Electric

The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car is the start of a new era for Jaguar.  This is a production preview of the Jaguar I-PACE, which will be revealed next year and on the road in 2018. Jaguar’s engineering and design teams have torn up the rule book to create a bespoke electric architecture, matched with dramatic design. The result is a no-compromise smart, five seat sports car and a performance SUV in one.

McLaren Automotive has already revealed that one of the key strategies of its TRACK 22 business plan is the development of a Pure Electric Vehicle (or EV) to one day sit in its Ultimate Series. Meanwhile, a Pure EV based on today’s McLaren P1™ is now available but only to a limited group of potential customers … those under the age of six. At least that’s the official guidance. The diminutive McLaren P1™ differs from its larger brother in two important areas. Firstly, it has a central driving position, just like the iconic McLaren F1. Then secondly, the young will be able to experience what adults never could: an open-top McLaren P1™. Yet cleverly the design still retains McLaren’s signature dihedral doors. And like every McLaren, its acceleration is startling. The zero to maximum speed dash takes just two seconds.

Jaguar today announced its return to global motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, Jaguar will enter the third season of the exciting FIA Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team.  FIA Formula E is the world’s first global single-seater championship for electric powered cars. FIA Formula E offers a unique opportunity for Jaguar Land Rover to further the development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology.

Aston Martin is today showcasing a fully electric concept of its Rapide S four-door sports saloon outside Lancaster House in London – the venue for a meeting between Their Royal Highnesses Prince William, Duke of Cambridge; Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and President of The People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. The new RapidE concept has been developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering at its facility in Grove, Oxfordshire. It is on display today in support of a creative summit organised by the British government’s successful GREAT campaign to showcase the best of what the UK has to offer and encourage people to visit, do business, invest and study in this country. Aston Martin CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “We see luxury electric vehicles as an intrinsic part of our future product portfolio and welcome ChinaEquity into the next phase […]

James Bond is set to go electric as luxury British sports car maker Aston Martin took the wraps off a new hybrid beefed-up coupe. Codenamed DBX, the two-door 4×4 grand tourer aimed at wealthy families was a surprise unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show, where the world’s car bosses are meeting. Although the car unveiled is an all-electric 4×4 with four separate motors at each wheel, Aston Martin’s final production version is set to be a four-door hybrid petrol-electric hatchback crossover. This is aimed more at Mr and Mrs Bond and their children than the suave superspy alone. It is set to hit showrooms within three years priced at around £160,000 with the aim of widening the brand’s appeal to a much wider audience. It comes as a specially created DB10 car appears in the new 007 movie SPECTRE now […]

Jaguar–Land Rover is reportedly planning to jump on the EV bandwagon before the end of the decade. Company executives have not yet decided whether the upcoming EV will be introduced as a Jaguar or as a Land Rover. German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport says that the former is likely for marketing reasons, fueling speculation that the EV will be based on Jaguar’s upcoming F-Pace. Company executives have not yet decided whether the upcoming EV will be introduced as a Jaguar or as a Land Rover. German magazine Auto, Motor Und Sport says that the former is likely for marketing reasons, fueling speculation that the EV will be based on Jaguar’s upcoming F-Pace.Regardless of which emblem it ends up wearing, the EV will take the form of a relatively large SUV or crossover because those body styles offer more space […]

The MG Dynamo, a new and all-electric city car concept, was unveiled today. The MG Dynamo is based on parent company SAIC’s Roewe E50 city car sold in China. The car was on display at an exhibit of current and future tech at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The display has been timed to coincide with the Beijing motor show where the marque is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The Dynamo concept is said to encompass “the latest in design and engineering technology”. The car has been developed to assess demand for a small, electric MG in Europe. The concept was created by SAIC’s (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation) design and technical centre at Longbridge. MG Motor UK hasn’t revealed any details about the drivetrain, but conjecture is that it is likely to be similar to Rowe E50’s. Launched in China in January 2013, this […]

Speaking to Motortrade Insights Magazine, CEO of Liberty Electric Cars Ian Hobday said he plans to take an electric car across the length of the UK to showcase the exciting new technology. ‘I can tell you that there will be a vehicle that will do Land’s End to John O’ Groats on a single charge next year,’ he revealed. The distance of 1,000 miles would be four times that of the new BMW i3, which will be launched later this year. He also predicted the majority of electric cars will be able to travel 400 to 500 miles within three years as electric battery technology improves. Liberty Electric Cars is a UK company that is plotting to create cheaper electric vehicles with longer range by removing the need for rare earth metals from the battery system. Astonishingly, the brand is also looking […]

The electric version of a Rolls Royce Phantom presented by the British luxury car maker at this year’s 2011 Geneva Auto Show will not spawn any production version, at least not yet, according to the company’s CEO, Torsten Mueller-Oetvoe. In March, when the model was presented, Rolls said it was trying to probe the public’s reaction to an electric luxury car, and only after having enough data would decide whether to build it or not. Now, some three months later, the model has been given the temporary axe, not because people showed little interest, but because the model, at least for now, would make no sense. According to the CEO, since most of the people buying Rolls Royce cars live some great miles away from cities, the limited range current batteries can provide will not help them very much. Meaning […]

Close on the heels of Tata Motors-owned Land Rover announcing its plans to develop hybrid cars, the Indian automaker’s another British subsidiary has now decided to toe the line. Jaguar Cars, is now reportedly looking to introduce hybrid versions of its XJ and XF models in 2013-’14, using hardware developed with sister brand Land Rover, as reported by Britain’s Car magazine. The magazine has also stated that the first Jaguar hybrids could be launched soon after the planned 2013 introduction of the first Land Rover hybrid. It was reported very recently that by the end of 2010 Land Rover will be testing the first diesel hybrid prototype called the ‘range_e’ which is being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform. Tests of this vehicle will use the existing 3.0 litre TDV6 diesel engine featuring a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The […]

The year was 1984. Roger Dougal, a newly minted Ph.D. in electrical engineering, was beginning his career in the University of South Carolina’s College of Engineering. He was the new owner of a 1972 MGB – a red convertible, perfect for life in the Palmetto State, where he could zip along the highways and city streets with the car’s top down practically year-round. Lightweight with easy handling, the MGB was a snazzy roadster for a young professor on the go. But that was, shall we say, soooo last century. Fast forward about two dozen years. Now internationally recognized for his research on power sources and systems, Dougal still loves cars and has added a passion for sailboats. The MGB was collecting dust – and a few leaves – in his garage. But the professor’s ongoing curiosity about all things auto […]

It looks like a regular Opel (Saturn) Astra, but the car that’s pictured is completely different. This vehicle is Lotus Engineering’s first attempt at creating a hybrid vehicle, and represents the launch of a branch of the British firm dedicated to engineering and developing hybrid and electric vehicles. Underneath its hood, Lotus Engineering has fitted a small 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine featuring a turbocharger that’s mated to a mild hybrid drivetrain system. The 12 kW electric motor adds power, but not at the cost of fuel economy, and because it isn’t a full hybrid system that allows the car to run on pure electrical power, it poses a price advantage. Lotus has also taken a load off of the main engine by switching over the water pump and the fuel pump to items that are purely electrical, a change that […]