Jr. drives No.3!

WELCOME, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Through a joint effort between Richard Childress Racing, JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and Wrangler®, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will pay tribute to his father’s upcoming induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame by driving the No. 3 Wrangler® Chevrolet Impala in the July 2 Subway Jalapeno 250 powered by NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.

The announcement and car unveiling was made today at JR Motorsports and to the fans at Dale Earnhardt Inc., both in Mooresville, N.C. In attendance were Richard Childress of Richard Childress Racing, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Kelley Earnhardt of JR Motorsports, Teresa Earnhardt of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and Craig Errington, vice president of Wrangler® marketing. The No. 3 Wrangler® Chevrolet Impala is an RCR entry but built and prepared by JR Motorsports.

“This was an idea that came up as a way to pay tribute to my Dad, and it’s pretty cool that it’s a collaborative effort between JR Motorsports, RCR and DEI,” said Earnhardt Jr. “The Wrangler car is definitely in the top-10 of coolest cars that have ever been on the race track. A lot of people identify with it, and I can’t think of a better way to honor my dad and celebrate his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame than to bring the Wrangler colors back with the No. 3 on the side, similar to the ‘Wrangler Jean Machine’ scheme of the 80s. I think it will be worth seeing, and I’m looking forward to driving it at Daytona.”

The combination of Earnhardt Jr., DEI and RCR has a very brief yet shining history on the track together. In their one and only race together, Earnhardt drove the No. 3 Chevrolet to victory in the February 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway. That car, with just the one race to its credit, is on display at the RCR Museum in Welcome, N.C.

“Bringing this group of people and these organizations together is the best way I can think of to honor Dale Earnhardt’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame,” said Childress. “Dale means so much to all of us, as well as his fans across the country and throughout the world. We created a special piece of history together in 2002 and, with Wrangler back on board the No. 3 Chevrolet at Daytona, we look to make some more history in July. I know the fans will love it as much as we all will.”

In support of the program, an array of licensed product will be available to fans from die-cast cars to apparel and select novelty items. Merchandise will highlight both Dale Earnhardt original Wrangler® car and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s current paint scheme. Fans can find the products at www.nascar.com, trackside or through each of the represented team stores.

“Dale’s induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame is truly a special honor for the Earnhardt Family as well as for all of Dale’s fans,” said Teresa Earnhardt. “Dale was a competitor, but he was also a person who loved the fans and worked hard to connect with the people who supported him through his career. Wrangler was one of Dale’s first sponsors and it’s great to connect back with those early years, where it all started for Dale as he drove his way into the Hall of Fame.”

Wrangler® has a long history with all parties involved, and is the first apparel brand to have significant involvement in NASCAR, beginning in the 1980s when Dale Earnhardt was featured in the brand’s “One Tough Customer” marketing campaign. Wrangler® was the primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt and the famed yellow-and-blue “Wrangler® Jean Machine” from 1981 to 1987. After a couple race team changes in the early 1980s including a brief 1981 stint with Richard Childress, Earnhardt moved back to Richard Childress Racing in 1984, bringing the brand with him as his primary sponsor. In 1998, the brand became one of the first corporate sponsors to sign up with Dale in his new role of team owner of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

The Wrangler®-Earnhardt legacy continued in 2004 with a relationship between a second generation Earnhardt and a “New Generation of Wrangler®” – Earnhardt Jr. signed on as the endorsee for the Wrangler Jeans Co.TM line of new fits and styles of jeans and apparel. This longstanding relationship continues today with Earnhardt Jr. starring in the current brand marketing campaign.

“For Wrangler, this yellow-and-blue paint scheme signifies a lot of our brand history, marketing and persona from the 1980s,” said Craig Errington, vice president of Wrangler® marketing. “It’s truly a piece of our history that will be on the track July 2 and it makes it that much more meaningful that it’s not only Dale Earnhardt’s son who will be driving it, but also the brand’s current partner and friend – Dale Jr.”

As part of Earnhardt Jr.’s tribute to his father, Wrangler® is also launching a consumer promotion offering racing fans a way to honor their own fathers with the chance to win a trip to Daytona Beach to meet Earnhardt Jr. and watch him drive the yellow-and-blue racecar. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 18, in time for Father’s Day. Fans can get more information, view the official rules and enter by visiting www.wranglersalutetodad.com beginning April 30.

The Mitsubishi ASX Challenge

Mitsubishi’s all-new crossover – the ASX (known as the Mitsubishi RVR in Japan) goes on sale in the UK from the 1st of July this year.

The RVR

To promote the launch, an online game, the Mitsubishi ASX Challenge has been launched as well. Go over to the site and play the game for a chance to win a brand new Mitsubishi ASX crossover.

Nissan Leaf U.S. orders pass 8,000

Nissan Motor Co said on Thursday it is on track to book 25,000 U.S. orders for its Leaf electric vehicle by the end of the year and the automaker will be making money on the green car.

Nissan has taken 8,000 U.S. reservations for the hatchback, set to go on sale in the United States in December, since it started taking orders nine days ago, Mark Perry, Nissan's North America director of product planning and strategy.

"We are on a double time march (for launch)," Perry said. "We are on our way to have 25,000 firm orders by December."

Nissan's U.S. launch of the car will start in California, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee and Oregon. The automaker also is launching the car in Japan and Europe in late 2010.

Production of the Leaf will start in Japan and later at plants in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Leaf sales will be capacity restrained in the first two years until the U.S. plant comes on line, Perry said.

The five-passenger car will be the first fully electric car launched by a major automaker. It is designed to provide a 100 mile (160 kilometer) range on a full charge and is priced at $32,780 not including federal tax credits or other incentives.

"We are making money at the price that we announced," Perry said. "We priced the car to be affordable. We priced it for mass adoption."

