Archive for the ‘Range-Extended Vehicle’ Category

As the editors of TheCarConnection.com have experienced time and time again, an unsatisfying sound or some stray creaks and rattles can ruin an otherwise perfectly good new-car driving impression.

Likewise, sometimes a vehicle that is very capable and sporty just doesn't feel the part because you don't hear the right performance sounds above the ones you shouldn't.

Then there are the new questions of how should plug-in hybrids, electric vehicles, and extended-range EVs really sound? And can they be made more satisfying by carefully modeling how they sound?

To help answer all of these issues, Volvo Cars opened a new acoustic laboratory...

Hot on the heels of Fisker's announcement about fuel efficiency for its Karma sedan comes word of a new luxury vehicle from Jaguar that bears a few technological similarities to the Karma. Based on the Jaguar XJ, the new plug-in hybrid/extended-range electric concept has been dubbed the Limo-Green.

Not many specifics have emerged about the Limo-Green, but we do know something about its drivetrain. Created in conjunction with the British government, Caparo, MIRA, and Lotus, the Limo-Green derives power from a lithium-ion battery pack, which runs an electric motor capable of 195 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque. The vehicle has a projected...

Upstart automaker Fisker doesn't grab as many headlines as the brasher, snazzier Tesla, to which it is frequently compared. But that may change with the release of efficiency stats for the 2010 Fisker Karma: an impressive 67 miles per gallon, with CO2 emissions around 83g/km (134g/mile).

That sounds great for a luxury four-door sedan, although the numbers aren't quite as clear-cut as they seem. The Karma is a hybrid -- or as people often call it, a range-extended electric vehicle. Like the Chevy Volt, the Fisker Karma is powered by an electric motor, and the batteries drive that motor get recharged in one of two ways: via plug-in when...