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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
6- Volvo V70 plug-in- hybrid: Here's a real-world alternative. A nice comfortable Volvo station wagon driven by a stingy diesel engine, over the front wheels, and an electric motor driving the rear wheels. The demo-car in the pictures uses an 11.3 kWh battery, which is enough juice to allow the V70 to travel 30 miles (48 km) on electric power alone.
Although this is a prototype, Volvo intends to render these cars a reality for the European buying public by 2012. The biggest obstacle at the moment is the battery pack which could add as much as $10,000 to purchase price of the V70. In time, Volvo hopes to neutralize the cost increase with a smaller, more efficient and therefore cheaper power pack. Hey, sign me up! I do have a soft-spot for estates...
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
7- Modulowatt: As you can see, electric cars and plug-in hybrids are mere months away in some markets. As distribution will increase, the question of where and how we will recharge our precious modes of electrified transportation becomes a real issue. Modulowatt is a company that has come up with a very novel idea.
It consists in strategically positioning charging stations in areas, such as street parking (which does sound obvious but is not), where cars and their owners can literally line-up and charge on the go. In a nutshell, the car and the charging station would communicate with each other and, through a mechanized process, would link up without human interaction. Through a series of retrofits, another car could pull up behind the first, connect, and also get a charge.
(http://www.modulowatt.org/index_uk.html)
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
8- Ecoloccar.com: This is an EV rental company that offers a huge range of vehicle types. From 2-seater dune-buggies to mini dump-trucks all the way to a fantastic Tesla Roadster. This is a genial idea! If you live in downtown Paris, you can rent an EV car, go about your business and return it without ever having put out a euro over the cost of the rental. In Paris, these vehicles are not only parking-fee exempt but a recharge is free!
If you need something a little bigger, they have Fiat Doblos and Qubos. Among the available EV brands, you'll find Bi-Scot, Liberty, Estrima and Buddy. The problem in many parts of North America is that these vehicles are not street-legal. We'd seriously have to reconsider our ways in order to have this type of fleet for all to use. Picture driving in New York in that 4-wheel Bi-Scot roadster!
(http://www.ecoloccar.com/)