The age of driverless cars may still be years in the future, but to those playing a long game, that just means that work now will pay off even more later. Google is getting into the business of tracking and managing driverless cars, and while the technology actually steering and perceiving the cars’ surroundings will be undergoing lots of changes, some fundamentals of their interactions with the world can actually be explored today.

For example, Google has been granted a patent for a “landing strip”: a parking spot with special markings that help the car park itself, and then allow it to determine exactly where it is without relying on GPS or landmarks.

A smart parking spot has an air of inevitability to it that suggests it is one of those ideas that last. The patent is fairly specific, though: a visually-indicated landing strip, which in the illustrations is a banded area, would be stopped on by the driver. The car would detect that it had stopped on a landing strip, and would know to search the area for a second indicator, in this case a QR code.

The QR code would direct the car to visit a URL and, presumably, report itself as at location #382B319_g and awaiting instructions. The server would tell the car its exact location down to the inch, and any additional info the car might need: the locations of available parking spaces if the landing strip is at an airport, for instance, or local maps, navigational data, or rules. It could also push other information from local sources: live cameras, information about the location, and so on.

The title of the patent, “Transitioning a mixed-mode vehicle to autonomous mode” refers to this point in the process, after the person has parked or perhaps just driven over the landing strip, at which time the car would switch over to autonomous navigation.

It’s a neat process and there’s no conflict between the driver and the car. On the highway, for instance, things will be much more complicated: the humans will be watching that the car makes no mistakes and will be ready to grab the steering wheel if there’s an error. On the other hand, the car will be watching the human for mistakes, and will hit the brakes or warn the driver if there is danger. The landing strip is a more clear-cut handover.

At the Tokyo Motor Show 2011, Mitsubishi took the wraps off EMIRAI, a near-future concept that will become reality in about 10 years (if the company is to be believed). The core element is a large-sized, curved dashboard that combines rear-projection to display various operations with touch control support.

The steering wheel features shape-changing buttons that only raise when the system expects the driver to push them. Cars equipped with EMIRAI identify drivers and keep track of their facial temperature and heart rate. Passengers sitting in the rear can kill time by using naked-eye 3D screens that are built into seats.

This video, shot by Diginfo TV, provides more insight:

We like the Leaf. It’s not a good choice for everyone, but it’s a great second car or city car, set back the most perhaps by the trouble one has to take in charging it. At home you are advised to spring for a high-capacity outlet, and abroad you must plan your trips to coincide with existing charge points. Anything that can make adding power to these cars easier will increase their marketability.

To that end, Nissan has announced that the next generation of Leafs (Leaves?) will feature a wireless charging mechanism that, they say, will charge as fast as a normal wall outlet.

That’s still 8 hours for the fast charger, of course, but it’s something an average consumer will enjoy: park the car and it’s already charging. More importantly, it means that Nissan, a major force in the electric car market right now, has chosen a style and vendor for wireless charging, and others may follow suit. You’ll notice that cars all have the same size fuel intake, so you can fill up at any gas station. Why should it be any different for wireless electrical charging going forward?

We’ve seen solutions of this type before, even some that seemed outlandish (a charging lane?), but Nissan hasn’t dropped any names, nor, on the other hand, implied that the technology is internal. But whatever it is, it will have a competitive advantage in being one of the first to hit the consumer market. Unfortunately it will not be able to be installed on old models. Early adopters take note.

Another improvement for the new Leaf is a mode where it stores energy at night, when the rates are cheaper, and uses it to power your home during the day. It will be too expensive for most to install at first (probably around $7500-$8000) but it’s an interesting idea. The range should be increased as well, and lower costs for batteries and components should bring the price down a grand or two.

The changes are expected to be rolled out in the 2013 model. We’ll be seeing many other full-electric vehicles debut before then, including Tesla’s affordable Model S and lots of entries from Nissan’s other branches and other vehicle makers as well. Whether inductive charging and home power plant capability will become standard is a question to revisit in a few years’ time.

Here’s a vehicle explaining things in a little more detail:

Well, it looks like Coda Automotive — makers of the zero emissions all-electric Coda Sedan — and General Electric (a name that requires no introduction) have teamed up to sell the Coda Sedan and the GE WattStation Wall Mount EV Charger in the same retail outlets.

Many of us are already feeling that a shift toward electric vehicles is the responsible decision, but a change that big means replacing and changing huge chunks of our lives. A brand new all-electric vehicle means you’ll be remembering to plug in every night instead of stop by the gas station on your way to work. It also means you’ll need a charging station. Thanks to this deal between Coda and GE, you can pick up a charging station at the same time you buy your new all-electric Coda.

The GE WattStation Wall Mount is a Level 2 EV charger, meaning it offers between 208-240V, rather than the 110V provided by the Level 1 Chargers. Level 3 chargers, on the other hand, are used for commercial use at gas stations and provide a super quick charge. The higher the level, the faster the charge. It’s not the most exciting bit of news we’ve ever heard, but it could help grow EV adoption which we’re all for.

