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We just caught the Nissan NuVu , a concept that, as we said earlier , is meant to reveal the next generation styling of the next Nissan Micra. Frankly, the concept's as cute as its name (a play on words meaning "New View" as in "a new view on the Micra"). The interior is just as bubbly as the exterior, with the "2+1 seating arrangement" apparently designed with midget strippers in mind — it comes complete with a mini-stripper pole and a "double-dong" steerng wheel. We're sure hoping the Micra ends up with both in the final production version. OK, maybe not. Also, we're told this little bubble-topped concept's got an electric drivetrain. Does this mean the next Micra will see the Nissan electric engine slide under the bonnet? Only time will tell. Check out the full press release (again) in all its enormity, below the jump. galleryPost('NissanNuvuLive', 9, 'Nissan Shows An Askew View Of The Next Micra'); NUVU: RESHAPING...
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It wasn’t until I crashed into a pile of boxes and luggage that I realized riding a motorcycle — even a completely silent electric one with no emissions — around my Brooklyn apartment was a bad idea. I’d been attempting to do a burnout, but the painted concrete floor didn’t have enough grip for the Quantya Strada ’s front tire and plenty for the rear, resulting in a wheelie. Compounding matters was the bar-mounted back brake that sits where the clutch lever normally does. When I went slip the clutch to bring the bike back in line, the brake just tossed me into the boxes. The nice thing about riding a bike in your apartment is that, while you might do irreparable damage to all of your and your friend’s worldly belongings, you probably won’t hurt yourself too badly. galleryPost('quantyastradadrive', 15, 'Quantya Strada Street-Legal Electric Motorcycle'); Never mind the Chevy Volt , never mind the Tesla Roadster , never mind the Dodge ev revealed in concept yesterday. None...
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It wasn’t until I crashed into a pile of boxes and luggage that I realized riding a motorcycle — even a completely silent electric one with no emissions — around my Brooklyn apartment was a bad idea. I’d been attempting to do a burnout, but the painted concrete floor didn’t have enough grip for the Quantya Strada ’s front tire and plenty for the rear, resulting in a wheelie. Compounding matters was the bar-mounted back brake that sits where the clutch lever normally does. When I went slip the clutch to bring the bike back in line, the brake just tossed me into the boxes. The nice thing about riding a bike in your apartment is that, while you might do irreparable damage to all of your and your friend’s worldly belongings, you probably won’t hurt yourself too badly. galleryPost('quantyastradadrive', 15, 'Quantya Strada Street-Legal Electric Motorcycle'); Never mind the Chevy Volt , never mind the Tesla Roadster , never mind the Dodge ev revealed in concept yesterday. None...
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Ever been curious what takes place under the Tesla Roadster ’s hood in the absence of internal combustion? Well, here’s an explanation of what the parts are and and what they do, conveniently numbered so you can follow along at home. Make the jump to see why "Tesla mechanic" would be a totally cush job. galleryPost('teslaroadsterinsides', 2, 'Inside the Tesla Roadster'); Number 1: This is the electric motor. Running on AC power, it can rev up to 13,000 RPM while producing 248 HP and 200 lb-ft. Maximum torque is available all the way from 0-6,000 RPM Number 2: The one-speed transmission. After reliability problems with a two-speed design, Tesla settled for this stronger, simpler one-speed. The 8.27:1 drive ratio allows for a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds and a top speed of 125 MPH. Number 3: The Power Electronics Module. In addition to capturing the power from regenerative braking and using it to recharge the batteries, it also smooths out power delivery under hard...
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Nissan yesterday unveiled prototypes for both a new all-electric powertrain vehicle as well as the first pictures of a prototype hybrid powertrain built on an Infiniti G35. Both systems would be run off a new lithium-ion battery pack system. galleryPost('nissanenvirotech', 9, 'Nissan Blinds Us With Science'); We knew Nissan was working on a new electric car and yesterday the company revealed that the FWD platform will use a new high-density Li-Ion pack that sits underneath the floor (and out of the way) providing power to an 80 kW motor. Though we still expect a Denki Cube , the new flagship electric vehicle will now apparently not be based on any current platform. The new parallel drive hybrid system in the Infiniti features an electric motor coupled with a gasoline engine like most other HEV systems. Similar to the Lexus LS600h , the Nissan version involves a larger engine, in this case a V6, powering the rear vehicles. In order to achieve more linear acceleration, there...
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Paris's Mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, has announced the installation of a massive electric car-sharing scheme in his city. Autolib takes its cue from the city's successful Velib bicycle-sharing system and will make up to 4,000 electric cars available at stations located throughout Paris, allowing users to rent one on the spot and return it elsewhere, charging them a per-mile rate. There will be about 700 pick up/drop off/recharge locations scattered throughout the city and its suburbs. Autolib will be open to any legal driver who registers with the service. Despite opposition from France's Green Party, which wants to eliminate car use in the city altogether, Delanoe is aiming to have the system up and running by late 2009 or early 2010 and says that it will reduce congestion, the battle for parking spots and pollution. Vive la France! [via Channel 4 ] Image Courtesy: Eley Kishimoto
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This week we heard about a couple of lawsuits mythical electric sports car almost-manufacturer Tesla has managed to get tied up in. The first one saw Magna suing Tesla for breach of contract over its transmission design, the other was Tesla going medieval on Fisker for allegedly stealing designs associated with the Tesla Whitestar Hybrid for its Fisker Karma Hybrid . Well Popular Mechanics has gone out and consulted a lawyer-type about the guts of these lawsuits and what the likely outcomes of the twin tussles might be. We just want the slap fights to be over. [ Poular Mechanics ]
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