Renault Zoe 2012 Electric Supermini

The car above is apparently the almost finished version of Renault’s next generation super-mini due for release in 2012.

The Renault Zoe is a purely electric car with what now seems to be the industry standard 100 mile range. We wonder how every electric car that’s announced seems to have a 100 mile range, almost with no exceptions, we know its an estimate and depends on conditions and driving style etc, but still you would think a few of them would have ranges something other than 100 miles, 101 perhaps just for a bit of one-upmanship.

This car has obligatory lithium-ion batteries powering the electric motor producing around 60kW, enough to send the Zoe’s not insignificant 1392kg to 100kph in just over 8 seconds and on to a top speed of 135kph.

Renault showed a Zoe concept at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show (shown below), however that car was purely concept and clearly its design features were a long way from ever getting near a production line, this 2012 Zoe though is something else entirely in that Renault do plan to build it.

Renault Zoe Concept from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show

Some concept car touches remain in this 2010 Paris Motor Show version, including skin friendly climate control that wont dehydrate your delicately cared for epidermis, as well as some funky odour and lighting gadgets that probably wont make it into the final production car.

Out 2012, along with most other manufacturers electric car offerings, its going to be one busy year at the power station.

Peugeot EX1

Well, what can we say about this Peugeot EX1 Concept, its errrm… quick. This car follows a pattern set by the Tesla but pips the Tesla example in several areas, though sadly, unlike the Tesla, you will never (probably) be able to buy the EX1, its simply a one off to celebrate 200 years of Peugeot.

When we say quick, that phrase may not quite be enough, this cat gets to 60mph in 3.58 seconds, beating the Tesla by a smidgen, but from there things go absolutely bonkers.

The Peugeot EX1, rather then start to lose its rate of acceleration as the speed builds, it actually increases it, unbelievably hitting its top speed of around 160mph from a standing start in just 6.6 seconds… think about… 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds, then the next 60-160mph in 3 seconds… 3 seconds to increase velocity by 100mph… that has to be one hell of a rush.

To give you some perspective on just how fast this rate of acceleration is, a Formula One car will typically hit the same 160mph marker in around 7.8 seconds, and while that is incredibly fast, and not that far behind the time of the EX1, it belies the distribution of the acceleration, as a Formula One car will go to 60mph in 1.7 seconds, destroying the EX1 to that speed, but then from the 60-160mph takes around 6 seconds compared to the EX1′s 3 seconds.

Amazingly the claimed ranged for the Peugeot EX1 is 280 miles on a single charge, that seems somewhat optimistic given the performance but then with the light weight and high power batteries it might well be possible providing you were to drive with the very lightest of feathery touches on the accelerator, how you could drive for 280 miles in this car without giving in to the urge to floor it though is beyond us.

Its a fine example of what can be achieved with electric power, and a great peek at the high performance supercars of the future, there is no doubt that in 20 or 30 years the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari will have electric models available, and it will be cars like this Peugeot EX1 that lead the way many years before.

2013 Infiniti EV

Infiniti, the Nissan owned Japanese luxury car manufacturer, has released the above image to give a glimpse of how their 2013 electric vehicle, this Infiniti EV has apparently been confirmed for launch, which already sets it apart from many would be EV manufacturers.

The vehicle will be based on the Nissan Leaf EV platform that is set to be released by the end of 2010, but with an obvious up-shift in luxury and size. Details other then this are sketchy right now, but the car should follow the usual Infiniti quality and equipment levels and deliver a decent performance and a range of around 100 miles is to be expected.

We would expect the recharge times of the Infiniti EV to be similar to that of the Leaf, i.e using a quick charger you can get to 80% charge in about 30 minutes. Using the standard charger that you would typically use at home a full charge will take approx 20 hours, that’s from a completely flat state though, and as most of the time the car will only need a top-up rather then a full charge its likely real world full recharge times will be somewhat less than that figure.

We would expect the Infiniti EV to hit around 80mph tops, based on figures from Leaf. Also we would think the same advanced IT system from Leaf will also feature in the Infiniti EV, one its main advantages being it will keep you updated on charge levels, and more importantly the locations of nearby charging stations, not to mention offering other nifty features such as remote activation of charging functions, air-con and heater settings from your cell phone.

