Category Archives: Electric Car

Reviews and Articles relating to Electric Cars

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Mark Webber, Motorsports, Porsche Motorsports, Technology, Video Review

Porsche to enter the electric sports car market with the Mission E – 310 miles – 15 minute charge

Video Leave a comment

There has been a slew of announcements from Volkswagen Group today, but the the real news for us is the announcement of the Porsche Mission E electric sports sedan!

Back in April, I spoke to notable people at Porsche (notably Mark Webber) at the WEC at Silverstone about the potential of Porsche launching a fully electric sports car, at the time everyone was understandably tightlipped even going so far as to say that they couldn’t see it happening. Well, it has happened, in the form of the four seater Porsche Mission E.

Obviously there is a direct comparison to the Tesla Model S P90D with it’s Ludicrous Mode and super fast charging and it seems that Porsche have specifically targetted these areas with Mission E.

The Mission E has all wheel drive dual electric motor drive producing 600HP accelerating the car from 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds. The technology for this vehicle has been inherited from the awesome Le Mans class Porsche 919 LMP1 giving exceptional energy recuperation.

Charging the vehicle can be just as rapid as Porsche have chosen an 800 volt ‘Porsche Turbo Charging System’ which can replenish the battery to 80% in just 15 minutes! The car also supports 400 volt home charging and even inductive charging meaning parking over an inductive charging plate will begin replenishing the cars power plant. Fully charged, the Mission E gives up to 310 miles range, which is again in Model S territory.

The interior is future-proofed by the inclusion of 3d eye tracking displays and holographic controls with race bucket seats for all four passengers.

This is a massive announcement from the world’s most popular sports car manufacturer and we can now look forward to the eventual production model and the technology finding its’ way down the VW Group food chain to the other brands in the group.

I love the fact that Porsche are so incredibly active in the EV and Hybrid market. It’s a very exciting time for car manufacturers at the moment. As I’ve said before, we are seeing a gold rush in the electric vehicle market, driving it forward faster than ever and this can only benefit ‘us’, the drivers in fuel efficiency, performance and most importantly – safety.

Audi, Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Motorsports, Technology

The Gadget Man – Episode 59 – Audi A3 etron sports hybrid

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This week we stay with hybrid cars, but this time we look at the Audi A3 etron. First things first, this car looks spectacular! I have never seen such a bright red in my entire life and the big alloy wheels enhance the look even more. It’s certainly a head turner.

The A3 etron comes with a 1.4 litre turbo charged engine outputting 150 bhp, however yet again it sits alongside an electric motor which when combined in ‘Sports Mode’ increases the performance to just of 200 bhp and will get you to 60 is 7.6 seconds. When you are feeling less ‘eager’ to get around town, you can elect for pure electric which is the default mode at start up or 3 forms of hybrid mode, normal, battery save and battery charge.

The battery can be charged from a very cleverly hidden port on the front grill and on electric alone will take you around 30 miles per charge. You aren’t going to want to be taking long journeys on electric alone as the car is designed for hybrid use, it’s probably better to let it decide which forms of power it uses as it will drop to electric in slow traffic and moderate speed.

If you are feeling excitable, then pulling the gear stick backwards enables Sports Mode, the gear information changes from D1,D2,D3 etc on the dashboard to S1,S2,S3 to indicate sports use. Be very careful in this mode at it transforms the car to very high performance. The car is however very good at governing acceleration I I didn’t notice any wheel spin in sport mode, although we did notice some in pure electric (this is possibly down to the higher torque of the electric motor).

A full review of the A3 etron will be coming soon, in the meantime grab a listen to the attached audio from Mondays show.

 

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Podcast, Review, Volvo

The Gadget man Episode 58 Volvo V60 D6 Twin Engine Plugin Hybrid

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This week we move back to hybrid cars with the Volvo V60 D6 Twin Engine Plug in Hybrid vehicle. The D6 is unique as it is a Diesel – Electric Hybrid rather than the standard Petrol Electric that we are used to.

This is a very powerful snappy car, at full ‘Power’ mode it is outputting a combined 280bhp and you certainly feel it. Along with beautiful ride, upholstery and fuel efficiency, I can see this being very popular in the company car sector.

We will be reviewing it in greater detail soon online, but in the meantime, listen in the the stream from Monday 13th July.

 

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Motorsports, Podcast, Review, Technology, Volkswagen

The Gadget Man – Episode 55 – Volkswagen Golf GTE – Hot hatch performance with zero emissions

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

VW Golf GTE outside Trinity Park, Ipswich
VW Golf GTE outside Trinity Park, Ipswich

This morning, I chatted to Mark about the new breed of cars currently hitting the markplace around the world, namely PHEV’s or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles. I’ve already reviewed the e-Golf a few months ago, however the GTE takes the  electric technology from the e-Golf and combines it with the performance on the Golf GTi. It’s quite a vehicle to drive.

