Before Volvo releases a vehicle, whether it be a passenger sedan or a heavy-duty hybrid truck, the automaker always subjects it to a rigorous set of crash tests. Well, the Volvo FE Hybrid is no exception. With its 1,274-pound battery pack fitted in a position that seems vulnerable, the Volvo FE Hybrid could be a crash-test engineer’s nightmare. Not for the folks at Volvo, though.

Carl Johan Almqvist, traffic and product safety director at Volvo Trucks, says that:

It’s immensely important to carry out collision tests when working with new alternative drivelines. In the hybrid truck, the battery pack is fitted at the side of the vehicle and we must be absolutely sure that the technology is safe.

With a 3,527-pound sled slamming right into the Volvo FE’s battery pack, you’d expect some damage. According to Ulf Torgilsman, head of crash testing at Volvo trucks, though:

The test ran perfectly and everything worked exactly as planned. We saw that the battery pack is immensely stable. No thermal energy was generated, there were no fires, no fluids leaked out, the electrical system remained intact and it shut down exactly as it was supposed to do.

Hit the jump to catch video of the Volvo FE Hybrid undergoing some rigorous crash testing.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Video: Crash testing the Volvo FE Hybrid

Video: Crash testing the Volvo FE Hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Fri, 27 May 2011 17:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford is hard at work on the next generation of its Mondeo mid-size sedan. Spy photographers caught a snow and camo-covered version of the new mid-size sedan as it waits to be shuttled to its next testing location. The car shows hints of adhering to Ford’s Kinetic design language, and we expect the front-end to – ahem – focus in on that style.

The next Mondeo will serve as a true global vehicle like its smaller Fiesta and Focus siblings. Lincoln and Ford will use the upcoming Mondeo as the guts beneath both the Fusion and MKZ skin. Rumor has it that this future Mondeo will also be offered as a wagon and four-door fancy-coupe, as well.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Next-gen Ford Mondeo spotted testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The upcoming 2012 Porsche 911 has been caught cold-weather testing in preparation for the production car’s debut at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. The big news with the 2012 911 is its slight increase in size, with the aim of aligning it more with its GT and supercar competitors.

The 998 Porsche 911 will be 2.2 inches longer than the current car, with the 998’s track a hair wider than the 997’s. Out back, there’s a 3.4 liter version of Porsche’s venerable flat-six, pushing out around 345 horsepower in standard form. That should mean a 0-60 sprint of 4.8 seconds, and a 180-mile-per-hour top end.

Click past the jump to see video of the 2012 Porsche 911 in cold-weather action.

[Source: YouTube via WorldCarFans]

Continue reading Video: 2012 Porsche 911 spied cold-weather testing

Video: 2012 Porsche 911 spied cold-weather testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that we wish James Glickenhaus would adopt us (Hell, your author would barely have to change his last name) and we’ve always been quite smitten with his one-off Ferrari P4/5. The Pininfarina-bodied car has been seen everywhere from New York City to a Gooding’s auction at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Palm Beach, Florida and even the Paris Motor Show. Now we have footage of it doing more than just looking good as Glickenhaus took the car across The Pond for some high-speed testing.

After calling it a day at the track, the P4/5 doesn’t get put on a trailer, it’s used to shuffle off into the city to enjoy the local night life. We’re pretty sure that Mr. Glickenhaus gets the velvet-rope treatment when he heads out, but it’s nice to see that the P4/5 does too.

Hop the jump to watch a short video of the Ferrari P4/5 in action.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina undergoes high-speed testing

Video: Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina undergoes high-speed testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota, Daimler and BMW have all turned to the laptop battery cell technology utilized by Tesla in the Roadster to power at least one of their electric car models. For Toyota, the laptop-style cells will find a home in the automaker’s limited test fleet of battery-powered RAV4s. Daimler has chosen to power its Smart ForTwo Electric Drive and Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell with the small, cylinder-shaped cells while BMW outfitted its Mini E prototype with the Tesla Roadster-like power supply. Judging by these inclusions, it could be argued that the small-format cell pack is the way to go with electric vehicles.

But wait. BMW’s upcoming Megacity and ActiveE electrics will forego the laptop-style cells in favor of large-format ones provided by SB LiMotive. Additionally, Toyota has not committed to a single battery type for its mass-produced electric vehicles and will try out large-format units on the upcoming plug-in Prius and iQ-based battery electric and even Daimler has enlisted the help of Evonik to develop large format cells for use in the company’s future EVs.

