“We are past the idea of an environmentally friendly vehicle needing to look different. People don’t want to sacrifice anything, including style, to own an efficient car.” – Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen

Bold words backed by bold action. The Tesla Model S, produced by Tesla Motors, is an engineering feat, which proves you don’t have to sacrifice style to go green. It’s a full-sized battery electric sedan that is still in the development stages. Back when the Model S was in it’s preliminary developing stages, its code name was WhiteStar. Since then, this prototype model has continued to wow its audience. Since the unveiling at the 2011 North American International Auto Show, there has been a lot of buzz about when it will be on the market. It is now slated for market release for early 2012. It is expected to retail in the ballpark of $57,000, although baseline price quotes have been released around $47,000.

Though this is a costly figure for middle income consumers, it’s going to prove a highly prized vehicle on the road, and stands out as a leader for the future of eco-friendly vehicles. The Model S will be available in three different battery classes and range in cost: 160, 230, and 300 miles per charged battery. Due to the anticipation for its release, you won’t be able to waltz into your local dealer to buy a model or buy one over the Internet, like you’re browsing through insurance quotes online. You have to go to the Tesla website for pricing, purchasing details, and where these models will be available.

This vehicle marries Tesla characteristic quality of design with aerodynamics, stability of handling, crash safety, range, and overall performance. It’s an electric car from the ground up that has been meticulously engineered to be an innovation in the way we view and use electric transportation. It has also been optimized for crash safety, and it’s engineered to achieve the 2012 five-star NHTSA safety rating upon release.

Powered by a slim-line battery pack that’s positioned below the floor, this compact design truly integrates sustainability with style. With its compact frame, the Model S is created to exploit the advantages of an electric vehicle, while maximizing interior space and energy efficiency. This model is expected to have a range of 160 miles when fully charged with a zero to 60 acceleration rate of 5.6 seconds. Larger battery packs are expected to be available that will give this sporty piece of engineering an estimated 300 miles. The charging time is expected to take around three to five hours, which depends on the battery being used. There is also an option for a 45-minute quick charge for reduced distances, and the battery swap time is less than five minutes.

Go online to see videos and specs of this outstanding piece of machinery and see how the Model S is changing the way we think of electric cars. This vehicle will stun you with its elegance in integration and commitment to excellence. Surely, it will be a top competitor in sport electric cars and will innovate the way we drive.

Renault will soon be launching an electric car that is rumoured to take less time to charge than a mobile phone. The DeZir design is set to be introduced at the Paris Motor Show in October, and from the teaser images Renault has released, it’ll be a beauty.

The DeZir will charge in just 20 minutes with a 400V outlet, or eight hours with a standard household outlet. DeZir goes from zero to 62mph in five seconds and will also reach a top speed of 112mph.

Mercedes released details on a prototype it’s calling the SLS AMG E-Cell. The gullwing variant gets four, 12,000-rpm electric motors producing an equivalent 525 horsepower and 649 lb-ft of torque. It’s reported to go from 0-60 in just under four seconds.

The motors are placed near the wheels, but not in the hub, so they don’t count as unsprung mass. A 400-volt lithium-ion battery provides the juice.

Another big difference between the E-Cell and the standard SLS is the front suspension, which gets an independent multilink setup with pushrod damper struts. The vertically-arranged dampers in the series SLS took a hike to make room for additional drive shafts. No word on timing, but the E-Cell could see a small series production run.

Here is a quick run down of the top 7 new cars im looking forward to seeing in 2010. All these cars were showcased in the 80th International Geneva Motor Show.

Ferrari 599 HY KERS – This Ferrari comes with a green paint job and features the latest Ferrari regenerative braking technology integrated into seven dual clutch transmission and installed right below the centre of gravity of the car. This Ferrari 599 comes with a V12 engine and 100 horsepower engine with KERS system.

Koenigsegg Agera -  The Koenigsegg Agera has a full carbon fiber and aluminium body, featuring a 4.7 litre V8 engine and can hit 0-100 in under 3.1 seconds. Other sexy features include a set of wheels made to generate a vortex as they suck hot air away from the brakes. With a raw power of 910 hp at over 7000 rpm there is no telling what this beast is capable of.

Mercedes F800 Style – This has to be the most sexy five seat sedan I have ever seen. This hybrid provides over 400 bhp of raw power and can reach speeds of over 375 kmph. A 300hp direct injection V6 gas engine and a 109hp hybrid module allows the Mercedes to function perfectly

Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid – Very sexy two door hybrid sports car with a fluid cooled lithium ion battery that gives it the perfect charge. This Spyder can go from 0-100 kmph in 3.2 seconds with a top speed of 320 kmph. This has to be one of the top sports cars for the richie rich who still want to save the environment.

