The Geneva Motor Show may have closed its doors, but there was still time for another series of exciting range extended electric car concepts to be revealed.

This time it was the turn of Malaysian car manufacturer Proton, which unveiled the five-door, four-seat hatchback EMAS; a three-door, five-seat hatchback EMAS Country for country driving; and a three-door, 3+1 seat EMAS3 for city driving.

Proton EMAS drive system elements.

As it bids to expand its global footprint, Proton is focusing on eco-friendly vehicles with EMAS standing for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, while also meaning “gold” in the Malay language. The EMAS vehicles are the result of collaboration between Proton, its subsidiary Lotus, and Italian design house Italdesign Giugiaro. 

The drivetrain for the vehicles has been developed by Lotus Engineering and includes the Lotus Range Extender three-cylinder, 1.2litre internal combustion engine. It can develop 38kW at 3,500rpm and can run on petrol, natural gas, ethanol or methanol. The front transverse internal combustion engine is coupled with a generator that recharges the 11.47kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

Five-door hatchback Proton EMAS.

The engine boasts some impressive performance statistics. Its top speed is 106mph and it can accelerate from 0-62mph in 14 seconds. Battery range in the hybrid configuration is 31miles.  

Proton is now hoping that the EMAS3 can be fitted with a larger battery pack so that a full electric version can be made available.

Two Mercedes-Benz series hybrid Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid buses are being put through their paces as part of a field test led by the Hamburger Hochbahn Transit Company.

The 18-metre hybrid buses are powered in part by four electric motors that are integrated into the wheel hubs on the centre and rear axles, and have a total output of 320kW. The vehicle also uses a combustion engine but it has only 4.8litres displacement compared to the standard 12 and with an output of 160kW it is around a third lower than the normal. It is also comparatively lightweight at around 450kg instead of 1,000kg.

The buses can run solely on electric power for stretches without making use of the diesel engine and they are the first vehicles to be sold and used within the framework of a customer field test in Germany.

It is expected that Mercedes Benz parent-company Daimler will test around 30 Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid buses in selected regions later this year to demonstrate their suitability for everyday use.

A range extended electric conversion of the Ford F-150 has been revealed as part of the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show and Green Truck Summit.

The vehicle, developed by Michigan-based electric powertrain company ALTe LLC includes a Ford 2.0litre, four-cylinder normally aspirated petrol engine that powers an 82kW Remy DC generator. It includes two Remy DC drive motors that run at 320V and deliver 400Nm maximum torque.

The battery pack has been assembled into a saddlebag configuration with a 52mile all-electric range. Fuel economy in charge sustaining mode is 32mpg and the entire range extended electric system adds around 200lbs to the vehicle’s net weight. 

According to ALTe CEO John Thomas, the company is in discussions with several car manufacturers at the chairman and CEO level and is also in discussions with a major retail chain that is interested in becoming a nationwide centre partner.

Thomas hopes that his company might be the one that offers Freightliners, manufacturers and their customers the range-extended solution to complement the existing battery electric vehicles in the field.

An international safety standard for electric and hybrid vehicles has been adopted this week as the ‘World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations’. 

The adoption of the new type approval clears the way for the early uptake of electric cars across 41 countries which have mutual recognition of this approval.

The new regulations cover all types of electric vehicles: pure electric, hybrid, plug-in, as well as hydrogen fuel cells vehicles as regards to electric safety requirements.  They set electric safety requirements of all types of electric road vehicles (passenger and commercial vehicles) which can exceed 25 km/h. One of the key requirements is that vehicles must provide users with an effective protection against electric shocks.

The World Forum-a subsidiary body of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)-is responsible for developing vehicle regulations aimed at increasing vehicle safety and environmental performance. It adopted the new version of UNECE Regulation No. 100 on Wednesday during its March session which concludes today.

This change in UNECE Regulation No. 100 reflects the growing interest of both manufacturers and customers for electric and hybrid vehicles, as evidenced at the Geneva motor show this year.

It offers car manufacturers the legal instrument to put into the market passenger and commercial vehicles with greener standards, reducing the costs and delays associated with multiple approvals in various countries.

