Fisker Karma at Harrods

The world’s first luxury electric vehicle, the Fisker Karma, will take pride of place in the prominent Brompton Road window display at Harrods, Knightsbridge, until the 4th of February.

“Harrods is one of the most prestigious retail sites in the world, which is perfect for our car,” said Henrik Fisker, co-founder and CEO of Fisker Automotive.  “The landmark store attracts hundreds of thousands of customers from all over the world during January, and we look forward to introducing them to the Fisker Karma.”

The Karma is one of the most efficient, low-emission vehicles available today and it can travel from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds,was recently given an emissions rating of just 51 g/km CO2 and this luxury EV saloon car offers up to 112 mpg. The car also has a range of 50 miles on “electric only” operation with zero emissions. 

If you go to see the car you will be able to take a tour of the vehicle and offered the chance to virtually configure your own model. The 2012 Fisker Karma is already on sale in the United States, priced from $102,000, and will soon be available at dealerships internationally, in the coming weeks.

Following the successful launch of the UK’s first eco motor show Ecovelocity in 2011, the organisers of the ground-breaking show have announced details for the 2012 event. The show will also move from Battersea Power Station to ExCeL, London and will run from May 10^th  through to the  13^th 2012.

Giles Brown, managing director of organisers IGME Ltd commented: “EcoVelocity got off to a fabulous start at Battersea Power Station, and really stood out from other car events.  The show featured 17 of the leading low carbon automotive brands and between them 7,000 test drives were taken during the event by enthusiastic show visitors.”

EcoVelocity 2012 will see car makers showing off their latest green car models including electric, hybrid and very low carbon derivitaves.  The show provides motorists the chance to get up close to the cars and the chance to have test drives on a special test drive circuit.

Kia Ray EV

Kia has just launched the Kia Ray EV, which is their first production electric vehicle, offering a range of up to 86 miles on a single charge. The car is being produced exclusively for the Korean market at this stage and is based on the 1.0-litre petrol Ray CUV.

The EV version is quicker than the petrol equivalent, reaching 0-62mph in 15.9 seconds and a top speed of 81mph, with recharging times taking six hours using a 220V household supply, or just 25 minutes in fast-charge mode. The automatic transmission offers two driving modes while in ”D” drive. ”E” mode (eco mode) gives you minimum battery consumption and maximum driving range and “B” (brake) mode can be selected when driving down a steep hill.

Some of the features of the Ray EV include a unique instrument cluster showing electic motor operation, battery status and distance to recharge. You also get the first ever EV-specific equipped navigation system which provides crucial information on the nearest EV charging stations, as there are only 500 slow/fast recharge stations in Korea currently.

The Kia Ray EV also gets a regenerative braking system, VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control), HAC (Hill Assist Control), VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control) plus a VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System), which emits “petrol engine” noises at speeds less than 12mph, to prevent accidents. Kia plans to manufacture around 2,500 Ray EVs which are destined for government departments and public offices.

Kangoo Van Z.E.

Renault has just announced the list of their specialist UK electric vehicle dealers to sell and service their four-model electric vehicle line-up. Twenty one sites have been branded Z.E. Expert and are now live. All the specialist Renault dealer sites have a Kangoo Van Z.E. demonstrator on site for full test drives and also three new Chargemaster E.V. charging points.

The E.V. charging points are located in the workshop, the demonstrator area and car park and there is also a dummy domestic charging point to show customers how to charge the vehicle.

The full list of Z.E. Renault dealers is:

Renault Manchester
Renault Birmingham
Renault Liverpool
Renault Leicester
Renault Cardiff
Renault London West
Renault Enfield
Renault Croydon
Ness Inverness
The Co-operative Bradford
Seward Portsmouth
Donnelly and Taggart, Londonderry
Charles Hurst Belfast
Vospers Plymouth
Motorline Maidstone
Benfield Newcastle
Bristol Street Exeter
Westover Poole
MarshallMilton Keynes
Smiths Peterborough
Toomey Basildon

Nissan LEAF

Siemens has just chosen the Nissan LEAF to become the first electric vehicle on its company car fleet and the three new electric cars join the employee pool vehicles at the engineering company’s Industrial Turbo Machinery business in Lincolnshire. Siemens has also ordered seven more Nissan LEAF’s to be used at other UK locations and is placing the LEAF at the centre of its electric vehicle (EV) fleet plans.

Siemens is also working with Lincoln City Council to install charging solutions across the city and has also installed its own company charging EV point as well. Mark Bonnor-Morris, business development manager of Siemens Mobility and Logistics, Traffic Solutions, said,”We’re moving people between our site in Lincoln and using the Nissan LEAF means we can travel through the city with zero emissions”.

All the cars have been leased over 24 months with a comprehensive service package bolted on. If you are interested in leasing a Nissan LEAF then we have prices on the site now.

SKODA celebrates

SKODA has just celebrated an important milestone with the 1,500,000th Octavia second-generation model rolling off the production line, at the company’s main plant in Mlada Bolesav. The above figure of 1,500,000 does not include the production numbers of the “MingRui” (same car) which is sold in China.

The exact model that rolled off the line was a white Octavia Combi GreenLine version and the Octavia is renowned for its quality, reliability, practicality and price performance ratio. The Octavia comes in many versions including an estate, saloon, as well as all-wheel drive versions and of course the sporty RS. In addition SKODA is developing its electric car mobililty with the Octavia Green E-Line as well.

The Octavia Green E-Line will undergo testing in a matter of weeks with eleven vehicles being used in the Czech Republic to collate real-world data, to further refine the car. Skoda contract hire is on the site now for the current car range.

