Electric cars

Are you part of the 40% of luxury car drivers that would own an EV?

Would you own an electric car or a hybrid? More people are making the change and turning to EV or hybrids, but interestingly, we are seeing a higher percentage of luxury car owners coming round to the idea.

Almost 40 per cent of luxury car owners in the UK say they would buy, or seriously consider buying, an electric vehicle capable of driving 300 miles (483km) on a single charge from their brand.

UK website WeLoveAnyCar asked 24,227 Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz owners if they would consider an electric car with a 300-mile range, all other factors (including price, style, options and performance) being equal, and found that four in 10 responded positively.

BMW owners reacted the most favourably, with 17 per cent saying they would buy an EV that met those criteria. BMW has been among the most active of the luxury brands in the electric segment, having launched its i3 city car as well as the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.

Between 12 and 14 per cent of Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz owners said they would also buy an electric car with a 300-mile range from their brand. Additionally, approximately one quarter of owners from each brand said they would give serious thought to such a vehicle.

Electric technology still faces an uphill battle, however, with many owners hesitant to make the switch to EV or completely opposed to the idea.

Seventeen per cent of Jaguar owners said they would never buy an electric Jag even if it matched the price, style and performance of an internal combustion engined model. Between 12 and 13 per cent of owners from the German trio said they would never purchase such a vehicle, while between 28 and 30 per cent of those surveyed responded ‘No, I don’t think so’.

The Tesla Model S is the only production EV in the world with a single-charge range in excess of 483km. The 85kWh Model S, which is priced from $111,807 in Australia, claims a range of 502km.

Source http://www.caradvice.com.au/295301/almost-40-per-cent-of-luxury-car-owners-would-consider-an-ev-study/

Early morning race across London Bridge by Formula E Cars

The FIA are hoping that fast cars which are eco friendly will be the next big thing in car racing.

To work up a hype, eight Formula One-style cars with a top speed of 150mph have raced in front of the Houses of Parliament to launch the forthcoming all-electric championship.

One car also performed a doughnut on the empty road across London’s Westminster Bridge.

In order to pull off the photo opportunity, organisers started setting up from dawn and had the bridge to themselves until 6am.

The video has been released as part of the official Global Launch for the new all-electric FIA Formula E Championship.

The well-funded racing series, backed by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), will host 10 zero-emission races in 10 cities around the world.

Formula E cars line up to start a trial on Westminster Bridge
The electric cars line up on Westminster bridge

As part of the launch, Battersea Park in South London was revealed as the London race venue.

The race around the park will be the season finale and is scheduled for June 27, 2015.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Fast, fun and no doubt furious, the FIA Formula E Championship race in London is set to provide an awesome addition to the capital’s sporting calendar.

“The atmosphere will quite literally be electric and Battersea, which is already booming with the buzz of regeneration, will be alive with the excitement that this new, world-class event will no doubt spark.”

Mahindra Racing's Karun Chandhok doing a donut
Mahindra Racing’s Karun Chandhok doing a donut

The sport was set up with the aim of sparking interest in electric cars and boosting innovation in the technology used to run them.

The idea for the championship has been criticised in the past and was dubbed “the milk float challenge”, but as the first race draws nearer, it has become a highly anticipated format for motorsport fans.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, businessman Sir Richard Branson and Formula One legend Alain Prost have all set up teams ahead of the inaugural racing series.

Source http://news.sky.com/story/1292549/formula-e-cars-race-across-london-bridge