Lotus Evora – Every motor show has to have a top Lotus, and this time it was the Evora. The Lotus Evora has a 3.5 liter V6 engine, which can go from 0-100 kmph in 5.1 seconds. Apart from offering a top speed of 231kmph this lightweight sports car consumes only 8.7 liter of fuel for every 100 km travelled with a carbon emission of less than 205 g per km of CO2.

Tesla Motors has just released a revised filing for their upcoming IPO. Tesla are reportedly buying NUMMI plant for $42 million and it is now confirmed that Tesla doesnt have a formal deal with Toyota to build a new electric vehicle yet.

For anyone who followed the hyped news of the Tesla-Toyota partnership last week, it would seem that the two companies had signed an official agreement to build what Tesla CEO Elon Musk was calling a “third-generation” vehicle (its Model S sedan is the second generation) together. In fact, the purchase of NUMMI only seems to make sense if this joint car project comes to fruition – the Model S is only supposed to make up a small fraction of the vehicles produced at the facility.

Hybrid cars are going to become more prevalent in the coming years, and thats why this Porsche 918 Spyder Concept is just amazing.

Specs:

• 500 horsepower
• mid-mounted hybrid V8
• Carrera GT fused with a 914 and Jaguar XJ 220

Performance does not suffer at all from that ridiculous gas mileage: 0-60 in 3.2 secs. with a top speed of 198 mph and maybe the most important of all, a Ring lap time of under 7:30. Of course you have to take all this with a grain of salt considering this is all just estimated.

Another team is headed for the grid at the TT Zero electric motorcycle race, this one a Nordic outfit led by an experienced road racer modifying a Honda race bike.

The Swedish Electric Racing Team follows MotoCzyzs in committing to the TT Zero, which recently split from the TTXGP to take over the race first held last year on the Isle of Man. The team was founded by Lars “Lasse” Nilsson, a former motocrosser and road racer who also worked as a mechanic spinning wrenches for race teams.

The team has picked up some impressive hardware on which to base its bike, buying a Honda CBR 600RR ridden by Anthony West for the now-defunct Stiggy Racing World Superbike team.

“We bought the Honda CBR 600RR because the frame design is well-suited to convert to an electric system and since the new parts are about the same weight and placement, we expect the handling to be very similar to the original bike,” Nilsson said. “We are really thrilled to be participating in the world’s greatest motorcycle race, although we have a lot of work to do between now and then to get the bike ready.”

SERT has lined up Chris Palmer to ride the bike in the June 9 race, which will be held on the famed Mountain Course during the storied Isle of Man TT motorcycle races. Palmer is no stranger to the TT, having racked up three wins and four podiums since his debut in 1990.

The Ferrari 599 hybrid is real!

Posted at CarSpyShots.com the pictures were snapped on the stand just days before it was to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Im not too sure if many people will want to have a Ferrari hybrid, but I guess as the world comes to terms with completely green cars, then the Ferrari hybrid and maybe even a complete green version will become very popular.

The Ferrari 599 hybrid will have a V12 engine up front and an electric motor and related electronics mounted on the rear transaxle. The system is based on the kinetic energy recovery system Ferrari’s Formula 1 team developed.

General Motors Co. has been reported to be dropping plans for a Cadillac-badged version of the Chevrolet Volt.

Apparently a Cadillac version of the Volt would be too weighed down by the expected luxury and comfort features to replicate the Volt’s 40-mile electric-only driving range without extensive extra cost, a Bloomberg report said. Sources suggested achieving even a 20-mile driving range solely on battery power might require $30,000 of added cost, the report added.

The loss of the proposed Cadillac variant of the Volt casts more doubt on the near-term applicability of the Volt’s battery-intensive, series-hybrid design.

Some GM executives had argued a Cadillac version of the Volt would help reduce costs – mostly centered around the expensive lithium-ion batteries – and speed wider adoption of the Volt’s technology.

Its been reported that Porsche plans on sending a Porsche 911 racing car to both Geneva and the Nurburgring 24 hour race.

The key here is that in the press release from Porsche they stated that “the focus is not on… winning the race.”. Then what is the real point here?

The Porsche 911 GT3 R is a racing car which is supposed to aim at winning every race they enter. However, its like this is just a publicity stunt from Porsche that seems to be a little misguided.

Like all 911s, the hybrid GT3 R sports a horizontally opposed six-cylinder mounted behind, and driving, the rear wheels. Unlike all 911s, however, it has electrically powered front wheels. Two electric motors live underneath the hybrid GT3′s nose; they are paired with a 40,000-rpm “electric flywheel power generator” mounted inside the cockpit. Surprisingly, there is no large battery pack. The hybrid system can be used, at the driver’s discretion, to provide extra power or fuel efficiency on demand.