The list of countries that that recognise the  UNECE Regulation No. 100 includes the 27 Member States of the European Union, the European Union itself, as well as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Norway, Russian Federation, Serbia, Switzerland, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia and Turkey.  Several Asian countries, including Japan, are expected to apply the new version soon.

Is the prospect of saving on fuel expenses enough to tempt you to buy a hybrid or electric car? A new survey would suggest not.

Accenture polled 1,800 customers across Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the US and found that while interest in both hybrid cars and electric cars is growing, consumers want more than just fuel savings from car manufacturers with only 36 per cent believing higher fuel prices is reason enough to buy.

The survey also showed that six out of 10 customers are more likely to buy hybrid and electric cars when they are shown to be superior to petrol models in every way with most of those that have driven these green cars rating their ride, performance, maintenance and style as “good at best”.

Around half said they were unwilling to pay any more for a hybrid or electric car than they would for a petrol/diesel fuel only vehicle; while 42 per cent said they are likely to buy a hybrid or electric car in the next two years.

According to Luca Mentuccia, the managing director of Accenture’s Automotive Group, the study suggests that consumers are embracing the value of alternative fuel vehicles but still want models to represent a new phase in the evolution of automobiles. In-vehicle services are seen as crucial, and both manufacturers and suppliers will need to establish strategic partnerships that lead to distinctive capabilities, particularly surrounding entertainment and environmental protection.

Ferrari isn’t a name we feature too often here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk but even the esteemed motor racing giant can’t resist getting in on the green act.

The Italian carmaker presented a hybrid experimental vehicle known as the HY-KERS at the Geneva Motor Show. The car, based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, boasts a lightweight hybrid drivetrain with its system components located below the centre of gravity so as not to impact the interior and luggage space.

Remarkably, the vehicle maintains the performance characteristics of typical Ferraris while also reducing CO2 emissions by around 35 per cent.

The Ferrari HY-KERS boasts F1 technology and the construction of a brand new electric motor that helps to optimise the lateral dynamics of the car while enhancing traction and brake balance. The motor weighs a mere 40kg and is coupled to the rear of the seven-speed F1 transmission. It uses one of the transmission’s two clutches and one of the two gearbox primary shafts to allow power to be coupled seamlessly and instantaneously from both the motor and the V12 engine.

Depending on the vehicle’s speed, the Ferrari HY-KERS can operate as a full electric vehicle with the electric drive unit acting as a generator during braking by taking the kinetic energy from the negative torque and using it to recharge the batteries.

Indeed hybrid technology is only one element of Ferrari’s plans to go green. The company has also introduced a stop and start system on the Ferrari California that reduces fuel consumption and emissions by around six per cent. It has also looked into reducing friction within the engine to tackle fuel consumption – the Ferrari California has eliminated pumping losses by making changes in the pressure below the pistons.

The 2010 Geneva Motor Show has played host to many of the green cars of the future – but Audi’s A8 parallel hybrid technology will be on our roads sooner than you may expect.

The technology architecture of the A8 hybrid is actually a preview of the Audi Q5 Hybrid which is expected to enter the market either later this year or in early 2011. That doesn’t mean that the A8 Hybrid will be left on the shelf, however – it is due in late 2011/early 2012.

As for the car itself, the Audi A8 Hybrid takes its power from a four-cylinder 2.0 TFSI engine as well as an electric motor – together they have an output of 180kW and 480Nm of torque. It can accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.6seconds and can reach a top speed of 146mph.

The 2.0 TFSI has received plaudits in the industry having been named “engine of the year” five times in a row since 2005. It uses a direct fuel injection with turbocharging, combined with an AVS Audi valvelift system that regulates the valve lift in two stages. This improves the cylinder charging and ensures powerful torque build-up.

The engine’s impressive credentials do not come at the expense of fuel economy, however.

Average fuel consumption for the Audi A8 Hybrid amounts to 38mpg with emissions at 144g/km of CO2. This means that in city traffic, the hybrid drive uses around 20 per cent less fuel than a conventional model. The hybrid drive has been designed for fully electric powered driving up to 40mph and for a distance in excess of 1.2miles. Above 40mph the combustion engine does the propulsive work while the electric motor recharges the battery.

Mercedes is wasting no time in establishing itself in the green car race by debuting three brand new vehicles at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

At the top of the list is the new E300 BlueTEC diesel HYBRID, Mercedes’ first production diesel hybrid that pairs a 2.2litre four-cylinder engine which produces 204hp with a 15kW electric motor. The motor assists the diesel engine when the car is accelerating and is also used to recuperate brake energy in alternator mode. The overall output from the vehicle is 224hp with torque in excess of 580Nm.

Fuel consumption is a high priority for the Mercedes E300 BlueTEC diesel HYBRID too, as it garners 57mpg and emissions are a meagre 109g/km. Its remarkable figures are achieved thanks to a host of green features including a stop/start function, boost effect and, for the first time, “sailing” and silent starting of the internal combustion engine by the electric motor.

Currently, the company is selling two hybrids – the S400 Hybrid and the ML450 two-mode hybrid – and expects to add the E300 BlueTEC diesel hybrid to the list by the end of 2011.

E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

Also making their debuts in Geneva are the new Mercedes C220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and the Mercedes E250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY.

Both BlueEFFICIENCY models have lowered fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The C220 CDI achieves 52mpg while its CO2 output falls from 127g/km to 119g/km; while the E250 CDI achieves 48mpg and reduces emissions from 154g/km to 129g/km. Both vehicles boast a special automatic stop-start system and will be available this autumn.

The 2010 Geneva Motor Show has been a showcase for the green cars of tomorrow – but few are as technically astounding as Nissan Infiniti’s new M35 Hybrid.

The vehicle uses an original parallel one motor/two clutch hybrid system along with a 3.5litre V6 engine, a 50kW electric motor and a seven-speed transmission.

According to Owen Thunes, the senior project engineer for Electric, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Vehicles at the Nissan Technical Centre, the vehicle will be able to deliver fuel economy similar to that of a compact car while also significantly improving fuel efficiency in highway mode when compared to conventional systems.

Nissan has opted for a design that sees the first clutch installed between the 3.5litre engine and the electric motor. It allows full decoupling of the V6 when the system is in either electric or power regeneration mode, and so reduces mechanical drag and boosts efficiency. According to Thunes, the system was chosen after a thorough modelling comparison on a range of hybrid systems while focusing on fuel consumption and acceleration. Nissan found that on a V8 5.6litre system the two variants of the parallel system – a 7AT one motor-two clutch and a 7AT two motor-two clutch – were able to outperform all the other systems. The study also found that the one motor parallel system had the most attractive cost structure.

However, to implement the system, Nissan had to develop an integrated control technology that could regulate the battery inverter, motor, clutches, engine and transmission at the same time. As such, a high output lithium-ion battery was employed that could switch between charging and discharging rapidly.

Thunes states that the ability to connect and disconnect the engine has numerous benefits – for example at high speed, the engine can be used in the efficient operating range by generating power with the motor and high final gear ratio.

The Nissan Infiniti M35 Hybrid will arrive in Western Europe in spring 2011 and will be the first Nissan hybrid offered in the US, European and Japanese markets.

Forget a one-two punch – it’s a hat-trick of hybrids for Porsche at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Having already introduced the Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid with flywheel KERS (see article) and the Cayenne S Hybrid (see article), now the company has revealed a plug-in hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder concept car.

This exciting two-seat model is powered by a high speed V8 that develops 500bhp at 9,200rpm and also boasts electric motors on the front and rear axle with a mechanical output of 218bhp. The engine is a further development of the 3.4litre power unit that is used in the RS Spyder, and power is transmitted by a seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe that also feeds the electric drive system to the rear axle. Meanwhile, a grid-chargeable lithium-ion battery pack is positioned behind the passenger cell. The Porsche 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid can accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than 3.2seconds and has a top speed of 198mph.

Despite its remarkable performance figures, the vehicle also boasts excellent fuel economy with fuel consumption at 78.4mpg and emissions at 70g/km of CO2.

In addition, there are four different running modes which a driver can select by pressing a button on the steering wheel. These are: e-drive, to run the car on electric power only with a range of 16miles; hybrid mode that uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine; sport hybrid that uses both drive systems but with a focus on performance; and race hybrid with the drive systems focused on pure performance with the highest standard of driving dynamics.