SAY NO TO A NUCLEAR AUSTRALIA

Transportation Has Come a Long Way.

8:15 AM, Sat 17 May 2008 .. Posted in Technology of Today .. 0 comments .. Link
I recently found a story on hybrid sports cars and immediately thought 'Eh?? But aren't hybrids supposed to be somewhat lacking in power? How can this claim of a hybrid sports car be taken seriously?' So I went and had a bit of a look around to see what I could find. And it didn't take long for me to find some very interesting stories on the state of the hybrid industry at the moment. I concentrated on the models that showcase the sports performance side of the vehicle, and surprisingly, I found quite a bit on these flashy cars.

Now, I like cars. I like watching motor sports, I like the fact that we've got something that will take us to distant places safely and quickly... and I just like driving a good, responsive vehicle. This is one area of conservation about which I sometimes feel torn. Do you have to compromise on the fun of driving in order to save a few greenhouse gas emissions? Well not any more, it seems.

From what I've seen, there have been some great breakthroughs when it comes to power, fuel economy is at an unbelievable level, and new NiZn batteries promise 30% more power while being cheaper to produce and safer to store. It seems that we don't have a whole heap of excuses left for not considering this option when buying your next car. So let's have a look at a few.

Ok, to start with, the one that took my eye originally, The Fisker Karma.

    
Ok, so this one is flashy! I could actually see myself driving in this... except it's probably a little expensive for my budget. $80 000 USD will get you one of these luxurious monsters. This one combines a small gasoline engine with lithium battery packs. Apparently, if it's charged properly, it would use only 1 tank of fuel per year. As for the performance, 0-60 mph within 6 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph... I might have expected a little better from a sports car, but hey, that's not too bad. Most of us wouldn't use all of that allowance anyway. But still... this is a car-lover talking...


Then I stumbled across this little beauty, the Tesla Electric Roadster.


Now, this one might be the one for me, I think. Jay Leno even has one! The lines of this vehicle are part Corvette, part Ferrari, part Porsche, and it looks great in black. An electric car that gives you 0 - 60mph in 4 seconds... that's more like it. It can travel up to 250 miles per charge and will set you back a mere $92 000 USD. No worries, I'll have two please, one for daytime use and one for night.



If you're looking for a larger vehicle, something like the Citroen C-Metisse might be the car for you.

This looks like something that should be in the next batman movie, it's 4.74 m long, 2 m wide, and only 1.24 m high. It's front wheels are powered by a diesel engine for highway driving, while the particulate trap reduces the resulting emissions. The rear wheels are powered by electric motors to give the car a zero emission mode for around town. It can do 0-62 mph in 6.2 seconds, has a top speed of 155 mph and its makers claim it will average 42 mpg. The point to remember though is that this is at present only a concept vehicle.



How about something a little more affordable? The ZAP Alias is set to be released at a cost of roughly $30 000.


An all-electric three-wheeler vehicle, this one will be able to travel about 150 miles on one charge and go from 0-60 mph in about 7 seconds. For a small vehicle around town, that's not a bad deal... and it wins in the style department too. As yet, it's just another concept car, but with a 2009 release date you can place your order for one now.



Or, just for a bit of fun or if you only need to travel the few k's to work and back, how about this little beauty?


I'd have to call this guy Barney if I owned one... just me. This is the Venturi Eclectic, a solar, wind, and electric-powered three seater vehicle. Now, with a range of 50 km and a top speed of 50 km/h this little guy was never made for long trips into the country. But if you live in a city, have a lack of space, a negligible need for a vehicle, or if you simply need something to whip out to the east wing in, pip pip... something like this might be useful. A bit dorky, I'll give you... but being the first to run on a mixture of renewable energy gathered from its' inbuilt solar panels, wind turbine and an electricity powered backup, this truly is a zero emission vehicle, which is kind of cool. Check out the specs.

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