Category: Green Machines

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Green Machines Porsche

Porsche 918 Spyder given green light

Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche have confirmed recent rumours by approving full series production of the 918 Spyder hybrid supercar.

President and Chairman of the Board of Management of Porsche AG, Michael Macht, says “Production of the 918 Spyder in a limited series proves that we are taking the right approach with Porsche Intelligent Performance featuring the combination of supreme performance and efficient drivetrain concepts.

“We will develop the 918 Spyder in Weissach and assemble it in Zuffenhausen. This is also a very important commitment to Germany as a manufacturing base.”

Earlier this year a 911 GT3R Hybrid came within two hours of winning the Nürburgring 24 hour race at its first attempt. Already speculation exists suggesting the 918 Spyder will race at the Ring in 2010. Those rumours just got some legs, and will no doubt increase with today’s news.

At this stage the decision to build the car is all Porsche are telling us. They say more news will follow in the coming months. The full statement from Porsche is available after the break.

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Citroen Green Machines

Citroën Survolt electrifies Le Mans

Citroen Survolt

It is Bastille Day today, after all. So what better way for this humble blog to celebrate than with these new images of the Citroën Survolt lapping around the famous Le Mans circuit.

The Survolt is an all-electric beast offering 224kW and a zero to one hundred time under five seconds. Perhaps more impressively the Survolt has a range of 200kms and, with a fancy adaptor thingy, can be recharged in as little as two hours.

Vanina Ickx was the lady at the wheel for the promo event and said, “I am very proud to have participated in this unique project. On the track it felt really good. It’s a real race car, with a very promising potential for the future.”

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Green Machines Porsche

918 Spyder set to become most expensive Porsche ever

Porsche 918 Spyder

The Porsche 918 Spyder now has around 2000 expressions of interest. Last we heard the count was at 900 or so, just 100 short of the minimum number Porsche required to build the hybrid brute; offering a 500bhp 3.4 litre V8 and a 230bhp electric motor.

Now that it looks more likely than not that the 918 Spyder will go into full production, speculation has centred around its pricing. How does €500,000 sound? That’s almost three quarters of a million dollars in Aussie notes. Supposedly that figure comes direct from people with intimate knowledge of the 918 Spyder program. If the rumours are right, that would make the 918 the most expensive car sold by the Stuttgart company.

I’ll take two, thanks.

[Source: Bloomberg]

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Green Machines Mercedes-Benz

“You will not believe the performance”

Virgil Tracy

Virgil Tracy drives the latest machine in the Thunderbirds garage. It’s otherwise known as the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell and Virgil reckons it has some mojo, too. Check out the video after the break.

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Green Machines Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell

Mercedes-Benz, or more specifically, AMG is the latest manufacturer to throw its hat into the mean green hypercar segment. The SLS AMG E-Cell is powered by four electric motors offering a total power output of 392kW, with maximum torque of 880Nm. It can accelerate to 100km/h in four seconds flat; just 0.2 seconds slower than the conventionally powered SLS AMG. The E-Cell does this without emitting any CO2 emissions, of course.

In order to achieve optimum weight distribution the four motors are placed low on the chassis, as near as possible to the four wheels. This gives the car a low centre of gravity; by not placing the motors in the wheels unsprung weight is also minimised. Four engines mean all-wheel drive, too, further enhancing traction. Pretty important when pretty much all 880Nm of torque is available from standstill.

With so many new and non-traditional components under the skin the front suspension had to be completely rethought compared to the petrol powered SLS. As a result an independent multilink suspension was designed featuring horizontal dampers. It’s a bit similar to the set ups you see on open wheel racecars.

The E-Cell has a few minor external differences as well. And not just the bright “AMG lumilectric magno” paint. The front end now has a moveable front splitter which lowers itself by 7cm at speeds over 120km/h. Similarly the rear spoiler alters its position as speed increases. The lack of an exhaust system has enabled a rear diffuser to be designed with fewer compromises resulting in improved downforce.

Also seen on the outside is a new, more efficient, all LED-lighting system. Lightweight 10-spoke alloys are fitted; 19” at the front and 20” at the rear.

Inside, the centre console and instrument displays have been completely redesigned. The key feature is a 25cm touchscreen in the centre console that can be easily operated by the driver and passenger.

At this stage the E-Cell is little more than a concept car, which might explain why vital information like the time to re-charge the batteries and expected distance that can be travelled has not been mentioned. However, the official blurb below does state the E-Cell “offers the prospect of a possible small series production run”.

There’s lots more after the break, including a detailed press release explaining more about the E-Cell’s inner gadgets.