From a distance you might be fooled by the Volkswagen Golf GTE, it shares its DNA with the legendary Golf GTI, but can also be driven in zero emission mode like the all electric e-Golf. It’s design and equipment has been adapted directly from the Golf GTI with the red hints altered to ‘eco friendly’ blue. The front grill mounted VW badge doubles at the access cover for the charge port.

VW Golf GTE
VW Golf GTE

The engine or ‘engines’ are supplied as a 1.4 litre 150hp turbo charged fuel injected petrol engine and a 102hp electric motor providing a combined power output of 204hp in GTE mode. Essentially you have two independent drive systems that provide almost silent operation and zero emission with speeds up to 86mph in electric mode, morphing to a 146 mpg fuel sipping hatchback in hybrid mode to the insane 0-60 in 7.6 seconds hot hatch with maximum speed limited to 137mph.

When you switch into GTE mode, there is a noticeable change in engine sound which at first caught me off guard and speculating how it was achieved? After a little light reading, I discovered that VW are employing a ‘method’ similar to the BMW i8 supercar. Electronic engine sounds is played into the cockpit of the car via integrated sound system, fooling the senses that you are driving a big V8. It really does fool you, as coupled with the sudden full boost unleashed via the turbo charger, you are catapulted from a completely silent standstill to a roaring power house in an instant.

This is one of the new range of ‘Plug-in Hybrids’ which are current coming to market. There is a very good reason for plug-in hybrids though. Originally hybrids were designed to be charged by the main internal combustion engine and regenerative braking systems and was only really used to bring the car up speeds above town use. With the advent of Plug-in Hybrids, the on board battery is now larger and able to power the car for reasonable distances before requiring recharge. In the Golf GTE’s case, the battery will allow for about 30 miles before recharge. You might think this isn’t much, but the average car journey to place of work in the UK is 9.9 miles, so on average you could drive to work and home without using the petrol engine at all. I tried this and the car was reporting 300 miles per gallon! It certainly gives you a good idea of how much cheaper an electric car is to run. In ‘optimal’ driving conditions, VW reckon you should get 146 miles per gallon! Charging the car takes 2 and half hours via a normal 220v electrical supply.

If you are considering a hybrid, you couldn’t go far wrong with the Golf GTE. It combines ‘hot hatch’ performance with zero emission short distance driving. The price is in line with the Golf GTI, so you would be looking at paying around £33,000.

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Tesla

The Gadget Man – Episode 49.5 – Tesla Model S P85D – Test Drive and Interview with Laura Hardy from Tesla

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

Tesla Model S P85D
Tesla Model S P85D

Imagine going from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds, powered by a dual motor 690BHP electric car? Now imagine doing that on one of the wettest days of the month?

 

Well that’s just what happened on Thursday this week!

We were able to spend a very wet hour with the car, but you wouldn’t have noticed. The all wheel drive and very advanced traction control kept the car stuck firmly to the ground.

Tesla Model S P85
Tesla Model S P85

We also had a tour of the workshops and saw for ourselves what amazing technology is behind the Model S

After our Insane test drive, I spoke to Laura Hardy from Tesla Motors about the P85D and the future for Tesla. Listen to the stream above to find out more!!

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Podcast, Review, Technology, Tesla

The Gadget Man – Episode 49 – Tesla Powerwall

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This week we talk about the Tesla Powerwall. The powerwall is an electricity storage solution for homes, businesses an more!

Tesla Powerwall
Tesla Powerwall

The Tesla Powerwall is a rechargeable lithium-ion battery designed to store energy at a residential level for load shifting, backup power and self-consumption of solar power generation. The Powerwall consists of Tesla’s lithium-ion battery pack, liquid thermal control system and software that receives dispatch commands from a solar inverter. The unit mounts seamlessly on a wall and is integrated with the local grid to harness excess power and give customers the flexibility to draw energy from their own reserve.

The battery can provide a number of different benefits to the customer including:

Load shifting – The battery can provide financial savings to its owner by charging during low rate periods when demand for electricity is lower and discharging during more expensive rate periods when electricity demand is higher
Increasing self-consumption of solar power generation – The battery can store surplus solar energy not used at the time it is generated and use that energy later when the sun is not shining
Back-up power – Assures power in the event of an outage
The Powerwall Home Battery increases the capacity for a household’s solar consumption, while also offering backup functionality during grid outages.

The Powerwall is available in 10kWh, optimized for backup applications or 7kWh optimized for daily use applications. Both can be connected with solar or grid and both can provide backup power. The 10kWh Powerwall is optimized to provide backup when the grid goes down, providing power for your home when you need it most. When paired with solar power, the 7kWh Powerwall can be used in daily cycling to extend the environmental and cost benefits of solar into the night when sunlight is unavailable.

Tesla’s selling price to installers is $3500 for 10kWh and $3000 for 7kWh. (Price excludes inverter and installation.) Deliveries begin in late Summer in the US. Plans are for Powerwall to be available in the UK before for the end of the year with more details to follow.