Nissan is counting on electric cars to help it close the gap on rivals led by Toyota Motor Corp and its gasoline-electric Prius, the world's most popular hybrid.

Federal tax credits of $7,500 will cut the Leaf's retail price to about 10 percent over the $23,000 starting price for a Prius. Federal tax credits have been phased out for the Prius.

State incentives could cut the cost further. In California, the top U.S. alternative car market, credits could reduce the Leaf price to $20,280.

Delta Motorsports forced to withdraw from Automotive X PRIZE

Delta Motorsports, the only British/European company that has submitted an entry for the Automotive X PRIZE have been forced to withdraw their entry after their workshop suffered a substantial fire resulting in the destruction of their first E-4 Coupe chassis.

The photo above, the car on the ground and almost complete bar some low voltage wiring, was taken just before the fire. As it was the only chassis in existence the X-prize is now out of the question but all the composite moulds survived in tact as they were not in the building at the time of the fire and CAD design data was triple backed up so they should be able to build another chassis and try again, hopefully with minimal delay.

Delta Motorsports

AutoClassic Brasil

Please click on the photo to see the larger version of this photo. AutoClassic Brasil's event poster.

Grand Am Rolex-Lime Rock practice

LAKEVILLE, Conn. - The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototypes made their long-awaited first appearance at Lime Rock Park on Tuesday, taking part in an unofficial test in preparation for the Memorial Day classic.

A total of 19 cars - including 11 Daytona Prototypes - tackled changing weather conditions throughout the six-hour session. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will race here on Monday, May 31, at 2 p.m. ET (SPEED, live), featuring both the Daytona Prototypes and production-based GT cars.

Competitors gave favorable reviews to the new 1.5-mile layout, using the optional uphill with the classic West Bend.

Daytona Prototype teams participating included two cars from both Michael Shank Racing and Starworks Motorsports, along with single cars from TELMEX Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, Brumos Racing, Action Express Racing, SunTrust Racing, AIM Autosport and Krohn Racing.

GT teams included three Mazdas from SpeedSource plus the Dempsey Racing/Team Seattle Mazda, Racers Edge Mazda, Magnus Porsche, Turner BMW and Whelen Corvette.

By the end of the day and on a dry track, Daytona Prototype drivers were turning laps in the 49-second range. Drivers in the GT class, which last visited Lime Rock in 2008 on the old course, clocked in at 53 seconds.

"A lap goes so quick here," said Rojas, testing the championship-leading TELMEX BMW Riley with Joey Hand. "The biggest thing I remember is that you have to stay on top of things the entire time. There isn't a lot of time to do things here."

David Donohue is happy to see the Daytona Prototypes becoming part of the Memorial Day Weekend habit.

"Lime Rock was one of the tracks I grew up on and a place my father (Mark Donohue) was really good at," said Donohue, sharing the No. 59 Brumos.com Porsche Riley with Darren Law. "I'm definitely looking forward to coming back on Memorial Day and being part of that tradition."

The only incident of the day occurred late in the session, when Nick Longhi spun the No. 69 FXDD Mazda RX-8 into the guardrail on the back straightaway. Longhi was uninjured. The team currently leads the GT team championship by three points (118-115).

The Memorial Day weekend will also feature a Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race on Saturday, May 29. The Rolex Series events will be compressed into a single day, with practice at 9 a.m. and qualifying at 11:55 a.m.

Williams F1 favours early KERS return

Williams technical director Sam Michael says his team is now in favour of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems returning to Formula 1 as early as 2011 having been convinced that the devices are now cost-effective.

Amid continuing discussions on the future of KERS - which remains available in the regulations, but which the teams have agreed not to use in 2010 on cost grounds - Michael admitted that Williams had previously preferred to wait until the major rules overall due in 2013.

But he said Ferrari and Renault had made a presentation to the rest of the teams that had convinced Williams that an early reintroduction of KERS would be financially viable.

"[Waiting until 2013] was our position up to when Ferrari and Renault submitted a proposal to FOTA that they could do it for less than a million euros," Michael said.

"So our position now is we're doing KERS for 2011, and so is theirs."

Michael is confident that the Ferrari/Renault proposal makes KERS much more realistic than it was last season, when all the major teams spent large sums on developing the technology, but few actually raced it.

"I wouldn't say that's incompatible with cost saving, because it's got to be less than a million euros, so that's quite different to spending money on a new engine development programme, for example," said Michael

"It's not like the KERS of old, when you were spending 10 to 20 million, or even more. It's [now] a million euros for the running costs."

He said Williams had always been in favour of the KERS concept, and was only concerned about the financial implications.

"We're supportive of KERS at Williams, but our [original] position was that we would rather it was integrated properly in the 2013 engine," said Michael.

"It's something F1 can contribute to. A lot of road cars are going with KERS now, so it makes sense for F1 to have it. We thought '13 was a better introduction point, but we've got to go with the agreement that everyone signed, and that was if someone proved by the end of March that they could do it for a million euros, then they can.

"The attraction from my point of view is it makes the car go faster. If someone's got KERS then you can't afford not to have it. You're talking three or four tenths [per lap].

"It was quicker [to have KERS] by the end of last year. If you look at McLaren, in Ahu Dhabi they were very competitive until they had the brake failure, and that was with the old front tyre as well. Now with the narrow front tyre it will be even easier to make KERS work."

Michael is happy that the rules are sufficiently restrictive to prevent KERS turning into a costly development race.

"If you didn't have power and energy limits it would be a different question, but you do," he said.

Williams F1 Acquires Majority Share in Williams Hybrid Power

Williams F1 has acquired a majority shareholding in Williams Hybrid Power (WHP), increasing its existing 40% stake in the company to 78%.

