Important Innovations

  MG Cyberster 2024                                                                                           Source:  MG UK Designed, China Owned The iconic British sports car brand MG, which is now owned by China SAIC, is developing an electric sports car, the MG Cyberster for the brand's 100th birthday in 2024.  They're calling it an "affordable sports car" and are targeting international markets with both left-and right-hand driving modes.  Judging from the concept car images and just released teaser production images, the beauty, aerodynamics and performance capabilities of the MG Cyberster look to be spectacular.  It could rival the immense popularity of its predecessor, the MGB sportscar of the 1960's. Tech Specs We Know What is most impressive is the EV's expected performance.  It will be powered by a "module-less" battery technology that has a claimed range of 500 miles on a charge.  That range is at the top of the list, beating Tesla.  The

  New Zero Emissions Mode of Transportation                                       Source: Biliti & Other Tuk Tuks Roots Date Back to Rickshaws Los Angeles-based startup Biliti just unveiled what's being called the world's first, hydrogen powered Tuk Tuk or trike.  Tuk Tuks are common means of passenger transportation in Thailand and India.  The three-wheeled vehicles serve as taxies.  Their heritage dates back to Japan's rickshaws.  The new, hydrogen fuel cell powered Tuk Tuk is called FastMile.  The company says it has a 130-mile range on a charge and can be refueled in just 3 minutes.  Biliti is a fast growth electric mobility company founded in 2021 and known for its compact electric delivery Tuk Tuks.  The company is currently significantly expanding its operations.  It is setting up the world's largest 3-wheeler manufacturing facility in India with a production capacity of 240,000 EVs a year and the creation of 3,000 new jobs. New, Green Mode of Transportation

  Aptera's Very Advanced Solar Electric Vehicles                                                  Source:  Aptera Driving on Sunshine and Three Wheels San Diego, CA-based Aptera Motors has a new solar-powered car that looks like a spaceship that just landed from Mars.  But this is a highly advanced solar-electric powered vehicle that can double as a camper.  The vehicle runs on three wheels and gets a range of 1,000 miles on a charge along with a daily 40 miles extra range from the Sun.  Given the astronomical price of gas, it may be well worth the investment.  You'd be driving on sunshine instead of $7/gallon carbon polluting gasoline.  For Aptera Motors, they're time may have come. Going Camping What is so very cool about the Aptera is that it can be configured as a camper.  The trunk space is large and it can be converted into a covered tent for campers.  The vehicle itself can serve as a charging station for electronic devices.  It's a very innovative, green and unu

  Le Car is Electrified Happy Birthday to a Work of Art To celebrate the 50th birthday of the iconic Renault 5 "Le Car", the French automaker has given it a very artistic, smooth new design and also electrified it.  Now called the Renault 5 Diamant, the super mini-EV is now a rolling work of art.  The "haute couture" car takes its inspiration from precious jewelry which you can see in details like the gem-like headlights, the artsy door handles and the smooth gold bumpers.  Renault worked with one of France's and the world's most celebrated designers, Pierre Gonalons, to create the EV.  The vehicle is a showpiece for the future of cars. At the moment, it is not scheduled to go into production but will be auctioned off in the fall.  One of the World's Most Popular Cars The Renault 5 was a very popular mini-car and big seller for the company.  From 1972 to 1984 when it was in production, Renault sold 5 million of the vehicles in several countries.  It was

  EV That's Being Called a "Knockout"                                                    Source:  Hyundai What Looks Like Hyundai's Newest Electric Winner Hyundai is on a roll right now.   Thanks to the Ioniq 5 SUV EV and the Kia EV 6 crossover (Hyundai owns Kia), Hyundai is now the 2nd biggest seller of EVs in the US.  Now, the South Korea based automotive giant  has just unveiled its new EV Ioniq 6 to rave reviews. One automotive expert called the upcoming 2024 Ioniq a "knockout".  The EV sedan debuts after Hyundai's wildly successful Ioniq 5, which is one of the brand's top new EVs.  The Ioniq 6 has very smooth lines and is sculptured for aerodynamic driving.  The design is being called the perfect combination of future and retro.  The curvaceous roof, shoulder and window lines taper into the vehicle's tail. It is reminiscent of the aerodynamic automotive styling of the 1920's and 1930's but with smooth, futuristic lines and details. 

