Category: Green Technology

Rumors about a battery-powered Caterham have been circulating the internet for years but there’s finally official evidence that the automaker is actually working on such a product. The company presents its EV Seven concept that follows the same basic recipe as the rest of the models from the Seven lineup but replaces the combustion engine with a purely electric powertrain.

Helping Caterham with the development is Swindon Powertrain, which provides the electric motor and its auxiliary components. The peak power of the system is 240 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of instantaneous torque. The 0-60 miles per hour acceleration takes approximately 4.0 seconds but there’s no word about the vehicle’s top speed.

Caterham envisions the electric Seven as a track toy, which should be capable of 20-minute drive sessions followed by 15-minute charging sessions and another 20 minutes of track fun. You’d probably be tempted to say a BEV isn’t ideal for track use but Caterham says the concept weighs just around 154 pounds (70 kilograms) more than the Seven 485. The total vehicle mass is just under 1,543 lbs (700 kg).

Providing the electric energy is a 51-kilowatt-hour battery with a usable capacity of around 40 kWh. The firm says the battery has a larger buffer than on a normal EV in order for the pack to safely withstand demanding track use followed by rapid charging. Speaking of charging, the peak DC charging power the EV Seven can support is up to 152 kilowatts.

The electric Caterham benefits from hardware upgrades borrowed from the Seven 420 Cup, too. These include a limited-slip differential and adjustable Bilstein dampers. Other important novelties for a Seven are the regenerative braking and quad-piston brake calipers.

Unfortunately, Caterham says it has no plans to put this electric vehicle into production. Instead, it will use it as “a test bed to see how well an EV powertrain works for our customers’ specific use cases.” The EV Seven will make its public debut during this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Another electric Caterham concept will be revealed later this year.

A new teaser video provides our first glimpse a the Audi RS E-Tron GT Ice Race Concept ahead of the full debut on May 28. The company also builds a matching Audi Sport Quattro with an electric powertrain to complement it.

There are no technical details available about either vehicle yet. They wear matching exterior color schemes in a mix of gray, purple, and white. Beyond these touches, there are no obvious revisions to the body.

Unfortunately, we don’t yet know anything about the Sport Quattro’s conversion into an EV. To maintain its all-wheel-drive layout, it might have electric motors powering each axle.

Inside, the RS E-Tron GT Ice Race Concept has white upholstery and black trim. It wears the badge from the Audi Exclusive personaliztion division.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cLRF87rCyU

The teaser video shows the E-Tron GT and Sport Quattro pulling a skier on a snowy mountain. Despite the concept’s name, the clip doesn’t show either of them driving on ice.

Debuting an ice racing concept in late May is an intriguing choice. It’s a time of the year when a lot of people are thinking about warm summer days, rather than chilly snow.

The existing RS E-Tron GT comes with two electric motors – one turning each axle – making as much as 637 horsepower and 612 pound-feet in Boost mode. During normal driving, the powertrain produces 590 hp. The rear end has a two-speed transmission. This setup gets the sedan to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds. 

The 93.4 kilowatt-hour battery provides 232 miles of range. It can DC fast charge at up to 270 kilowatts.

The RS E-Tron GT starts at $145,395 after the $1,495 destination fee. With all of the available options and accessories, the price can go as high as $165,645. The upgrades include a $7,100 braking package with carbon-ceramic front and rear discs. A $6,450 Carbon Performance adds laser headlights, rear-wheel steering, and carbon fiber trim.

Check out the Audi RS e-tron GT project_513/2 in this video: 

World Bee Day might not interest most automakers, but Bentley has a different kind of bee buzzing under its bonnet nowadays. The automaker started a honey bee colony called the Excellence Center for Honey Production in 2019 at its Crewe campus, and it announced today it’s expanding it. It will install seven new hives for 17 total, growing the colony to over 1 million.

The initiative, part of its Beyond100 and #GOTOZERO sustainability strategies, started with just 120,000 indigenous honey bees in 2019. By the end of 2022, the colony had grown to over 600,000, producing an estimated 1,000 jars of honey. Since its inception, the bees have made 2,000 jars of the stuff, and Bentley hopes that 2023’s harvest will surpass last year’s.