Williams F1’s original investment dates back to March 2008 when the company bought the minority share in Automotive Hybrid Power (subsequently re-named to WHP), a Norfolk-based provider of composite flywheels, when kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) were being introduced into Formula One. Although the WHP flywheel system has not been raced by the team, WHP’s magnetically loaded composite flywheel (MLC) technology continues to garner interest outside of the sport.

In 2009 WHP re-focused its development efforts to road vehicle applications of the technology and has recently partnered with Porsche AG to run the system in the manufacturer’s new Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid.

In the 911 GT3 Hybrid, two electric motors at the front axle developing 60 kW (82 hp) each supplement the 353 kW (480 hp) four-liter flat-six at the rear. Instead of the batteries used in hybrid road cars, an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the cockpit beside the driver delivers energy to the electric motors.

WHP technology has enjoyed a successful racing debut in the Porsche hybrid, finishing first in its class and third place overall in only the second race of the season at the Nürburgring earlier this month.

In addition to use in racing and road car programs, WHP’s technology is also under development at Williams F1’s new research facility at Qatar’s Science and Technology Park for inclusion in larger infrastructure applications outside of the automotive industry.

Daimler to develop carbon fibre car parts

Japanese textile maker Toray Industries said on Wednesday that it and German carmaker Daimler AG will jointly develop carbon fibre car parts, which will be used in Daimler's Mercedes-Benz cars starting in 2012.

The first cars to use the new carbon fibre composite materials will be the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Toray spokesman Yoshitaka Yamagata said.

Toray and Daimler will develop reinforced plastic materials by using the carbon fibre produced at Toray's plant in France, he said.

This is the first time that Toray, the world's biggest maker of carbon fibre with a global market share of 34 percent, is developing carbon fibre car parts. The company has supplied carbon yarn for Ferrari's sports cars, Yamagata said.

Carbon fibre for use in cars accounted for an estimated 7 billion to 8 billion yen ($86 million) of Toray's revenue which is estimated at 1.35 trillion yen for the year ended March 31.

Toyota Launches 3-Year Plug-in Hybrid Demonstration Project in Strasbourg

Toyota, French energy provider EDF, and the City and the Urban Community of Strasbourg launched a large-scale, 3-year Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle demonstration in Strasbourg. The project involves about 100 Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHVs) as well as a dedicated charging infrastructure for the use of public and private partners in Strasbourg and its region. It has received support via the Research Fund managed by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency ADEME.

Based on the third-generation Prius, the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid is equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. The plug-in has an electric range of up to 20 km (12 miles) at speeds up to 100 km/h (62 mph). CO2 emissions in the European homologation combined cycle are 59 g/km.

This project is part of a global Toyota project involving 600 Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles that will also be deployed in Japan, the US, Canada and Australia. Toyota’s main objective is to further investigate the technology and performance of PHVs.

In the context of the EDF-Toyota partnership, European road trials of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles started in France in the autumn of 2007 and were expanded to the UK in 2008.

EDF’s objective is to evaluate different operational options for the charging infrastructure. The demonstration will allow receiving feedback on the consumers’ acceptance of this new driving concept, in preparation for broad commercialization in the future.

For this demonstration, EDF, with the operational support of its subsidiary Electricité de Strasbourg (ES), will ensure, within the context of a technical and financial partnership with all stakeholders, the set-up of more than 150 charging points at users’ homes, at the private parking of partner companies, in public parking lots and on public roads.

Some vehicles use an innovative charging system developed by EDF, able to control the communication between the plug and the vehicle, while ensuring safe charging. The objective is to facilitate the identification of the vehicle and invoicing of the consumed energy. In addition, German energy provider EnBW (Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, EDF Group), will extend the program to Baden-Württemberg, Germany, by demonstrating ten PHVs and their dedicated charging infrastructure.

As partner of the demonstration project, the City and the Urban Community of Strasbourg will lease five PHVs. They have ensured the set-up of public charging points and charging points along public roads and provide a subsidy to the local car sharing company to lease three PHVs. The remaining vehicles will be leased to various public institutions and private companies.

For ADEME, this project is part of its research demonstrators program, the purpose of which is to test future technologies allowing the reduction of greenhouse gases. This programme is one of eleven projects selected in a call for interest in the Demonstrators Fund on low-emission vehicles launched by ADEME in 2008.

SCX Digital Demo at the Glen

A demo I did recently at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen during the opening weekend of the track.

Opel Ampera Passes Production Milestone

The Opel Ampera passed an important milestone Friday, April 23, when the first pre-production Model Year 2012 Ampera rolled off the line at GM’s Pre-Production Operations assembly line in Warren, Michigan.

Assembly workers will build more pre-production Amperas in the coming months. These pre-production vehicles will not be sold at dealerships, but used instead for testing and validating the production intent design as well as developing the final vehicle software and controls. Engineers in Europe and the United States also use them to tune the vehicle’s overall driving experience. Some of these Amperas will have very short lives as they will be used in safety and structural integrity testing.

“We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year,” said Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Ampera “There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Opel Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe.”

The Opel Ampera extended-range electric vehicle delivers up to 60 kilometers of pure electric driving before an engine-generator kicks in to sustain the battery charge and seamlessly extend the range to more than 500 kilometers. The battery can be charged by plugging the vehicle's on-board charge system into a standard household outlet. It is scheduled to go on sale end 2011.

Nico Hülkenberg laps the Nurburgring In Porsche's GT3 Hybrid

Another day and yet an-other video surfaces of a supercar setting a time around the 'ring. We could all be forgiven for thinking the 12 miles of graffiti covered tarmac in Germany was the only race track on the planet.

