Superleggera Vision Concept 2018

The stunning Superleggera Vision Concept that was shown last year at the Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance has been given light for production, a new report claims.

The Mini British based automaker has set the name for this two-seater convertible in collaboration with the famous design house Touring Superleggera from Milan Italy.

Production Mini Superleggera concept could use a plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to that of the i8 sports car. That arrangement will see a petrol engine mount at the front, with an electric motor mounted at the rear axle, along the same lines as BMW's all-wheel drive range-extender electric car powertrain. It will be based on the same UKL platform which already underpins the rest of the Mini range as well as the BMW 2 series Active Tourer.

The Superleggera will be positioned above the topless version of the Mini Hardtop as a more back to basics, driver focused model aimed right at the fourth-gen Mazda Miata and the upcoming Fiat 124 Spider. The superleggera is expected to make the transition from concept to production with only minor visual modifications. The futuristic headlights, the overly thin side mirrors and frameless windshield will be tossed out, but the long fin on the trunk lid and the UNion Jack-shaped tail lamps will suprisingly be retained.

BMW board member with the responsibility for Mini Peter Schwarzenbauer said that Mini was still exploring the potential of plug-in hybrid and EV tecnology. "Every new Mini model will come with a hybrid option; Plug-in hybrids are economically a little easier" he said "Full electric is extremely challenging. Finding small space to put all the batteries in is extremely challenging. We are working on both possibilities."

Schwarzenbauer said "There is no decision at the moment, but we have a lot of people here that are fighting hard for it. One of our superheroes will be an open car. I'm not saying the superleggera will come, but you will have an open car."

Audi R8 e-tron electric supercar

The R8 e-tron made its first appearance as "the e-tron concept" at the 2009 Frannkfurt auto show. The name, shape and colour of the R8 e-tron were inspired 1982 science fiction film Tron, by Steven Lisberger. In 2010, as side show to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, then Audi R&D chief Michael Dick drove a few laps on the course, barely finishing because of the charging state.

Audi has unveiled a new version of its R8 e-tron electric supercar concept at CES Asia.

A statement released by the company said "The R8 e-tron piloted driving technical study is equipped with all of the functions of piloted driving. Data is acquired from the interplay of an array of sensors: the new type of laser scanner, several video cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar sensors at the front and rear. Based on signals from these sources, the central driver assistance control unit (zFAS), a compact central computer, computes a comprehensive picture of the vehicle's environment."

Specifications:

The R8 e-tron 2.0 is fitted with a T-shaped lithium-ion battery shoe horned into the center tunnel and behind the passenger cell. It will be a rear-wheel drive vehicle and it can go a full 280 miles on an electric charge. The rear-mounted electric motors produce 456 horsepower and 679 lb-ft of torque, all funneled through a single-speed transmission. The sprint to 62 mph from just 3.9 seconds and top speed rated is 155 mph.

The first e-tron concept an all-wheel drive car with four motors was rated at 313 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. It would have reached 62 mph in a 5.2 seconds it would have topped 125 mph. Its range was less than 150 miles.

BLUEBIRD DC50 Unbuild Electric Sport Car

The name Blue Bird was originally inspired by the play of that name by Maurice Maeterlinck and the vehicles were painted a shade of pale blue.

Malcolm Campbell had a succession of Darracq racing cars in the 1920s. In 1925, he also raced an Itala at Brooklands with the name 'The Blue Bird' painted on the bonnet.
The Hydroplane K4 began life as Malcolm's "Blue Bird", but when Donald decided to use her in 1949, after his father's death, he renamed her "Bluebird".

• The Bluebird-Proteus CN7 was a technologically advanced wheel-driven land speed record-breaking car, driven by Donald Campbell, built in 1960 and rebuilt in 1962.
• Bluebird Mach 1.1 (CMN-8) was a design for a rocket-powered supersonic land speed record car, planned by Donald Campbell but thwarted by his subsequent death during a water seed record attempt in Bluebird K in early 1967.

Bluebird DC50 electric sports car

The BluebirdDC50, a two door sports car with horse power ranging from 240 bhp to 360 bhp. The DC50 pays tribute to bluebird's past land and water speed record vehicles. The DC50's creator, Don Wales, grandson of Malcom Campbell and nephew of Donald Campbell, has contested the electric powered land speed record.

Unfortunately, Bluebird DC50 electric sports car remains ghost to people which had launch in 2014 to mark 50 years since Donald Campbell's land and water speed runs.

"I wish, if I could get chance to rebuilt the Bluebird. "

Improved Lithium-Sulphur battery using Vitamin-C for electric vehicles

A group of Korean researchers led by Professor Lee Jae-Young at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology said that they succeeded in improving the energy capacity of lithium-sulfur batteries with Vitamin-C treated dual layered graphene-sulfur.

Lithium-Sulfur batteries are widely considered as a viable replacement for current lithium-ion batteries for electric cars because of its superior energy density. Yet, lithium sulfur batteries have not been actively used in the field since there are few problems to be resolved such as poor cycle performance and low charge/discharge rates.

The dual layered cathode is composed of a sulfur active layer and a poly-sulfide absorption layer
and both layers are based on Vitamin-C treated graphene oxide at various degrees of reduction.
However, the researchers showed that their Vitamin C treated dual layered cathode can increase sulfur utilization dramatically resulting in a lithium-sulfur battery with a high specific capacity of over 600 mAh/g after 100 cycles even under a high current rate of 1C.

The researchers state that this development can greatly improve low cycle performance of lithium-sulfur batteries, which is big obstacle to commercialization of them, and possibly open the door to using lithium-sulfur batteries in next-generation electric car batteries.

The results of development were published in the online version of ChemSusChem on April 29 with the title of "Improvement of energy capacity via Vitamin C-treated dual-layered graphene-sulfur cathodes in lithium sulfur battery".

ALL-ELECTRIC ASTON MARTIN DBX -2019

Aston Martin's electric DBX concept is the precursor to Aston's upcoming crossover.

Aston Martin has announced a production version of all electric DBX SUV concept will enter production and be on sale by 2019. Andy Palmer announced his company had raised the £200m from its two majority shareholders to begin work on creating a production version of last month's Geneva motor show concept.

The DBX Concept is an all-wheel drive crossover high luxury GT that uses in board electric wheel motors at all four corners powered by lithium sulphur cells. Steering is a drive by wire system and both  the driver and passenger have head-up displays surrounded by auto-dimming smart glass.

The look of the DBX evolves the brand's design language, led by chief designer Marek Reichman. A large front grille in the traditional shape and a flowing fastback roofline mark it as an Aston Martin.
Inside material used in the 2+2 cabin include machined billet aluminium, carbon fiber, velvet like Nubuck leather and Alcantara.