Andrew Robertson, Bentley’s Head of Site and Facilities Planning, said the program “can further enhance our positive impact on the local environment as part of a wider sustainability program. This is to ensure Bentley remains a significant contributor to local biodiversity and adds to our ambition to be leaders in sustainable luxury mobility.”

The bees at the facility also pollinate the on-site flora, with the company focusing on biodiversity. The push into zero-emission vehicles has automakers taking an increased interest in limiting the industry’s impact on the local environment. Bentley has also planted over 100 trees, 5,000 daffodil bulbs, and other flora and fauna on the factory grounds and installed birdhouses and hedgehog boxes.

Along with record honey production, 2023 will be the year Bentley celebrates half a decade of carbon neutrality at its Crewe factory, and its sustainability efforts are still going strong. It has other things planned to improve the facility’s environmental impact.

2022 was also the year Bentley saw more than record honey production. The company also set a record selling cars, which truly butters the company’s bread, moving 15,174 models. A whopping 42 percent were the Bentayga, with the Continental GT and GT Convertible accounting for 30 percent. The US was the company’s most vital region, with 28 percent of the company’s global sales. 

Oh, and World Bee Day is Saturday, May 20.

Scotland-based EV startup Munro Vehicles has unveiled its second vehicle, the MK_1 Pickup at the Fully Charged Live North 2023 show.

Following the debut of the all-electric 4×4 Munro MK_1 Truck in December 2022, the company is now expanding its lineup of electric 4x4s with the pickup truck version of its rugged first model.

Described as an ultra-capable, ultra-utilitarian vehicle, the Munro MK_1 Pick-Up targets customers operating in challenging sectors such as mining, construction, utilities, agriculture, and defense.

Unveiled in range-topping Performance guise with striking Munro yellow paint finish, the Munro MK_1 Pick-Up looks just like its Truck sibling up to and including the rear side doors. After that, it trades the Truck’s closed cargo compartment for an open truck bed. 

It’s not a particularly big bed considering that this is a crew cab body, and the tailgate is narrower than the bed. Still, Munro says the bed is easy to load and can accommodate a 2,315-pound (1,050-kilogram) Euro Pallet payload.

As for towing, the Performance model has a 7,716-lbs (3,500-kg) maximum braked towing capacity that enables the MK_1 Pick-Up to tow anything from farm implements and livestock to construction and disaster relief equipment, according to Munro.

As with the Munro MK_1 Truck, the Pick-Up variant features an 82.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack that enables a driving range of more than 190 miles (305 kilometers) on the WLTP cycle or up to 16 hours of off-road use. Munro says the battery can charge from 15 to 80 percent SoC in just 36 minutes using a 100 kW DC charger.

The battery pack powers an all-electric powertrain delivering 375 horsepower (280 kilowatts) and 516 pound-feet (700 Newton-meters) of instantly available torque in the range-topping Performance model. That’s enough for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.9 seconds. Munro will also offer a 295-hp (220-kW) powertrain and a choice of Utility and Range variants.

All models and variants come with a body-on-frame chassis, full-time 4×4 mechanical drivetrain with standard central locking differential, optional front and rear locking differentials, and a two-speed transfer case. Plus, the generous ground clearance of 19 inches (480 millimeters) enables a maximum water fording depth of 31.5 in (800 mm).

The Munro MK_1 Pick-Up will have the same starting price as the Truck in the UK – $62,000 (49,995 British pounds), excluding 23-percent VAT. The startup claims deliveries will start later this year. Munro Vehicles also says it has already secured more than 200 orders for the MK_1 Pick-Up and Truck.

According to the company, this should keep it busy for the next 1.5 years of production, which means it plans to build only about 130 vehicles a year. Even so, one has to take into account that Munro hasn’t even reached the pre-production prototype stage yet. As Elon Musk once said, “Prototypes are easy, production is hard.”