We recently featured a lightly modified (roll cage ) BMW e-Mini lapping the Nurburgring. While the e Mini was the first fully electric vehicle to tackle the Nurburgring, Porsche is already well advanced with its hybrid-powered 911 GT3 R race car, recently completing two races at the track.

Designed to compete in the Nurburgring 24 Hour race in June the 911 GT3 R Hybrid uses two electric motors powered by a flywheel generator, which captures energy normally lost in heat through the brakes. Unlike a battery, which stores electricity, the flywheel generator stores mechanical energy, later converting it to electricity for use in the motors.

Williams F1 driver Nico Hülkenberg put the 911 GT3 R Hybrid through its paces at ye-old road circuit in preparation for the 24 hour race. No word on what kind of time was posted, but he said in the slow corners, the 911 is not far off a Formula 1 car.

The link between Williams and the hybrid Porsche? The Flywheel technology used in the 911 GT3 R is supplied to Porsche by Williams Hybrid Power.

Vote for me on Blog Interviewer

If you like the posts on my blog, please vote for me on Blog Interviewer.

All you have to do is go to this link and then click on the blue "Vote now" button below the post title.

Thanks a lot if you have already voted.

New Sloting Plus wheels, bearings, and more

From Sloting Plus:

We are pleased to present you some news.

Ref 1003 Universal brass bearings compatible with all major slot brands ( for 2,38 mm axle ). Ref 1015 will be used only with the future Reynard car !


We provide also now steel ball bearings one flanged ( ref 1006 for 2,38 mm axle and ref 1007 for 3 mm axle ) and double flanged ( ref 1008 for 2,38 mm axle )

A new measure of allen screws M2 x 6 mm for front axles ( ref 9306 )

And finally, a new Aluminium-Magnesium wheel called Atlantis in five measures :
15 x 8 mm - 15,9 x 8,5 mm - 16,9 x 8,5 mm - 16,9 x 10 mm and 17,5 x 9 mm !

Kind regards
Jacques
Sloting Plus

Additional Yellow Dog Super Tires (R)

Slot Car Corner, the world's largest distributor of 1/32 Super Tires (R) and Yellow Dog Super Tires, now offers twelve (12) additional "Yellow Dog" (urethane) Super Tires. Until now, these tires were only available in the "Classic" (silicone) compound. For more information or to place an order, please visit our website.

Note: Slot Car Corner Canada will also carry these additional Yellow Dogs shortly (approx. 2 weeks).

Slot It website down.

From Maurizio Ferrari of Slot.It:

The process of transferring the slot.it domain to a different provider is going completely wrong, so we are currently left with no site and no email. The company can still be temporarily contacted as slotit.mferrari@gmail.com

I cannot give any dates for resuming of normal operations but should not take more than one week.

Regards
Maurizio

LG Chem to supply Volvo with electric vehicle batteries

South Korea's LG Chem Ltd. said Monday it has been picked as a provider of lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles by Volvo Cars Corp., the Swedish automobile manufacturer.

The largest local maker of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, however, did not disclose when it will start providing the packs to Volvo Cars, citing a request by the Swedish carmaker. A battery pack is a set of individual battery cells.

LG Chem has signed a deal to provide electric vehicle batteries to five companies so far -- South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor; CT&T Corp., a South Korean maker of electric cars; China's third-largest carmaker Chang'an Automobile Group; Eaton Corp., a U.S. commercial vehicle components maker; and U.S. automaker General Motors Corp.

"LG Chem predicts that it will sign four additional deals to supply the EV batteries at the end of this year," Peter Bahnsuk Kim, a vice chairman of the company, said in a statement.

LG Chem will start the construction of a US$303 million EV battery plant in the U.S. state of Michigan in July with the aim of starting mass production of EV batteries by 2012.

In June 2009, the company broke ground for an EV plant in Ochang, 95 kilometers south of Seoul, which is expected to cost 1 trillion won ($906 million). LG Chem plans to complete the plant by 2013.

LG Chem will start providing its EV batteries to GM and Eaton in the second half of this year.

NSR 24Hour race recap

Video showing race highlights from the NSR 24 Hour World Edurance Race held recently in Italy.

Lap of the Glen!

Ok... I know, I know... I'm laughing in a slightly giddy and embarrassing manner. Trust me, if anyone was in my position during this video they'd be doing the SAME thing. I had the extremely good fortune to have a member of the Corvette Club from Rochester to offer me a shot gun seat in his C6 Corvette as he did 3 laps at the Glen today. The first lap we did (that you will see in this video) was "only" about 90 mph on a straight. But the second and third laps were over 100 mph. Which might not sound like a lot for a race track but HOLY CRAP it was amazing! I've done over 150mph on a straight on the Autobahn in a Porsche 911 but THIS was fantastic, over 100 on the uphill turn at the Glen was... well... a real "holy crap" moment!

We did 3 laps and this was the first, and slowest, of the laps I had the good fortune to do in a dream Vette. Wow, a yellow Vette at the Glen, does it get better than that?

Ferrari in the city

Last weekend I was driving along this road near my house which has a speed limit of 50 mph. However, the speed was considerably slower due to traffic. Then suddenly out of no where I hear this roar and a red Ferrari suddenly passes me (I know they have Ferraris in other colours but I have never seen one on the roads). We stopped at a traffic light and then moved at a snails pace. We were only doing about 20 mph but the Ferrari was roaring away. In comparison my Volvo S40 was quiet as a cat.



Some years earlier I would have been really excited as the Ferrari was the dream car brand of my youth. Any Ferrari as long as it had the black prancing stallion on a yellow shield in the front. I guess my priorities in life has changed but they don't excite me any more and in fact I was thinking how ridiculous that such a powerful car was roaring away at 20 mph on city roads.