Choosing between laptop cells and the larger format, car-only batteries, according to Automotive News (sub. req.), is a decision that’s based on cost and availability. Large format lithium-ion batteries cost around $700-$800 per kilowatt hour to manufacture. Whereas mass-produced packs that utilize laptop-type cells could set automakers back as little as $200 per kWh and are an off-the-shelf item that allows companies to build EVs while adhering to a strict time schedule. What all of the small-format programs listed above had in common is that they were quick-out-of-the-gate programs that OEMs used as promotional and test programs and, since they needed something fast, they were able to make use of Tesla’s available and tested technology. Other automakers, like Nissan, Chevrolet and Mitsubishi, have chosen to only use large-format cells for their mass-market plug-in vehicles. There’s no obvious right answer today about which size format is right for every EV and, with automakers flip-flopping between battery types, could we see another Beta-versus-VHS-style battle in the near future? If it results in better EVs, maybe that’d be a good thing.

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Sebastian Blanco / AOL

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Automakers testing both large- and small-format battery cells in today’s electric cars originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Chevrolet Volt hasn’t yet gone on sale, but General Motors is looking at ways of expanding its electric vehicle lineup. Chevy, along with partner LG, is employing a group of all-electric cars in the form of the Cruze. The sedans are part of a demonstration fleet which is located in Seoul, South Korea and is being used to provide data in an electric vehicle research project. The goal is to gather information on driving patterns and charging behavior in addition to consumer acceptance.

The Cruze EVs, along with some Daewoo Lacetti Premieres EVs, are the first fleet of full-size electric vehicles and should provide invaluable information for The General. Staying full-size means not sacrificing cargo space, so the battery pack is mounted to the underbody, leaving the trunk area open for plenty recyclable, canvas grocery bags.

The current range of the Cruze EV is around 100 miles and the car is capable of a 0-60 run in 8.2 seconds. The Cruze EV can hit a top speed of 102.5 miles per hour. Currently, the Cruze EV can be recharged via a standard 220-volt outlet in 8 to 10 hours, however the researchers are testing “quick charge” methods to reduce that figure.

The program, which begins at the end of October, is currently a demonstration and research project for South Korea only. There have been no announcements made discussing the Cruze EV coming stateside.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Chevy gets cracking on Cruze EV fleet testing

Chevy gets cracking on Cruze EV fleet testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Sep 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saker’s latest supercar has been caught testing and by the looks of things, the New Zealand-based sports car company has a new contender on its hands.

For the uninitiated, Sakar was founded in 1992 by engineer Bruce Turnbull and named for the Saker Falcon. In the intervening years, Sakar has been producing track-ready racecars, and in 2009 it began producing the Saker GT – its first street-legal offering. The lightweight, mid-engine sports car was available in three variations – the Saker GT220, Saker GT500 and the Saker GT Clubsport – but that was then. This is now.

The updated Saker GT appears to bring the styling into the modern era. Although it’s wearing the trendy black and white “camo” paint job, the large fenders and aggressive lines are hard to obscure.

At the moment, powerplants, chassis and suspension information is scarce, but the Dutch site Driving-Fun has more shots of the Saker GT being put through the paces, and judging by its current form, we should know more about the Kiwi’s latest entrant into the sports car world soon. Thanks for the tip, Luuk!

[Source: Driving-Fun (Dutch language site)]

Spy Shots: New Saker GT supercar caught track testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Further proof that Toyota is taking Consumer Reports’ recent test and subsequent Do Not Buy rating of its Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle seriously is a report from AutoWeek that the Japanese giant is testing all of the stability control systems used on every single one of its SUV models.

Toyota took the decisive action of issuing a stop sale on its new Lexus GX 460 here in the United States (also in the Middle East and Russia) after CR found that it was possible to coax the big ‘ute into a massive sideways slide when the throttle is lifted mid-corner, seemingly defeating the standard stability control in the process. Under certain situations, the tall, heavy vehicle could potentially roll over.

According to Toyota, none of the 5,400 or so owners here in the States have reported any issues with their GX 460’s handling characteristics, but that doesn’t mean the issue isn’t serious. Click here to read our own explanation as to what might be prompting the errant handling woes and expect to hear plenty more on these SUV handling issues in the coming weeks and months.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Toyota reportedly testing all of its SUV’s stability control systems originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Olympics aren’t the only interesting and noteworthy event currently taking place in Canada. General Motors says it has shipped its fleet of 2011 Chevrolet Volt test vehicles to the cold and snowy climes of Kapuskasing, about 500 miles northwest of Toronto. Current temperature? A frigid 23-degrees Fahrenheit, or -5 Celsius.

This latest test session comes just months after The General ran its fleet of Volts through Death Valley (about 100 degrees F) and the mountains of Tennessee. Not surprising, really. After all, every new vehicle goes through a rigorous set of test cycles, and, as the first mass-production, mass-market extended-range electric vehicle ever attempted, it’s of the utmost importance that GM gets this vehicle right the first time.

In addition to “hours opening and closing all hinges, including doors, trunk, glove box and interior consoles,” GM’s testers will surely be monitoring the performance of the Volt’s engine/generator and lithium ion battery pack to be sure that all is well with the system before putting the car into the hands of paying customers.

[Source: GM FastLane]

GM subjects 2011 Chevrolet Volt to cold-weather testing in Canada, eh? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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