Saleen S7 Twin Turbo

Running costs and Maintenance of electric cars

This can be attributed most of the costs of  operating an electric car for maintenance and replacement of the battery because the electric car only about 5 moving parts in the engine, compared with gasoline-powered vehicle that contains hundreds of spare parts in the engine, internal combustion electric cars and batteries expensive that must be replaced, but otherwise incur maintenance costs very low .. Especially in the case of the designs of Li current list.

To calculate the cost per kilometer of electric cars and so it is necessary to assign monetary value of the resulting wear on the battery. This can be difficult due to the fact that it will have the capacity of a little less each time they are charged and this is only to be at the end of his life when he decides his performance that he is no longer acceptable. Until then, the 'end of life battery is not completely worthless as it can be intentional or recycled or used as a reserve.

Since the battery monitor from many individual cells that do not necessarily wear evenly periodically replace the worst of these can be set to keep the car.

It is expected that the car Tesla battery pack is too large to the last seven years with exemplary leadership and the cost of U.S. $ 12,000 when the day before the purchase. Driving 40 miles (64 kilometers) per day for seven years or 102,200 miles (164,500 km) leads to battery consumption, cost the United States $ 0.1174 for every 1 mile (1.6 km) or the United States $ 4.70 for each 40 miles (64 km). The company provides the best place to another compared to the costs it expects to meet its contractual obligations to deliver the batteries as well as clean electricity to recharge the batteries at a total cost of $ 0.08 per 1 mile (1.6 km) in 2010, the United States $ 0.04 per kilometer by 2015 and U.S. United $ 0.02 per kilometer by 2020. 40 miles (64 km) of driving the United States will cost $ 3.20 at the beginning and the fall more than once for up to $ 0.80.

In 2010 the U.S. government estimated that the battery with 100 miles (160 km) range will cost about U.S. $ 33,000. There is still concern about the durability and longevity of the battery.

April estimated the cost of coca will be operating 5 Year U.S. $ 1.800 compared to U.S. $ 6,000 car for gasoline. The documentary film Who Killed the Electric Car? A comparison between the parts that require replacement in gasoline powered cars and EV1s, with garages stating that they provide for electric cars in every 5000 miles (8000 km), and rotate the tires and fill the windshield washer fluid and bring them back again.

LA Show 2010 Highlights: 2011 Nissan Quest

When Nissan desperately craved a minivan to sell in the 1990s, it partnered with Ford to rebadge the Mercury Villager as the original Quest, an arrangement that lasted for another generation. The Villager was killed in the early 2000s, so Nissan then struck out on its own to create the funky third-gen Quest on the bones of the Altima sedan, but sales were terrible, generating rumors that the company would pull out of the segment altogether. A fourth Quest wasin the cards, though, and to bring the van to life, Nissan found another partner: itself—specifically, the Japanese mother ship.

Indeed, the 2011 Nissan Quest is twinned with the Japanese-market Elgrand, a strategy that allows the automaker to hedge its bets against picky U.S. shoppers; if we don’t buy the thing, production ostensibly can be re-allotted to Japan. (That’s where this new Quest will be built, unlike the previous model, which was assembled in Canton, Mississippi.) It’s a strategy that makes sense, but might need to be enacted sooner rather than later: Innovative styling isn’t typically among minivan buyers’ highest priorities, and this new Quest is as bizarre-looking as its slow-selling predecessor. That said, we like this van’s samurai-helmet-meets-the-suburbs look, and its wraparound glass and slabby body sides create some visual drama—at least as much as you can expect from a minivan, anyway. The new model’s styling is based on that of theForum concept, which was penned in the U.S.

Bold looks tend to turn off minivanites, but features and ease-of-use get them hot and bothered. As you’d expect, the Quest’s second and third rows fold to accommodate all the flat-pack furniture you can buy, but the chairs aren’t removable and don’t fold into the floor; instead, they fold forward to make a flat load surface, which Nissan notes allows constant access to the deep cargo well behind the third row. That well gets its own 60/40-split cover, too. Dodge, of course, offers the Stow ‘n Go second row, where the seats fold into the floor. In the Odyssey, the third row folds forward like the Quest’s, and must then be flipped back into the cargo well to create a flat load floor, which Nissan’s press materials imply is a terrible inconvenience.

But the Quest comes with its own inconveniences. Total passenger volume is about what you’d expect for the segment—all range from 160 to 170 cubic feet or so, depending on equipment—but the Quest’s non-removable seats eat up a fair chunk of cargo room when they’re flattened. At a maximum of 63.6 cubic feet behind the second row, it lags 20 to 30 cubes behind the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Dodge Grand Caravan. And its 108.4 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded trails the Odyssey by more than 40 cubic feet. (Admittedly, that Honda figure is with the seats pulled out, and only Toyota gives a figure for a folded, but installed, second row: 117.8 cubes.) The Quest is in line with its peers behind the third row, with 35.1 cubic feet available, though, and Nissan says that the step-in height through the sliding side doors is lower than on other minivans, which is a nice touch for both small kids and older folks.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

LA Show 2010 Highlights: 2012 Saab 9-4x

This is the new Saab 9-4X, a model crucial to the firm’s continued recovery under new owner Spyker.

