources.

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Jaguar CX - 75

One of the major complaints about electric cars is that they are so ugly looking and slow. The G-Wiz is often the butt of so many jokes, Jeremy Clarkson in particular like to make fun of the car.

Anyway, the new breed of electric cars are changing people's perception of electric cars. They look sexy and are fast.

I blogged about the Jaguar CX - 75 concept some time back. Here are some pictures of this sexy car from Jaguar.

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First Leaf electric car goes to Nashville family

According to a news report, a family in Nashville, Tennessee, US, has become the first family to receive keys to the much talked about full electric car - the Nissan Leaf. This car won the Car of the year 2011 - the World's first electric car to win this award.



Actually the report might be wrong because the first person to get the Leaf in the US is Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, the official spokesperson of Nissan Leaf.

The Leaf will be available in the UK in March next year and will cost £23990 after the £5000 Govt. discount.

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Rise of the Electric Vehicles - the IDTechEx electric vehicle event in San Jose, California

The inaugural IDTechEx electric vehicle event in San Jose, California was a great success and it will now be repeated annually in three continents. The range of different electric vehicles on display was fascinating such as a Hawkes Ocean Technologies submarine, a 200 mph silent Formula One Racing car from Kleenspeed, etc.

BMW, Nissan and Fiat provided fascinating views and announcements as well. Detailed market statistics for all types of electric vehicle were shared at the event.

Professor Pietro Perlo of Fiat Central Research insisted that, for maximum benefits, vehicles must be "born electric". He is developing small pure electric cars because they have the clearest business case, being lower cost, not just non-polluting at point of use. However, he is cautious about the first generation in-wheel motors. Others are using them confidently.

On-road vehicle makers shun third generation traction batteries such as lithium sulfur, fearing for safety, but they are already used in electric aircraft and military off road vehicles. 1kWh/kg is achieved with lithium air and lithium water, where carbonate based electrolytes have proved a dead end. Presenter PolyPlus Battery Company claimed to have cracked this problem, having moved on from lithium sulfur focus. Indeed, with its compliant seal, its batteries are pressure tolerant for EVs at great depths under the ocean and rival the energy density of gasoline. 1 kWh/liter and 600 wh/kg are being targeted under a recent ARPA-E grant. This work and that of Sion Energy on lithium sulfur target 300 miles affordable range for pure electric land and air vehicles. Toyota and IBM recognise that here is the future. Meanwhile, 1.3 kWh/kg and 700 Wh/liter has been achieved with a damage tolerant lithium water battery for marine use that has no self-discharge. A pilot line is planned next.

Future of Electric Vehicles Europe will take place in June 2011 in Munich, Germany. Visit www.idtechex.com/evEurope for more info

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A little green van called ELVIN

Electric cars do not have an internal combustion engine - which is great for the environment. However, this means that they are amazingly silent. This brings up some unique safety issues. People can't hear the cars coming up behind them.

To find a solution to this problem, a research project in the University of Warwick is using a green van called ELVIN (Electric Vehicle with Interactive Noise) which emits different sounds to see how people perceive the sounds.

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More good news for the British auto industry

Following the news of Jaguar Land Rover announcing a net profit and re-entry of Lotus into F1, there is more good news for the British auto industry.

The British Government recently announced £381 mil. support for Ford motor and Nissan and has extended a £20.7 mil. grant to Nissan. Nissan plans to manufacture their Leaf electric car for the European car market at it's plant in Sunderland here in the UK.

Nissan Leaf at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show: Tennen-Gas

For your info, the Leaf is a five-seater hatchback and said to have a range of 100 miles with top speed of more than 90 mph.

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Green Ferrari

Never thought I would hear the two words "Ferrari" and "Green" together but as they say ...

Ferrari recently unveiled their the 599 GTB Fiorano, their HY-KERS vettura laboratorio (experimental vehicle) at the Geneva Motor Show. The car features a electric motor mated with a V12 petrol engine. The electric motor powers the power steering, power-assisted brakes, air conditioning and on-board systems.

According to Ferrari the vehicle reduces CO2 emissions on the ECE + EUDC combined cycle by 35 per cent.

More info here.

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