Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Toyota have teamed up with the Tokyo Electric Power Company to form a new association, CHAdeMO.

CHAdeMO is a pun for the Japanese phrase O cha demo ikaga desuka which translates to English as “Let’s have a quick tea while charging”. The association aims to speed up the process of installing quick electric vehicle chargers worldwide.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the automakers indicates that the rather unique name is also an abbreviation for the more or less English “CHArge de MOve.”

But whichever the case may be, the CHAdeMo association says that 158 business entities, including 20 foreign corporations, are expected to join the cause effective immediately.…

South Africa-based Optimal Energy unveiled the all-electric Joule at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Joule, which was designed by Keith Helfet, went from a static model to a near-production vehicle with the assistance of Zagato’s Total Design Center. Compared to the original concept shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, the ‘new’ Joule features revised styling and production-ready equipment.

Specifications include a high strength steel chassis, a regenerative braking system, and a 36 kWh traction battery. The latter powers a transversely-mounted synchronous electric motor with 75 kW (101 hp / 102 PS) and 280 Nm (207 lb-ft) of torque. Connected to a single-speed reduction gearbox, the motor enables the Joule to accelerate…

India’s Mahindra & Mahindra has initially planned of a mid-2008 launch in the United States market, having their first offering “in the dealer showroom sometime in the second half of 2009”, but that deadline has since passed by. The company also missed its re-scheduled early 2010 US launch date, but Mahindra is pushing forward with its U.S. launch, with more details to follow in the coming weeks.

President and member of Mahindra’s management board Pawan Goenka told reporters that the company would announce its U.S. launch plans in two to three weeks. The delay is due to safety and emission certification of its first vehicle, a diesel-powered pickup truck called the…

Sbarro, a known Swiss performance car and replica builder, has just introduced another new concept at the Geneva Motor Show this year, the Sbarro Autobau.  The new concept vehicle is powered by a 500-horsepower 12-cylinder engine from Ferrari.

With its peculiar design, there’s no doubt that the Autobau is the only car of its kind at Geneva. With its three-pointed front end, it is likened to Speed Racer; it has also been compared to the Cylon Raider from Battlestar Galactica and the Pink Panther-mobile.

The 1,500 kilogram Sbarro Autobau has also been specially designed in honor of Fredy Lienhard.  The Swiss race car driver has competed since the 1970s. He has had…

Valmet has unveiled its building showcase at the Geneva Auto Show, the Eva EV concept.

Valmet has usually been behind the scenes player such as Porsche, which they helped manufacture the Porsche Boxster/Cayman and the upcoming Fisker Karma. But now, Valmet introduced the Eva to “illustrate their capabilities in concept car development and complete car engineering.”

According to company president Ilpo Korhonen, “We started the project over a year ago with a market analysis and a concept study. We set a target to create a concept of a new urban electric vehicle for environmentally conscious European and American individuals and families, a car for driving not only for showing.”

The Eva features unique…

Italdesign Giugario and Proton are preparing to unveil their co-developed hybrid five-passenger city car at the Geneva Motor Show. Malaysian automaker, Proton, also solicited the help of Lotus to help develop a very unique series hybrid powertain to power its first hybrid car.

Although Italdesign Giugario and Proton have only released a photo of the five-door variant, a three-door variant is also planned of making it at the motor show. There is even a possibility for other models to be based on the platform – although they may come at a later date.

Lotus developed a series hybrid powertrain for the vehicle, utilizing a three-cylinder, 1.2-liter Lotus Range Extender engine to help…

Optimal Energy, a South African tech company, will debut their latest electric car Joule at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The Joule concept was first unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008.

The five-seater will be hand-built when it goes into production in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The electric car will be built with a 65 kW motor producing 280 Nm (207 lb-ft) of torque. With the 36 kWh Lithium-ion battery the car will have a range of approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles).  The battery can be recharged with the on-board charger, letting the car be plugged into a standard outlet.

“The EV market is expected to grow exponentially…

BERU f1systems engineers have created what they call the “world’s first bike designed and hand built by Formula one engineers.”  The incredibly expensive Factor 001 bicycle has a starting price of £22,000.

The Factor 001 bicycle is a lightweight carbon monocoque frame completely customized to the owner’s physical measurements.  The bicycle does not comply with many rules for competitive cycling, which gave designers the opportunity to create a machine that accelerates quickly with the highest level of stability.  The look of the bike can also be designed to the customer’s wishes, with his or her name engraved on the handlebars.

”In designing and perfecting Factor 001 we chose not to be limited…

Finland-based Valmet Automotive is planning to introduce their Eva electric vehicle concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

Valmet designed the Eva electric vehicle to be a technological showpiece. It features a lightweight body, a 2+2 seating arrangement, and an advanced propulsion system. The propulsion system will allow the Eva to travel up to 160 kilometers (99 miles) on a single charge.

The interior of the Eva will be housing a Nokia-sourced “Human Machine Interface” with mobile handset connectivity. The system may be Valmet’s take on a more compelling Bluetooth setup.

Valmet Automotive is a frontrunner in engineering and manufacturing electric vehicles. Last year, the company already started the series production of one of…

Westfield Sporstcars is planning to join the upcoming world’s first green racing series, the EV Cup, with their iRACER.

The iRACER features Lithium Phosphate batteries, a tubular chassis, and lightweight body panels. The unique and advanced design of the iRACER enables the batteries to be stored beneath the EV’s floor which at the same time lowers the car’s center of gravity.

The iRACER will be motored with two electric engines that produce 80kW (107 hp) and 1000 NM torque. The motors allow it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds, before reaching its electronically top speed of 110 mph.

Dr. Paul Faithful, the Technical Director of Westfield Sportscars was quoted saying,…

A new mid-engined sports car has been unveiled in Turkey that will surely deliver massive power in a lightweight package: the Onuk Sazan.

The Onuk Sazan is designed by Dr. Ekber Onuk to honor his son, Kaan “Sazar” Onuk, who died in a car accident in 1996.

Only five units of the rear-wheel drive car will be produced yearly. The Onuk Sazan prototype has been built using the Corvette LS7 engine that produces 512 horsepower and up to 635 Nm of torque. The engine is then backed up by a five-speed manual transmission. Engineers are also considering thought to use Nissan’s 3.5 liter V6 VQ34DE turbocharged engine producing 485 horsepower, 588 Nm…

Next month, January 11th to be exact, the awards for the 2010 North American Car and Truck of the Year will be handed out in the Detroit Auto Show. But already ahead of the ceremony, the finalists for the said ceremony are now announced.

For the car category, the Buick LaCrosse, Ford Fusion Hybrid and Volkswagen Golf will be fighting it out for the award. Meanwhile, for the truck category, the Chevrolet Equinox, Ford Transit Connect and Subaru Outback are all vying for the title.

Last year, the North American Car of the Year award was given to Hyundai Genesis and the Truck of the Year was the Ford F-150.

Forty-nine North American…

These past few years, our mother earth has suffered blow-by-blow pollutions. The air we breathe isn’t safe anymore. Smoke belching plays a big part to what our nature suffers from. And up until now, we are still experiencing it. Researchers from all over the world have high hopes of ending this nightmare. The lithium ion battery is born. Cars are a major contribution to the air pollution as we all know. The car producers from big companies has the answer now to the long old problem. But still, if the lithium ion battery emits air pollution, why is it then that we still can feel the dusty and smoke filled…