Many automakers have already announced when they’ll stop selling cars equipped with combustion engines, but Toyota is not on that long list. Instead, the Japanese automaker has been quite vocal about not rushing the demise of the ICE as it believes the world just isn’t ready to go fully electric. In fact, Chief Scientist Gill Pratt argues forcing people to buy EVs could backfire by making them stick to their gasoline/diesel cars longer.

Speaking in Hiroshima prior to a G7 summit, Toyota Research Institute’s CEO admitted subsidies make electric vehicles more appealing, but he believes not everyone is eager to jump on the EV bandwagon. His solution? Prolonging the life of the ICE by continuing to develop hybrids and making alternative fuels feasible for mass production. As a refresher, the company has been experimenting with hydrogen-fueled combustion engines.

Pratt also expressed his concern about the automotive industry not being ready to exclusively switch to EVs in the foreseeable future. His argument revolved around supply limitations, mainly pertaining to the materials that go into making a battery pack:

“Eventually, resource limitations will end, but for many years we will not have enough battery material and renewable recharging resources for a BEV-only solution. Battery materials and renewable charging infrastructure will eventually be plentiful. But it will take decades for battery material mines, renewable power generation facilities, transmission lines, and seasonal energy storage facilities to scale up.”

While Toyota wants to keep the ICE alive, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer referred to gasoline and diesel engines as being “old technology.” He went on to add all the talk about synthetic fuels is nothing more than “unnecessary noise.” Not all members of the VW Group have the same opinion since Porsche is investing in the development and production of e-fuels.

Earlier this week, newly appointed Toyota CEO Koji Sato declared synthetic fuels need to evolve before becoming a viable alternative. He believes mass production will only happen after a significant reduction of the energy used during the production process. The top brass also thinks solid-state batteries need more time to reach maturity since durability continues to pose a “huge challenge.”

With nearly 200,000 cars sold between 1973 and 1989, the G-Series represents the most prolific 911 series ever produced by Porsche. EV specialist Everrati has given the sports car a new lease on life by removing the oily bits and installing an electric drivetrain. The coupe takes after the ST sold in limited numbers in 1970 and 1971 but does away with the 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines offered back in the day. To be clear, it’s not based on an actual 911 ST.

A real 911 ST had as much as 270 horsepower, but Everrati has taken this classic 911 to a meaty 440 hp, all of which is routed to the rear axle. The newly gained electric muscle helps the ST-inspired model reach 60 mph (96 km/h) from a standstill in less than four seconds. It features a 60-kWh battery pack providing a maximum range of more than 200 miles (322 kilometers).

For its latest project, Everrati joined forces with Pennsylvania-based RS Werks, a Porsche restoration and customization company. One of the priorities was to keep weight as close to the original as possible. While an exact figure hasn’t been published, the Porsche 911 ST tipped the scales at just 2,120 pounds (960 kilograms). The two companies also focused on maintaining the weight distribution of the real 911 ST.

Speaking of which, Porsche is bound to revive the 911 ST later this year as part of the brand’s 75^th-anniversary celebrations. It’s been repeatedly spied on the Nürburgring and could break cover as early as June 8, although the house of Zuffenhausen has yet to confirm the debut date. The car is expected to be the lightest iteration of the 992 yet and feature the naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six engine of the GT3.

As for Everrati, its area of expertise extends beyond the Porsche 911 since it also works on the original Range Rover and Defender. In addition, previous projects have included the Ford GT40 and a Mercedes W113 SL Pagoda.

EV conversions could become the only solution to save old cars from extinction after the ICE age is over unless synthetic fuels become feasible for mass production.

BMW partners with the boat builder Tyde to create the Icon electric watercraft. It debuts during the 76th Cannes Film Festival. While this is a one-off at the moment, the companies claim the craft is production-ready.

The Icon has two, 134-horsepower (100-kilowatt) electric motors, and there are six batteries from the defunct BMW i3 providing a total capacity of 240 kilowatt-hours. The boat rides on hydrofoils that lift the craft out of the water when on the move. According to BMW, this setup reduces energy requirements by up to 80 percent. It can cruise at 24 knots (28 miles per hour) and has a max speed of 30 knots (35 mph). The maximum range between recharges is 50 nautical miles.

