BMW confirms plug-in hybrid
November 5, 2010 § Leave a Comment
BMW has officially confirmed it is to build the Vision EfficientDynamics plug-in hybrid, reports Autocar. The coupe concept, shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, is headed for production in 2013, has a diesel-electric powertrain with a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine (161bhp) and a pair of electric motors to give a total 323bhp; it’s said to return 75mpg and emit 99g/km of carbon dioxide. It can operate in front-, rear- or all-wheel drive mode, has a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and performance is said to be on a par with that of the M3. And, by the way, it is the car teased in the dontblogaboutthis silly-buggers. Looks good on the outside, tech sounds even better.
In other news today:
- Clive Sinclair has done it again: the X-1, announced today, is his 21st-century answer to his C5. Driver sits more upright this time; deliveries from July 2011, price from £595. No, it’s still not a proper car, and there are probably better commuting choices, but if you’re interested…
- Only marginally less pointless an exercise, though this guy’s probably had a helluva lot more fun: Ecotricity’s Dale Vince, the Zerocarbonista, has finally got his pet-project Nemesis EV on the road. Well, sort of, says the Guardian. So far – £750,000 to convert a Lotus Exige – it’s a bit of a rich boy’s eco-toy, though Vince is talking about putting a few Mk2 versions into production and going for a speed record.
