Yes, and no. While the drivetrain in the Bailey Blade EVR (currently still a one-off custom car) utilizes a similar turbocharged gas engine and an electric motor, there are some key differences between Fisker and Blade. For one, the Blade has an estimated curb weight of just 2,800 pounds, about half what the Fisker Karma weighed.

Then again, the Blade EVR also claims to have a battery pack with 200 kWh of capacity. I am going to assume that is a misprint, and is actually more like 20 kWh. The pure-electric Tesla Model S has a 85 kWh battery pack; a 200 kWh battery pack would be as big as the Blade EVR itself.

The combined output of the turbocharged 2.5 liter gas engine and single electric motor is said to be 500 horsepower and around 850 ft-lbs of torque, enough for a 0-60 mph time of just 4.5 seconds. Top speed is estimated to be in the 175 mph range, way faster than the Fisker could ever hope for.

But what might really give the Bailey Blade EVR a chance to succeed is the fact that there will be a concentional, gas-powered model as well. Using either a supercharged or turbocharged Ford 5.0 V8, having both a conventional and hybrid model gives BXR Motors more flexibility than Fisker had. As Bob Lutz has shown, some Fisker owners are more than ready to give up their hybrid drivetrain for a simpler and more-powerful V8 engine.

The gas-powered Blade XTR will come first, with a debut tentatively slated for the November SEMA Show in Las Vegas. If the reception is warm enough, there could be a new plug-in hybrid performance car to fill the hole left by the Fisker Karma…and I for one wouldn’t mind. Can BXR build a better Fisker?

 Source: BXR Motors

The post BXR Motors Building Custom Hybrid Supercar appeared first on Gas 2.

This is an estimate, so it isn’t precisely 100,000, and the person that purchase the 100,000th vehicle is not known, but, it is still an important milestone. While it is well short of the 1 million plug-in vehicle goal set by President Obama for 2015, the advancement of electric propulsion technology has picked up its pace not just in the past five years, but even more so in the past year, and things really are heating up.

With cars like the Tesla Model S and Ford C-Max Energi rolling off of assembly lines, customers now have more plug-in car options than ever. Costs are also going down, with the Nissan Leaf dropping over $6,000 off of its MSRP, while other EVs like the Fiat 500E offer attractive lease deals. So not only are there more plug-in vehicle options, but they’re more affordable than ever.

While that 1 million EV goal still seems very far away, if plug-in vehicle sales continue to take off, maybe we’ll get there after all?

Source: Plug In America

The post U.S Attains 100,000 Plug-In Vehicle Milestone! appeared first on Gas 2.

Photo Courtesy of BMW

In anticipation of the Sustainable Brands Conference which BMW is sponsoring, I spoke with BMW’s Head of Marketing for the BMW i series, Uwe Dreher about the future of sustainable cars and transportation. Megacities are the market they’re most interested in serving, a massive challenge for any automaker. How to sell cars to the people who need them the least? By not selling them, actually…

SS: Why has BMW chosen to be the premier sponsor for Sustainable Brands?

UD: I went last year, and was very impressed with the conference. I just came back from Sustainable Brands in Rio, and they have one in Istanbul as well. We like that it’s got an international focus, and think it has the potential to become the leading sustainability conference. When we choose partners, we like to work with properties that are global, and fit well with our sustainability efforts.

SS: BMW is known for high-performance cars that are built to last. Tell me how BMW balances performance with fuel economy.

UD: This is exactly the sort of big challenge our engineers wanted to do. We are an engineering-driven company, so this excites us. It’s not just about increasing power every year, we wanted to become more dynamic and more efficient at the same time. We’re always looking for the new challenge, the new innovation. Sure, our planet needs cars that are more efficient, but we don’t want to give up performance and fun, the core of our brand is always the driving pleasure.

SS: Which brings me to the next question- Active cruise control is a step toward a fully-automated car. When you say “intelligent mobility services” for the i cars, are you thinking of a more automated car? 

UD: We’re not really coming out of that angle, but we are looking at how automated it can be. It can offer the driver a more relaxing time, enable them to get more work done on the way to the office. Insurance-wise it will be a long time until they can be fully automated, this is seriously not tomorrow, it’s something that will happen in many many years.

The BMW i brand is where we look at what’s happening in modern cities, and how to serve the people in them who don’t need cars. We want to connect with potential future customers who may not need to own a car now. We have megacities where people don’t want to own their own cars, traffic and parking make public transit faster and more appealing than driving. So we focus on mobility services for these customers.

SS: How is the Drive Now program coming along? Will you expand this to other cities? 

