VW wants to change the face of taxis in Europe – and make them green while it’s at it. We often talk about hybrid and green cars as personal modes of transport. Somehow the public transport element, in relation to taxis, has always been left out of this discussion. In order to fulfil this need, Volkswagen introduced the Milano Taxi concept at the Hanover trade show in April.
The motive behind this unveiling is to actually study the viability of a mass-market, emission-free taxi powered by an electric motor. In this case, the motor is capable of generating almost 115 horsepower courtesy of its 45 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, which is placed under the floor of the vehicle. Weighing just 1,500kgs, the Milano can achieve speeds of up to 120km/h and cover a distance of 300 kilometers on a single charge.
From the front, the would-be taxi looks quite dynamic, as there are LED headlamps and a prominent VW logo placed right in the centre of the bonnet – due the absence of a front grille. The rear is neatly done as well, with a set of 60:40 split doors. Showcased merely as a concept at this point, the Milano Taxi has been inspired by the classic Samba Bus of the 1950’s, and is the brain child of VW lead designers, Walter de Silva and Klaus Bischoff.
| GM introduces Volt MPV, while GMI works to develop jatropha |
The much awaited Chevrolet Volt is finally expected to go on sale in the US later this year. And GM isn’t wasting any time before developing additional vehicles on the Volt platform – the Volt MPV crossover concept was recently unveiled at the Auto China show in Beijing. The concept is essentially a five-passenger, multi-purpose vehicle that features the same Voltec Propulsion Systems as found on the Volt sedan.
The exterior design is very similar to the car its based on. The front end features a closed grille along with a lower air dam to reduce drag and improve overall efficiency. At the rear, there’s a lot of glass to give it a distinct look. As already mentioned, it utilizes the same Voltec propulsion system as the Volt, which features a range-extending engine generator to eliminate ‘range anxiety.’ A 16-kWh T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack powers the electric drive unit. GM has invested a lot of money on developing the Volt architecture, and it appears that they’re going to make the most of it.
On the home front, GM, along with the US Department of Energy (DOE), has agreed on a five-year partnership with India’s Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) to develop jatropha as a sustainable bio-fuel energy crop.
Based in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, the main objective of the project is to demonstrate that the jatropha plant – also known as a weed – may be able to produce significant quantities of oil for commercial scale conversion to biodiesel. This partnership would also look into the development of new varieties of the plant that provide higher yields, and can withstand harsh environmental conditions.
The new partnership will set up two separate plots in Gujarat, and will oversee the existing 30-hectare jatropha farm in Bhavnagar. If the plant becomes commercially viable, it would help reduce the dependence on imported oil and will cut green house emissions.
| Nissan inundated with Leaf orders |
We brought you a detailed look at Nissan’s all-electric Leaf production car in our December edition of Green News. Well, this time the Leaf is in the news due to the very impressive bookings received by the company at the very initial stages. According to Nissan, they’ve already received over 3,700 orders for the Leaf in Japan, which is more than half of its first-year global sales target. Bookings for the Leaf began on the 1st of April. Bookings in America begin shortly. Judging by the strong initial response, it certainly appears as though the time for the electric car has well and truly arrived.