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BMW Green Machines

600hp+ BMW M8 hybrid sports car rumour emerges

BMW M8 dash graphic

Yesterday we posted a BMW promo clip that may have given us a sneak peak at their upcoming front-wheel drive 0 Series platform. Well, also included was this seemingly innocent dash graphic, clearly labelled with an M8 model designation. So what the hell is an M8?

The battery recharge graphic and EfficientDynamics text give an indication that it could be a production version of last year’s Vision EfficientDynamics concept car. Further speculation has appeared this morning suggesting possible engine specs too.

Whereas the concept model had a diesel hybrid the M8 could be powered by a more conventional petrol-electric combination. The donor engine is said to come from the E60 M5. So, that’s 507 horsepower to start with thanks very much. Added to that would be a pair of electric motors, one at each axle; 80hp to the front and 60hp to the rear. Apparently, the front motor can boost power to 11hp for small bursts.

In all-electric mode the M8 would have a modest range of 50km. On the plus side recharging back to full power takes a relatively short two and a half hours.

Performance for the M8 is said to be blistering, with a sub four second 0-100km/h time anticipated. Fuel consumption should be under 4l/100km, as well.

All we need to see now are some new renderings and spy shots. Supposedly renderings from BMW are imminent and a market release for the M8 could take place in 2013.

[Source: World Car Fans]

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Green Machines MINI

EXCLUSIVE: MINI E Race – the complete Nürburgring lap

MINI E Race @ Nurburgring Nordschleife

Back in April it was announced a specially prepared MINI E Race had lapped the Nürburgring in under 10 minutes. In this age of Porsche v Nissan lap wars sub-10 minute laps times are nothing too special. But, when you consider that the MINI E used to post this lap did so under full electric power, with zero emissions, then the achievement begins to take on a new perspective. That’s because it was a world first.

At the time a brief video was released to YouTube. It was great to see the MINI in action and all, but it was a highlights reel than ran for around 90 seconds and there is an audio track over the top of the raw footage. You want to see the full lap, right?

Through graft and persistence AUSmotive can now show you the entire 9 minute 51 second lap. The footage is unedited and there is no extra audio.

A few things stand out. Firstly, just how foggy the conditions were when this time was recorded. Visibility in some sections was severely compromised. It was a closed track, of course, but that didn’t make things that much easier for the driver Thomas Jäger.

You will also notice the lack of engine noise, of course. It’s not totally quiet and there are some whining sounds emanating from the drivetrain. Under braking, too, you can hear the MINI E whirring away. Apart from that, though, the only other noise you hear is the growl of the semi slick tyres from time to time.

While watching the lap you can see the timer mounted at the base of the speedometer so as to keep an eye on progress. Incidentally, when the speedo needle is pointing upright the car is doing 130km/h. Top speed on the Döttinger Hohe straight was 187km/h.

Take the jump now to watch the world’s first zero emission lap of the full Nürburgring Nordschleife. For more on the MINI E Race click HERE.

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Green Machines Porsche

If Porsche builds it, they will buy it

Porsche 918 Spyder

The wonderful looking Porsche 918 Spyder which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in March is one step closer to reality according to a report published by Bloomberg.

Speaking last week at Auto China in Beijing, Wolfgang Duerheimer, Porsche development boss, said, “I’m confident that we will soon reach the threshold of 1,000. We need 1,000 seriously interested people to make a sound business case.”

Porsche say they already have 900 expressions of interest so I guess this one is done and dusted. Lock in the 918 Spyder for series production and look for it a Porsche dealer near you in the next year or so.

All that’s left to be answered is how green is a car that offers up a maximum of 730bhp, but only has a full zero emissions range of 25km? To be fair, the hybrid powered 918 can achieve a fuel consumption rating of 3l/100km when tested against latest Euro standards. And CO2 emissions from the same test are as low as 70g/km. Yeah, go on, I’d have one too.

Although, perhaps a bigger question remains; will a variation of the 918’s 3.4 litre V8 ever find its way into a 911 chassis? Nah, that’d never happen, would it?

[Source: Bloomberg.com]

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Green Machines Motorsports Volkswagen

Volkswagen Scirocco Cup 2010

Volkswagen Scirocco Cup

The Volkswagen Scirocco R, one of AUSmotive’s favourite cars, is set to feature in a new one make series to support the DTM category in Germany. To help kick things off for the first round at Hockenheim this weekend five motorsport legends will participate in the racing action. Names such as Derek Bell, Frank Biela, Martin Brundle, Jacques Lafitte and Carlos Sainz will take to the track in the 275bhp race-prepped Sciroccos.