UD: It’s already in four cities in Germany, but it takes quite an investment into technical infrastructure. It’s not just a pilot, it’s the start of a bigger roll-out. Almost every US city is suitable, but it depends on the city’s infrastructure and whether there’s a viable market for this program.

SS: Is there any way to track sales from Drive Now customers who then decide to buy a BMW?

UD: It would be too complicated to track that information, but it definitely can be a factor. A test drive of an electric BMW can only be one trigger in the decision, which in the US could lead to the purchase of a 3 series or a 5 series, because we don’t sell the electric cars in the US yet.

SS: When will the i3 and i8 be available?  

UD: We have a launch in Europe in Fall 2013, then in Spring 2014 the BMW i3 and BMW i8 will come to the Americas and Asia.

SS: Why a PHEV for the i8? Hasn’t Fisker proven that’s not as likely to succeed as a great pure-electric powertrain?

UD: We did a lot of market research, in the end the BMW i8 combines the best that our existing engines can offer. Our customers want a weekend escape and excellent daily range. The BMW i3 is the perfect commuter car, so it’s all electric, but the BMW i8 needs that extended range.

SS: I hope the i8 comes to market looking like the concept. When I was at the LA Auto Show it really caught my eye, it’s so beautiful. 

UD: We are staying very close to the original. We didn’t want to create beautiful concepts just for the show, so we’ve kept them very close. You will not be disappointed.

SS: What do you think of the Tesla Model S, now that it’s out-selling your comparable models?

UD: We love that! It shows there’s a lot of energy in the electric car market, that just needs to be triggered by the right product. This proves it’s a stable industry that will continue to grow. Previous models were not enough to make people switch, so it’s great that they’ve come out with a model that has made so many people switch. The Tesla is a good car, it fills people’s practical and emotional needs. It’s good news.

SS: What do you think of Tesla’s direct to consumer sales model? Would it make sense for BMW to use a similar model for the slim profit margin EV’s, even though it challenges the current sales structure?

UD: We work within legal restrictions on sales models, but more importantly, we want excellent salespeople and service. You need someone to explain the car in detail, especially when it comes to electric cars. As a premium luxury brand, we want to provide the best service possible, and it’s what our customers expect. You really can’t buy a car on the internet like buying a t-shirt.

SS: Have you considered getting more people to try your motorcycles & scooters as a way to offset traffic in megacities like Los Angeles? I couldn’t live here if I had to drive a car. (BMW makes an excellent highway-capable scooter, and is about to launch their first electric scooter.)

UD: We have some cross-business in our company, but the BMW motorcycle owner uses it for their leisure life not so much for commuting. We will come out with electric or alternatively powered bikes, but that’s in the future.

SS: As an avid motorcyclist, former BMW owner who currently rides a Zero electric motorcycle, I have to ask- when will BMW offer an electric motorcycle?

UD: It’s a very realistic scenario actually!

SS: What’s coming up for the BMW i-brand line? we know about the i3 and i8, what is the next logical vehicle to offer?

UD: There is some space between the figures 3 and 8 and also above and underneath, right?

The post Interview with BMW’s Uwe Dreher on Sustainable Cars appeared first on Gas 2.

A perfect embodiment of the “I can’t buy it, I’ll have to build it” spirit that fuels tuners and racer everywhere, high-school student Juan “Thinmint” Ehringeras has tackled his 900 hp (!?) electric Honda S2000 project from the ground up. Like a boss.

Starting with a pair of readily-available electric motors and a salvaged Honda S2000 roadster body, Thinmint has designed every piece on CAD. He’s sourced parts from other makers (the Ford 8.8″ rear-end, for example) and has even built the electric Honda’s battery packs himself from component lithium polymer cells. Along the way, Thinmint’s developed quite a following on the S2000 boards, despite building a “blasphemous” electric Honda out of the company’s greatest most iconic convertible.

Thinmint’s 900 hp electric Honda S2000 is impressive enough that he was asked to give a TEDx talk about the project, which – once finished – promises to be one sikk ride. Even if it weighs a bit more than the stock S2000 did before he got started, the project car should be capable of nearly 1500 (one-thousand five-hundred) lb-ft of torque from 0 rpm. That’s more than enough to turn the car’s rear tires to goo and alter the solar orbit of … maybe not Earth, but definitely Pluto.

Here’s Thinmint’s electric Honda taking its maiden test-drive …

… so it’s closer to being finished than you might have thought, no?

When asked how he manages to get so much done, you Ehringer coolly replied, “Well, I am finally a senior in high school, so in my off time I do homework & work on this car. I also am a (stand-up) jetski enthusiast, and work at my business, Laser Werks. My business basically comprises of me designing things in CAD and cutting them on my laser.”