Like the recent BMW iX and XM, two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer creates the sound for the drive system. It runs through speakers with Dolby Atmos technology.

The Icon has a roughly triangular shape that tapers from a wide rear to a pointed nose. The craft measures 43.14 feet (13.15 meters) long, and the rear is 14.8 feet (4.5 meters) wide. Windows dominate each side, which gives occupants an expansive view out of the boat. BMW Designworks is responsible for the look.

Glass doors at the rear allow access to a lounge area. The boat’s controls are also in there. The captain monitors everything from a 32-inch touchscreen display that runs at a 6K resolution. The user interface is similar to BMW’s iDrive system. It also supports voice commands for getting range info and weather reports.

Other occupants enjoy 360-degree rotating seats so that they can enjoy the full view out of the large windows. A tablet-based infotainment system lets them control the entertainment.

While there seem to be no plans actually to mass produce it, BMW believes a boat like the Icon could appeal to private buyers or commercial customers. The hydrofoils don’t create a wake like a normal watercraft, and the electric motors are quieter than combustion engines. So something like this could provide serene journeys across the water.

The company Candela is exploring similar ideas as the BMW Icon. Its C-8 is an electric boat that uses a 69-kilowatt-hour battery from a Polestar 2. Hydrofoils lift the craft out of the water to reach a cruising speed of 22 knots (25 miles per hour), and the total range is 57 nautical miles.

It’s hard to believe more than two years have passed since Audi unveiled the A6 E-Tron Concept. Yes, the debut occurred in April 2021 at the Auto Shanghai in China and was followed by the A6 Avant E-Tron Concept in March 2022. Fast forward to May 2023, the company carrying the fabled Four Rings has yet to reveal the production versions. Logic tells us the saloon will lead the way, followed shortly by its long-roof sibling.

In the meantime, a fresh batch of spy shots shows a high-performance derivative of the sedan. Regarding the body style, it’s technically a liftback since the namesake concept had a tailgate, which appears to be the same case for this prototype. Judging by the lowered ride height, chunky brakes with red calipers, and large wheels with low-profile tires, we’re dealing with an S6 E-Tron. We’re not ruling out the full-fat RS6, but knowing Audi’s modus operandi, the lesser of the two spicy variants should be out first.

Much like the Q6 E-Tron due in 2024, the A6 E-Tron will ride on the Premium Platform Electric co-developed with Porsche. It’ll utilize more sophisticated hardware compared to the VW Group’s MEB-based electric vehicles by supporting air suspension, rear-wheel steering, and torque vectoring. As for size, we’ll remind you the concept was 4.96 meters (195.2 inches) long, 1.96 meters (77.1 in) wide, and 1.44 meters (56.7 in) tall.

As for output, even the A6-badged concept had a pair of motors good for 470 horsepower (350 kilowatts) and an instant torque of 590 pound-feet (800 Newton meters). That tells us there’s room for a lot more for the S and RS versions. In the case of the mechanically related Macan EV, Porsche has already confirmed it will offer as much as 603 hp (450 kW) and 738 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque in the flagship version.

The A6 E-Tron concept had a 100-kWh battery and Porsche said the Macan EV’s pack will be just about as large. Thanks to 800-volt tech, it should take about 25 minutes to replenish the battery from 5 to 80 percent while 10 minutes spent at a charging station provided the concept with a driving range of over 186 miles (300 kilometers). Audi said the car would do in excess of 435 miles (700 kilometers) with a fully charged battery and also partially due to the low drag coefficient of 0.22.

To get an idea of what the Ingolstadt-based luxury marque is hiding beneath the prototype’s camouflage, look no further than the adjacent photo gallery of the concept car. Audi has already confirmed it’ll use even numbers for EVs, so this car will definitely be called the A6 while the current combustion-engined vehicle will transition to the A7 moniker.

The debut is likely scheduled to take place later in 2024, after the Q6 E-Tron. The A6 Avant E-Tron should land in 2025, with the high-performance models likely not far behind.