NV200 EV

FedEx Express and Nissan are about to start trialling a prototype zero-emission all-electric delivery vehicle in extensive real-world testing on London’s streets. The trial is expected to last over two months to see how the vehicle copes with the rigours of daily delivery duties in the capital.

The Nissan NV200 EV prototype uses the same powertrain and battery as the Nissan LEAF electric car and to date, Nissan has sold more than 20,000 Nissan LEAF’s across the globe. The Nissan NV200 EV prototype can be fully charged overnight or up to 80 per cent capacity in just 30 minutes using a Quick Charger.

FedEx Express NV200 electric vehicle

It offers FedEx Express another option to the 43 all-electric vehicles the firm currently uses in London, Paris , New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Memphis, where zero-emission motoring in a dense urban area is required. The Nissan NV200 is ideally suited to the start stop conditions on busy city streets, where poor air quality is a concern, as is the wastage of energy when a vehicle just sits in stationary traffic.

Additional trials are planned for 2012 to mirror the 2011 trial with the Japan Post Serice and Nissan is aiming to become the market leader in providing advanced zero emission technology to both the car and LCV business-to-business markets.

More information on the trial can be found from the link below;

www.nissan-zeroemission.com   

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid model

Volvo has released the details of their new, technically advanced, V60 Plug-in Hybrid model which is an electric car, hybrid car and muscle-car all rolled into one. With the touch of the button you choose which one of these cars you want to drive. 

In Pure mode the car is powered solely by its electric motor as much as possible, with a range of up to 32 miles with zero emissions. The Hybrid setting is the standard driving mode for the car, with the diesel engine and electric motor working in tandem. CO2 emissions are 49g/km and the range in this mode is up to 621 miles.

However if you opt for Power Mode, the car technology is optimised for maximum performance and the 2.4-litre diesel and electric motor’s combined power of 285bhp (215+70) offers you a 0-62mph acceleration time of just 6.2 seconds. The car also has an AWD button that activates the electrical four-wheel drive (diesel power to the front wheels and electrical power to the rear). Due to the electric motor’s lower power the AWD (all-wheel drive) system can only operate up to speeds of 75mph, however if you are driving in the snow or mud this is probably fast enough.

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid model

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid can be fully charged from a regular power outlet (230V/6A, 10A or 16A) at home and recharging times will vary with amperage. A full charge takes 4.5 hours on a 10A outlet and this is cut to 3.5 hours with 16A, or if you only have access to 6A then the charge takes 7.5 hours.

The indicative price for the world’s first plug-in hybrid with a diesel engine starts from £45,000 to £50,000 in the UK, minus of course any government Plug-in Car Grant for electric cars. Initial production will start with 1,000 vehicles in November 2012 and these vehicles will be offered with Pure Limited specification which includes the highest SE Lux trim level.

It will also be launched in one colour, Electric Silver, and also comes with aero-designed 17-inch alloy wheels, integrated exhaust tailpipes and various gloss black body features for example on the grille and spoiler. Other standard equipment includes parking sensors front and rear, High Performance Multimedia DVD audio system with eight loudspeakers and seven-inch screen, Bluetooth phone link, electrically adjustable driver’s seat and speed-dependent power steering.

The car also features a D6 badge, the first Volvo to carry this emblem, plus chromed Plug-in Hybrid badging on the tailgate and front wings. Inside the car you get a black leather upholstery covered steering wheel and other distinctive features like the specially designed floor mats and a gear knob with integrated indicator.

A special feature of the car is its Save Mode which conserves the battery charge for driving later in Pure Mode. The aim of this feature is to always ensure you have enough battery power for around 12.5 miles on pure electricity driving alone which may be useful when driving into an urban green zone.

EV charging point

Elektromotive, the Brighton-based electric vehicle (EV) charging station manufacturer, is calling on the Chancellor to continue with the £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant for buyers of electric vehicles. The Plug-in Car Grant is due for review in early 2012 and Elektromotive considers the electric vehicle incentive is crucial to consumer uptake of cars like the Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MIEV.

Only 786 cars were sold using the grant in the first three quarters of 2011 ,which is well short of the Goverment’s 8,000 unit cap incentive and as more car manufacturers bring qualifying electric vehicles to the market it does seem sensible to continue with the incentive.

Calvey Taylor-Haw, Managing Director of Elektromotive, said,”Persuading consumers to invest their time and money in new technology always presents challenges, but it’s important to provide buyers with an incentive. With enough money left in the pot from this year, and valuable tax revenue accrued from each EV sale, the Government could easily continue to offer the remaining fund to those joining the electric vehicle revolution in 2012″.

Renault Kangoo Z.E.

The Renault Kangoo Z.E. has just been voted International Van of the Year 2012 by a jury of 22 European journalists who specialise in reviewing light commercial vehicles. The Kangoo Z.E is a 100%-electric van and this is the first time an electric commercial vehicle has won this award.

The Kangoo Z.E saw off competition from some other well known brands including the Iveco Daily, Fiat Ducato and Volkswagen Caddy and was chosen for its zero-emission virtues as well as for its practicality and economical qualities. The Kangoo Z.E has a load volume ranging from 3 cubic metres to 4.6  cubic metres and also keeps the same payload as the standard Kangoo, at 650kg.

The Kangoo Z.E comes in two lengths and three versions and will be arriving in UK dealerships in the 1st December, priced from £16,990 excluding VAT. Contract hire prices on the Kangoo Z.E will be on the site shortly.