Smart Autonomous Car Concept To Debut In Frankfurt

Daimler revealed a new electric concept car this past week by introducing the Smart vision EQ fortwo, a car that combines familiar Smart design elements with some forward-thinking technology. Unsurprisingly, self-driving is front and centre of this concept, demonstrating Daimler’s commitment to its own car2go service, and asserting its intention to be a key player in the future of urban mobility.

Indeed, car2go was specifically called out in the announcement of this concept vehicle, which cited 2.6 million global users renting a car with the service every 1.4 seconds. What do car2go’s existing users have to do with a concept car? Even a passing look at the Smart vision EQ’s features shows how this could be a terrific step forward in the landscape of urban carsharing.

The concept is focused around a swarm intelligence software. This technology would base an algorithm on existing user data, allowing the car to make itself available in high-demand areas. Users would then book a vehicle that would come to them, rather than seek an available vehicle nearby in the app. Second, the onboard battery, just 30 kWh, is designed for automatic charging between trips at power stations and inductive charging docks.

The most striking design feature of the Smart vision EQ are the large glass doors, which not only offer an incredible view for passengers, but also become interior and exterior facing displays — perhaps to provide traffic and weather updates, or to act as digital advertising billboards. An additional two exterior LED displays positioned in the registration plate positions at the front and rear of the vehicle provide user information, including the availability of the vehicle in question, or the name of the user who booked it.

The Smart vision EQ fortwo is just a concept, but for those who can’t wait to ditch diesel, Daimler’s Smart fortwo electric is the cheapest electric car in the US. You can also see how it compares by reading our other electric car reviews.

Concept vehicles such as this raise some interesting questions. Will anyone living in a city actually own their own car in the near future? Or will we all be driving the sharing economy, ordering a car that will arrive at our location, on demand? With the Smart vision EQ fortwo, it certainly seems that Daimler has a commitment to smoothing out some of the technological bumps in the road for shared, self-driving electric vehicles. It’s not unreasonable to say that this future will soon become reality in cities around the world.

Volvo Polestar Hybrid Cars Will “Shake Up The Market”

At one time, Polestar was an independent tuning house that did for Volvos what AMG did for Mercedes. AMG got so popular that Mercedes bought it and brought it in-house. Later, Volvo did the same thing with Polestar, which now is the high performance division within the company. Last year, a Volvo XC90 Hybrid that was given the full Polestar treatment became the fastest production Volvo ever.

Polestar managed to boost horsepower and torque from the stock gasoline/electric Twin Engine powertrain by about 5%. After the tweaks, Volvo’s largest SUV was able to storm to 100 kph in 5.5 seconds. That is on par with Tesla Model X in standard trim. But things won’t stop there. Peter Martens Volvo’s R&D chief has indicated that Polestar powertrains in the future may have as much as 600 horsepower. “Polestar is going to come out with something very exciting and a little bit different,” Volvo UK managing director Jon Wakefield recently told Autocar. “We think it is going to shake up the market.”

The Polestar powertrain upgrades are expected to be available not only in the XC90 but also in Volvo’s top of the line sedans and wagons — the S90 and V90. Both vehicles are sleek, svelte, and thoroughly modern in appearance. Giving them outstanding performance could go a long way to burnishing Volvo’s relatively stodgy image. The latest thinking is that the new models will probably not be available to the public until the 2018 model year.

There are no technical details available yet about how Polestar intends to extract more performance from the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid package. In stock form, it mates a 2.0 liter gasoline engine that is both turbocharged and supercharged to an electric motor. The supercharger provides instant torque to get the car moving from rest while the turbocharger takes over as engine revs rise to keep the good times rolling as road speed increases.

Without knowing the specifics, the easiest way to boost performance would be to equip the cars with more powerful electric motors. Doing so could increase total power without affecting the emissions from the gasoline engine. Taking that route would likely involve fitting the cars with larger batteries, which might extend electric only range beyond that of the standard issue cars — assuming the driver can resist stomping on the go pedal at every opportunity.

A 600 horsepower Volvo V90 wagon could be one of the ultimate sleeper cars ever produced. Bring it on, Polestar!

Source: Left Lane News

We’re Going To Change The World Says Mercedes Exec

“We are going to change the world,” says Jurgen Schenk, the director of E-Drive System Integration at Mercedes. “It’s the beginning of a new vehicle architecture. We think it will be a transformation.” Schenk is referring to a new long range electric vehicle lineup his company has under development.

Mercedes has crafted a skateboard style mechanical platform wrapped around a 1,000 pound lithium ion battery pack. It will have electric motors at both ends for all wheel drive, wireless charging, and an array of digital apps. It will also be capable of driving itself.