The 9-4X will give Saab a much-needed presence in the US’s booming crossover SUV segment. The new model is a sister car to the Cadillac SRX, sharing a platform and GM’s Mexican production facility, and has made its debut at today’s Los Angeles motor show.

Saab is pitching it as “a fresh, alternative choice for independently minded crossover buyers” and is the firm’s “next-step in its renaissance as an independent car manufacturer”.

Its design remains truthful to the concept car of the same name first seen at the 2008 Detroit motor show. Sitting between the 9-3X jacked-up estate and 9-5 saloon, the 9-4X gets several of Saab’s signature design cues including the firm’s front grille and headlight design, wraparound windscreen and gently-sloping roof line.

Two direct-injection V6 petrol engines are offered from launch, a 261bhp 3.0-litre or a 296bhp 2.8-litre. The latter gets twin-turbocharging, while both units are mated to six-speed automatic gearboxes. The 2.8 unit is the only one available to UK buyers from launch, however. A diesel engine is likely to follow, but hasn’t been confirmed.

Dynamic features include Saab’s advanced XWD all-wheel drive system and DriveSense adaptive chassis control. The 9-4X is based on a new platform called Theta Premium that mixes components from GM’s Theta and Epsilon 2 platforms.

Saab CEO Jan Ake Jonsson said the 9-4X “significantly broadened the appeal of the Saab brand”. He added that the new car would help “win new customers for the bramd”.

It will reach North American showrooms from May 2011, with UK sales starting from late 2011. Prices have yet to be revealed.

Thanks to: Autocar

LA Show 2010 Highlights: 2011 Acura TSX

The favorite Acura of enthusiasts, the TSX, gets a very minor face lift for 2011, including a few mechanical enhancements to help fuel economy plus a Sport Wagon variation that will arrive in early 2011.

A new front fascia breaks up the lower grille with a smaller, sportier mouth, while the upper grille shrinks ever so slightly; Acura says the reshaped chin spoiler and new underbody aero panels aid slipperiness. The taillamps have been reworked, and new 17-inch wheels have been fitted to the 2.4-liter four-cylinder model.

Inside, Acura has revised the center console styling by replacing a few trim pieces for bits that look darker and slightly more expensive, and also added contrasting stitching on the seats. LEDs take over some interior lighting functions, too. The optional navigation system now depends on a 60-gigabyte hard drive with the ability to accept 15 gigs of personal music and photos. Cabin noise is turned down thanks to a new acoustic-glass windshield, thicker side glass, and more underfloor sound-deadening material.

Engineers attacked friction in the engines and managed to eke out a 1-mpg improvement from both the 2.4-liter four and 3.5-liter V-6 in both the city and highway cycles. The five-speed automatic’s shift mapping has been updated for better economy, as well, and that transmission also gets a fluid warmer to improve cold-weather shift quality and longevity. The fuel-economy figures now look like this: 22/31 for the 2.4 automatic and 21/29 for the 2.4 with the six-speed manual, and 19/28 for the auto-only 3.5-liter.

In early 2011, the TSX Sport Wagon arrives with just one powertrain option: the 2.4-liter four and five-speed automatic, with a 30-mpg highway rating. The six-speed manual may become available later, but not at launch, says Acura. The wagon will be available with the sedan’s interior and comfort options, including the hard-drive navigation and entertainment system.
Prices for the 2011 sedan rise by $300 across the board, to $30,470 for the manual 2.4-liter and $36,010 for the 3.5-liter V-6. Acura says wagon prices will be announced closer to its on-sale date. Whatever they end up charging, we’re just glad to see another wagon on the market.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

LA Show 2010 Highlights: 2012 Buick Regal GS

When the Buick Regal GS concept debuted at last January’s Detroit auto show, future production was as safe a bet as you’ll find in the automotive world. Sure enough, this past spring, GM confirmed that the GS would head to showrooms, but released no further details. Now, finally, we’ve got the skinny on the first real performance Buick in a long time.

Staying true to the recent trend, wherein a concept car is nothing more than a production-ready vehicle with really expensive paint and a few exaggerated styling cues, the 2012 Regal GS looks almost identical to the car we saw in Detroit. Basic differences boil down to smaller vertical air intakes on the front fascia, slightly different trapezoidal exhaust finishers in the rear, and Recaro-like front seats in place of the concept’s actual Recaros. But the satin-metallic trim; integrated rear spoiler; rocker panel extensions; Brembo front brake calipers; and big, 20-inch wheels all make the cut for production.

