Mygreenwheels

'The future is electric - reserve your Lightning now.' So says the website of the Lightning Car Company urging us to get our names on the list for its GT model for delivery in 2008. If you order now, there's plenty of opportunity to get it personalised just the way you want it and, at the price they're asking, who wouldn't want to go for a bit of personalising bling.

The Lightning Car Company goes on: 'Combining classic, British sports car design with racing car technology and state of the art NanoSafe battery power and Hi-Pa Drive electric motor innovation, the Lightning has been developed with exhilarating performance front of mind.' And I can't argue that it all sounds fab.

I'm coming out in goosebumps as I read about the comparative performance (using current data from WhatCar, in case you're wondering). While the Jag 4.2 XKR convertible goes from 0-60mph in 5.0 seconds thanks to 420bhp and the Toyota Prius 1.5 T4 trundles up to 60mph at a responsibly green 10.9 seconds and 76bhp, the Electric Lightning GTS is planned to deliver 0-60mph in 4.0 seconds from more than 700 bhp. That's surely enough to get the Top Gear guys twitching to have a go.

The website also calculates that this car, which will cost £150,000, will save a typical London commuter more than £10,000 a year. Just as well that the batteries are claimed to be good for 10-12 years and the body is composite.

Anyway, here's the science bit:

Manufacturer: Lightning Car Company, UK
Vehicle type: 2-seater sports convertible with hard top
Usage: Intercity
Construction:  Lightweight carbon fibre/Kevlar composite technology in association with Amber composite and technical resin bonders
Drive: Hi-Pa Drive technology - four 120Kw power Permanent Magnet brushless motors
Suspension: Fully independent, frotn and rear double wishbones, coils-over shock
Braking system: Full traction control and regenerative braking on all four wheels independently
Speed: up to 130mph
0-60mph:  4 seconds
Batteries: 'State of the art' NanoSafe battery packs. 35kW power
Charge time: from 10 minutes
Range: up to 250 miles
Price: £150,000
Available from: Reservations being taken now
Delivery date: 2008

If that's not enough info for you, check the Q&A section on the website. And here's the feature that might just tip it for me - despite the whopping battery pack, there's still enough room in this dream machine for my golf clubs. But will it help me play any better? Now I'm in danger of going from a dream to a fantasy.

I first heard about the Javlon electric car through EV World's video interview with the strangely named I. Zion Enos of Miles Automotive.

How refreshing it is to hear an auto executive describe his chairman, the independently wealthy Miles Ruben, as a visionary focused on giving back and to say of his company that their mission is 'to do good, to provide options for the consumer to live better, cleaner, leave a legacy of goodness.' So much better than the spin we hear from GM and Ford.

The Javlon is already fully crash tested for the US and Europe - safety is a big feature of Miles Automotive - and dealerships are now being set up across the US so that the company's range of electric cars (including NEVs the ZX40 and the OR70) can be provided on a mass scale starting late in 2008.

Here is the spec as far as I can assemble it from the interview:

Javlon
Manufacturer: Miles Automotive, designed by Pininfarina, Italy and built in China
Vehicle type: 4-door 5 seater sedan
Usage: Intercity
Construction: Steel body
Speed: up to 85mph
0-60mph: n/a
Batteries: Lithium ion, 10 year warranty
Charge time: 6 hours
Range: up to 150 miles
Price: $28-£31K
Planned delivery date: from late 2008 through US dealership network

Just found this other Javlon interview here.

Development of the ZAP-X seems to be moving along according to the ZAP website. I got a bit excited about it in an earlier article (if you check the spec below you'll understand why) and now it definitely qualifies as COMING SOON.

Recently, ZAP and Lotus Engineering announced plans to develop a new electric car based on the APX (Aluminum Performance Crossover) concept, which showcases Lotus Engineering's Versatile Vehicle Architecture technology that earned a European Aluminum Award in 2006. Yesterday, ZAP released designs for the ZAP-X compact SUV that will use this technology and CEO Steve Schneider said that developments are moving forward beyond his expectations.

"When I had first met with Lotus, I really had no concept of the magnitude of their vision, which is very well aligned with ZAP's" said Schneider. "Obviously Lotus Engineering is one of the world's premier consultancies and we are pleased to be working with them, but the scope of the project involving ZAP has expanded to a level I never anticipated and I am looking forward to announcing these developments soon."

