Blog Archive
-
▼
2011
(1169)
-
▼
April
(209)
- Peugeot EX1 sets electric car record on the Nürbur...
- BYD Announces EV Fleet Results at Anniversary of G...
- Toyota Has No Plans to Return to Formula 1
- JD Power Sees 4X Growth in Green Car Market by 2016
- Dodge Viper ACR Looks Like Alfa Romeo’s Zagato TZ3...
- Exxon make $5M/hr profit yet still qualify for US ...
- Mitsubishi keen on F1-style electric car series
- Chevrolet 2012 Corvette new Design
- Age of cheap fuel is over: IEA
- Luxgen's Neora EV sedan concept unveiled @ Shangha...
- F1 Teams using ‘kickdown’ to trigger KERS
- Toyota and WiTricity Form Wireless Battery-chargin...
- Nissan Leaf Entered in 2011 Pikes Peak Internation...
- Chevy Volt & Nissan Leaf earn top ratings in crash...
- Most U.S. Consumers Want to Buy an Electric Vehicle
- Ohio Ruling Allows Speeding Tickets to be Issued B...
- Mitsubishi selects State of Hawaii for electric ve...
- World's First Electric Street-Bodied Car to Break ...
- Hyundai Tiburon Replacement First Headed to U.K. i...
- Volt Owners Go 1,000 Miles Between Fill-Ups
- Opel Corsa OPC Nurburgring Edition
- Toyota Eco Island
- Toyota Yaris 2011
- 2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8
- Nissan Leaf Is World Car Of The Year
- Toyota Announces Registration Web Site for Prius P...
- 2013 Ford Taurus
- NISMO Carbon Fiber RWD Nissan Leaf Electric Race C...
- Johnson Controls-Saft to supply batteries for Chin...
- Nissan Says It Will Boost U.S. Deliveries of Leaf ...
- GM’s Holden-designed electric pod to undergo trial...
- Fullycharged Zero Carbon Leaf Drive [video]
- Audi A3 e-tron Sedan Concept Shown @ Shanghai Auto...
- Toyota's low-emission cars to be manufactured in C...
- GM Volt Crossover Is One Step Closer to Production
- 2,564 Miles Per Gallon Achieved at Shell Eco-marat...
- BYD-Daimler’s First EV Design Completed, Prototypi...
- NISMO Build a Carbon Fiber RWD Nissan Leaf Electri...
- Vettel: Pole performance down to KERS
- Report: Saab in Talks with BMW on Underpinnings, E...
- Car Care
- Webber set to qualify without KERS for Chinese Gra...
- LG Chem Look to Dominate EV Battery Market
- Hertz and Mitsubishi sign Car Share and Rental dea...
- Volvo Releases More Details for 2012 Volvo C30 Ele...
- Green Overdrive: Tesla Takes a Cue from Apple Stor...
- Nissan lithium ion battery plant in Portugal on tr...
- Renault announces first UK order for electric kang...
- Delphi Showcases Innovative Wireless EV Charging
- Largest Solar Project in the Southern Hemisphere A...
- 2012 jaguar xj prices and specification reviews
- 2011 land rover freelander 2 review
- 2011 land rover evoque prices and specification re...
- 2011 land rover discovery 4 car prices and Reviews
- 2011 land rover defender usa cars review and speci...
- 2011 jeep quadra lift cars review and specification
- 2011 jeep mopar accessories car prices and reviews
- 2011 jeep patriot prices and specification review
- 2012 ford hybrid fusion review with cars images
- 2012 ford interceptor police car review with cars ...
- 2012 ford harley davidson super duty prices and sp...
- 2012 ford gt supercar car prices and reviews
- Maxwell Technologies Doubles Ultracapacitor Produc...
- Red Bull's KERS conundrum
- Ford EV Buzz Heats up as Chief Engineer Talks @ SA...
- Siemens and BMV unveil wireless EV charging station
- Samsung-Bosch Venture to Invest in Car-Battery Plants
- Daimler, Bosch Join in Electric Car Venture
- Concept vehicle by Fred Gambino
- Mercedes S 350
- Ford Crafts 2011
- 2012 Cadillac SRX
- Saft Li-ion KERS Batteries Power 40% of Formula 1 ...
- Renault COO Pelata resigns over spy case [video]
- Team to enter 2012 Dakar with the EV rally raid of...
- Audi A3 e-tron Plug-in electric wagon concept unve...
- No quick fix for Red Bull KERS issues
- Texas to get electric car fast charging networks
- 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Centennial : Special Supercar
- 2011 bmw convertible prices review with specification
- Heffner Twin-Turbo Audi R8 V10
- 2011 bmw b7 alpina car review and prices, specific...
- 2011 bmw bikes review and pictures, prices
- 2012 aston martin sedan review with wallpapers and...
- 2012 aston martin lagonda review with specification
- 2012 aston martin lmp1 review and prices with wall...
- 2012 aston martin db9 price and wallpapers
- 2012 aston martin dbs volante car wallpapers and f...
