Alternative Energy

It’s good that there are a few 100% electric new cars out there; the fact that they are either six-figure-priced two-seat roadsters or beefed-up golf carts that are limited to 35 mph isn’t. Nissan asked why that’s the case, and instead of simply shrugging its collective shoulders, the company decided to do something about it. The result is a small five-door hatchback called the Leaf, which is set to arrive in select markets this December and nationwide next year.

Like the Tesla Roadster, the Leaf uses a 24 kilowatt/hour laminated lithium-ion battery pack to spin an electric motor that provides drive for the vehicle. The pack is surprisingly compact, allowing the interior to be roomy enough for five people and some cargo behind the rear seats. It holds enough juice to return 100 miles of driving under normal use, and once it wears down to the point it can only hold 80% of its original capacity, Nissan will buy it back and resell it for non-automotive electricity storage applications like industrial storage or home use. The two plugs used for recharging (one 110 volt, one 220 volt) are located at the Leaf’s nose behind a small door where the grille would be on most cars. The motor drives the front wheels, and provides peak torque as soon as you step on the accelerator.

Seeing the unveiling of the new 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, has me looking at hybrid technology in a new and much more positive way. I believe hybrids are good for the planet, and spending less money on gas - usually used for mundane errands - is a good thing. But the current hybrids available are boring. Well I'm happy to report that this is not your art teacher's Prius. And of course it's not, it's a GT3 race car built by Porsche, which will be competing in the upcoming 24 Hours of Nurburgring.

Like the developing F1 systems, it has regenerative braking, and the extra electric power (up to 120kW) can be used in 6-8 second bursts. What's new about this system is that instead of carrying heavy batteries, it has a generator that rides shotgun to the driver. The energy is sent from the flywheel to the motor and saved as potential energy. Two electic motors then deliver power to the front axles.

The 2009 Tokyo Motor Show kicks off next month and there is now a flurry of pre-event product announcements. Honda has just revealed the first official images of their EV-N Concept, designed to be a fast-forward of the classic 1960's era N360. This new design study is a four-seater micro car powered by an electric motor.

"Pimp my Prius" is pretty much a cliche by now but somehow it never seems to get old. And it seems the effort to transform this fuel-sipping suburban transport into a vehicle that looks like it should be competing in Formula Drift, won't fizzle out either. Japanese tuning shop Tommy Kaira is the latest shop to take a crack at the 2010 Toyota Prius with the release of a new mod package. Admittedly, at first glance, I almost didn't recognize the third-generation hybrid sitting beneath its new performance garb.