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    Hiriko EV – Foldable Car Headed Production

    By on Friday, January 27th, 2012 | No Comments

    Some days ago, in Brussels, Belgium, Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission presented Hiriko EV. He called the car as a model of social innovation. This revolutionary small car was invented in Basque Country. It could be realized because of the support of private company, MIT.

    In Basque language, Hiriko means Urban. This name was taken as symbolization that the small car would be purposed for the urban society. As future car, Hiriko is powered by four in-wheel electric motors. Unfortunately, there are no explanations from MIT about the output of the motor and the type of the batteries used by the car. The only information we grabbed from the builder of the vehicle is that the battery has a range of 75 miles. As urban future car, Hiriko is not fast because its top speed is just less than 40 miles per hour.

    According to the creator, Hiriko EV can comfortably load two passengers. The compartment for the passenger is accessed through a front-mounted door that swings upwards. The most original feature brought by Hiriko EV is the rear door – it can be folded under the chassis. In that configuration, the Hiriko EV appears shorter than Fourtwo from Smart. Its small size allows us to park it in even the most crowded places without have to face lots of troubles.

    The first Hiriko EV will be part of car-sharing pilot program. Some parties have shown their interest to this foldable car, including Galapagos Islands, Berlin, San Francisco and Barcelona. Once the pilot project is over individuals are allowed to have this car in their garage. The target price for Hiriko EV is about 12.500 euros or about $16.233. But, this price does not include batteries and it has to be leased. The first Hiriko series, according to its builder, will be delivered in early 2013.

    Ferrari 599 HY-KERS

    By on Friday, January 27th, 2012 | No Comments

    Italian supercar maker, Ferrari will create its first go green car. According to some reports in media, the name of the car will be Ferrari 599 hybrid aka Ferrari 599 HY-KERS. From its appearance and performance, the 599 Hybrid is like other Ferrari’s products; it is still a supercar. But, under its hood, Ferrari takes another decision by placing V12 engine 6.0-liter combined with electric motors. This combination has ability to push the car up to 720 horsepower; it is more than standard power brought by other series, which is about 620 horsepower.

    Electric motor in this Ferrari 599 hybrid is connected via one of the two clutches and it is capable to generate electric power once the car is braking or de-accelerating. Extra power is stored in two slim lithium-ion batteries. The size of the batteries is less than 2 cm thick, which makes it the slimmest among others. The batteries are kept well under the passenger compartment, so there will be not wires or other troubling accessories appear.

    Even Ferrari is still inexperienced with hybrid technology, but through this 599 hybrid the Italian carmaker seems want to prove that they have ability to produce supercar that has the go green technology. The Ferrari 599 hybrid does not lose its touches because the power and performance are still similar like the conventional types. With the help of 7-speed DSG transmission, Ferrari 599 hybrid is capable to accelerate more than 200 miles per hour. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. However, the main benefit of the Ferrari 599 hybrid is its CO2 emission; the amount of the pollutant is reduced significantly. EU has regulated that all new cars must cut its emission to 140g/km. Ferrari realizes it and with this hybrid car, they can reduce their emission from 430g/km in 2007 to 230g/km. Maybe, the number does not meet the requirement yet but it is a huge step.

    Honda FCX Clarity – Future Car Uses Hydrogen

    By on Friday, January 27th, 2012 | No Comments

    These days, the price of fuel becomes a very hot issue and some experts believed that in the future, it would be too high for most people. It means the price of petrol and diesel, which are two most popular fuels for car will be out of reach. Because of that matter, some carmakers are trying to create solution by building alternative-fuel vehicles; one of them is Japanese automaker, Honda. Honda creates FCX Clarity concept, which is a car that uses hydrogen as fuel.

    Honda FCX Clarity was introduced first in November 2007 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Customers in Southern California were given opportunity to try this car summer in the next year. Honda chose the city because there are enough spaces and places to refill hydrogen for the Honda FCX Clarity. This car, according to Honda is a zero emission car. It uses Honda’s V Flow cell platform combined with a new technology lithium-ion battery and hydrogen tank that will support power to the heart of the vehicle.

    Electricity is gained from the reaction; hydrogen reacts with oxygen grabbed from the atmosphere in the fuel cell stack. Extra energy is kept in the supplemental lithium-ion battery and it is collected by using regenerative braking and acceleration.

    With this system, the only thing wasted by the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen is just water. Maybe, it still produces small amount of CO2 but it is under conventional cars. It means we can be sure we will not add a print to a global warming if driving this hydrogen car.

    Some analysts said that this FCX Clarity would be the basis of fuel car because of its capability in using hydrogen as fuel. However, there are no words from Honda about when this car would be produced and marketed worldwide.

    2013 BMW X6M Facelift [Pictures]

    By on Friday, January 27th, 2012 | No Comments


     2013 BMW X6M Facelift front side

    The BMW X6 model will be having several changes, especially around the exterior look. In the upcoming 2013 BMW X6M facelift, the front side will have the regular lower hood style, while the rear side will be a bit bulky and bulging. The contrast appearance can be seen from the side. But the company seems to be comfy enough with such change, since they also provide new performance kit for the ride and incorporate new technology.

    The 2013 BMW X6M facelift will include new style grille, new looking housing for the fog light, and also silver satin cover. It will also come with full headlights LED – the previous one used the Xenon lights – and there will be twin bar designs for the taillights. In the engine department, this model will use the same power and specs, with the V8 engine of 4.4 liter capacity in line with the 300kW xDrive50i system. It still uses the same automatic eight speed transmissions too. The new engine line will also be available with the diesel six cylinder 3.0 liter capacity triple turbo to mark the release of the M50d X6 model.

    The 2013 BMW X6M facelift will include different color options, including the Silver Orion, Brown Marrakesh, and also the Blue Midnight. Sounds appealing? You bet it is! Read the rest of this entry »

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