Monthly Archives: August 2010

More Chinese know-how in small GM cars

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

General Motors (GM) and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) have been partners for many years, and together, they’ve already built several millions cars in China. They share R&D facilities in the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), and they’ve just … Continue reading →

Posted in IC Engines, Technology | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Definitely not green, the Jaguar XJ Sentinel

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

The Jaguar XJ is a great car. Few people would argue against it. It looks good, it has a powerful engine, and excellent road dynamics thanks to an aluminium chassis which keeps its weight at a reasonable level. In long … Continue reading →

Posted in Luxury cars | Tagged , | Comments Off

Here comes the Pop, from Kia. It’s electric

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Kia will introduce an original concept-car at the Paris Motor Show in October: the Pop. What a cool name! It’s surprising nobody has used it already. It’s a 3-seater city car, and it’s electric, but we don’t have any technical … Continue reading →

Posted in City cars, Concept-cars, Electric cars (EVs) | Tagged , | Comments Off

The fantastic Zerotracer, a 180-mph electric revolution

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

Is it a car? Is it a bike? The Zerotracer is hard to define, but we know one thing: it’s fast. It can go beyond 180-mph! As it is still a work in progress, the engineers have electronically limited it … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric cars (EVs), EVs other than cars, Motorbikes & scooters, Racing, Sports car | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Zero Race: around the world in 80 days with electric power

Posted on August 16, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

The Zero Race has started! Nearly 19,000 miles of driving, traveling all around the world without CO2 emissions, thanks to electric power. 4 teams are leaving Geneva, Switzerland, today, and they expect to come back in 80 days, like Jules … Continue reading →

Posted in EVs other than cars, Racing | Tagged , | Comments Off

Dynamic aerodynamics on the Chevrolet Cruze Eco

Posted on August 15, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

No, I’m not mad. I’m just saying that aerodynamics properties can vary. We’ve seen it before on some Porsches. They have a hidden wing that only deploys itself at high speed to provide greater downforce. This technology is now available … Continue reading →

Posted in Fuel efficiency, Technology | Tagged , , | Comments Off

The Stop & Start, it’s a Bosch thing

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

You arrive at a red light, your engine shuts down. When the light gets green, you lift your foot off the brake pedal, and the engine restarts itself, instantly and automatically. This is a great feature that comes standard in … Continue reading →

Posted in Fuel efficiency, Market, Technology | Tagged , | Comments Off

Queen Sofía of Spain drives an electric Peugeot

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Claire-Nageant

The French brand is about to launch a new electric model, the Ion. But to many people, including myself, the Ion is not a Peugeot. It’s a Mitsubishi I-MiEV with a Peugeot badge on the hood. With a stronger dealer … Continue reading →

Posted in Electric cars (EVs), People | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Zeroshift: gears to make electric cars more efficient

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

We know cars with automatic or manual transmissions but when it comes to electric cars, there’s no choice. An electric scooter or a Tesla roadster both have a single speed transmission. They can work like this because of the torque … Continue reading →

Posted in EVs motors & drives, Technology | Tagged | Comments Off

Natural gas can win races

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Laurent J. Masson

We are not very familiar with the idea of natural gas as a fuel. Most often, the only vehicles we see running on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) are buses, or garbage trucks. The only natural gas car available to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural gas (CNG), Racing | Tagged , | Comments Off