  GM & Lockheed Martin's Lunar Rover Source:  GM, Lockheed, NASA One Big Moonshot For automotive giant GM and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, their new partnership to develop a commercial lunar rover is one big Moonshot.  Their prototype looks a bit like a toy but this is not fun and games.  They intend to deliver their Lunar Mobility Vehicles (LMV) to customers by 2025.  The electric moon vehicle could prove to be an important part of NASA's Artemis Mission that will bring astronauts back to the Moon this decade, 50 years after the Apollo mission. A Big Commitment With or Without Government Funding Lockheed and GM intend to build the Moon vehicles with or without government funding.  There is no guarantee that they will win the NASA bidding process and be awarded a contract for use of the vehicle during the Artemis mission, set to launch in 2025.  The companies say they are building the LMV 100% for industrial use. They anticipate accelerating demand for lunar vehicles fr

  Bentley's First, All Electric Car Source:  Bentley Fast, Powerful and Elegant EV UK-based luxury automaker Bentley is developing a very sophisticated, powerful and fast all-electric car that has 1400 hp and can accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in a blistering 1.5 seconds.  That would make it the fastest production car of all time.  The news comes from Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark.  If the acceleration time is a bit too fast for you, Bentley will offer the option of a slower 0 to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, which is just about as mind blowing.  This spectacular vehicle will be Bentley's first, full-electric car.  It will hit global market in 2025.  Hallmark provided the news in a recent interview with Automotive News Europe. Tech Specs The new electric Bentley is expected to be designed as a luxurious grand tourer.  The CEO revealed that the price of one version of the EV will be in the neighborhood of $262,500.  The EV will be built on Audi's Premium Performance Electric platform.

  Fisker's All-Electric, Luxury Sports Car                                              Source:  Fisker Automotive Ronin GT Sports Car Concept California-based Fisker Automotive has provided a glimpse of their new, fully electric, luxury sports car concept that it intends to add to its EV lineup. It's called the Ronin concept.  This vehicle's potential is awesome.  Ronin is a high-tech electric GT sports car with the battery pack integrated into the vehicle's structure.  It is designed to attain 550 miles range on a charge, which would set a world record.  The company says the price will be under $200,000 and it will debut in August 2023.  The beautifully designed, high-tech EV has the potential to turn the global EV world into an electric tailspin.  Legendary Danish Automotive Designer Henrik Fisker Henrik Fisker is a renowned Danish-American automotive designer who created the BMW Z8 and several notable Aston Martin models before launching Fisker Automotive in Anaheim

  EV Inspired by the Timeless Elegance of a Catamaran                                                             Source:  Tata AVINYA EV JaguarLandRover owner, Tata Group headquartered in India, has just unveiled a distinctive and unique luxury electric vehicle called the AVINYA.  The EV is inspired by the timeless elegance of the catamaran.  Tata says it has a human centric design and promises a sensory journey of its own.  The EV is packed with AI, software and "new age" technologies to "deliver wellness and tranquility during transit". Tatas plans to put the vehicle into production in 2025.  The vehicle concept is spacious, luxurious, elegant and quite different. No Displays A striking feature about this new EV concept is that the designers purposefully eliminated from the interior of the vehicle any displays.  The rationale is that the EV is designed to be an oasis of tranquility.  According to Tata, there are no display screens in order to have "no distra

  Hot New EV Entry in the Mid-Size Sedan Global Market                                                                      Source:  Mercedes-Benz EQE Has Looks, Range, Tech & More Mercedes-Benz has just unveiled an all-electric new sedan, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE.  It is a smaller but very distinctive version of the new MB EQS, which is MB's very hot flagship vehicle in the global automotive marketplace.  With the EQE, the design, range, technology and infotainment features are very impressive.  For example, the infotainment screen is 56 inches long and spans the full width of the dashboard.  It is called the Hyperscreen and it combines a digital gauge cluster, central touchscreen and a screen for the front passenger.  The EV is getting great reviews from the automotive press. MB Is Debuting Several Versions of the EQE First to reach dealerships in late 2022 is the EQE350+ with a single motor mounted on the rear axle and rear-wheel drive.  The EV has a 90.6-kWh battery, pack

  Autonomous Cyber Lounge for Commuting                                                                      Source:  Audi Urbansphere EV, Self-driving, Futuristic and More For most, Audi is at the very top of the list as a global leader in automotive innovation and its latest new concept car served to validate it.  The Audi Urbansphere breaks the automotive mold as an all-electric, autonomous vehicle that offers luxury, lifestyle, cyber-lounging and more to commute-weary travelers.  It has more cabin space than any Audi before.  And it is the third in a series of stunning and visionary Audi Sphere concepts for the future of urban mobility.  Audi Spheres The Urbansphere is a six-seat EV designed to be a mobile office, living space or cyber lounge for big city commuters to start enjoying, utilizing and profiting from their time in traffic jams.  It is basically a very technologically advanced, electric, self-driving, luxurious, big minivan.  The two previous Sphere concepts are the Skys

  Ford Accelerates Car Redesign                                            Source:  Ford Concept Cars Big Changes from Electrification Ford has a big pipeline of fascinating new car concepts and that pipeline is about to get a lot bigger.  The company and its Chief of Design Anthony Lo call the age of car electrification a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-imagine the car, both from an interior and exterior perspective.  Ford is welcoming with open arms new car concepts that break the mold and incorporate bold new ideas and technologies while staying true to the essence of the brand.  Lo told Automotive News Europe that he considers current car design as a blank slate. Why A Blank Slate? There is a good reason for car design suddenly becoming a "blank slate".  It is the megatrend of electrifying cars.  Electric car motors are significantly smaller than combustion engines.  The battery pack and electric motors take up significantly less space which opens up new design possi