Introduced in 1976, the Renault 5 Alpine was among the first hot hatchbacks as it went on sale even before the Volkswagen Golf GTI. With the R5 about to be resurrected as an electric vehicle, it only makes sense to revive the performance derivative as well. Meet the A290_β, an official preview of the subsequent production model coming in 2024. The road-going car will be made by the Renault Group at its Douai facility on the CMF-B EV platform.

With this being a concept, Alpine had complete freedom to go wild with the A290_β. It’s based on the Renault 5 concept unveiled in early 2021 but taken to the extreme to accentuate its sporty side. The feisty EV gets the familiar quad lights along with vertical taillights derived from the A470 endurance race car. It’s finished in powder white contrasted by the partially black hood and roof while the lower part of the body has forged carbon surfaces with blue inserts.

Despite being only 159.4 inches (4.05 meters) long, the Alpine A290_β rides on large 20-inch wheels with an unusual design by having a square cut in the center. The centerlock alloys proudly carrying the French flag are wrapped in tires developed by Michelin, which will also supply the rubber for next year’s production model. It goes without saying the final version won’t look as radical as this but should give the Abarth 500e a run for its money.

In concept form, the electric hot hatch is 72.8 in (1.85 meters) wide and 58.2 in (1.48 meters) tall. It has a McLaren F1-styled three-seat interior with the driver sitting in the center, slightly ahead of the two passengers cocooned by their carbon fiber bucket seats. Shaped like an arrow, the dashboard design is derived from a Formula 1 car’s nose. The minimalist interior has an angular steering wheel inspired by this year’s LMP2 A470 and F1 A523 race cars.

Alpine doesn’t go into details about power but mentions the A290_β benefits from torque vectoring and a rear multi-link suspension. The latter has already been confirmed for the regular Renault 5, so it’ll be standard on the sporty variant as well. We’re also being told the concept boasts a stiffer suspension setup, three driving modes (wet, dry, full), and four-piston Brembo brakes taken from the mid-engined A110 coupe.

As a final note, the production-ready A290_β coming next year will be followed shortly by a GT-X Over crossover and the electric A110 replacement co-developed with Lotus.

Much like the Volkswagen ID. Vizzion concept from 2018 morphed into the ID.7 electric sedan, we are happy to report the same will happen with the 2019 ID. Space Vizzion. Spies stumbled upon a prototype of the electric wagon near Kiel in Germany where the VW Group was testing a bunch of models belonging to several of its many brands. It already has the full production body, which leads us to believe the world premiere could take place in 2024.

As was the case with the ID.7 sedan prototypes, its long-roof sibling is wearing sneaky camouflage trying to mimic a combustion-engined car. The confusing disguise wants us to believe we’re dealing with a Passat Variant but we know better. The front grille, lower air intake, and exhaust tips are obviously fake, and there’s some clever body-colored camo. In addition, the headlights and taillights remain hidden under stickers in an attempt to throw us off.

Mechanically, it should be a spitting image of the sedan, so expect the initial model to have a rear-wheel-drive setup with a single motor making 282 horsepower (210 kilowatts). Both body styles are expected to spawn a more potent dual-motor version with all-wheel drive and nearly 400 horsepower. As for the battery, you can get the ID.7 with 77- and 86-kWh packages and charge them at up to 200 kW.

The wagon could be a smidge longer than the sedan, which stretches at a generous 195.3 inches (4961 millimeters). Logic tells us the wheelbase will be carried over, at 116.8 in (2966 mm) while the drag coefficient might increase compared to the saloon’s 0.23. While the ID.7 on sale today promises as much as 435 miles (700 kilometers) of range, the estate might not be able to match that due to its slightly higher curb weight and worse Cd.

Since we’re dealing with a wagon, the cargo capacity should easily trump the sedan’s 532 liters (nearly 19 cubic feet) courtesy of the elongated and reshaped rear. Speaking of the interior, you can already see the massive 15-inch touchscreen in one of the adjacent spy shots. Being built on a dedicated EV platform, the ID.7 wagon should arrive ample legroom, helped by that massive wheelbase.

It’s not the only EV of this kind in the works as BMW has confirmed it’ll launch an i5 Touring in 2024. These two will indirectly compete in a rarified segment aince s we can count all electric wagons on the fingers of one hand.