That’s right, dear reader: a high-school student that calls himself Thinmint has his own business making go-fast PWCs and mind-bending electric supercars. How can you not love this kid!?

Source | Photos: 2SKi.com, via MotorAuthority.

The post Video: High-School Student Builds 900 HP Electric Honda S2000 appeared first on Gas 2.

There’s significant demand for the Bob Lutz-backed Fisker Karma V8 conversions, especially now that Fisker, the company, doesn’t look particularly suited to provide parts and/or technical support for their existing hybrid powertrains. So his interest in Fisker getting bailed out makes sense. That said, it’s specifically because of Lutz’ involvement that I hope the whole enterprise crashes and burns.

Bob Lutz is an interesting guy. Once upon a time, Bob Lutz was a fighter pilot. Bob Lutz was also the guy who came up with that “ultimate driving machine” tagline for BMW, and one of the leading architect’s of Chrysler’s 1980s turnaround from bankruptcy. More recently, he happened to be a big deal at a bankrupt GM, where he talked about things like “sculpture you want own” in between remarks about global warming and climate change science being “a crock of shit“. Fresh off those remarks, it should come as no surprise to you, dear reader, that Bob Lutz is all set to pounce on the Fisker Karma’s slinky curves and stuff them full of gas-guzzling V8s.

Think that’s an exaggeration? Here’s a quote from the man, himself, in an article from Forbes: “I want Fisker to live and succeed, if only to ensure a continuing supply of Karma bodies for my and my parter’s (sic) VL Destino, a de-electrified Karma with a Corvette drive train.”

Why? Here’s a few more Bob Lutz gems from the rants listed in “Sources”, at the bottom of this page.

“Hybrid cars like those made by Toyota “make no economic sense,” because their price will never come down.”

“I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2.”

“Introduced at the height of the “green car” craze, fueled by “reliable” predictions of “peak oil” and a rise in gasoline prices to $5 a gallon or over, the moneyed eco-class signed up in droves.”

“The green craze is, frankly, ebbing.”

See what I’m talking about? In addition to being a bit patronizing and sounding ever-so-slightly like a second-string conservative radio talk show host, Bob Lutz is totally out of step with anything other his own pocketbook and, possibly, the mental midgets who think “tornado guns” are a thing. Beyond an appeal to a few aging baby-boomers that think the octogenarian has the same kind of fatherly “tough guy” image that John “Definitely NOT a Tough Guy IRL” Wayne exuded 40 or 50 years ago, I’m not sure there’s anything that Lutz can realistically bring to a fledgling car company’s table anymore that has any value. Nothing, that is, except cash – and Lutz has a ton of cash right now.

Lutz’ VL Automotive (the company stuffing V8s into Fiskers) is backed in its bid to buy out the US Gov’t interest in Fisker by China’s Wanxiang Group. The two companies, along with a separate push by investors in Europe and Hong Kong, including billionaire Richard Li, are looking to gain control of Fisker through a prepackaged bankruptcy. If successful, Lutz would likely be able buy out the DOE’s position in Fisker at a steep discount, meaning the company’s would be free from most of its obligation to pay back the $192 million in government loans it collected before the DOE pulled the plug.

It’ll be an interesting few weeks for Mr. Lutz, to say the least, as the Fisker drama continues. Here’s hoping something good and, maybe even a little environmentally responsible, comes out of it.

Sources: Reuters, D Magazine, and Forbes.

The post Bob Lutz Wants to Reanimate Fisker’s Sexy Corpse w/ V8 Power appeared first on Gas 2.

Musk has been talking about repaying the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program loans early, but not this year. The loans weren’t due to be paid in full until 2022, meaning Musk and Tesla repaid them nine years early. The loan was repaid using some of the $1 billion Tesla rose last week with an issuance of common stock, and Tesla stock prices are hovering near $90 a share.

Repaid with interest, the government actually made money on its Tesla loan, though it will likely lose money to the collapse of Fisker Automotive and VPG. The only other two companies to receive money from the ATVM program, Ford and Nissan, are also no doubt well on their way to repaying their government loans in full.

It’s a huge day not just for Elon Musk and Tesla, but the electric vehicle industry as a whole. If Musk has proved one thing, it is that an electric car company can make money…and that’s a bigger deal than you might realize.

Source: Tesla Motors

The post Tesla Motors Repays $465 Million Government Loan appeared first on Gas 2.