The horsepower legends will be a series within a series during the full nine race Scirocco Cup and Volkswagen will invite five new legends for each race. It’s a similar approach to the Uber-Star Car concept used in the Australian MINI Challenge.

In all 25 cars will take to the track for the Scirocco Cup with 20 regular drivers competing for either the Junior Cup or Pro Cup, depending on their previous motorsport experience. As the Hockenheim round Frank Biela will be competing against his own daughter, Isabella, who is one of the Junior Cup entrants for 2010. A father and daughter competing against each other in the same race, can’t say that happens every day!

The other headline feature of the Scirocco Cup category is its use of bio natural gas fuel which reduces the CO2 emissions of the field by around 80%. Clean, green motor racing, then. This new series is a further development on the two Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Sciroccos that took part in the 2009 Nürburgring 24 hour race.

Based on the Scirocco R road car the race car uses a push-to-pass system that offers drivers shorts bursts of extra power. In standard trim the Scriocco Cup car produces 165kW (down from the road car’s 195kW), but the push-to-pass system boosts power up to 202kW. The system can be used strategically to initiate or defend overtaking moves.

Until we see a Scirocco on Australian shores—and there is at least one on its way—the Scirocco Cup provides great exposure for one of Volkswagen’s best looking models in their current line up. More pics and press releases follow below.

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Green Machines MINI

MINI E goes green around Green Hell

MINI E Race

A specially prepared 150kW electric powered MINI has just lapped the Nürburgring Nordschleife in under 10 minutes. The MINI E Race is based on the MINI E road car which was first announced in October 2008.

Modifications to the standard MINI E include the addition of a roll cage, KW Variant 3 suspension, MINI Challenge inspired front spoiler and rear valance, along with an optimised ECU program and race tuned ABS. As well as the add-on bits MINI was able to reduce the overall weight of the car by more than 200kg.

At the hands of racing driver Thomas Jäger the MINI E Race lapped the Ring in 9:51.45 achieving a top speed of 187km/h.

Jäger, the 2006 MINI Challenge champion said, “The power of the electric motor has an incredible effect, as you can access its full reserves of torque at all times. Another element of this fascinating experience is the lack of noise from the drivetrain. All in all, that was certainly the cleanest and quietest race lap I’ve ever driven.”

With the MINI E Race being a full electric vehicle this is the first car to complete a lap of the 20.8km Nordschleife circuit in race-like conditions with zero emissions. This is a great first from BMW, although there are currently no plans to enter the electric MINI in any competitive races just yet.

More pics and further detail after the break, including a brief promo video.

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Green Machines Motor Shows

It’s not easy being green

Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid

If you could sum up the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in one word it would be “hybrid”. No longer the realm of cardigan-wearing Toyotas, the cool kids all got electricity sets for Christmas and have been waiting for the first opportunity to show what they can do. Porsche, Ferrari and Audi are just some of the kids to have flicked the switch at Geneva. Volkswagen, too, not wanting to be left out, revealed their goal to be the world’s premier supplier of hybrid vehicles in just eight years from now.

So what do we make of all this greenwashing by from the flash end of town? I mean, the Porsche 918 Spyder is a car which is said to have the outright raw pace to lap one of the world’s greatest racetracks in a time that would have been deemed unimaginable a few years ago. Especially from a “hybrid”. The 918 has a combined power from its petrol guzzler and ‘leccy motor of some 730hp. Are they having a laugh saying their hybrid sportscar is green? Or is there more to it than that? Remember, in full electric mode, y’know, zero emissions and all that, the 918 can travel a measly 25km.

For an interesting critique on the emerging hybrid sportscar obsession, have a squiz at this opinion piece from Jalopnik. Here’s a quick teaser for you, “These cars won’t save the planet, but they might just get a few rich dudes laid.”

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Ferrari Green Machines Motor Shows

Geneva: Ferrari ‘Vettura Laboratorio’ HY-KERS

Ferrari HY-KERS

It would appear that hybrid technology is the new black at the Geneva Motor Show this year, with even Ferrari getting in on the act with their HY-KERS model. Based on the 599 GTB Fiorano the ‘vettura laboratorio’ (experimental vehicle) has an electric engine coupled the a 7-speed F1 style transmission providing over 100hp to complement the car’s familiar V12.

As the name suggests the HY-KERS also employs brake regeneration technologies developed from Ferrari’s Formula One program. This helps to charge the batteries for the electric motor. Emissions for the HY-KERS have been cut by 35% over the regular 599’s urban cycle.

Ferrari are also pushing the greening of their Maranello production facilities and there’s very impressive photos of huge meccano sets included with the press guff.

Pics and video available after the jump.

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