I was wondering whether I had become older but I noticed that the driver of the Ferrari was a balding guy in his late 40's or early 50. Maybe I will get excited again when I have my mid-life crisis.

Sooooo sick of spammers

Well because of spammers comments on Slot Car News have been turned off again. Sorry folks.

DaveK
SCNews Publisher

BMW confirms electric 5-series at Beijing motor show

A BMW 5-series electric car concept has been unveiled on the eve of the Beijing motor show.

Based on the long-wheelbase version of the 5-series, the car, called the Echo, has been developed in a joint project between BMW and Tongji University.

Technical details are scarce, beyond the fact that it has an all-electric range of 100km.

The car is described as being "built in China, by China, and for China" by BMW, and sources suggest there are no plans to put it into production. Instead, an insider said BMW had entered into the co-operation with the government-backed university as a one-off test bed to gauge how advanced Chinese electric car technology is.

"The Chinese government is investing billions of dollars in electric car technology, and that is pushing development at an incredible pace," said the source. "Electric cars make so much sense for China; at present it has to import crude oil and it has a pollution problem, yet it has access to hundreds of years' worth of coal, and therefore easy electricity."

The Echo was built at BMW's Shanyang facility in China, using Chinese-sourced technology. "Chinese car makers will come up with interesting electric cars, but at present they are making bold claims without showing what they can actually do," added the source. "This is our way of finding out."

Panasonic Presents First Electric Vehicle Battery to Tesla

Tesla officials today visited Panasonic's new Lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility in Suminoe, Japan. Panasonic Energy Company President Naoto Noguchi presented Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel with the first production Lithium-ion cells manufactured at the new facility.

The Suminoe factory will start producing 3.1Ah battery cells, the highest energy density cells available in the market. The facility will produce more than 300 million cells per year.

"These cutting-edge Panasonic batteries will combine with Tesla's battery pack technology to produce the highest-energy density EV battery packs in the world," said Straubel.

Yesterday, Tesla announced that for the first time Tesla Roadsters will be delivered to select customers in Japan.

Tesla has already delivered more than 1000 Roadsters to customers in North America and Europe. Tesla battery packs power the Roadster, the only highway-capable EV currently in mass production. Tesla is also in production of battery packs for the Daimler Smart EV's and in battery development programs with other vehicle and stationary customers. For next generation battery packs, Tesla and Panasonic continue to deepen their relationship to optimize EV cells initially announced in January.

Nissan Leaf Shows Pent Up Demand for Electric Vehicles

Nissan says it collected 6,635 reservations for its upcoming LEAF electric sedan in just ONE DAY, including as many as 2,700 in the first three hours that the automaker started accepting refundable deposits for the vehicle.

That figure represents more than 10 percent of the Leafs Nissan will build in its first year of production. Given that more than 3,700 people in Japan have reserved Leafs, about 20 percent of the 50,000 first year’s production is already spoken for.

By comparison, 520 people put down a deposit in the first week for the Tesla Model S back in April 2009. Nissan will no doubt announce the first weeks figure when it becomes available.

FIA GT1... race on!

Due to the Iceland volcanic disruption the European airspace crisis has caused disruption to businesses around the world, including the FIA GT1 World Championship. Following the opening round of the championship at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi flights to the majority of European destinations were canceled due to the volcanic ash cloud. The Championship promoter SRO has worked tirelessly to find a solution to the problem of getting teams and their equipment back to Europe. Today the second of two cargo planes with the race cars and equipment has arrived in Luxemburg as planned and two charter flights to Europe have been booked to fly the teams and the organizers to Vienna, which will be arriving in the Austrian capital on Thursday morning.

“This situation has been extremely difficult but we have managed to pull all the different elements together to get the cars and teams to where they need to be so our next event at Silverstone can go ahead,” said Patricia Kiefer, Chief Operating Officer for SRO. “The cars are now back in Europe and the teams will arrive tomorrow; they will be able to pick up their cars and equipment before the weekend. The FIA GT1 World Championship races at Silverstone on 1/2 May will now be able to go ahead barring any further problems caused by mother nature.”

The Silverstone Supercar Event is taking place at Silverstone on 1st and 2nd May, with Round 2 of the FIA GT1 World Championship racing for the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy. The meeting also features the open rounds of the FIA GT3 European Championship, the GT4 European Cup and the Cooper Tires British F3 International Series.

For more information on the FIA GT1 World Championship visit www.gt1world.com.

GM reveals Volt MPV concept

(click for larger image)

General Motors has revealed this new Volt-based MPV concept at the Beijing show. The five-seat Volt MPV5 is designed to demonstrate the potential of the Volt sedan's self-charging electric drivetrain and platform for use under other types of vehicle.

Chevrolet says the MPV5 will carry five occupants up to 32 miles on pure electric propulsion, "double what the average urban commuter in China travels each day," the company says.

When the battery is de-charged, the 1.4-liter gasoline engine/generator sustains the battery and provides up to 300 miles of electric propulsion.

The Volt's wheelbase has been stretched by half an inch to 108.5in., and the MPV5's body is 7in. longer (180.5in.), 3in. wider and 7in. taller than the Volt. The exterior uses the same blanked-off, aero-friendly grille and full-length under tray as the Volt sedan. The MPV5's interior carries over the Volt's center stack and instruments.

Chevy says the MPV5 concept has 30.5 cubic feet of luggage space behind the rear seats and 62 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded.

Although Chevrolet sources are not commenting on whether the MPV5 will see production, there's no doubt that more body styles will be rolled on the Volt platform.

