Autoblog Green

SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing team to enter TTXGP series

Domenick Yoney — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Racing

The first new team to disclose that they will compete in the 2010 TTXGP electric superbike events has just thrown its hat into the ring. SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing and its AMA pro rider Chip Y ates will do battle at the Isle of Man event, the 4 scheduled UK races, the American race at Infineon and any as-yet-unannounced FIM international and American events. While they could use one of the new Mavizen TTX02 mounts being created for new competitors, they plan on building a bike of their own instead and have enlisted the aid of a program director, several engineers and a designer whose previous experiences includes work on helicopters and unmanned aircraft. While we can only imagine the look of the final road-ready craft, we are pretty sure it won't resemble in any fashion our own feeble attempt at photochopping the Swigz bottle you see pictured above.

It's said that the new bike is already in the early stages of development and they hope to have a fully functioning machine early in the first quarter of 2010. The next phase of their program will see the team split, with some going to the UK to establish a European base and make duplicate back-up bikes. Yates, who is a mechanical engineer and has a Master's degree in business, will be very involved with the development and plans on taking commercial advantage of intellectual property produced in the effort. This fierce competitor and former Boeing employee already holds 7 U.S. patents pertaining to automotive drivetrains currently in use by Gil de Ferran's IndyCar program and Jeep Cherokees produced since 1999. Chip sums up the teams approach to the new bike thusly,

This superbike program requires a much different approach from electric vehicles we've seen especially as it relates to weight and range. Our engineering strategy is to optimize the power, weight and range of the bike specifically around target laptimes for the tracks we will be competing on in the U.K., Europe, and in the U.S.A. Given the relatively short race distances, our simulations show us exactly what battery capacity and motor performance is needed to turn laptimes competitive to a 600cc internal combustion powered racebike. We understand and embrace the technical challenges and are prepared to do heavy lifting to advance the state of the art to meet our expectations for a legitimate lightweight and exciting superbike.

It all leads us to believe this upcoming racing season should be as interesting from a technological standpoint as it will be from a competitive one. Game on!

[Source: RoadRacing World]

Continue reading SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing team to enter TTXGP series

SWIGZ.COM Pro Racing team to enter TTXGP series originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zytek gets powertrain innovation prize for its racing hybrid/KERS

Sam Abuelsamid — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:43:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Racing

Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek 09HS - click above for high-res image gallery

Zytek Engineering of the UK has been involved in the development of hybrid drive systems since at least the mid-1990s and motorsports has been part of the effort much of that time. This week, Zytek was honored for its efforts at the Professional Motorsport World Expo. Zytek developed the hybrid system that was raced by Panoz Motorsports twice in 1999 and, more recently, it developed the KERS-hybrid system used in the McLaren Mercedes MP4-24 Formula One car this year as well as the system used by Corsa Motorsports in its American Le Mans Series LMP1 car.

Zytek and Mercedes High Performance Engines began collaborating on the F1 system in 2007 and, in July, Lewis Hamilton scored the first victory for a hybrid system in a major international race series. Here in North America, the under-funded Corsa team scored a third place finish in the first race it ran with the hybrid system fully enabled. Limited testing meant Corsa didn't have the opportunity to fully develop its system and had mixed results through the second half of the season. Nonetheless, the system is showing promise. Hopefully, in 2010 and beyond, it will see expanded use in ALMS if not Formula 1.

Gallery: Corsa Motorsports Ginetta-Zytek 09HS

[Source: Professional Motorsport World Expo]

Zytek gets powertrain innovation prize for its racing hybrid/KERS originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

To Infineon and Beyond: TTXGP brings electric motorcycle racing to America

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, USA, Racing

Mavizen TTX02 - Click above to enlarge

Earlier this year at the annual time trials at the famed Isle of Man, the inaugural TTXGP electric motorcycle race proved that battery-powered bikes can be just as entertaining and exciting as their gasoline-swilling and emissions-spewing siblings. Not quite as fast, of course, but still a thrill over the 38-mile winding race course through the mountains.

Now, the event organizers are looking to bring the excitement of electric motorcycle racing to the United States. The first real competition has been scheduled from May 14th through 16th of 2010 and will take place at Infineon Raceway in California. That location strikes us as a good idea as a number of TTXGP participants hail from the West Coast, including Mission Motors, MotoCzysz, Brammo and Electric Motorsport.

In addition to the aforementioned teams, we also hope to see participation from new entrants using the newly-available Mavizen TTX02 platform, which was just officially unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Hit the jump for the official press release.

Gallery: Mavizen TTX02 Electric Racebike

[Source: Infineon Raceway]

Continue reading To Infineon and Beyond: TTXGP brings electric motorcycle racing to America

To Infineon and Beyond: TTXGP brings electric motorcycle racing to America originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA 2009: Mavizen introduces 130-mph TTX02 electric racebike

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:04:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, SEMA Show, On Two Wheels, Racing

Mavizen TTX02 - Click above to enlarge

Right on schedule, Mavizen has released its TTX02 electric motorcycle at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Well, if you listen to Azhar Hussain, TTXGP founder and the entrepreneur behind this racebike, the TTX02 is a "laptop on wheels." How so? For starters, each machine is fitted with an dash-mounted computer that runs on Linux, comes with its own dedicated IP address, on-board web server and connectivity to wireless networks.

While all of that consumer electronics gadgetry is cool, it's the platform of the TTX02 that interests us the most. As rumored, it definitely appears that the TTX02 is based on the chassis of KTM's highly acclaimed RC8 superbike, which means it's a proven platform that's capable of solid handling and high speeds... good thing, as it's reportedly capable of hitting 130 miles per hour.

Twin Agni 95 electric motors push out a total of nearly 100 peak horsepower along with what's surely an admirable torque figure that peaks right off the bat at just about zero RPM. Three lithium ion battery packs will be made available with up to 11 kWh of power, which is reportedly capable of tackling all 38 miles of the TTXGP Isle of Man course. Pricing is not yet announced, but Hussain suggests a competitive machine can be had for around $40,000. Hit the jump to watch a couple videos of the bike's launch at SEMA.

Gallery: Mavizen TTX02 Electric Racebike

[Source: Asphalt and Rubber]

Continue reading SEMA 2009: Mavizen introduces 130-mph TTX02 electric racebike

SEMA 2009: Mavizen introduces 130-mph TTX02 electric racebike originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rendered racing fantasy: 1-Liter Racing surfs to the future

Sebastian Blanco — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:53:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc., Racing

One Liter Racing - Click above for high-res image gallery

We recently saw a rendering for the purely-speculative Audi Avatar, which was based on the outlandish vehicles seen in some futuristic racing video games. A new set of renderings takes the unreal racing game concept a bit further and imagines an entire league that uses hyper-efficient racing vehicles sprinting around a course while using just one liter of fuel. As we know from VW's 1-liter concept vehicle, in the right vehicle, a liter of fuel can take you quite a distance.

Designed by Moritz Martin, the 1 Liter Racing League would be run in unusual locations (think shallow water and beaches) in order to mimic "the effortless gliding of skim boards" on some patches of the course. The wheels can retract in order to "surf" over wet patches and the cars have "a rear wheel-mounted air nozzle for frictionless steering during slides." Check out the renderings in the gallery below.

Gallery: 1 Liter Racing League

[Source: One Liter Racing via Yanko Design]

Rendered racing fantasy: 1-Liter Racing surfs to the future originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Roush engineering building propane-powered Mustang drag racers

Sam Abuelsamid — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:50:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, SEMA Show, Racing

Jack Roush is involved in a variety of enterprises, several of which involve building very fast Ford powered vehicles. His Roush Engineering business also does a lot of prototype build and development work for its client companies. Most recently, Roush has been building propane-fueled conversions of Ford F-150 pickup trucks that are especially useful to fleet customers.

The latest project from the racing legend is a new drag racing Mustang fueled by propane. The new car is one of two being prepared for NMRA competition in 2010 using Mustang body shells. The first car that is being unveiled this week at the SEMA show is based on a 2005 Mustang. The second car, which will debut in February, uses a new 2010 body. The Roush crew has adapted the propane fuel kit from the F-150 and combined it with an aluminum block 5.4-liter V8 based on the Ford GT engine. Roush has switched the formerly supercharged engine to be normally aspirated and bumped the compression ratio to 12.5:1 to take advantage of the 106 octane rating of propane. The new propane engines should produce over 600 hp. The propane-fueled F-150 produces an average of almost one-fifth less greenhouse gases and NOx than a similar gasoline engine.

[Source: Roush]

Continue reading Roush engineering building propane-powered Mustang drag racers

Roush engineering building propane-powered Mustang drag racers originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

5 mpg = green in NASCAR

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:49:00 EST

Filed under: Ethanol, MPG, Green Daily, Racing

NASCAR has already gone solar and wants to help you (not themselves) use less fuel, but the cold hard reality is that those ovals are being made in cars that get around five miles per gallon. Not exactly hybrid SUV territory there. So, to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used in each race, race organizers are looking to maybe - maybe - using alternative fuels in the some of the cars.

Before NASCAR gets that ca-razy, though, there are other ways the series might use fewer resources, but at least NASCAR's first director of green innovation, Mike Lynch, makes it clear that, "We're not attempting to take any high ground. [...] This is a pragmatic approach to green, and what we're doing now is just the beginning."

Part of the problem is that NASCAR fans don't want to give up what they've become accustomed to. Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development, told USAToday that, "Doubling fuel mileage means half the horsepower, and putting fans in the stands requires a show." Driver Sam Hornish, Jr. added, "No one is going to come watch us run battery-powered cars. I don't see anyone making enough electric power to go 200 mph."

Driver Brian Vickers is also more than willing to take the let's-all-do-something-but-you-go-first approach, said that, "Do our cars need to be more fuel efficient? Absolutely. But I think as a whole there's a lot bigger low-hanging fruit we can go after as a sport. There are a lot of fans that come to these races, and there's a lot we don't recycle that we could."

Some of that low-hanging fruit is carbon offsets, maybe replacing carburetors with fuel injection and Coke's race-side display that "highlight(s) its recycling businesses and has placed more than 2,600 recycling bins at a dozen tracks that have collected more than 65,000 pounds of recyclable material." When you have such a history of going in circles, maybe progress isn't your forte.

[Source: USAToday via Domestic Fuel]
Photo by pocketwiley. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

5 mpg = green in NASCAR originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mavizen releases another revealing teaser of TTX02 electric bike

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:07:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Racing

Teasers... generally the small, grainy, purposely-blurred or otherwise difficult to decipher images don't give away very much and are used to generate excitement for a new product before its official announcement. Usually, it takes a keen eye to pull out any detail from the resulting wreckage. Such is the case with the latest teaser image from Mavizen, the company that's planning to release a new twin-motor electric racebike inspired by the TTXGP-winning electric racer from Team Agni.

Honestly, we glanced at the image and, while thought it looked pretty interesting, quickly discounted it as typical teaser blurriness. More enterprising individuals, such as Jenny Gun from Asphalt & Rubber, looked a bit closer and found that the bike's frame closely matches the unit used on the KTM RC8. More sleuthing revealed a small but clear source image that seems to prove the link between Mavizen's electric bike and the Austrian superbike. Nice work, and we look forward to getting all the details at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas next week.

[Source: TTXGP, Asphalt & Rubber]

Mavizen releases another revealing teaser of TTX02 electric bike originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zero MX bests Quantya, takes 3rd in class in French regional races

Domenick Yoney — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Europe/EU, Racing

Despite a supplier problem delaying the deliveries of its Zero S and a recent recall of its Zero X and MX, Zero Motorcycles has managed to make good in one of the arenas that counts for a lot with vehicle manufacturers: the race track. The French Motorcycle Federation (FFM) just held its annual motocross event at Gironville, France, and for the first time included rankings for electric machines. It had looked like only riders astride Quantya bikes would be racing but two weeks before flags were dropped, Zero Motorcycles' European importer caught wind of the competition and managed to put together a team featuring Thomas Aubrey aboard a Zero MX. You may recall that the first meet up between the two brands didn't go so well for the Santa Cruz company. This rematch would certainly even the score.

The electrics ran amongst a field of about 40 bikes, mostly 250 and 450cc's, in two qualifiers and two races with the MX easily ranking ahead of the Quantya Tracks in the electric category with Julien Bréant and Adrien Goguet taking 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the first heat, none of the battery-powered machines finished due to a very short period between warm-up and the start that left little time to charge up their packs.

As the day wore on though, results steadily improved and the electrics were moved up to class "D" from "E". In the second heat Aubrey finished in top half of the field in 13th place, but as his position vis-a-vis his electric competitors became more clear, he seemed to become more relaxed and really hit his stride. The first of the final races saw him take 5th place and starting to get the attention of the thousand or so spectators. When the team had arrived, the electric "novelty" was on the receiving end of friendly jokes but as it moved up in the standings, the kidding was put aside.

The last race was the clincher. Thomas got a great start, moving from 13th position to 5th by the first turn on the "Prairie" style course. Moments later, there were only two raucous gassers ahead and when the checkered flag finally dropped, it was Aubrey on the Zero MX that felt the flush of victory. The result brought his ranking for the day up to 3rd in D class but more than that, it opened a lot of eyes to what may lie ahead. Next year's motocross racing could become very interesting as other makers, such as KTM, start to field electric entries of their own. We're looking forward to it.

[Source: Motorbiker.org / FFM via Plugbike]

Zero MX bests Quantya, takes 3rd in class in French regional races originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Caterham pursuing electric sports cars?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Racing

Caterham R500 - Click above for high-res image gallery

The same things that makes the cars from British boutique automaker Caterham sporty and fun to drive could also potentially make them excellent choices for alternative powertrains. There's plenty of available real estate under the hood, a simple rear-wheel drive chassis and, above all else, a distinct absence of weight.

As such, it's not surprising to hear that Caterham is looking into both hybrid and fully electric drivetrains. According to Autocar, Caterham chief Ansar Ali said at the Tokyo Motor Show that his company would unveil an eco-friendly prototype before the end of the year. Both the hybrid and electric powertrains will be sourced from unnamed manufacturers.

Further, Caterham is planning a one-make race series in 2011 to show off its new green sportscar, which may well be followed up in 2012 with a production model if sufficient demand is found. Performance will reportedly to be just as sprightly in EV form as it is with the firm's normal gasoline-fed engines.

[Source: Autocar]

REPORT: Caterham pursuing electric sports cars? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lightning Motorcycles hits 166 miles per hour at Bonneville

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Racing

Lightning Motorcycles at Bonneville - Click above for high-res image gallery

Suddenly, we've got a competition on our hands. While it didn't seem likely that any other electric motorcycle manufacturers would even attempt to top Mission Motors' recent 150-plus mile per hour record run for a production-intent vehicle (the team hit 161 mph at one point) at the Bonneville Salt Flats, not only did Lightning Motorcycles make the trip, the company's machine ~~unofficially~~ (it was an official run, but not followed up with a repeat run to qualify for an official record) went 166 miles per hour!

Lightning's prototype is powered by lithium ion batteries from A123, which send their electrons to a motor taken from a GM EV1 electric car. Riding the bike for most of its test runs was Aaron Frank from Motorcyclist Magazine, and you can read about the various attempts made by Frank here. The actual 166 mph mark was set by Paul Thede from Race Tech, who was otherwise running his own CBR600RR on the salt.

There's more speed to be had, it seems. Unfortunately, the original bodywork that Lightning Motorcycles had intended to use on the electric machine was ruled illegal during technical inspection, so the bike was run with the fairing from a Ducati 1098 instead. Ultimately, the team's goal is to break the 176 mph record held by Kent Riches in a fully-faired electric streamliner. We wish them the best!

Gallery: Lightning Motorcycles at Bonneville

[Source: Lightning Motorcycles]
Photos: ZZ/Lightning Motorcycles - Used with permission

Continue reading Lightning Motorcycles hits 166 miles per hour at Bonneville

Lightning Motorcycles hits 166 miles per hour at Bonneville originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA Preview: Mavizen TTX02 electric motorcycle to be unveiled in Vegas

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, SEMA Show, On Two Wheels, Racing

According to the official TTXGP blog, the long-awaited TTX02 electric racebike will be unveiled November 3rd at the giant SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Based on the race-winning Agni X01 electric motorcycle with a frame sourced from an unknown "leading motorcycle manufacturer," the team behind the effort claims it will be the world's first production electric supersport bike bred for racing.

Details on the feature are scarce, but the Mavizen TTX02 is also said to come equipped with a dedicated IP address that will have connectivity to a network of some sort. We're not entirely sure what that connection will allow or what benefits it will offer, but it sounds interesting.

You'll also be happy to hear that the TTX02 will soon be featured in a new music video from 20-year-old UK pop star Jodie Aysha. The video will be for the song "Pozer" and will air in mid December on MTV. We're sure you're just as excited about this as we are.

[Source: TTXGP]

SEMA Preview: Mavizen TTX02 electric motorcycle to be unveiled in Vegas originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zero Emission Race plans to go around the world in 80 days

Domenick Yoney — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:56:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Europe/EU, North America, Asia, Racing

It's been less than a year since Louis Palmer ended his 17-month circumnavigation of the planet in his solar-powered "taxi" and it seems the experience has inspired him to organize something bigger and better. The Swiss teacher is putting together a zero emissions race around the world that will, not unlike the fictional Phileas Fogg, attempt to make the trip in eighty days. While that is 470 days faster than Palmer's original journey, the competitive version will be taking a more direct 30,000 kilometer (18,641 mile) route.

So far eight teams have signed on and the campaign should boast vehicles as diverse as the ErockIT, the Tesla Roadster and the Loremo. According to the website of the participating Racing Green Endurance team, the entire extravaganza will be filmed and made into a documentary. The race will start ~~from the 2010 Geneva Motor Show~~ in June 2010 and, as well as vying for quickest finish time, competitors will be judged on various criteria including reliability, safety and affordability. Applications are still being accepted so if you have an appropriate vehicle and can feed your local grid with the renewable energy necessary to offset that used by your entry, why not give it a shot? Not only is it a great opportunity to demonstrate to the world what is low-pollution possible, for some it could provide a planet-sized promotional platform for their green transportation product. Check out the vehicle eligibility requirements and let us know in the comments who you think should sign up. Thanks to Matthijs for the tip!

[Source: The Zero Emissions Race]

Zero Emission Race plans to go around the world in 80 days originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Acura and Porsche take inaugural ALMS Green Challenge championship

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:10:00 EST

Filed under: Acura, Porsche, Racing

Fernandez Acura ARX-01b at Laguna Seca - click above for high-res image gallery

Season 1 of the American Le Mans Series' Michelin GreenX Challenge is now in the books with Acura and Porsche taking the inaugural season championship. The 2009 season wrapped up at Laguna Seca this weekend with Gil de Ferran taking overall victory in the Acura ARX-02a and the No. 45 Flying Lizard Porsche 911.

However, it was the LMP2 class Acura ARX-01b of Fernandez racing that took Green honors among the prototypes after finishing second overall to de Ferran. The Fernandez car has been running strong all season The second of the two Flying Lizard Porsches, driven by Johannes van Overbeek and Seth Neiman, had the best combination of performance, efficiency and emissions among the production-derived GT cars both at Laguna and over the whole season.

Following the race, Michelin announced that it would continue its title sponsorship of the Green Challenge for the 2010 season which kicks off Sebring in March.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Acura and Porsche take inaugural ALMS Green Challenge championship originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

TTXGP to add Supermoto class for 2010

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:02:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, Racing

Zero S electric supermoto motorcycle - Click above for high-res image gallery

Following up on the successful launch of the TTXGP zero-emissions motorcycle race at the Isle of Man earlier this year, the organizers behind the racing series have decided to branch out in 2010 to include a Supermoto class in addition to the Pro1 and Pro2 classes that have already been announced.

The new Supermoto class will be run in partnership with the Peveril Motorcycle Club, which has been in operation since 1923 and ran the first organized Supermoto event at the Isle of Man in 2005. The exact details of where the course will take the electric supermoto bikes will be finalized in early October.

In related news, the first TTX02 rolling chassis, which is reportedly based on the race-winning Agni bike, has been delivered. Up to 50 TTX02 racers will be built and sold to riders and teams that hope to compete in upcoming electric motorcycle racing events.

Gallery: Zero Motorcycles Zero S

[Source: TTXGP]

TTXGP to add Supermoto class for 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Killacycle electrocutes its own quarter mile record [w/VIDEO]

Domenick Yoney — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:02:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, On Two Wheels, USA, Racing

Its been a mixed year for the A123-sponsored Killacycle crew. On one hand, they've been involved with bringing an electric delivery truck to market and that's cool. On the racing hand, well, there hasn't been much to report. Although entered in the TTXGP, they were a disappointing no-show. An expected assault on a land speed record also didn't materialize. Even their racing bread and butter, the record-owning quarter-mile drag machine, had been letting them down despite (or because of) having secret A123 skunkworks cells installed. Letting them down, that is, until now.

On Saturday they re-visited the thin air of the Bandimere Speedway that had provided the backdrop for last year's record breaking run and, with Scotty Pollacheck in the saddle of the rocket, raised the bar yet again. The National Electric Drag Racing (NEDRA) record run is now 7.864 @ 169 mph. Yes, that's less than a tenth of a second quicker than the previous mark, but times at these events tend to be sliced rather thinly.

It may be of some interest that electric motorcycle records were set in both lanes. Killacycle crew member Eva Håkansson's ElectroCat is now not only the Swedish conversion we've ever seen but officially also the quickest 48-volt bike in the eighth of a mile. Perhaps not as impressive as the Zilla-equipped Killa but it's street legal and that ought to count for something. Check out the pairing in the coming and going videos awaiting you after the jump.

[Source: Eva Håkansson]

Continue reading Killacycle electrocutes its own quarter mile record [w/VIDEO]

Killacycle electrocutes its own quarter mile record [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Audi and Porsche win Michelin GreenX Challenge at Petit Le Mans

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Diesel, MPG, Audi, Porsche, Racing

Audi R15 TDI leading Petit Le Mans - click above for high res gallery

The American Le Mans Series ran half of its annual flagship race this past weekend at a rain-saturated Road Atlanta track in Georgia. The race marked the first anniversary of the inauguration of the ALMS Green Challenge and in spite of the truncated race length, organizers announced winners in both the prototype and GT categories and the winners all came from the Volkswagen Group.

Among the prototypes, the number 1 Audi R15 TDI led for more than four hours until shortly before the race was red flagged. However, the combination of the diesel's fuel efficiency and performance gave the Audi sufficient points to be declared the Michelin GreenX Challenge winner. Among the GT cars, several problems hurt the performance of the cellulosic E85-fueled Corvettes. Thus, the Flying Lizard team's Porsche 911s had the best combination of carbon footprint and performance. With only one race remaining at Laguna Seca, the Porsches are strong contenders to win the season's green challenge championship.

Gallery: Audi R15 TDI at Petit Le Mans 2009

Gallery: Flying Lizard Porsche at Petit Le Mans 2009

Continue reading Audi and Porsche win Michelin GreenX Challenge at Petit Le Mans

Audi and Porsche win Michelin GreenX Challenge at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Dyson Racing debuts ethanol-biobutanol blend at Petit Le Mans

Sam Abuelsamid — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:41:00 EST

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, Mazda, Racing

Dyson Racing B09/96 running at Mid-Ohio - click above for high res image gallery

When we spoke with American Le Mans Series CEO Scott Atherton at the Detroit Auto Show last January he revealed that discussions were being held between the series and parties interested in racing with a new fuel. At the time he declined to reveal the nature of the fuel but expected to announce something during the 2009 season. We're now down to the second-to-last-race of 2009 and a fourth fuel has finally arrived.

Dyson Racing's LMP2 #16 Lola-Mazda is running unclassified at this weekend's Petiti Le Mans because its fuel tank will be filled with a blend of biobutanol and ethanol. This is the first use of butanol in an ALMS car. Dyson has been working with its primary sponsor, BP, and engine supplier Mazda to develop the new fuel which is currently produced from sugar cane but can also be produced from cellulosic sources. Butanol has several advantages over ethanol including higher energy density allowing mileage and power closer to gasoline. Because it doesn't have the same tendency to absorb water that causes corrosion, it can be blended with gasoline in higher concentrations without modifying the engines. Hopefully in 2010 we'll see cars running for points fueled by butanol all season long.

Gallery: Dyson Racing Mazda-Lola at Mid-Ohio

[Source: American Le Mans Series]
All photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Dyson Racing debuts ethanol-biobutanol blend at Petit Le Mans

Dyson Racing debuts ethanol-biobutanol blend at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

VIDEO: Rush runs Leno's Green Car Challenge, takes out Al Gore twice

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Ford, Green Daily, Racing

Rush Limbaugh in Jay Leno's Green Car Challenge - Click above to watch the video after the break

As expected, Rush Limbaugh strapped himself behind the wheel of Ford's specially-prepped electric Focus hatchback as part of Jay Leno's Green Car Challenge last night. We don't mean to brag or anything (well, maybe just a little), but we totally predicted the outcome way in advance of the actual running.

No, Rush did not beat Drew Barrymore's score for his timed lap. Yes, he did in fact take out Al Gore... twice. Also Ed Begley Jr. In any case, Limbaugh claims to have enjoyed his time driving a silent electric car in anger and couldn't care less that his time was negatively impacted by aiming for Gore and Begley. Click past the break to watch the video.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Rush runs Leno's Green Car Challenge, takes out Al Gore twice

VIDEO: Rush runs Leno's Green Car Challenge, takes out Al Gore twice originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buckeye Bullet 2 claims land speed record for fuel cell vehicles, 300.992 mph

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:55:00 EST

Filed under: Hydrogen, Racing

We first heard about the Buckeye Bullet 2 about two years ago when we were covering the Ford Fusion 999 land speed record project. The student engineering team from The Ohio State University was collaborating with engineers from Ford and the two teams shared data on improving performance of the fuel cell and electric motor system. While Ford finished the Fusion program after setting a 207 mph record, the OSU team has soldiered on.

This week at the Bonneville Salt Flats, the Buckeye team made another attempt at hitting their target of 300 mph. After making the required two passes in opposite directions, the hydrogen-fueled streamliner finally topped the magic mark. Over the flying mile, the car averaged 299.900 mph. In the flying kilometer, the average was 300.992 mph with a top recorded speed of 304 mph. That makes this the first hydrogen vehicle to top 300 mph and the fastest FIA recorded speed for an electric drive vehicle. The original battery-powered Buckeye Bullet 1 has a national record of 314.958 mph and maximum recorded speed of 321.834 mph.

[Source: Buckeye Bullet Blog]

Buckeye Bullet 2 claims land speed record for fuel cell vehicles, 300.992 mph originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments