Today marks the conclusion of the 80th edition of the Geneva Motor Show but we could not let this remarkable episode end without mention of one final electric city car: the Eva concept by Valmet Automotive. The contract constructor, whose Finnish facility fabricates the Th!nk City, the genteel Garia golfcart and will soon furnish Fisker with the Karma, took it upon themselves to engineer their own vehicle as a way of exhibiting their expertise in this area as well.

What they’ve come up with is an attractive 2+2 built on an advanced aluminum space frame (like the Karma’s) with modularity that allows it to be adapted to other vehicle types. The drivetrain boasts a high-efficiency axial flux induction motor from Axco Motors featuring direct drive that can bring the Eva up to 120 km/h (75 miles per hour). Its Nokia smartphone technology allows the handset’s apps to be accessed through the infotainment system and also capture performance and other vehicle data. Its NAVTEQ-supplied navigation computer can take terrain into account and plan the most efficient route, lead you to the nearest charging station and warn you as you approach “point of no return” of its 100 mile (160 kilometers) range. The only thing this city car concept doesn’t seem to do is iron and fold your laundry. It’s even had its own charger unit which can be activated via SMS.

Although the company won’t be offering their automotive opus for sale, at least not directly, we still may have a chance to see it operating on the road. Valmet president Ilpo Korhonen referred to the Eva as “a car for driving not only for showing.” Hey, after all that effort, we hope so. Hit the jump for the full press release as well as bonus video of the vehicle’s unveiling.

[Source: Valmet Automotive]

Continue reading Geneva 2010: Valmet presents their all-electric Eva concept

Geneva 2010: Valmet presents their all-electric Eva concept originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From the latest Tesla Motors newsletter:

Responding to customer demand, Tesla has negotiated agreements with key suppliers that will increase total Roadster production by 40% and extend sales into 2012. In the coming year, you’ll find Roadsters in more countries as we expand to Australia and Asia. Customers in 23 countries have now taken delivery of their Roadster – last month we delivered the first Roadsters to Spain and Ireland.

Remember, at the end of January, we discovered that Tesla “announced,” through its SEC filing for an IPO, that:

We do not plan to sell our current generation Tesla Roadster after 2011 due to planned tooling changes at a supplier for the Tesla Roadster.

Looks like some people didn’t like that news, and Tesla figured it made sense to listen to them.

[Source: Tesla]

Tesla: Roadster production will be increased, sales will continue into 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Park, a former Sprint Cup Series regular and winner, will not run full-time in the K&N Pro Series East in 2010.

Park, an East Northport, N.Y. native, returned to the division to run full-time in 2008. He finished ninth in the series standings in 2008 and was fifth in the standings last year with a victory and seven top-10’s in 11 races.

Park confirmed to a NASCAR spokesman Saturday that his team would not be at the season opening event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C. on March 27. The remainder of the team’s schedule for the 10-race season is pending.

If you are looking for an electric vehicle charger with the new North American standard plug-end (SAE J-1772) for either your own garage or for the convenience of your customers, ClipperCreek has just announced that they are now taking orders for that very beastie. With delivery set for May, the company’s American-made CS-40 connects to a 208V – 240V feed and puts out a continuous 32 amps and should retail for about $3,000. Founded in 2006, ClipperCreek is not only the exclusive Level 2 charging equipment supplier for Tesla Motors and the BMW Mini E program but also works with the likes of Mitsubishi, Ford, Mercedes, GM and Nissan.

ClipperCreek also recently appointed four new sales executives with lots of industry experience who, strategically placed about the country, are ready to offer their customers the proper support necessary in this blossoming field. Please find a pair of press releases awaiting your personal perusal after the break.

[Source: ClipperCreek]

Continue reading ClipperCreek now taking orders for EV charger with new J-1772 coupler

ClipperCreek now taking orders for EV charger with new J-1772 coupler originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While there are those who say range anxiety is not really a problem for them, there are clearly many who plan on going down the whole “extender” route to avoid the possibility of one day being embarrassed by a sudden lack of go-power. But, instead of continuing to depend on mechanical backup, perhaps there is another approach to consider: pharmaceuticals.*

Our good friends over at EVcast may have un-earthed video of a commercial for a product called Voltex that claims to finally put an end to the curse of range anxiety. At least, it can if your stomach happens to be less than 80 percent full or more than 20 percent empty. And you can handle the potentially bizarre side effects. Curious? Hit the jump to check out the video and possibly discover if Voltex is right for you.