Slot MiniAuto 67

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

SLOT MINIAUTO 67 – MAYO

El protagonista de la portada de Slot MiniAuto del mes de mayo es el nuevo Matra Simca 670B de Le Mans Miniatures. Se destacan en la misma, las pruebas en pista del espectacular Koenigsegg CCX de AutoArt y un Muscle Car americano, el Chevrolet Chevelle de Carrera. En este número se presenta en primicia el nuevo “Transporter” de Pegaso, el Bacalao, realizado por Hobby Classic. Marlon Foakes de TRRC, es el invitado de este mes en la habitual sección de entrevistas.
La revista incluye también las pruebas del Citroën C4 WRC Lightning de Ninco, y de uno de sus predecesores, el Citroën DS 23 Proto realizado por Hobby Slot. Se ofrece también la colección completa de los Alfa Romeo 6C 3000 que compitieron en Le Mans.
Completan la revista las secciones habituales de Noticias, Novedades, Presentaciones y Competición.

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PRESS RELEASE


SLOT MINIAUTO 67 – MAY

Slot MiniAuto cover of May highlights the new Matra Simca 670B of Le Mans Miniatures. It stands on it, the track test of the spectacular AutoArt Koenigsegg CCX and the American Muscle Car, Chevrolet Chevelle of Carrera. In this issue is presented in premiere the new Pegaso "Transporter", el Bacalao (the Cod), made by Hobby Classic. Marlon Foakes, of Tertre Rouge Racing Cars, answer our questions this month in the usual interview section.
The magazine also includes the track test of the Lightning Citroën C4 WRC of Ninco, and one of his predecessor, the Citroën DS 23 Proto by Hobby Slot. It also offers the complete collection of the Alfa Romeo 6C 3000, which competed at Le Mans 24 H.
This magazine is completed with the regular sections of News, Features, Novelties, Presentations and Slot Competition.

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BMW to launch Megacity Vehicle in 2013

With the launch of its Megacity Vehicle in 2013, the BMW Group will be bringing its first series-production electric-drive model to market. “With this innovative vehicle, designed from the ground up, we will be creating new benchmarks for electric mobility from 2013 on. Our Megacity Vehicle will be significantly lighter than conventional cars and, in terms of sustainability, will set a new standard across the entire value-added chain,” said Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, on Thursday ahead of the Auto China 2010 show in Beijing.

The Megacity Vehicle will be a zero-emission urban car for the world’s metropolitan regions. It is currently being developed as part of project i and will be available from 2013 under a sub-brand of BMW. When it comes to the choice of materials, the company is broaching entirely new territory. This is because weight plays a pivotal role in the range achievable by electrically driven vehicles. The ultra-light yet high-strength composite CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic), for example, plays a significant part in the materials mix.

“This vehicle will radically alter the motor industry as we know it. The BMW Group is currently the only company that will be launching a volume-production vehicle on the market that features carbon fibre-reinforced material,” explained Reithofer. “We were among the first manufacturers to pick up on the trend towards electric mobility and to act accordingly. More and more people around the globe are very keen on electric driving. Research shows, moreover, that more than half of the population around the world already live in conurbations,” Reithofer added.

The BMW Group has been gleaning insights into the day-to-day use of electric vehicles since mid-2009, when it launched a global field test involving more than 600 MINI E models. During the test phase some 50 MINI E cars are also being delivered to customers in China in 2010.
“I am convinced that our Chinese clients will show the same enthusiasm for the vehicle as MINI E drivers in Germany, the USA and Britain,” emphasised Reithofer. 2011 will see the handover to Chinese customers of a further fleet based on the BMW Concept ActiveE. The renowned China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) and the state-owned energy supply company State Grid are involved as partners in the preparation, implementation and assessment of the practical use of these vehicles. The project has the backing of both the Chinese and the German governments.

The results will filter into the development of electrically powered vehicles for the Chinese market. “In the future we will also be offering a New Energy Vehicle in China. This will be developed and produced locally together with our joint venture partner Brilliance,” stated Reithofer.

BMW gathered its first experiences with electric-drive vehicles some 40 years ago courtesy of a modified BMW 1602 that led the long-distance walking and marathon running events in the 1972 Summer Olympics. In subsequent decades this alternative drive technology was further pursued using many mobile test beds, including the revolutionary BMW E1.

Orders for Nissan Leaf Approach 4,000 in Japan

Nissan Motor Co. on Thursday revealed that it had received preorders for its new Leaf electric car totaling 3,750 since April 1.

The company began accepting orders for its new electric-only model on April 1, and had set a target of selling 6,000 units by the end of fiscal 2010 on March 31, 2011.

The car will be released in the United States, Europe and Japan in December this year, and marks a second phase in more environmentally friendly automaking.

The car will be the first one to run only on electricity since General Motors cancelled the production of its EV1 in 2003, and is likely to go into direct competition with hybrid cars, such as Toyota's Prius, which are powered on gas and electricity.

The car is set to cost around 3.76 million yen in Japan and 32, 000 dollars in the United States, and Nissan has said that it expects the model to be cheaper to buy and to run than the best- selling Toyota Prius.

Automakers have in recent years seen a boom in demand for autos that are less damaging to the environment, which has led to an increase in mergers between major companies in an attempt to lower the high costs associated with the research and development process for fuel-efficient and "clean" vehicles.

LeMans Miniatures Porsche Turbo RSR's

A pair of new LeMans Miniatures Porsche RSR's are coming to the US very, very soon.

GM Repaid Government Loan In Full Ahead of Schedule

GM has made its final payment of $5.8 billion to the U.S. Treasury and Export Development Canada, paying back its government loans in full, ahead of schedule.

The announcement came at a ceremony here to highlight an investment of $257 million at GM’s Fairfax, Kansas, and Detroit Hamtramck assembly centers. The investment will prepare Fairfax to build the next generation of Chevrolet’s award-winning Malibu, and make Detroit Hamtramck a second source for Malibu, ensuring that Chevrolet can meet market demand for this popular mid-size sedan.