Mercedes announced last week that it is bringing a concept SUV based on the new architecture to the Paris auto show in September. It says its electric cars will have a range of 300 miles and can be recharged in 5 minutes — about the time it takes to pump a tankful of gasoline or diesel fuel today. It claims its new car will easily outperform the cars available from Tesla Motors.

“It’s the beginning of a new vehicle architecture. We think it will be a transformation,” says Schenk. “The first car will be on sale this decade. It will be followed by a wide range of vehicles, more and more.” Prices are expected to begin in the $70,000 range.

Schenk heads a 450 person development team that has been through six generations of electric car programs already. Most of them are electric versions of the diminutive Smart and are intended primarily for urban driving. The production version of the concept on display in Paris is not expected in showrooms until 2019. Let’s hope it doesn’t look anything like the ungainly and unlovely concept sketches Mercedes has been posting online over the past several months.

“We are going to transform the world. It will astonish you,” Schenk says. He claims the flexibility of the new architecture means any body style — he calls it “the hut” — can sit on top of the electric drive platform. It could be a luxury sedan or an SUV. It will be engineered so it can be built in any existing Mercedes factory. That is pretty much the same claim that Faraday Future is making for its cars.

Schenk also says that high performance electric cars will easily outpace existing turbocharged V8 cars produced by ihs company’s AMG division. “They could do it right now. It will be dangerous,” he laughs. “We can match the performance of any car on the road, and it’s easy.”

The internal combustion engine is still a big part of Mercedes’ plans, however. “The internal combustion engines are earning the money we need for the transformation,” Schenk says. “The planet will turn into an electric planet. We don’t know how fast the transformation is coming.”

Somebody who does know is Elon Musk. His company, Tesla Motors, already sells electric cars with dual motors and all wheel drive that have eye watering acceleration. If Mercedes is planning electric cars that can recharge in 5 minutes by the end of the decade, we can be fairly certain Musk and company will reach that milestone years before.

Nothing in Schenk’s boasts indicate that Mercedes or any other car company is about to out-innovate Tesla. At least not any time soon.

Source: News.com.au

Unplugged Performance Tesla Model S Gallery

Last week Unplugged Performance pulled back the covers on its sexy new body kit for the Tesla Model S, and now we’ve got more pics of this sexy sedan body kit, which adds an exciting new level of sportiness to the Model S.

As previously mentioned, the full Unplugged Performance Kit will cost about $6,000 without factoring in paint, which is a pittance compared to how much character it adds to your Model S. Unplugged also hinted at future components for the Model S that enhance more than just the aesthetics of the electric sedan, though that’s still a bit further down the pipeline.

Ultimately, Unplugged Performance wants to be for Tesla what AMG is to Mercedes; that is to say, an aftermarket tuning shop that takes production Teslas to the next level of looks and performance. With an overwhelmingly positive response (especially from us) we can’t wait to see what Unplugged has in store for its next round of upgrades and improvements.

Saleen might have met its match when it comes to Tesla Model S modification.

Source: Gas 2.

Mercedes AMG is Going Green w/ Hybrid Tech

“Honestly, I would say yes,” began said AMG chairman Tobias Moers. “… yes, for sure [we will make hybrid AMGs]. I can’t say when, for sure, but we have already started a lot of research.” That’s confirmation- as if any was needed in the face of new laws in London and Beijing, that the company’s record-setting (and much-loved) SLS Electric Drive was not a one-time foray into the EV market, and that the company’s ginormous investment in a hybrid drivetrain for Formula 1 is well and truly working to improve the breed.

Despite their recent F1 dominance in the face of brands like Ferrari and McLaren, however, don’t expect a million-dollar Mercedes hybrid anytime soon. That’s because AMG is eager to follow its parent company Mercedes’ recent volume play/inexorable march down-market. As such, you can expect to see more electrification of “more accessible” AMG models like the CLA and SLK. A tuner hybrid “wouldn’t need to be in the super car class,” Moers explained to AutoExpress. “AMG needs to be an approachable brand.”

We’ve already seen some performance-enhancing Mercedes-Benz hybrid tech turn up in the newest S class and C class Benzes- as well as the first of the new-generation tuner specials. And, if Brabus can do it, it should be no huge task for the boys from Affalterbach to fit their own signature go-fast parts to the gas-electric (or diesel-electric) MBs. Expect to see the first “concept” performance hybrid to be spinning on the company’s auto show stands sometime in 2015 …

… that is, unless you count this thing or that thing as Mercedes’ first performance hybrid. Once you check those out, let us know what you think of this brave, new, electric go-fast world in the comments, below.

Source: AutoExpress UK, via GTSpirit.