A Green Car Featured in London Science Museum

Countless people have taken a peep at the transport of the future after a new hydrogen fuel-cell powered car proved to be the star of the show at London’s Science Museum this winter.

The new car built by manufacturer, Riversimple has been on display in the museum’s new gallery "atmosphere.... exploring climate science". It is thought that the two-seater vehicle could be on British roads within two years.

Hugo Spowers, the founder of Riversimple said: “Many of the most iconic pieces of machinery in our island’s history are in the Science Museum and this is a tremendous honour for us. The new industrial revolution, in which we move from fossil fuel dependency to a sustainable economy, is underway and we are proud that our contribution has been recognised.”

The cars which have a top speed of 50 miles per hour and can go 200 miles on one tank of hydrogen, were first road tested in 2010. It is hoped that they will officially be on British roads by 2012.

The car, which weighs about 350kg, can recapture its own motion energy when braking, providing 80% of the power needed for acceleration. The only waste produced by the car is a few drops of water.

As part of plans to create a sustainable vehicle for use in cities Riversimple, which has so far spent £3 million developing the technology and the car, will lease the vehicles rather than sell them.

Drivers will pay approximately £200 a month and then 15p a mile as part of a business model similar to a mobile phone contract.
Riversimple hopes that by 2015 it will have manufactured a four-seater version of the car which can be used safely on long journeys. By 2020, it plans to have tens of thousands of the cars of British roads.

Green cars are capturing the public's interest in a large scale. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to consider buying a used car. Compared to a new car, it has a much lower footprint of grey energy. Even though producing new cars has become much more efficient these days, it still consumes huge amounts of resources.

The new Citroen DS3 Racing

Check out the new sporty hatch from Citroen - the DS3 Racing. Based on the DS3 DSport, the car is powered by a BMW-PSA

204bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine, front wheel drive with a six-speed manual box. The car goes from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and has a top speed of 146mph.

Apparently there are only 200 cars available for consumers in the UK. The car costs £23,100 which makes it more costlier than a MINI Cooper JCW.

The car is available in two colour schemes: one with Obsidian black body with sport orange roof and another with a polar white body and carbon grey roof. Which one do you like?

Jaguar CX - 75

One of the major complaints about electric cars is that they are so ugly looking and slow. The G-Wiz is often the butt of so many jokes, Jeremy Clarkson in particular like to make fun of the car.

Anyway, the new breed of electric cars are changing people's perception of electric cars. They look sexy and are fast.

I blogged about the Jaguar CX - 75 concept some time back. Here are some pictures of this sexy car from Jaguar.

First Leaf electric car goes to Nashville family

According to a news report, a family in Nashville, Tennessee, US, has become the first family to receive keys to the much talked about full electric car - the Nissan Leaf. This car won the Car of the year 2011 - the World's first electric car to win this award.



Actually the report might be wrong because the first person to get the Leaf in the US is Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, the official spokesperson of Nissan Leaf.

The Leaf will be available in the UK in March next year and will cost £23990 after the £5000 Govt. discount.

Can you handle Italian passion?

Alfa Romeo has come up with a naughty interactive video.

So, do you want to interact with this passionate yet seductive Italian woman?

Update: The Alfa Romeo Italian passion mini site is no longer online.

BMW launches three new BMW 1 Series models

BMW has just announced the launch of three new BMW 1 Series models. This includes the much anticipated BMW 1 Series M Coupé which will be arriving in the UK in May 2011. It will cost £39,990 on the road including delivery, number plates, first registration fee and BMW Emergency Service.

The new BMW 1 Series Coupé and Convertible will be released on 26 March 2011.

Updates to the design includes a new front end and lighting giving them an even more athletic appearance.

2 Lotus F1 teams

Latest press release from Lotus.

Group Lotus plc and Genii Capital are joining hands and we will soon see the Renault F1 Team renamed as ‘Lotus Renault GP’ from the start of the 2011 racing season onwards.

Group Lotus plc will acquire a major equity stake in the team from Genii Capital. Genii, an investment holding company with a portfolio of automotive technologies, bring non-F1™ technologies such as lightweight braking systems, variable compression engine technology and on board software systems to the partnership. In addition to this, Genii is also offering Proton the ability to leverage on its existing business relationships in Russia and other parts of the world, as a means to expand Proton's global reach. Through Genii, Proton can also potentially access advanced automotive technologies by virtue of Genii’s association with Mangrove, a venture capital group.

However, I wonder where that leaves Team Lotus (also powered by Renault) led by AirAsia CEO Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.

Some quotes:

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar:

"I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1™. We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1™ and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position: We are Lotus, and we are back.”

Dato' Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Chairman of Proton, Lotus majority shareholder:

"We know that Group Lotus has much to offer Formula 1™ and vice versa. After careful consideration, we believe this arrangement will be fruitful, both from a commercial and marketing point of view."

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Proton advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia:

"This is an exciting development which delivers strategic benefits to both Group Lotus and Proton. I fully support the partnership."

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault:

“This multi-partner alliance will bring a new dynamic to the team and enable it to compete with the sport’s best from next season.”

Gerard Lopez, founding partner of Genii Capital:

“For Group Lotus, access to Formula 1™ opens up new marketing opportunities and a major platform for business exchanges and development. In this regard, Genii Capital possesses shareholdings in, and direct access to, cutting edge companies in the automotive industry. Our tie-up with Group Lotus and Proton, which will enable its future road car ranges to take advantage of significant new technologies, is a natural step.”