“GM is able to repay the taxpayers in full, with interest, ahead of schedule, because more customers are buying vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu and Buick LaCrosse we build here in Fairfax,” said Whitacre. “We are now building some of the best cars, trucks, and crossovers we have ever built, and customers are taking note. Our dealers are increasing their sales, we are investing in our plants, and we are restoring and creating jobs.”

The U.S., Canadian, and Ontario governments, as part of the launch of the new GM, provided loans of $8.4 billion and took equity stakes in the new company. Today’s payment of $5.8 billion ($4.7 billion to the U.S. Treasury and $C1.1 billion to Export Development Canada) completes the payback of these loans.

“GM’s ability to pay back the loans ahead of schedule is a sign that our plan is working, and that we are on the right track. It is also an important first step toward allowing our stockholders to reduce their equity investments in GM,” said Whitacre. “We still have much hard work ahead of us, but we are making progress toward our vision of designing, building, and selling the world’s best vehicles.

“We appreciate the support the taxpayers have given GM, and our great new products are tangible results of that support.”

Strong sales support manufacturing, jobs

Strong sales of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac products are fueling a steady increase in production as GM works to meet growing customer demand.

Sales for GM’s four brands are up 36 percent through March versus the same period in 2009, and many newly introduced cars and crossovers – including Chevy Equinox, Camaro and Traverse; GMC Terrain and Acadia; Buick LaCrosse; and Cadillac SRX – remain in short supply at GM dealers.

The Fairfax plant currently builds two of GM’s strongest selling cars, the Chevy Malibu and Buick LaCrosse. For the first three months of this year, GM’s U.S. dealers delivered more than 49,000 Malibus and 14,000 LaCrosses, representing a 58 percent increase over the same period last year. In response to this strong demand, Fairfax in February added a third shift of approximately 1,050 jobs, bringing total employment at the plant to more than 3,800.

Fairfax will become the primary source for the next generation of the Malibu. Detroit Hamtramck, which builds the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS, will be equipped to build the Malibu as well, ensuring that Chevrolet can meet market demand.

Detroit Hamtramck will also build the Chevy Volt electric vehicle with extended range, which launches this year. On March 31, the plant celebrated a major milestone, the building of the first pre-production Volt on the regular assembly line.

The Malibu-related investments of $136 million in Fairfax and $121 million in Detroit Hamtramck will include facilities, machinery and equipment, and tools.

Since the launch of the new GM last July, the company has announced investments of more than $1.5 billion at 20 facilities in the U.S. and Canada. These investments restored or created more than 7,500 jobs, and they demonstrate a strong commitment to GM’s future and to the United States and Canada.

Mitsubishi Motors’ Battery Venture Plans European Plant

Mitsubishi Motors Corp.’s battery- making venture with GS Yuasa Corp. is considering producing lithium-ion cells in Europe as demand in the region for electric cars grows.

Lithium Energy Japan aims to reduce transportation costs by adding a new plant overseas, President Katsuyuki Ono said in an interview yesterday in Kyoto, where the company is based.

“While it’s not easy to shift our production operation for core parts, we plan to make other parts overseas and we’ve completed our research,” Ono said without elaborating.

The company, which makes batteries for Mitsubishi’s i-MIEV electric car, aims to win more orders from European carmakers by adding production nearby amid intensifying competition. The market for lithium-ion batteries used in electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will grow to 1.7 trillion yen ($18 billion) in 2020 from almost zero in 2009, Daiwa Securities Capital Markets Co. said in a March 23 report.

“It’s likely they will reach full domestic capacity earlier than expected,” said Jun Yamaguchi, a Tokyo-based analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG. Adding production in Europe will enable Lithium Energy Japan to produce batteries more efficiently, he said. “By producing overseas they can cut costs.”

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid car, uses nickel-metal hydride cells. Mitsubishi Motors holds a 15 percent stake in Lithium Energy Japan.

U.S., Europe Sales

Mitsubishi Motors said on March 30 it would start selling the i-MiEV to individuals in Japan this month and cut the price by 13 percent to 3,980,000 yen. The Tokyo-based carmaker plans to start selling the vehicles in Europe in the fall and in the U.S. in 2011.

PSA Peugeot Citroen, France’s biggest carmaker, and Mitsubishi Motors last month agreed on electric-car development and supply.

The Paris-based carmaker will sell electric vehicles under the Peugeot and Citroen brands, Mitsubishi said March 8. Production will begin in October and European sales will start by the end of the year. The agreement covers 100,000 vehicles, the companies said.

Lithium-ion battery packs for cars cost slightly more than 2 million yen, Ono said. The price will probably drop to about 1 million yen when annual production is lifted to 42,000 i-MiEV cars, he said. Lithium Energy Japan, which started producing cells for the Mitsubishi car in June, plans to make batteries for 2,300 i-MiEV cars in the year to May 31.

Guinness World Distance Record for an Electric Vehicle set at 555.6 km

SANYO is pleased announce that the travel distance of 555.6 km (345 miles)by a Mira EV powered by SANYO lithium-ion battery systems has been officially recognized as the longest journey by electric vehicle without recharging by the Guinness World Records.

This trial run was provided by Japan Electric Vehicle Club (Japan EV Club) and implemented by driving the Mira EV from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan on November 17, 2009.

The SANYO lithium-ion battery systems housed in the Mira EV were designed by assembling 8320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries (18650-type) which are normally used in laptops etc. Total pack capacity is 74 kWh and with battery management limitations taken into consideration approx 50 kWH of that was used on the trip.

