BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the German automaker does indeed have plans toward building what he calls a “mega city” car, perhaps positioning it at the spearhead of a new green brand for the company. Both the tiny new car and the brand could provide a serious buffer against new and upcoming standards of fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the U.S. and Europe.

Said Reithofer, “It’ll be a car with a completely new look, with two engines available. One will be a very efficient combustion engine and the other will be a purely electric model.”

The pure EV model would need to comply with potential California standards requiring fuel cell and battery-powered vehicles to have a range of 200 miles or more by 2012. A popular rumor has BMW reanimating the Isetta nameplate for the project but no official word from the automaker has confirmed a move in that, admittedly synergistic, direction.
 
+ Autocar: BMW confirms electric city car

Tesla Motors may have already sold 27 examples of its groundbreaking Roadster, but with an announcement today that a new production-spec one-speed gearbox has been approved; the company is ready to take the next step in ramping up vehicle delivery.

The new BorgWarner gearbox is part of an enhanced powertrain for the Tesla which will see the car net solid gains in both performance and efficiency. The new powertrain will boost torque from the motor by an estimated 30 percent and return a 10 percent more efficient overall mileage rating from the EPA—raising the Roadster’s effective range from the original 221 miles between charges to as many as 244 miles.

The tens of customers who’ve already taken delivery of the Roadster won’t be left out in the cold either, as Tesla has promised to retrofit the new powertrain in existing vehicles free of charge, no pun intended.

With these final details now in place, Tesla hopes to begin producing its EV sports cars at the rate of 10 per week, with a goal of moving to as many as 40 per week by the early part of 2009. Said Tesla chief Ze’ev Drori, “Now that we have a final powertrain design, in a matter of months there will be hundreds of Tesla Roadsters across the country.”

Scroll down below to read the full Tesla release.

Even for students of history and those with really long memories, it’s been a long time since any automobiles built by Detroit Electric plied the world’s roadways. But today, the company (whose name was last affixed to a new vehicle in 1939) announced that it will be working with Malaysia’s Proton to build a lineup of pure electric cars, with the first one rolling out worldwide by the end of 2009.

Currently, Detroit Electric has implemented its drive systems into the Lotus Elise (the British sportscar maker is owned by the Malaysian concern) and a pair of Proton cars, the Persona and Savvy. There is no confirmation at this point of which cars will be released in what markets (and when), but DE is looking to put 30,000 of its powertrains on the world’s roads by 2010. According to Paul Tan of PaulTan.org (who managed to snag an invite to Detroit Electric’s press conference and test session at their test circuit in Shah Alam, Malaysia), Detroit Electric is actually talking with three different manufacturers about integrating DE drive systems into their vehicles. Proton appears to be the only named company at this point, although Tan says that the other companies are American and German, respectively.

Click on the link below to read more from PaulTan.org (including some limited drive impressions and photos), and check out Detroit Electric’s official press release below.

+ PaulTan.org: DRIVEN: Detroit Electric’s electric Lotus Elise

What would appear to be the final production version of the much ballyhooed Chevrolet Volt has been spotted wheeling around the set of the upcoming Transformers movie, Revenge of the Fallen. A lucky fan was able to capture the Volt on video as it was being uncloaked and then driven away. There’s no word as yet from General Motors as to the veracity of this as the read deal Volt, nor is there likely to be, but the company has yet again splashed out hugely to feature its products in the blockbuster movie and it would seem the perfect place to hype its upcoming car.

Take a look at some still screen captures of the Volt in the gallery above, or watch the movie first hand here .

+ Transformers 2 Unofficial Movie Blog (via Autoblog )

http://gm-volt.com/2008/08/28/breaking-production-volt-spied-the-real-deal/

Tesla plans on launching all-electric city cars in 2010 in collaboration with several manufacturers, reports the UK’s Car Online. The experience and know-how Tesla gathered from the development of its Roadster (seen above) is playing out well in its mission to become more than just an independent car company—in fact, it appears Tesla will become something more like a Tier 1 supplier as well as a manufacturer.

Vectrix, builders of a posh electrically-powered scooter, seemed at the beginning of the year to be on the verge of going belly up. The company built over 2,000 examples of its EV two-wheeler in 2007 but managed to sell only 123 of the bikes for the massive price of nearly $12,000 per.

Rapidly shifting values of American consumers have seen Vectrix fair quite a bit better in the first half of this year though. Helped in no small part we’d guess by a price drop to $8795 for the 2007 model scooter, the company has already managed to sell more than 1,000 examples in 2008. The sales explosion has seen the total of Vectrix retailers grow from just five in the U.S. during the spring of last year, to fifty locations currently. The company also claims some 75 dealerships in other countries.
The company is likely to see an even greater explosion in popularity in coming years, as there are plans in the works for an even more affordable model that will use a new NiMH battery, and should have an effective range of around 70 miles. Target price for the new scooter, which could launch sometime next year, is roughly $5000.

+ AutoblogGreen: Vectrix sales get their scoot on, more affordable model coming next year

A123 Systems, the high-tech battery startup in Boston, announced last week that it filed a proposal for an initial public offering (IPO). Savvy enthusiasts will recognize the company as the supplier for the lithium-ion batteries found in the Chevrolet Volt test vehicles. If the IPO proposal is approved by the SEC, you’ll soon be able to buy A123 stock and—by stock market sleight of hand—own a small but important piece of the Chevrolet Volt’s secret sauce. After all, without those lithium-ion batteries, the Volt would be little more than a burned-out ash in Bob Lutz’s cigar tray of dreams.

Update: A123 Systems is GM's supplier for their batteries for the testing phase of the Chevrolet Volt, but no decision has been made final for the production version at this time.

+ A123 Systems IPO proposal (VentureBeat.com)

Professor Daniel Nocera and other researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have worked out a process which simulates photosynthesis in its ability to store energy collected from the sun. Using a catalyst consisting of cobalt metal, phosphate, and an electrode placed in water, the MIT team is able to produce oxygen and hydrogen gas under normal temperatures and conditions. The catalyst works with any source of electricity, including that made from abundant solar energy, and could create hydrogen and oxygen to be stored in a fuel cell and used when needed for power.

This rather revolutionary process could potentially turn any home into a sort of mini power station, providing carbon-free energy for, among other things, electric vehicles. Watch the video above to hear Nocera explain the process and then be sure to give us your take, in comments.

+ MIT News

This past Friday, a Tesla roadster found its way into the back end of a Mercedes. The accident took place at around 6 p.m. on the corner of Geary and Gough streets in San Francisco. In the photos taken by Alex Volkov, the crash also involved what looks like a Toyota Camry. From what police and drivers gather, it seems that the low profile and silent Tesla was about to change lanes when the Mercedes came to a sudden halt. Thankfully, all seems to be well for at least the people involved. No injuries from the crash were reported.

This doesn't seem to be the Tesla's first ever accident though. The roadster's first ever scuffle was when a technician managed to significantly damage the front end of the Roadster that was meant for Tesla Motors' co-Founder Martin Eberhard while doing a final checkout drive to make sure everything was working properly.

+ Hey!: World's first Tesla crash in San Francisco [Update] (via Jalopnik )