Powerwall specs:

Mounting: Wall Mounted Indoor/Outdoor
Inverter: Pairs with growing list of inverters
Energy: 7kWh or 10kWh
Continuous Power: 2kW
Peak Power: 3kW
Round Trip Efficiency: >92%
Operating Temperature Range: -20C (-4F) to 43C (110F)
Warranty: 10 years
Dimensions: H: 1300mm W: 860mm D:180mm

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Motorsports, Porsche Motorsports, Technology

The Gadget Man – Episode 47.5 – Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Hypercar with Gordon Robertson

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Hypercar arriving at the Porsche Experience Centre
Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Hypercar arriving at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone Racetrack – Photo from Porsche Facebook Page.

To celebrate it’s 10 million fans on Facebook, Porsche ran a competition offering the winner a chance in participating in a 1000 km road trip in the 918 Spyder. The car was specially wrapped to allow fans along the way to sign the car

During the trip, the 918 Spyder was joined by the Panamera S E-Hybrid and Cayenne S E-Hybrid.  The convoy travelled  through cities such as Oxford and Stratford, the winding roads of Brecon Beacons National Park and many others, where Porsche fans could leave their signature on the 918 Spyder.

gordonThe car was driven by Gordon Robertson, the Chief Driving Consultant at the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone Race Track, upon his arrival, we were lucky enough to catch up with him for a few minutes to find out how he had got on.

You can listen to the interview at the top of the post. Thanks to Gordon for spending the time to chat to us.

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Mark Webber, Motorsports, Podcast, Porsche Motorsports, Technology

The Gadget Man – Episode 46 – Porsche 919 LMP with Mark Webber

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

Podcast (podcast2): Play in new window | Download

We had a wonderful day at the World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Silverstone last weekend. Not only were we guests of the wonderful people at Porsche Motorsports, we were also able to chat to the Technicians and Drivers and find out more about how the idea of Hybrid power translates to the worlds fastest racecars.

Matt Porter interviews Mark Webber about the Porsche 919 LMP1
Matt Porter interviews Mark Webber about the Porsche 919 LMP1

During our day, we were able to speak to former Formula 1 driver Mark Webber who is now racing the Porsche 919 LMP1. We also spoke at length to Alexander Hitzinger who is in charge for the 919’s development as Technical Director for the LMP1 and Michael Christensen who is the works driver for the Porsche 911 RSR.

I would like to thank the ever amazing Mark Webber for his patience after a long day! Sam Lloyd at Lloyd Bell Productions and Nick Perry at Porsche Cars Great Britain for their help making the day so memorable.

Massive thanks to Paul Shalan for attending with me and taking so many AMAZING photographs!!

You can listen to this weeks episode at the top of the page or below.

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Hybrid, Mark Webber, Motorsports, Podcast, Review, Technology

Heads up for The Gadget Man on Monday – Porsche 919 LMP1 + Matt interviews Mark Webber

Leave a comment
Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche Team: Timo Bernhard, Brendon Hartley, Mark Webber, Porsche Team: Romain Dumas, Neel Jani, Marc Lieb
Porsche 919 Hybrid, Porsche Team – Photo courtesy of Porsche

We had a very exciting weekend at Silverstone for the World Endurance Championship Qualifiers, namely 6 Hours of Silverstone which is the UK heat of the WEC which culminates in the world famous 24 Hour race at Le Mans.

The WEC LMP1 class now uses hybrid technology and following on from our series of electric and hybrid car reviews, we were interested in finding out what Porsche were doing in this area.

Porsche Motorsports and former Formula 1 driver, Mark Webber
Porsche Motorsports and former Formula 1 driver, Mark Webber

Porsche Motorsports very kindly invited us to be their guests for the day and we were able to interview drivers,  Mark Webber & Michael Christensen, plus we were also able to chat to Porsche LMP1 Technical Director Alexander Hitzinger about the technology around the car and what the future holds for us in an increasingly electric world.

To hear the interview, tune in to BBC Radio Suffolk on Monday 20th April 2015 at 11:40 and find out what Mark Webber thinks of the all new hybrid technology and how it will eventually effect us in production cars to come.

Electric Car, Electric Vehicles, Gadget Man, Podcast, Review, Technology

The Gadget Man – Episode 39 – Volkswagen e-Golf Electric Vehicle

Audio Leave a comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More

This week we talk about at the Volkswagen e-Golf, a really superb electric vehicle which successfully bridged the gap from traditional petrol or diesel car to fully fledged electric car.

This really was a superb vehicle on every level, the handling was just amazing. It was incredibly easy to drive and once I had got the handle of ‘Park Pilot’, that too was amazing. A really great car, and a head turner too!.

Thanks to VW Press Office for supplying the car with everything I would ever need and thanks to the two delivery drivers who were equally polite and helpful.

Dont forget to listen to the stream above, and wait for the full review coming soon!