Schneider noted that the relationship with Lotus Engineering, the consultancy for Group Lotus plc, was to explore a number of different vehicle concepts through a feasibility study. Lotus Engineering is carrying out a comprehensive research project for ZAP on the creation of a new generation of ultra-efficient electric automobiles from concept to production. Of particular interest in the project is the challenge of advancing the electric car market by incorporating new technologies that maximize consumer appeal. (I like the sound of that!)

The drive system alone is enough to excite driving fanatics, featuring an innovative all-wheel drive option with revolutionary electric motors inside each of the wheels, potentially delivering 644 horsepower and speeds up to 155mph.

An advanced battery system will enable the car to travel a range up to 350 miles between charges, with a rapid charge technology that can recharge the batteries in as little as 10 minutes.

Here's the preliminary specification:
 
Drive Train
100% Electric; 4 electronic wheel hub motors sporting an aggressive 644 horsepower with super capacitor energy bursts

Speed
0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds with top speed of 155 mph

Mileage & Range
350 miles per charge; about 1 cent per mile; rapid 10 minute re-charge; 9,000 life cycles

Interior
Seating for 5 +2 with European ergonomic design; all electronic touch screen controls on-board carputer: Windows XP, Wi-Fi, Blue-tooth, High definition video, iPod ready, Fire wire, USB2 and Mini USB ports

Extras
Keyless bio-metric entry and ignition, Photovoltaic glass: thermoelectric, for heating and cooling, energy collecting windows and windshields to harness solar energy
* Performance, technology and equipment subject to change pending homologation

Standard Features
APX Light Weight Aluminum
Architecture Design
Electronic Braking System (EBS)
Rack and Pinion Steering
Solar Glass
Lithium Batteries (Bio-degradable Non-Explosive)
Power Windows
Power Door Locks
Power Steering
GPS
On Board Carputer with Full Entertainment System

Maybe it's not top of the auto-fantasy list for most of us, but those brain-boxes at MIT have visions for the future where we can fold up our car at the end of our commute journey and stack it like a grocery trolley for the next user.

With backing from GM (surprise, surprise) they're building a prototype of a lightweight EV for cheap mass production. The idea is that it can be rented by commuters under a shared-use business model, then folded and stacked at a railway station or other central point for the next user.

The biggest excitement about this prototype, however, seems to focus on its wheels. There's no 'hood' on this car, as each wheel has a motor in it with all the fancy gizmos MIT can pack into it. But if you read my piece on in-wheel motors you'll already know all about that ;-)

Now here's the bit that will appeal to the ladies.

In this car will be software that sets passenger preferences, changes the colour of the cabin, controls the dashboard look and feel and even directs drivers to parking spaces. "We think of the car as a big mobile computer with wheels on it," said MIT man. "This car should have a lot of computational power. It should know where the potholes are." Cool. My hometown of Edinburgh could REALLY do with that.

Love this bit - it will have a zero-turn radius. In other words, it turns on the spot. Now, how handy is that, girls???

Like a computer, the car will also start with the push of a button (but let's hope it boots up a bit faster than most PCs). Instead of a steering wheel, it has handlebars, similar to a scooter or motorbike and the body will be made of lightweight composite material such as Kevlar or carbon fiber.

I'd really like to see this one become real, but we're going to have to wait until 2008 even for the prototype. I think it's a great idea and look forward to its debut at one of next year's big shows where I'm sure it'll be a show-stopper.

See the full story here.

OK, I confess to being a TH!NK fan after driving one for a year, but the new model is looking very promising all the same. The lush new photography on the website says to me that there's a much more grown-up approach to design going on at Think Nordic.

According to the website, development work on the second generation TH!NK city is nearly complete, and the plan is to put the vehicle into series production initially at the facility in Norway.  (24 April 2007 update - my husband Ash is just back from a trip to their facility in Aurskog and says they're still in pre-production engineering.)

They're not yet taking orders, but you are invited to express your interest in this model by submitting your details here. I'm not sure I like their colour range though - they all look like the colours you find on poisonous frogs ... orange, black, yellow, red and cobalt. A mint green, pale blue or lavender would be nice options for the ladies like myself who will undoubtedly end up driving them. (Ash has just told me that apparently they're offering all sorts of options to personalise the interior - I like the sound of that!)

Back to the business stuff. Serious industrial or commercial parties who wish to pursue serial production possibilities for the TH!NK city are asked to contact the Think Technology Sales and Marketing Department (+47 63854500).