*ABG strongly recommends not taking any prescription medications without the explicit advice of your physician. ABG does not mean to imply that Voltrex (or any other medication) will work for you or that it’s a prescription medication. Reading glasses are recommended for examining the fine print on any product.

[Source: EVcast]

Continue reading It’s Friday: Try Voltex, a chemical cure for range anxiety

It’s Friday: Try Voltex, a chemical cure for range anxiety originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maybe soon?

Whelen Modified Tour team owner Bob Garbarino of Mystic said Friday that he is close to making a decision on who will drive for his 2009 championship winning team this season.

Garbarino is looking to fill the seat vacated by two-time Modified Tour champion, who left the team to compete on the Camping World Truck Series this season. Lia won his first championship for Garbarino in 2007.

Right now, no amount of baksheesh will get you behind the wheel of the Chevrolet Volt. Still, some people are getting paid to do exactly that. Oh, and they’re having a lot of fun doing it, too, from the looks of a new video from Chevrolet VoltAge. The people we’re talking about are GM employees like Murray Butler IV, who appears in the new video talking about his job testing the Volt’s suspension on GM’s test track at the Milford Proving Ground, specifically the Seven Sisters series of turns.

No matter what sort of bad news is happening to GM, it appears that driving fast(ish) in a new car never gets old. Butler says his job is, “like Disneyland” and that he can’t believe he’s drawing a check for what he does. OK, Butler is only going about 25-35 miles per hour over these turns, but we imagine that, once the early rounds of durability tests is completed, he’ll get to go a bit faster than that. Watch the video after the jump.

[Source: Chevrolet VoltAge]

Continue reading Chevy Volt undergoes suspension durability test in new video

Chevy Volt undergoes suspension durability test in new video originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you think of the auto industry, there are two names that surely will not come to mind. DOK-ING and Croatia. The last time most Americans thought of Croatia was during the early-1990s during the implosion of Yugoslavia. DOK-ING was born during that time and has spent the past 19 years developing and building robotic de-mining equipment.

With so many debuts at the recent Geneva Motor Show, our crew somehow missed this DOK-ING XD. The Croatians have decided to take a stab at the burgeoning electric vehicle market and created this concept for a diminutive three-seat electric commuter. Apparently, there are only a limited number of ways to spin the styling of such small people pods but this combination of Toyota iQ and Smart Fortwo doesn’t look bad.

DOK-ING is looking for some partners to start series production, but in the meantime says it would be happy to produce more examples on a build-to-order basis.

[Source: DOK-ING]

Geneva 2010: DOK-ING XD concept, urban EV from Croatia originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cities around the world are engaged in quests to reimagine how to best serve the mobility needs of their citizens. Whether it’s Segway-ish vehicles like General Motors’ PUMA or bike sharing, going car-free or thinking about electric buses that get power from the road itself, there are more options now than ever before. One thing that most of these ideas have in common is reducing the emphasis on the automobile as the primary means of transportation for people in urban areas.

Throughout recent history, city planners have needed to choose ways to offer residents the mobility options that best serve them. And, more often than not, planners opted to give precedence to the car. In the latest episode of the new Streetfilms series called “Fixing the Great Mistake,” Transportation Alternatives director Paul Steely White discusses how New York became so car-centric (and exported the idea) and shows ways that the city is trying to turn back the clock with events like Summer Streets. Putting people, not cars, into streets is actually a pretty good idea. Check it out after the jump. Well worth four minutes.

[Source: Streetfilms via Treehugger]

“Fixing the Great Mistake” means switching cars for non-car options [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Craven will leave the cozy confines of the studio behind on April 3 and make his first foray into race coverage when he joins the ESPN broadcast booth for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Nashville 300 from Nashville Superspeedway.

Craven, a Newburgh, Me. native former K&N Pro Series East champion, will join Dale Jarrett and Marty Reid in the booth for ESPN’s Nationwide Series telecast from Nashville.

Its expected to be the first of a few appearances for Craven calling events this year for ESPN.