Tesla unveils world’s first mass-produced, highway-capable EV

Tesla Motors is now taking orders for the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries  seven people and travels 300 miles per charge.

The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes. By recharging their car while they stop for a meal, drivers can go from LA to New York in approximately the same time as a gasoline car.  Moreover, the floor-mounted battery pack is designed to be changed out in less time than it takes to fill a gas tank, allowing for the possibility of battery-pack swap stations.
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Rinspeed “iChange” 1-2-3-seater with “trick-tail” debuts in Geneva

With the “iChange” the Swiss designers of Rinspeed present a “1-2-3-seater” powered by a 130kw-electric motor. The concept car’s striking body structure adapts via “electronic trick-tail” to the number of passengers: while the sporty and streamlined teardrop shape seats only the driver, two more passengers may join him once the car’s rear end has risen as if by magic. In the blink of an eye the full-blooded sports car turns into a compact sportsvan.

With the Rinspeed “iChange” the automotive jack-of-all-trades Frank M. Rinderknecht and his partners aim to provide thought-provoking impulses for the automobile industry: “Thinking about variability and the constantly changing energy demand, we have created an extremely flexible vehicle.” The result is a zero-emission car featuring both extremely low weight and aerodynamic drag, thus further reducing the power consumption.

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The Mindset Prototype is running

Murat Günak’s latest baby, the Mindset, is taking its first steps toward series production at the end of 2009 with this driveable prototype spotted in the Swiss mountains. The car will be build by French Heuliez and claims to be the first car fully developed as an electric vehicle rather than a derivative of a normal car, yet the car still features a 2 cylinder, 24 hp diesel engine to feed the batteries after 100 km’s of driving electric, which in essence makes it a hybrid and thereby was beaten to production by the Toyota Prius by around 8 years.

The car is aimed to weigh 850 kgs with a 95 hp electric engine driving the wheels. Mindset is also busy setting up its German infrastructure for sales, maintenance and parts.