Prices are not available yet, but we would expect them to be somewhere in the $40k-$50k range when released and a little more with higher spec models.

Citroen Lacoste Concept Car - Front

Doing their best to capture as many column inches as possible, Citroen have not been backward in coming forward with their concepts for this years Paris Motor Show.

This time we have the The Citroen Lacoste concept car complete with bench seats, a funky design and somewhat oddly, an inflatable canopy. We don’t know if that means it can double as a lifeboat but our guess is probably not. Coming in at just under 3.5m in length, this is one seriously compact car placing it somewhere between the inconceivably short Smart Car and the super mini champion, the Ford Fiesta.

Fans of rain will be delighted as the car has no roof to speak of, allowing both the driver and passengers full opportunity to revel in downpours as and when the chance arises. Should you instead wish to remain dry on such occasions you can inflate the canopy from the t-bar to keep you all cosy, how lovely.

Obviously no doors either, meaning when carrying Grandma to the store it is essential to remember to belt her in, or you may well arrive at your destination without her. In a novel twist on the traditional instrument panel this car doesn’t have one. Instead it has a whole car width screen on the dashboard that keeps you up to date on things like speed, fuel levels and whether you have lost any passengers, in a cool 1980′s style block pixel effect, very retro.

A nice concept example, with many features that wont ever see the light of day on a production car, nevertheless all these concepts are keeping somebody at Citroen employed, and that, if not the concepts themselves, has to be good.

Citroen Lacoste Concept Car - Back

Edison2 Concept

These days a concept car either has to be unique in design and build or has to be extremely eco friendly. The Edison2 does really have a mixture of both of the above, which is why there is so much excitement surrounding its development. In fact, it is one of the most eco friendly vehicles that are being developed by any manufacturer.

As part of the X-Prize competition, many manufacturers pulled out all the stops to produce their best possible vehicle. The Edison2 concept was one of the focal points of the event, as it truly was something unique and innovative in comparison to the other developments there.

Whilst other developers looked at incorporating basic electric engines to produce an eco friendly vehicle, the Edison2 was something totally different. Instead, they chose to incorporate a conventional engine, a combustion engine. Even with this setup and structure, it is still extremely economically.

The X-Prize competition is a prestigious event, with this year’s winner, the Edison2 concept, obtaining the top prize of $5,000,000. This might be due to the fact that they used a combustion engine, which still manages to achieve over 100 miles to the gallon. Of course, this might be something to do with its weight, which is just 830 pounds.

So what was the plan? The plan for the competition was to develop a vehicle product that was eco friendly. This meant that the developers had to use their most innovative ideas to ensure that their vehicles were as aero dynamic as possible. Instead of burning petrol or diesel, the Edison2 actually burns E85, something that a lot of car manufacturers might find a bit strange.

Part of the development of the vehicle was testing different engine formats. What the developers found is by losing hundreds of pounds in electric motors and batteries; they were able to save on MPG. So whilst it might be burning E85, it burns a significant amount less than it would in electric format, because of the reduced weight.

Whilst a $5,000,000 prize might seem like a little bit over the top, the designer certainly does not seem to think so. In fact, the designer suggested at the competition, that the development actually cost in excess of that amount to develop!

2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Front

Here is BMWs 2011 6 Series Coupé that will be BMWs main draw at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The car follows familiar BMW lines as would be expected, with one of the most notable differences being more steeply sweeping headlamps than previously seen on BMW models and a much sleeker over all look.

Along with this Coupé model will be a convertible set for launch in March 2011 just in time for the summer market. Engine-wise expect to see both 4 liter and 5 liter petrol variants along with a 4 liter deisel too which should give a decent MPG return for those interested in lower running costs.

The usual BMW high end in-car entertainment and electronic system controls feature, this time around with a massive (for in car purposes at least) 10″+ screen which should keep all the “look what it does” fans happy.

While this car is being labled as a concept, we understand that the new 2011 BMW 6 series coupé will more or less look just like this, so if you like the look of it you can rest assured you will actually be able to get your hands on one sometime next year.

2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Side

2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Rear