Volkswagen has announced that it will try and break the Pikes Peak electric vehicle hill climb record with a purpose built race car. Although official images of the race car haven't been revealed just yet, Volkswagen has teased a silhouette of the frankly insane looking race car that is poised to take on the challenge. The car will be driven by Romain Dumas who is an ex-winner at Pikes Peak and also an ex record holder himself. The current record of 8 mins 13.878 seconds was established in 2013 by none other than legendary rally driver Sebastian Loeb in a purpose built Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak which featured outlandish wings to add to the aero downforce.
Taking current technology into consideration, the Lithium-Ion battery is the only realistic solution to power electric cars amongst other electronic devices. With ranges quickly exceeding the 500 km range on one charge, the Lithium-Ion battery does serve the purpose it needs to by powered the electric motors in a car. That said, they are quite expensive and the battery pack is without a shadow of doubt the most expensive component in any electric car today. While research into super capacitors and hydrogen fuel cells have been progressing quickly, the immediate relief in terms of a big price drop is a new Sodium-Ion battery technology
Polestar, formerly an inbuilt division for Volvo makingperformance variants,and now an independent automaker that will make performance electric cars based on Volvo design and chassis, has showcased it's first ever car - the 'Polestar 1'. The Polestar 1 will be an hybrid performance car that will be built in a new purpose built factory in China alongside two other cars that Polestar will showcase soon. The Polestar 1 will have an electric motor along with a set of electric batteries along with a turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that will power the car.
The vehicle will be able to take over driving responsibilities when necessary -- after assessing the driver is too tired to drive safely, for example -- and also interact with the driver and passengers.
Any new venture of BMW and Great Wall would have to sell exclusively electric vehicles (EVs), given China's moratorium on approvals for new gasoline car businesses.
Mahindra has confirmed that it will be launching an electric version of the sub-4 metre KUV100 in a little over a year's time. The electric version of the Mahindra KUV100 will get an all-new electric powertrain. Mahindra and Mahindra is also planning to offer electric versions of all its crossover and SUV models in the future.
India is looking at having an all-electric car fleet by 2030 with an express objective of lowering the fuel import bill and the running cost of vehicles.