I think you’ll agree that the 163 mph, hydrogen-peroxide rocket bike in that picture up there fits Gas 2′s Jo Borras-stated mission perfectly. Watch as French bicyclist François Gissy sets a new speed record, below, and then marvel at what a pathetic ‘fraidy-cat you really are.

When people ask me about what Gas2 is about, I tell them (rather philosophically) that this blog “is sort-of a ‘sequel’ to the 20th century, which was all about fossil fuels. Gas2, then, is about a world that’s not about oil and gasoline, and when things like bicycles (which use no fuel), motorcycles (which use less fuel), and electric/bio-fuel cars (which use different fuel) eventually take the focus away from cars and oil, we’ll get to say ‘I told you so’.” With that in mind,

The record-breaking, Subaru-shaming rocket bike engine itself was made by Swiss company Exotic Thermo Engineering, was built to Gissy’s specifications, and runs on a rapidly expanding mixture of hydrogen peroxide … which is certainly “different fuel”!

Let us know what you think, or if you’re planning on breaking Gissy’s record yourself, in the comments, below.

Source: DNA France, via CNET Australia.

The post Video: You Had Me At Rocket Bike appeared first on Gas 2.

Compressed air has been used to power engines since the mid-19th century, first gaining popularity in coal mines where combustion engines were deadly. Paris famously used pneumatic trains to help dig the tunnels of its vast metro and tunnel system. Pneumatic power even propelled the first naval torpedoes, though the first compressed air car companies did not last long.

Even so, that hasn’t stopped some recent upstart auto companies from penning their own plans for compressed air vehicles. Even Tata Motors, a massive Indian auto company, has pledged to build compressed air vehicles. Then there is the MDI AirPod, that odd-looking concept at the top of this post. But despite building working prototypes, there are a number of design flaws that keep air cars from going to market.

For one, compressed air motors don’t make as much power or torque as car owners are used to, meaning very low top speeds, often around just 40 mph. That is barely enough for city driving, and highway cruising is totally out of the question. It can also take many hours to fill the tank of a compressed air car, despite a seriously limited range, and problems with cooling the tank and heating the air make these vehicles quite power hungry.

The Peugeot Air Hybrid could return up to 117 mpg.

Despite these drawbacks though, companies like Peugeot are still exploring the use of compressed air in a hybrid drivetrain setup, allowing for up to 117 mpg. Compressed air vehicles are also remarkably quiet and, discounting the air compressors themselves, produce absolutely no emissions. They’re also very, very cheap to operate.

This could make them ideal tourist buses or city service vehicles, but as actual commuters? Compressed air cars have a long, long way to go.

The post Weird Ride Wednesday: Compressed Air Cars appeared first on Gas 2.

In conjunction with Spark Racing Technology, Renault helped pen this Formula 1-inspired electric race car. Called the Spark-Renault SRT 01E, it has design elements from some big name racing outfits including McLaren and Dallara. While teams are encouraged to enter their own designs, and officially sanctioned race car will also be available for teams to buy.

The electric race cars are estimated to have enough juice for up to 30 minutes of racing, though the races themselves are an hour long, necessitating a car swap halfway through. So far Los Angeles, Rome, London, Miami, Beijing, Bueno Aires, Putrajaya, and Rio de Janeiro have all been tapped as venues for the inaugural Formula E season. London is also a potential host city, with a former Olympic arena serving as a race track.

With the addition of Bangkok to the roster, there is but one spot left on the ten-race season. Where will the final host city be located? Could be anywhere at this point, though as always, I am rooting for the good ol’ USA. Why not New York City, after all?

Source: Autoblog Green

The post Formula E Adds Bangkok Venue, Reveals Latest Race Car Design appeared first on Gas 2.

Mindddrive is the organization that helped put this project together, taking troubled teens off the streets and giving them a project they can be proud of. Using a 1967 Karmann Ghia is a great way to get the attention of old folks, while utilizing an all-electric drivetrain will please the younger, greener crowd.

It’s the third such conversion of the group, which tackled an Indy race car and a Lotus Espirt EV conversions before. I love this combination of old school meets new school, with an emphasis on engaging the younger crowd. The social media twist makes it even cooler.

The car will only move when it reads either the hashtag #MINDDRIVE or gets a mention on Twitter with the @minddriveorg, or using Facebook shares and likes. With major sponsors reaching millions of people via social media, the team should have no trouble making it from Kansas City to Washington D.C. in good time.

I’ll be sure to kick in a few tweets and likes to help them on their way, and so should you. Their journey kicks off next week, so make sure to follow and like them on Facebook now.

Source: Minddrive | Wired

The post Student-Built Karmann Ghia EV Driving From Kansas To D.C. On Tweets appeared first on Gas 2.