The same uprated direct-injected, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in the concept will be the production GS’s powerplant. It’s identical to the turbo 2.0 found in the Regal Turbo, but GM’s engineers have cranked up the boost and reduced backpressure with a larger exhaust, upping its output to (an estimated) 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, increases of 35 and 37. At launch, the GS will be offered solely with a six-speed manual transmission—Save the Manuals!—while a six-speed automatic will be available later. The concept was initially claimed to hit 60 mph in under six seconds, Buick is now tempering its expectations, saying the production car will hit the mile-a-minute mark in “less than seven seconds.” We recently tested an automatic-equipped, 220-hp Regal Turbo to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, and we predict the automatic GS will complete the sprint in 6.7 seconds or so.

While the concept sent power to all four wheels, the real GS will only drive its fronts. Admittedly, we were disappointed at this development, but at least the GS will employ the new HiPer Strut suspension system, which uses a modified MacPherson geometry up front to better maintain negative camber in cornering and reduce torque steer. We’ve sampled a Buick LaCrosse prototype with this system and found it rather impressive. The GS’s ostensibly tighter chassis also will include a 0.4-inch suspension drop all around and an adjustable driving-mode system like the Regal Turbo’s for tuning suspension settings and steering sensitivity. The system’s Standard and Sport programs are carried over, but the Turbo’s softest mode, Touring, is ditched in favor of a unique, super-sporty GS setting. Larger front brakes with Brembo four-piston calipers will hide behind the standard 19-inch wheels with all-season Goodyear Eagles; a 20-inch wheel of the same design wrapped in sticky Pirelli P Zero summer rubber is optional.

The interior of the GS will differ only slightly from those of lesser Regals, adding a special flat-bottomed steering wheel, metal pedals, more-heavily bolstered front seats, the satin-finished trim, and white lighting for the instrument panel when GS mode is engaged. The standard goodies list will include keyless entry and start, a 320-watt Harman/Kardon sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, backup sensors, and xenon headlights.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

LA Show 2010 Highlights: 2012 Buick LaCrosse eAssist

It’s been a very short time since the revampedBuick LaCrosse debuted, but it has already seen plenty of changes, including a reordered engine lineup and major suspension upgrades. For its third model year, the LaCrosse’s base engine—a 2.4-liter four-cylinder—will get some help from an upgraded transmission and an electric motor. Combined with the car’s aero-enhancing tweaks, GM says the electric motor could boost EPA-estimated fuel economy from 19 mpg city and 30 highway to 25/37. Oh, and did we mention it’ll be standard equipment?

A few years ago, GM sold mild hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura that essentially replaced the alternator with an electric motor. This arrangement allowed the engine to turn off at stops—while keeping the accessories running—but couldn’t propel the car on electricity alone. The new setup, called eAssist, is fundamentally the same thing, but heavily upgraded. It uses a lithium-ion battery pack in place of the old nickel-metal hydride unit and delivers up to 15 hp of electrical assist, three times more than before. The boost in power should make eAssist more useful than the previous system. GM says it can cut fuel to the engine during deceleration, as opposed to the mild-hybrid setup that only cut fuel and shut the engine down when the car was stopped. Like the old system, the electric motor starts the gas engine when the driver takes his foot off the brake, but cannot propel the vehicle on its own.

The battery pack is located behind the rear seats and cooled by an electric fan that draws air from the cabin. The gas engine charges it, as does a regenerative-braking system that also has a function to keep the car from rolling back on inclines while the engine is off. The battery pack weighs about 65 pounds and reduces trunk space by 2.4 cubic feet, to 10.9, although it sits to one side and still allows for part of the rear seat to fold. Engineers say that the overall weight of the LaCrosse 2.4 will remain the same, as they have compensated for the added pounds in other areas, primarily by swapping the spare tire for an inflation kit.

The aforementioned aerodynamic tweaks also will help the LaCrosse reach those lofty fuel-economy estimates. The LaCrosse eAssist gets new aero-optimized underbody trays and active flaps behind the front fascia. These flaps close at higher speeds, reducing drag by forcing air to flow around the vehicle rather than get caught up in the engine compartment. Furthermore, eAssist will debut a new generation of the six-speed automatic transmission, with reduced internal friction and quicker shifts. Buick says that the additional power of the electric motor will reduce the need for downshifts, which we hope holds true—the busy transmission was our main complaint during our first drive of the four-cylinder LaCrosse. Finally, low-rolling-resistance Michelin tires will make their way onto the car. Inside, the only change will be the addition of an Eco gauge in the cluster.

Buick hasn’t given final pricing for the 2012 LaCrosse eAssist, saying only that the car will cost around $30,000. For reference, the 2011 2.4-liter started at $27,745. If GM’s fuel-economy claims prove true, Buick could have a cost-effective fuel-sipping hybrid-fighter on its hands when the eAssist goes on sale in the middle of next year.

Thanks to: Car and Driver