World's Smallest Car - Peel Microcar

 

Driverless cars

Fully autonomous vehicles, also known as robotic cars, or driverless cars, already exist in prototype, and are expected to be commercially available around 2020. According to urban designer and futurist Michael E. Arth, driverless electric vehicles—in conjunction with the increased use of virtual reality for work, travel, and pleasure—could reduce the world's 800 million vehicles to a fraction of that number within a few decades. This would be possible if almost all private cars requiring drivers, which are not in use and parked 90% of the time, would be traded for public self-driving taxis that would be in near constant use. This would also allow for getting the appropriate vehicle for the particular need—a bus could come for a group of people, a limousine could come for a special night out, and a Segway could come for a short trip down the street for one person. Children could be chauffeured in supervised safety, DUIs would no longer exist, and 41,000 lives could be saved each year in the US alone.

Electric horsepower muscles in on 2011 auto show

Auto shows are always about horsepower, but for this edition of the Vancouver International Auto Show it will be a little bit about whether the quiet whirr of electric motors can overpower the roar of gasoline engines.

For it is electric cars, in the city that wants to count itself as greenest, that are being put out front as feature items for the 91st annual edition of the show.

Mitsubishi and Nissan will unveil plans to launch their electric models in Metro Vancouver at an opening event being billed as the 'electric breakfast' for the show, which runs from today until April 3 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

General Motors will have its Chevrolet Volt, which was introduced to Metro Vancouver by its Canadian CEO earlier this year, and Ford promises to talk about its plans for five electric vehicles.

"This year there is a real push, from those manufacturers who have these kinds of vehicles, to focus on electrics," Blair Qualey, president of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. said in an interview, whether its straight electric cars or plugin electric hybrids.

And it is the auto show's job, Qualey added, to help with the education about what the consumer's options are.

"Friends of mine who talk to me about these things ask me 'is this stuff real, is it viable," Qualey said.

He added that at the show, consumers will be able to see the electric models that dealers will have in their showrooms, and BC Hydro will display the preparations it has made to begin rolling them out to the public.

Manufacturers look upon Metro Vancouver as an important focal point for their electric offerings, considering Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's pledge to make the city the greenest in the world by 2020 and the provincial government's goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

"Vancouver is a very greenfocused, environmentally friendly city," said Tomoki Yanagawa, vice-president of sales and marketing for Mitsubishi Motors Canada. "I think market acceptance towards electric vehicles is higher [here] than any other place in Canada."

Mitsubishi is introducing its iMiEV model at the show, which will be on sale in Canada later in the year.

The MiEV portion of the acronym stands for Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle, and while the company has modest hopes for it in terms of sales volumes, the model is considered its "halo car" in the company's move "towards green technology.

"We see Vancouver as being one of the major centres in the [electric vehicle] market," Yanagawa added.

Nissan is also drawn to Vancouver for its green image to bring its electric Leaf model.

"We see it as an area where there are good partnerships, and also where consumers are very interested in this kind of vehicle," Ian Forsyth, Nissan Canada's director of corporate planning, said in an interview.

Forsyth added that BC Hydro has been a supportive partner with manufacturers, and the utility's ample supplies of clean hydro electricity is another factor that makes B.C. an attractive market for electric vehicles.

However, the manufacturers do see some significant challenges in opening the electric market.

Yanagawa said the expensive sticker price of electrics is one. Mitsubishi hasn't settled on a price for the iMiEV, but he added that it will be between $30,000 and $40,000.

"The vehicle is very expensive in the beginning, like any new advanced technology," Yanagawa said.

On that front, he added that the industry is hopeful that B.C., like other provinces, will offer incentives to encourage electric vehicle purchases.

Forsyth added the manufacturers still have to overcome consumer concerns about the range of electric vehicles and the availability of public recharging stations so they can use the cars in their day-to-day routines.

Qualey said the high price of gasoline, which averaged $1.32 per litre, according to the consultants MJ Ervin & Associates weekly pump price survey, offer another incentive for consumers to switch.

"The last time we saw gas go to $1.40 a litre hybrids and much smaller vehicles came back into huge favour," he said.

However, electrics will likely remain a minor segment in B.C.'s market, which, despite the visibility of hybrids and compact cars is still dominated by light trucks, according to auto-industry economist Carlos Gomes.

Gomes, a senior economist at Scotiabank Economics, said B.C.'s new-car market is typically split 60 per cent to light trucks, which includes SUVs, crossover vehicles and pickup trucks, and 40 per cent cars.

"It makes even cars a tougher sell, forget about electrics," Gomes said in an interview.

He expects slow growth for electric vehicles over the next five to 10 years based on the experience of hybrid cars, which have only captured about two per cent of Canada's market after about a decade in existence.

"It really depends on the technology and the key there is how they can bring the price of vehicles down," Gomes said.

Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010, and displaced the Toyota Prius as the most fuel-efficient car sold in the United States, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

According to General Motors the Volt can travel 25 to 50 miles (40 to 80 km) on a 16 kW·h (10.4 kW·h usable) lithium-ion battery; The EPA found in tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls, the all-electric range averaged 35 miles (56 km), with an energy consumption of 36 kWh per 100 miles (810 kJ/km), and the total range (using battery power first then electricity generated by the on-board gasoline-power generator) is 379 miles (610 km). EPA rated the Volt's combined city/highway fuel economy at 93 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent in all-electric mode, and at 37 mpg-US (6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpg-imp) in gasoline-only mode, for an overall fuel economy rating of 60 mpg-US (3.9 L/100 km; 72 mpg-imp) combined.

Chevrolet Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after the Corvette, a small, maneuverable warship. Originally built in Flint, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, the Corvette is currently built in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is the official sports car of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The National Corvette Museum documents the car's worldwide history and hosts the annual event.
"Only one sports car has endured for half a century. America's pride, the Chevrolet Corvette marked its 50th anniversary in 2003."

Aston Martin Vanquish

 

The Aston Martin Vanquish is a grand tourer, designed by Ian Callum and manufactured by Aston Martin. From its 2001 introduction to its cancellation, it was Aston Martin's flagship vehicle. Its rise to recognition by the wider public came after being featured as the official James Bond car in the film Die Another Day. It was discontinued in 2007. The Aston Martin DBS V12 will replace it atop Aston's lineup.

Aston Martin Vantage GT4

The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is the evolution of the successful Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24 car. Featuring an enlarged 4.7 litre engine and uprated suspension, allowing for increased camber and castor angles. The brakes have also been uprated with larger diamter front discs and racing pads.

The Vantage GT4 car has been built to FIA GT4 regulations making it eligible to compete in FIA European GT4 and FIA GT4 world endurance races.