Record-setting vehicle

Mira EV (constructed by the Japan Electric Vehicle Club)
Basic vehicle: Mira Van (Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.)
Powerplant: Brushless DC synchronized motor
Rated output: 14 kW
Max. output: 35 kW
Batteries: Lithium-ion (Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.)
Total electric voltage: 240.5 V
Total electric power: 74 kWh
Tires: Eco Walker (Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd.)@
Passenger capacity: 2

The unofficial World Record is still held by a Solectria Sunrise which covered 604 km (375 miles) on a single charge, during the 1996 American Tour de Sol.

Hitachi Doubles The Life of Lithium-ion batteries with manganese-based cathode

Hitachi today announced they have developed a new cathode material for industrial lithium-ion batteries using manganese-based cathode materials that roughly doubles the life of similar batteries using the cathode material which was developed by Hitachi in the past.

The newly developed cathode material, made from manganese, a resource in abundant supply, stabilizes the crystal structure by replacing some of the manganese in the cathode material with other elements, and at the same time includes composite oxides*1 with outstanding resistance to acids, to minimize the elution of manganese into the liquid electrolyte*2. Hitachi has already developed and evaluated*3 prototype cells using the new cathode material, and has confirmed that reductions in battery capacity can be roughly cut in half compared to existing units. Using the new material, Hitachi thus expects to be able to achieve battery life of ten years or more, which is about twice the life of current lithium-ion batteries with manganese-based cathode materials.

Lithium-ion batteries using the newly developed cathode material are expected to be used for electrical power storage in wind power generation and other new energy fields, and as industrial power sources for electric-powered construction machinery designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These results were achieved as part of an ongoing project contracted by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) to Hitachi under the title "Development of elemental technologies for power storage systems to achieve smooth utility interactions." The prototype cell was developed in collaboration with Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co., Ltd.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in a wide range of applications, including mobile phones, laptop PCs, and other consumer products, as well as hybrid automobiles and other vehicle applications. In the future, they are expected to be used as compact storage devices in connection with wind power generation and other power facilities designed to reduce environmental impact. Cobalt is the main cathode material used in lithium-ion batteries for consumer applications, which is currently the largest market for these batteries.

The growing popularity of lithium-ion batteries, however, has given rise to concerns regarding the ability to a secure stable supply of cobalt, which is a scarce resource. Hitachi turned its attention to manganese, which is available in abundant supply, as a candidate metal that could replace cobalt as the main cathode material, and has been conducting research and development targeting lithium manganese spinel*4 materials, which have a "spinel structure"*5. The high operating voltage of spinel makes this material suitable for power storage applications, but a number of challenges remained, including the deterioration of battery capacity over numerous charge and discharge cycles. The focus of attention thus turned to improving battery life characteristics.

Hitachi minimized changes in the volume of spinel crystals during charge and discharge by replacing some of the manganese in the lithium manganese spinel with other elements, thereby successfully controlling reductions in battery capacity. Furthermore, the inclusion of layered composite oxides with outstanding acidity resistance reduces the elution of manganese into the liquid electrolyte. It is therefore possible to prevent reductions in battery capacity, which had been a problem in the past, and to increase battery life. Following are the main features of the newly developed technology.

In the case of existing lithium manganese spinel cathode materials, lithium ions are released from the cathode during battery charging, causing shrinkage in the volume of the spinel manganese crystals. During battery discharge, however, the crystal volume tends to swell. This repeated change in volume during charge and discharge cycle results in a deterioration of the crystal structure, which is one cause of reduced battery capacity. By replacing some of the manganese in the crystal with other elements, the crystal structure has been stabilized, and reductions in the battery's capacity have been dramatically improved.

When using existing lithium manganese spinel cathode materials, the effects of acids generated by water in the liquid electrolyte cause the manganese to dissolve (a process called "elution"), which results in reduced battery capacity. Now, along with the lithium manganese spinel material in which some manganese has been replaced with other elements, Hitachi has added a new layered composite oxide with outstanding acidity resistance, thereby reducing manganese elution and minimizing reductions in battery capacity.

This newly developed cathode material for lithium-ion batteries uses manganese, a resource available in abundant supply, as its main material, so a stable supply can be achieved at low cost. In the future, Hitachi will continue to increase battery performance through further improvements to cathode materials and electrolyte composition, in order to actively expand its rechargeable battery product business, and to contribute to reducing environmental impact.

*1Composite oxide: An oxide containing two or more types of metal elements*2Liquid Electrolyte: A solution that demonstrates electrical conductivity, formed by dissolving an lithium salt in a polar solvent*3This evaluation was based on tests conducted under standard test conditions for NEDO contracted research*4Lithium manganese spinel: An oxide compound with a spinel structure, containing lithium (Li) and manganese (Mn) (chemical formula: LiMn2O4)*5Spinel structure: A crystal structure that is common to inorganic compounds with the molecular form (A)(B)2O4, as in the case of spinel (MgAl2O4), which is a naturally occurring mineral

Nearly 80 % Believe Electric and Hybrid Cars are here to stay.

A recent survey conducted by Capital One finds that the overwhelming majority of those surveyed believe Electric Cars and Hybrids are here to stay.

Despite the fact that 96% do not currently own an alternative motor vehicle and 76% have never even driven or test-driven one of these types of cars, nearly 80 percent (78%) believe they are here to stay and are not just a passing fad while over half (54%) think they will own an alternative motor vehicle in their lifetimes.

These results show a definite growth in consumer interest in hybrid and electric cars. Forty-two percent of survey respondents predict that in ten years, 25-50 percent of cars on the road will be gas-alternative models, while nearly a quarter (23%) believe that over 50 percent of cars on the road will be alternative cars by the year 2020. In the near term, however, consumers say that pricing is the primary factor holding them back from purchasing an alternative motor vehicle.

Capital One Auto Finance Survey

Lifelike 2010 August releases

Lifelike 2010 new releases scheduled release Aug 2010