Striking a balance between electric cargo bike and motor scooter, the European FEDDZ is a slimmer, more streamlined design that does away with the extended front beds and buckets inherent in other “cargo bikes” by carrying a modest amount of freight within its frame. By ditching the fuel tank and using an electric hub motor, the FEDDZ opens up 23 litres of cargo space, says emerging technology website Gizmag, enough to contain a motorcycle helmet, gym bag or a football, jersey, cleats and a water bottle. A 48-volt lithium-ion battery integrated into the lower rear section of the central cargo area removes easily, allowing riders to recharge it at home or office.
Engineers make unique shop truck: Engineers at Nissan’s Technical Centre in Stanfield, Arizona, have crossed the utility of a small pickup with a Leaf electric sedan to create an all-electric mini pickup that they use within the facility as a shop truck. Known in-house as Sparky, the one-of-a-kind project comes from the necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention school, says co-creator Roland Schellenberg, who needed a project for a teambuilding activity. The need for an in-house shop truck to drive around the 1,200-hectare facility was quickly identified, and with a stock Leaf sedan and the bed from a Frontier pickup, the team set out on a several months-long process of transformation. Sparky is now part of the facility support team. There are no plans for mass production.
Lamborghini hybrid bullish on power: The phrases “plug-in hybrid” and “bone-crushing power” aren’t typically found in the same sentence, notes trending news site The Verge, but Lamborghini’s Asterion — which broke cover at the recent Paris Motor Show — could change that. With a 610-horsepower V-10 engine derived from the Lamborghini Gallardo, paired with a 300-horsepower electric motor, the all-wheel-drive hybrid can be operated with the combined 910 horsepower, or be driven in pure electric mode, which delivers power to motors mounted in the front axle alone. With full power engaged, 100 km/h comes in three seconds, and top speed is about 320 km/h. In pure electric mode, the Asterion has a range of about 50 kilometres.
New Caddy flagship will be light, agile: Cadillac will develop a new lightweight high-end sedan, the CT6, to leapfrog in quality and accouterments the marque’s current flag bearer, the XTS. General Motors’ luxury division says the CT6 will be the lightest vehicle in its class, which includes such heavyweights as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Technical details have not been released, nor was information about its drivetrain, but expect the CT6 to make its public debut at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan; production is slated to begin in the third quarter of 2015. It could bear some resemblance to last year’s stunning Elmiraj concept, or look nothing like it at all. It will be built at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant.
Tesla boosts drivetrain warranty: Independent California automaker Tesla says it will increase the Model S drivetrain warranty to match that of its battery pack, warranting both in the entry-level 60-kilowatt/hour Model S for eight years or 200,000 kilometres. The premium 85-kWh Model S drivetrain is covered for eight years and unlimited mileage. The announcement came on the heels of news that a Model S on a long-term test by auto news and data source Edmunds had its drive unit replaced four times. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said this should have been the company’s policy from the start. He said in a post on the Tesla Motors Internet blog that because they have fewer moving parts, electric cars are inherently more reliable than internal combustion vehicles. That may be, but of course that gremlins can affect even just one part.
In brief:
• Electric-vehicle company GreenTech Automotive of Tunica, Mississippi, has raised $47 million US through 94 investors in a public filing, which is about $13 million less than it set out to raise. The money will be used to start constructing two- and four-seat electric “MyCars” in an newly completed plant in Tunica.
• The German government has announced incentives to drivers of plug-in cars as part of its goal to get one million of them on German roads by 2020. The cabinet backed a bill that would give electric-car drivers free parking and access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes.