The electric car revolution is here. Some of the world’s biggest automakers are lining up to get greener with their fleet of cars. Mitsubishi, BMW and Audi revealed their electric cars recently.
BMW has actually started general public trials for the electric MINI E in the UK this week. This is apparently very first of such trials in the UK where an electric car will be tested under normal everyday conditions. They are releasing 40 sample cars to the public for the trials.
BMW MINI E is a front-wheel drive. It uses a single-stage helical gearbox. Its not a sports car with turbo speeds but you can get to 62mph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed has been capped at 95 mph. The rear of the car has been used to place li-ion batteries so MINI E can only seat two passengers.
Mitsubishi has released 25i-MiEVs, the electric version of its compact four-seat, four-door, rear-engined “i” city car. It’s claimed to run 100 miles on every charge, which is not much but considering the charging options that are being promised, one would say 100 miles per charge is a fair deal.
Audi showcased, rather covertly, their Audi E-Tron in the US. It’s an all-wheel, all-electric high-end sports car. Audi maintains it’s still a concept car but the R8 look-alike E-Tron is sure to raise expectations when you find out that an electric car is capable of going zero-60 in 4.7 seconds.
Is this the future of automobile industry? GM has been forced to think innovative after the recession saga, but what about the rest? Is green innovation the key to future?
Ears to ground