Danny's Contentment

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Chetan Maini - Part 2

Here's the second part of the Chetan Maini interview. We got to drive the new GWiz i and talk about the future for electric vehicles and Reva in general. Click on the link to view video (25 Meg QT)

Chetan Maini - one of the blokes who started it all..

Chetan Maini is the deputy chairman of Reva cars in Bangalore. He designed the GWiz, and is a true innovator when it comes to electric vehicles.  I recently got the chance to meet Chetan and drive the GWiz i with him. Here's the first film. Click on the image to view video. (11meg QT)

Smart ED EV....Rubbish?

I cant help noticing that the Smart ED (EV) is getting a slating in the mainstream press. Top Gear has given it a 1/20 rating (not seen it that low before) in this month's magazine . I've been on at Smart for over a year to try and get a test drive with no luck. They tell me they are reserving drives for journalists.  Perhaps it's a lesson to the big manufacturers in getting the guys who are enthusiasts with an enthusiastic audience to try your cars sooner. Or perhaps it's just rubbish...

Kewet Buddy / Nice Megacity / G Wiz AC (Pt5)

Meanwhile back at the group test... Here's an extended test drive of the Kewet Buddy EV. Click on the image to view video (22 meg QT)

GWiz i

Here's a look and a drive with the new  Reva GWiz i with Steve, Goingreens new MD.  50mph top speed. 50 mile range. New safety features. Click on the image to view video. (28meg QT)

The Think: Driving

This is the second part of today's filming, driving the Think. Click on the image to view video. (31 meg QT)

The Think: Pictures

Think 

The Think: First Look

Got a first look at the new Think today. £14000. 125 mile range. 65 mph top speed. Lithium Polymer battery....This first clip takes a look around the car. Click on the image to view video (25 meg QT)

Kewet Buddy/Nice Megacity/G Wiz AC (Pt4)

Driving the Nice Megacity. Click on the image to view video. (31 meg QT)

Kewet Buddy/Nice Megacity/G Wiz AC (Pt3)

And here's a look at the AC G Wiz. Click on the image to view video (7 meg QT)

Kewet Buddy/Nice Megacity/G Wiz AC (Pt2)

Here's a first look at the Nice Megacity. 40 mph top speed. 40 mile range on lead acid batteries. Click on the image to view video (4.6meg QT)

Congestion Charge plans. Bad news for EV's

Ken's made his decision on the Congestion Charge today and it's not good for EV's. As follows;

"A 100 per cent low CO₂ discount for cars that:
Produce less than 120g/km CO₂ and meet the Euro 4 standard for air pollution emissions OR Produce no more than 120g/km of CO₂, and appear on the PowerShift register"

So many people have been working so hard on getting electric vehicles on the road. I really hope this isn't another nail in the coffin....

Kewet Buddy/Nice Megacity/G Wiz AC

We spent a day comparing the Kewet Buddy, Nice Megacity and the G Wiz AC. First up was a look at the Buddy in the garage. Click on the image to view video (7 meg QT).

Five Teslas driving by...

Here's a nice little video of 5 Tesla Roadsters out for a drive. The first one, apparently, is production car number one belonging to Elon Musk.

AC/DC Gwiz Hillclimb

Forget hillclimbs with huge amounts of torque and wheelspin. How about my DC with almost 3 year old batteries versus a new AC GWiz? The results speak for themselves. Of course, it has nothing to do with the fact that the goingreen driver in the AC was slimmer than me, nothing at all..(ahem).  Click on the image to view video. (5 meg QT).

EV Group Test

Spent yesterday filming a group test with a GWiz AC, a NICE Megacity and a Kewet Buddy. I was lent the Megacity for 24 hours which gave me a good chance to spend some time with the car. Will begin posting the edit as soon as time permits!

Smith Electric Vehicles

Commercial vehicles are not something I usually cover, but I came across this new Edison from Smith Electric Vehicles today. These guys have been working with battery technology for years, building the electric milk floats we are so used to seeing.  Now Sainsburys have taken delivery of several models and are planning to have a fleet of electric vehicles across the UK for food delivery. Smith Electric told me that they wanted to build vans and trucks that felt like a normal hgv so that the vehicles are not too alien for the drivers. Looks like they've done a great job, and very timely considering the new LEZ is coming in to force in London in the next few weeks. How about a nice 4 seater passenger car for a future project, Smith Electric? Click on the image to view video (4.4meg QT)

Opel Flextreme (Part ii)

Here's some more pictures and detail of the Flextreme. Autoblog Green are reporting on similar releases from Dodge and even an EV Jeep Renegade. Don't let's get too excited. Each and everyone is a concept right now and we may well be driving a lead acid g-wiz for years to come! Click on an image to see it in more detail.

Links:electric car vlogging video podcast opel flextreme Opel Flextreme Chevy Volt Dodge Jeep Autoblog green Gwiz

Opel Flextreme

Is this really happening? Are some of the mainstream manufacturers really spending more time and money on EV technologies?   Detroit 2008 seems to be heralding a whole range of EV concepts.

The big guys seem to be concentrating on using EV and battery technology but charging those batteries with an on board generator (usually diesel and known as a range extender). They'll also have an option to plug in. In the States the cars thats best known in this form is the Chevy Volt.  Here in Europe, Opel have been showing the Flextreme Concept. It's a four seater EV that has a range of 55km when charged up, but has an extended range when the batteries are charged using a 1.3 litre diesel engine of 715 km (not connected to the wheels like a hybrid). Top Speed will be 160kmh with a 0-100 kmh of 9.5  seconds.

I'm hugely excited about it all. Let's hope there's something in this for the future...Here's a short video of its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007. Mind out for those Segways. They'll be everywhere before you know it... Click on the image to view video (2.3 Meg QT)

Links:electric car vlogging video podcast opel flextreme Opel Flextreme Chevy Volt Detroit 2008