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GENEVA--Electric vehicles were everywhere here at the auto show, ranging from tantalizing roadsters to stubby microcars. But for all the buzz, automakers still have no solution to the longstanding problem of limited range.
EVs arriving in the next few years will be limited-range "city cars." Whether electric cars will move beyond that small market segment is unclear.
But automakers very much want zero-emissions electrics in their lineups. Last week, Ford Motors CEO Alan Mulally said his company will emphasize EVs. "In 10 years, 12 years, you are going to see a major portion of our portfolio move to electric vehicles," Mulally said at a conference in California.
Industry attention has turned to two proposed solutions: quick battery recharging and battery-swapping stations.
"In the beginning when the infrastructure isn't anywhere, EVs are going to be predominantly in the city," said Andy Palmer, senior vice president of Nissan Motors. "But once you've got the fast-charging stations or the swap stations in place, I don't see them being any different from gas-fired cars, to be honest."
Other executives remain unconvinced. One Daimler executive, for instance, decries quick-charge claims as "fantasies."
Too quick?
Quick-charging advocates say widespread installation of commercial chargers would remove consumers' worries about dead batteries. Nissan, which plans to introduce an electric vehicle for fleets in the United States in 2010, says recharging could restore 80 percent of a battery's energy within 30 minutes.
But Herbert Kohler, Daimler vice president for group research and advance engineering, said quick recharging would cut the 10-year life span that Daimler plans for battery packs.
"Don't believe those kinds of fantasies to say it could be in a few minutes," Kohler said, referring to recharging time.
"Two hours, maybe one and a half, in order to be sure that the lifetime of the battery will stay as announced. Otherwise you will ruin the battery, and those kinds of lifetimes we discussed are never to be realized."
But Nissan's Palmer said that if carefully controlled, "fast charging doesn't have a detrimental effect."
Swap batteries
Battery swapping--promoted by Shai Agassi, founder of the company Better Place--envisions stations where a driver could pull in, have a depleted battery replaced and drive away. Better Place is testing the concept with Renault-Nissan.
Bart Sloep, product group manager for Mitsubishi Motors Europe, said the variety of automotive battery packs poses a major obstacle to swapping.
"It's so complex to have a battery swap system for a large number of cars," Sloep said. "It's impossible because of how many battery packs you will have to keep in stock."
Battery packs weigh 200 kilograms (440 pounds) or more, he said, making replacement difficult. And today's batteries likely will soon become obsolete.
"The current technology in batteries is progressing so fast--what is the residual value of a battery pack in five years?" Sloep said. "Who wants to put money in that?"
Sloep said Mitsubishi, which will launch its i MiEV in Japan in June, sees electric vehicles as city commuter cars: "There will not be an electric car for every situation."
Thomas Weber, Daimler's management board member for group research, said Mercedes-Benz tested battery swapping in fleets of electric prototype cars in the 1970s, but it has rejected the idea for the current generation of electrics.
Despite the uncertainty about bringing electric vehicles into the mainstream, interest is intense.
Supplier Magna Steyr built a concept electric vehicle for Geneva to attract customers for its contract manufacturing plant in Graz, Austria. Erwin Bair, Magna Steyr's chief engineer for powertrain, said automakers constantly ask about electrics.
"Every customer is talking about it," Bair said. "Every one."
(Source: Automotive News)
GENEVA--Aston Martin's Lagonda SUV was easily the top attention-getter at the auto show here. Few were neutral. Many were outraged.
(Credit:
Automotive News)
But Aston design director Marek Reichman says that's what he expected when the concept surprised journalists on the final media day.
Reaction was reminiscent of, say, the debut of the Bangle-butt BMW 7 series at the 2001 Frankfurt show.
"Abomination," blogged Dutch Mandel, editor of AutoWeek. "Please, dear God, you aren't serious!"
Others were more accepting of the massive, jarring vehicle that was crammed onto a tight corner of the Aston stand.
"You need time," said Reichman, a former Ford designer. "I had one journalist say he's been back four times, and every time he sees something new. It should push the boundaries a little bit. If everyone patted me on the back and said, 'It's absolutely fabulous, blah, blah,' I'm not sure that would be lasting."
With the $200,000-plus SUV, Aston is relaunching the Lagonda brand, which has been dormant since the early 1990s.
(Credit:
Automotive News)
The beefy Lagonda is just less than 200 inches long. It has a tailgate, foldback seats, all-wheel drive and slightly higher ground clearance than a sedan.
"It's for all terrains, all situations," said Reichman. "It doesn't have all the approach and departure angles of a true off-roader. But it can cope with the winding roads from Moscow to St. Petersburg in inclement weather."
The vehicle is aimed largely at developing countries such as Russia, China and India, which have plenty of wealth but infrastructures unsuited for sports cars.
The Lagonda's controversial elements? To start with, there is the sheer bulk and the tiny rear slit of a window -- a bow to one of the 1930s Lagondas that inspired the car, the 1938 LG6.
Still, the vehicle is a good bet for production.
"It is based on the Mercedes GL platform, so we are thinking about the potential," Reichman said.
Could it be built in Vance, Ala., where the GL is produced?
"To us it would make more sense to build it in the U.K.," he said.
Either way, production would not begin for 24 to 30 months.
And what about that bracing feedback?
Said Reichman: "It's a show, and we wanted to show something for people to react to."
(Source: Automotive News)
At last week's Geneva auto show, we posted photos and wrote up details of the latest cars and concepts. But if you want to experience the show with an English accent, our CNET U.K. colleagues were on hand as well. Here is a selection of their coverage:
Sbarra Orbital Hybrid packs HUD but no hubs
We've got video of the ludicrous Sbarro Orbital Hybrid--the concept vehicle that looks and (probably) performs like a Formula One car, but is actually kind to the environment
Honda CR-Z: Hybrid sports car
Honda, purveyor of the Insight and Civic hybrids, may soon release the CR-Z--an amazing-looking hybrid car that promises good fuel economy, low emissions, and "spirited" performance
Hummer H2 Flexpower eco-tank
Gas-guzzling Hummers are rather passe in this time of belt-tightening and eco-friendly motoring. In this video, we caught up with the company to find out how its latest mini-tank will use biofuel
Protoscar Lampo: Part Lambo, part lamp
The Protoscar Lampo is a two-seater cabriolet that charges about on an electrical charge from its two battery motors. And it's rather quick.
Nissan Cube: A series of Cubes
The Nissan Cube has softened its Borg-style design cues to head for European shores. It still keeps the cool asymmetric rear window though
Nissan Connect: Steering wheel adjusts volume, skips tracks, also steers
Nissan's Connect music-integration system is making its debut in the Note and Micra, turning these cars into iPod docks on wheels. Just remember to keep your eyes on the road
Check out more Geneva auto show coverage from CNET U.K.
Due to high gas prices and narrow roads, Europeans have always appreciated small cars. Two new concepts from Ford and Kia show how small can be big, maximizing interior space and utility on a short wheelbase. Check out our photos from the 2009 Geneva auto show for details.
This is the Opel Ampera.
(Credit: CNET)
And this is the Chevy Volt.
The third car with GM's Voltec series hybrid power train was announced at the Geneva auto show, the Opel Ampera. The two cars preceding it were the Chevrolet Volt and the Cadillac Converj. The Opel Ampera shares a platform with the Volt, and the cars are nearly identical. Where the Volt has horizontal slits at the front corners for headlights, the Ampera has big gouges going down from those headlight slits to the fog lamps, but the roofline is basically the same. The Opel badge, looking kind of like a lightning bolt, is probably more representative of the electric power train than the Chevrolet bow tie.
Opel shows off the Voltec power train.
(Credit: CNET)To illustrate how the Voltec power train works, Opel has an open chassis on the floor, with cutaways showing the lithium ion battery running down the center of the car, and the electric motor and gas engine in the front of the car. The Ampera is intended to do the majority of its driving, such as grocery runs and commutes, under electric power alone, while longer drives will cause the gas engine to kick in and send electric to the motor. Like the Volt, the Ampera will go for about 40 miles under electric power.
Aston Martin's upcoming One-77 hypercar features a 7.3-liter V-12 that outputs over 700 horsepower and they're only making 77 of them. You think Aston's obsession with the number seven has anything to do with a particular superspy?
Join us as we check out the Aston Martin One-77 at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
It's a classic recipe for fun: Take a small car. Shove a big engine under the hood. Enjoy.
However when you're Aston Martin and your small car is the Vantage, the big engine part of the recipe scales to a 6-liter V-12.
Check out our first look at the Aston Martin V-12 Vantage from the floor of the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
Mazda showed off the new Mazda 3 MPS at the Geneva auto show, a performance version of the standard Mazda 3. In the U.S., this update should appear as the Mazdaspeed 3. Past models of this car have impressed us with excellent handling and responsive acceleration. If the new version handles as good as it looks, we're in for a treat.
Magna Steyr demonstrates its Mila automotive platform with this concept car, at the Geneva auto show.
(Credit: CNET)Magna Steyr, a maker of automotive parts, is showing that it can build entire cars.
With a concept car, on display at the Geneva auto show, the company is aiming to illustrate what it can offer to carmakers through its Mila automotive platform: Magna Steyr would build the car's innards, then the carmaker would slap on a body shell and badges.
Mila is designed as a flexible platform for the manufacturing of either electric cars or hybrids, allowing automakers to market their own green cars without having to do years of costly research.
With its 67-horsepower electric motor and 10-kilowatt battery pack, Mila-based cars have an electric range of only 32 miles, and accelerating to 62 mph takes a whopping 17 seconds. With a gas engine added to work as a generator, Magna Steyr says the Mila will go 174 miles.
The Mila's hybrid system can drive the car either under electric power only; as a series hybrid, where the gas engine recharges the batteries; or as a parallel hybrid, with the gas engine sends power directly to the wheel for speeds of more than 44 mph.
Magna Steyr's battery module contains its own load-balancing software.
(Credit: CNET)At least one component of Mila should prove attractive to automakers: the battery. Magna Steyr has designed a lithium ion battery module with built-in software for load balancing and power control. The modules can be combined into a battery pack and will work seamlessly together, providing electricity for the vehicle without overheating or overusing a single module.
Although it hasn't licensed the Mila platform specifically, Ford has already signed a deal with Magna Steyr to provide its electric power train for a vehicle to be launched in the United States in 2011. The deal specifies a small car powered by a single electric motor, with a single-speed transmission. Range will be approximately 100 miles.
See more coverage of the 2009 Geneva auto show.
(Credit:
CNET)
Two icons of British luxury (owned by German companies), Bentley and Rolls-Royce, showed off new thinking at the Geneva auto show this week in the form of two new concept vehicles.
Bentley, sensing that it is now fashionable to go green, attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by refining its Continental model into the Continental Supersports, at the same time coming up with the most powerful Bentley yet. Rolls-Royce, in its quest for a new model in 2010, comes out with the 200EX, a car that, while exhibiting many features of the Phantom, is much smaller.
