Red Bull outwit rival F1 teams with Start-Only KERS? UPDATE [video]

Red Bull are thought to have a mini-Kers system they use only at the race start. This allows them to defend their position at the start without some of the disadvantages of a full KERS system.

A fully optimised KERS provides an average performance boost of 0.3 seconds a lap by harvesting energy that would have been wasted during braking, storing it in batteries and then reapplying it during acceleration.

But the system's power is limited by the regulations and the heavy batteries and other parts create packaging and weight distribution problems. Equally, as the system relies on the rear wheels to provide its charge, it can increase tyre wear in races because it unsettles the handling of the car.

That is a potentially key advantage in a year when the new Pirelli tyres have been designed to degrade more quickly than the Bridgestones F1 used in the last few years.

Because of this, some teams believe a car can be made to perform faster without Kers.
Rivals teams believe Red Bull have built a Kers system with a smaller battery which is charged before the race, discharged only once at the start and not used again. The system would still need a fairly large battery to deliver the high current needed but weight could be saved because the parts needed to charge the battery during the race would not be required.

What is not clear is whether this was Red Bull's design from the start or whether they were forced to go down this route because they could not get the full system reliable enough for a race. In theory, taking this approach means the car can be made faster over one lap while ensuring they are not easily passed by those of Kers-equipped rivals close behind. Red Bull would then rely on the inherent pace of their car to keep them clear of the threat of being passed in the race.

However, there is a major risk with Red Bull's approach. If they do find themselves under threat from a Kers-equipped car in a race, Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber would be virtually defenceless.

Team principal Christian Horner would not confirm or deny the presence of the system.
But he said: "All I will tell you is our system is not the same as others' but it's at its most beneficial at the start." Vettel said after qualifying that he had not been using his Kers during the session. Webber added: "We didn't run it today for reasons we will keep in the team."

Rivals were stunned by the pace of the Red Bulls in Australia after pre-season testing had appeared to suggest that they and Ferrari would be evenly matched. Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who qualified fifth, said he believed the Italian team had failed to extract the full potential of their car on Saturday.

A leading engineer from another team said he thought it "very likely" that Red Bull had such a system as his team were working on a similar idea themselves.

UPDATE: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed after Sebastian Vettel's season-opening victory in Melbourne that the team did not have KERS on its RB7s from Saturday onwards. "We haven't had KERS on at all this weekend," said Horner.

"We didn't want to tell anybody, but looking at the start ... It didn't look like we needed it. We were a bit nervous about telling everybody before the race. We ran it on Friday and we weren't happy with the reliability, we felt it was a potential risk, so we took it off both cars and didn't race it at all this weekend."

Fully Charged Delta E4 coupe [video]

Robert Llewellyn takes an exclusive first ride in the Delta E4 coupe electric car with technical director Nick Carpenter

A Hot Lap of Laguna Seca in a Chevy Volt [video]

The Chevy Volt is completely at home barreling down a race track - in EV mode. The track is Laguna Seca.

EV Aircraft ELEKTRA ONE performs first 30 min flight [video]

The Elektra One EV aircraft performed the first flight on 19 Mar. 2011 at the Augsburg Airport in Germany. Jon Karkow, an well known test pilot and aircraft engineer performed the first flight. Flight characteristics and engne parameter were tested.

The ultra lightweight aircraft weighs just 220 pounds, plus an additional 220 pound battery pack. With a 660 pound weight capacity, there is ample room for a more than just the pilot.

The test pilot was very satisfied with the results. Three flights were performed. The climbing rate was 400 ft/min. A new 30 min. flight was performed on 23 Mar. Only about 3kW from the total on board of 6kWh energy was used.

Over the next two weeks a new variable pitch propeller and retractable landing gear will be installed for further testing.

Tata starts electric car production in UK

Indian manufacturer Tata has started production of electric cars in the UK. The firm, which owns Jaguar Land Rover, has taken on 23 people to help build 1,500 Vista models.

The vehicle has a predicted range of up to 120 miles (200km), and manages 0-60 kmph in under 10 seconds, a spokesman said. It will cost between £25,000 to £30,000 with a £5,000 reduction on top through a government grant.

The firm said it hopes they will to go on sale to the public some time next year and will assess demand after that.

Steve Ocock, manufacturing general manager, said most car manufacturers are looking towards electric vehicles. "We are committed to this new technology," he said.

"Everyone is looking at this (electric vehicle technology) and, as the volume of vehicles grow, they will become more cost-effective." He said the company will look at taking on more staff as production increases.

More than 200 people are employed by the firm at its research and development centre on the University of Warwick campus in Coventry.

Last October, Tata reversed a decision to close one of its Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing plants in the West Midlands after a pick-up in sales. It also said it would be hiring more staff to work for that brand.

Ford won't lease EV batteries [video]

Ford’s forthcoming electric Focus will be sold in the same way as a conventional car, meaning its battery pack will be included as standard.

Ford’s UK managing director Nigel Sharp said the company would not consider leasing the Focus’s lithium-ion battery pack separately to sale: “We’re waiting to see how the market reacts to other electric cars, but we are sure leasing batteries is not the way to go, even if it would bring the initial price down," he said. "The Focus must be sold as a conventional car would be."

The electric Focus is the flagship of its five-strong fleet of alternatively fuelled cars and a significant all-electric rival to the Nissan Leaf, which also has the battery pack included in its purchase price.

The Focus’s electric motor is powered by a 28kWh lithium ion battery, giving a top speed of 84mph. A standard full recharge from a 240V outlet will take three to four hours — half the time of the Nissan Leaf — and Ford is targeting a range of 100 miles.

Toyota Prius V launch delayed in Japan due to earthquake

Toyota Motor Corp. has delayed the Japan launch of its new wagon-style Prius in the wake of the parts shortage triggered by this month's earthquake.

The company had planned to start selling the car in Japan by the end of April. But that date has been pushed back, spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki said.

She was unable to say when the new launch date would be. But the setback isn't expected to affect the car's arrival in the United States and Europe later this year, Iwasaki said.

The delay makes the Prius wagon among the first new model launches to be thrown off track by the March 11 earthquake. Toyota cited the company's production shutdown, disarray in Japan's automotive supply chain and damage to its local dealer networks as reasons for the move.

Toyota is planning two versions of the Prius wagon: A two-row five seater for the United States and a three-row seven seater for Europe. Japan is expected to get both variants.

Toyota has shut down all 18 domestic assembly plants through at least March 26. Many parts makers are still struggling to come back online after being damaged in the quake or are having trouble delivering parts due to transportation snarls.

Among the damaged plants is a key factory supplying batteries for Toyota hybrid vehicles, including the Prius. The plant, operated by Primearth EV Energy Co. in quake-stricken Miyagi prefecture, can supply enough nickel-metal hydride battery packs for 300,000 cars a year.

That accounts for about 27 percent of Toyota's battery capacity. Primearth, a joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, has two plants in central Japan that supply additional batteries.

Those plants, located in Shizuoka prefecture between Tokyo and Nagoya, are operating.