Morgan Motor Company is making headlines and is teaming up with a consortium of British e-tech specialists to develop a brand new high-performance electric sports car concept. The concept will be based on the Morgan Aero Supersport and word has it that famous EV systems collaborator, Zytek will provide the electric drive systems. The electric sports car will be named the Morgan+E and it will utilize a high density electric powertrain mated to a manual gearbox. Electric power will come from Lithium-Ion battery packs integrated into the vehicle’s aluminum structure. The project is being funded by a $165,000 grant from the Niche Vehicle Network CR&D Program in the UK. If the concept ever makes it to the production line, we would gladly like to take one in.

Japanese car makers, Toyota will debut their latest production version of their world famous Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which will be held later this year. The new Prius Plug-in Hybrid features a newly designed and more compact lithium-ion battery, developed to meet Toyota’s rigorous standards for reliability. Its extended EV cruising range enables it to achieve remarkable fuel efficiency of just 2.2 litres/100 km, and to lower CO2 emissions to an unprecedented 49 g/km. While Toyota continues to roll out Full Hybrid technology to new market segments through models such as the Auris and Yaris, the Prius itself remains a showcase for new technologies and further advances in HSD powertrain design, with Prius Plug-in Hybrid as its flagship.

German giants, Daimler have just revealed their third-generation Smart Fortwo ED when it was actually supposed to be revealed at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. It seems they were more excited than us to spill the beans on their new Smart car. The newer versions will feature 55kW magneto-electric motors, which is also the first product created from the joint venture with Bosch. Power figures come in the form of 130Nm of torque with a 0-60kmph time of 5 seconds and a 0-100kmph time of 13 seconds. This battery electric two-seater Smart Fortwo will also have a higher top speed of more than 120kmph which makes it almost as fast as a combustion engine Smart. There is also an on-board 22kW charger which enables a full battery charge in just 1 hour. Daimler is planning to sell the car in 30 countries, boosting production to 10,000 units.