- 2012 aston martin db9 features review and wallpapers
- 2012 acura cl coupe specification review and prices
- 2012 acura csx prices review and specification
- 2012 acura cl review and car wallpapers with prices
- 2012 acura bikes review and wallpaperes
- 2012 acura advanced sports car review and wallpapers
- 2012 acura awd review and prices with specification
- Vettel: KERS was key to my pole
- DBM Lithium Metal Polymer battery undergoing testi...
- DHL Introduces Hybrid Ford E450 Delivery Vans in M...
- 2012 Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 Announced
- 2011 Peugeot 508 Car Gallery
-
▼
April
(209)
GM’s Holden-designed electric pod to undergo trials on Chinese roads
A two-wheeled electric commuter concept designed by young Australian designers at GM Holden could morph into a production vehicle that will cruise without driver input through city traffic snarls in China.
The Port Melbourne-designed two-seater Xiao EN-V (Electric Networked-Vehicle) was one of three EV passenger ‘pods’ revealed ahead of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai last May, when General Motors and its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) revealed their vision for sustainable urban transportation in the year 2030.
Now, GM China has announced it will develop a next-generation EN-V to take part in real-world testing on public roads in China, as part of a memorandum of understanding it signed on April 17 with the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co Ltd (SSTEC).
As part of the agreement, GM will initiate a feasibility study to incorporate a ‘mobility internet’ into transport infrastructure to support vehicles like the EN-V.
GM China Group chief and former Holden executive, Australian Kevin Wale, said at today’s Shanghai motor show opening that GM has reached a preliminary agreement with the SSTEC to conduct joint-research to directly address urban congestion concerns being expressed in major cities.
“At World Expo 2010 Shanghai, GM demonstrated our vision of sustainable urban mobility and published the GM Sustainable Urban Mobility Blue Paper at the conclusion of the event as a call for action and a roadmap to the future,” said Mr Wale.
“We are pleased that GM’s partnership with SSTEC can serve as the first step for realising our vision.”
The is no guarantee that Holden Design’s “nautically inspired” version of the EN-V - which translates to ‘laugh’ in Chinese and is a “light-hearted” Aussie design that looks like a deep-sea diving suit – will reach production.
But it has as much chance as the Jiao (pride) EN-V designed by GM Europe and the Californian-designed Miao (magic), which will also ride on a next-generation Segway platform that balances on two wheels powered by two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery.
Either way, Holden says it is chuffed that its most daring design to date could go to the next level in the production process.
“Obviously from a Holden perspective, it’s pleasing to see the hard work and creative vision that our advanced design team put into the original concept rewarded with this next step in the program,” said spokesman Jonathan Rose.
“The original work, showcased at last year’s China Expo, really broke the mould of the projects we undertake within Holden Design.”
While the three advanced GM EN-Vs took pride of place at the SAIC-GM Pavilion a year ago, this week Mr Wale announced an ambitious five-year business plan in which he said GM would take further steps to bring its vision of a world without petroleum, vehicle emissions, accidents and traffic congestion to life.
Mr Wale also announced GM would introduce 60 new or upgraded models and achieve EV leadership in China in the next five years as part of its drive to double sales to about five million vehicles in its largest single market and the world’s most populous nation by 2015.
This week’s GM-SSTEC MOU aims to collaborate on plans to integrate next-generation EN-Vs in Tianjin Eco-City from a power, communications and physical infrastructure perspective.
GM says that by combining GPS with vehicle-to-vehicle communications and distance-sensing technologies, compact EN-Vs - which can be driven both manually and autonomously – can offer greater manoeuvrability and safety in areas with limited space.
“SSTEC is committed to building a practical and sustainable Eco-City, which includes having a comprehensive and integrated green transport system,” said Ho Tong Yen, the CEO of SSTEC, the master developer for the Tianjin Eco-City, a landmark joint-venture project between China and Singapore with private-sector investment.
“We look forward to welcoming EN-Vs in the Eco-City. We are confident that GM’s expertise, commitment and innovation will help in our drive to promote the early adoption of new-energy vehicles in the Tianjin Eco-City.”
Spanning 30 square kilometers, the Tianjin Eco-City is located 40km from Tianjin’s city centre. Designed to be “a harmonious and sustainable community that meets the needs of an urbanising China”, it will initially house a 4sq-km start-up area with as many as 26,500 households.
Providing a glimpse into a future in which 60 per cent of the world’s population of eight billion will be living in mega-cities around the globe, the eco-city will eventually become a modern township in which 350,000 residents will live, work and play, with first residents expected to move in next year.
“Since its global introduction at World Expo 2010 Shanghai, the first-generation EN-V has travelled the world and received attention from global leaders, academics and environmentalists,” said the vice-president of GM’s Global Research and Development Organisation, Alan Taub.
“The EN-V provides a glimpse into the future and represents another major step forward in GM’s advanced vehicle technology leadership.”
Unlike the original Segway, which was controlled by the rider leaning in the direction of travel, the new EN-V automatically keeps it balance while being driven by drive-by-wire controls for up to 40km at a top speed of 40km/h.
As we’ve reported, the 500kg Xiao EN-V, four of which can occupy the space of a conventional small car, was developed over 15 months by a team of young Holdne designers overseen Holden design director Tony Stolfo, design manager Aaron Deneweth and lead designer Frank Rudolph.