Sherman 8175-126-4 Grille/hood/bumper Valence Insert Kit Toyota Corolla on 2040-parts.com

Porsche 918 Spyder: New specs and new photos

The Porsche 918 Spyder specification have been revealed Porsche has tried to keep weight in check on the 918 Spyder, but having a big, heavy electric hybrid setup on board hasn’t made that easy, and nor has making that setup 4WD. So Porsche has built the monocoque chassis from carbon fibre reinforced polymer to keep weight in check, despite which the 918 Spyder still comes in at a weighty 1640kg, even in ‘Weissach’ trim (more in standard guise). So Poprsche has had to be clever about the way they use the power they have on offer.

Volvo Plug-In Hybrid by 2012

Volvo are working on a plug in Hybrid for 2012 offerng 50g/km Co2 emissions Laudable though this intent is, it’s a little like the Vauxhall / Opel Ampera – it relies on technology that doesn’t yet exist to deliver what it promises. But to get things moving, Volvo are going to be running a number of Volvo V70 diesel-electric Hybrids round Europe this year, to guage customer feedback and try to establish exactly what the consumer wants. They also want to establish exactly what the consumer can live with in terms of ‘Re-fuelling’.

Hyundai ix35 FCEV production starts – & previews the ix35 facelift?

Hyundai has started production of the ix35 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle which perhaps previews the facelift for the ix35. We revealed last year that Hyundai were pushing ahead with their hydrogen fuel cell cars (and eschewing battery EVs in the process) with plans to start rolling the Hyundai ix35 FCEV off the production line by the end of 2012. That plan slipped just a little, but the first ix35 FCEV has now rolled of the production line in Korea (pictured above) as Hyundai work towards full scale production of the ix35 FCEV by 2015.