In related news, the price of the Coda Sedan has gone down to $39,900, making it just a tad more expensive than the Chevy Volt and a good $4,000+ more pricey than the Nissan Leaf. Then again, the Coda Sedan touts a range of up to 150 miles on one charge, whereas the Leaf gets a max of 100 miles per charge. The Volt, of course, is a hybrid and can thus run forever as long as gas is in the tank to charge the generator. But on EV mode, the Volt will only offer about 30-40 miles per charge.

Many owners will probably qualify for a $7,500 tax credit, which would bring the price on any of these vehicles down significantly. Then again, we’re seeing a pretty big push in the automotive industry toward electric, so you may want to hold out and see what’s in store.

Because our resident automotive enthusiast Matt Burns up and decided to go camping this week, I was lucky enough to attend BMW’s sneak preview event in NYC today where I got a first look at two new eco-friendly vehicles: the BMW i3 and i8. Referred to as mega-city vehicles (or MCVs if you will), both are built with the urban driver in mind, capitalizing on green features and stability. The all-electric i3 is really more of a compact SUV, while the hybrid-electric i8 is a sexy little sports car.

We were lucky enough to get a hold of Richard Kim, external designer for both vehicles, who details the what and why of these new cars. A couple key points he made is that the vehicles are much lighter than your average car, thanks to carbon fiber-reinforced plastic materials used for the cars’ frames. The i3 and i8 have also been created from the ground-up, as opposed to electric or hybrid-electric vehicles that are merely conversions of existing models. In this way, the assembly and design of the i3 and i8 are much more efficient, with bulky batteries laying flush along the bottom and the “life module” seamlessly sitting on top.

You’ll see this in the video but it’s certainly worth reiterating that these are two of the most futuristic vehicles I’ve seen. There’s more glass than you’ll know what to do with (though it’s unclear how all that glass will do in a crash), and a nice hint of BMW’s i blue along design lines, seat belts, and lights makes for a streamlined and sporty look to complement BMW’s elegant style.

As far as range goes, the i3 and i8 are very different. The all-electric i3 will offer between 80 to 100 miles per charge, however BMW knows how much range anxiety affects consumers and provided a solution. The i3 has an optional range extender (or REX, as BMW calls it) which uses gas and motor to offer an additional 80 to 100 miles. However, the gas and motor are merely running to further charge the battery, rather than power the wheels of the car.

The i8, on the other hand, is a hybrid-electric vehicle, meaning it features both an electric motor along with an internal combustion engine. You’ll see around 20 to 30 miles per charge out of the i8, but when paired with the internal combustion engine that expands to about 300 miles combined.

I know, I know… it all looks and sounds great. But patience is the name of the game here. We won’t see the all-electric i3 until 2013, and the i8 will follow after in 2014. Pricing has yet to be announced.

Luxury car-sharing service HiGear is announcing a new product called “Swap Club,” which will allow its existing car owners the opportunity to swap cars among each other in exchange for HiGear points. To participate in the “Swap Club,” vehicle owners will either need to accumulate points by renting out their cars on HiGear or they can optionally purchase points via HiGear’s website.

Now live in the Bay Area and L.A., HiGear differentiates itself from car-sharing competitors like RelayRides, Getaround, Zipcar and others, by specializing in “high-end” luxury vehicles only, like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Tesla.

The company will begin to roll out its new “Swap Club” service to select members next week for testing purposes, says CEO Ali Moiz. The feature should serve as an added incentive for vehicle owners to rent out their own cars on HiGear, as doing so means more points that can be used towards swaps – swaps which, given enough points, will be free.

The number of points a vehicle owner is awarded depends on the type of car and the rental length. A BMW 3 Series may go for 40 points per day, for example, while an Aston Martin DB9 could be 140 points per day.

“Our vision is to bring down the cost of access to awesome cars, and the new ‘Swap Club’ will create the world’s first luxury car-swap program that gets you into a sports car starting at $0,” says Moiz. “If you’re into cars, this is godsend.”

HiGear has now logged over 25,000 hours of car shares on its service since its beta launch in August. Over 2,000 of those hours were in L.A., where HiGear arrived just a week ago. If the current growth rate continues, Moiz says he expects to see 40,000 to 50,000 hours over the next 90 days.

The company also plans to launch in five additional markets, including Portland and San Diego, by year-end.

HiGear has raised $1.3 million in seed funding from BV Capital, Battery Ventures, 500 Startups and angels including Zipcar investor Craig Sherman and Kevin Chou.

If you’re a fan of the Parrot AR.Drone, you’ll probably get a kick out its earthbound relative, the AirXRacer by AniApp. I got a first hands on with this iPhone- or Android-controlled racecar in Shenzhen and you will be able to pick it up this holiday season.

The car is a standard RC racer that, as you can see, is quite fast. You control it using your phone’s accelerometer or using an onscreen “wheel,” a method that offers a bit more finesse. The creator, Jeff Luo of AniApp Labs, said the cars would be available in Radio Shack and Brookstone this holiday and the apps are available now for download.

It was a bit hard to video in the dark, but rest assured the control scheme was solid and the car was quite rugged, able to hit chair legs and ankles without shattering. No pricing yet, but look for it at a massage-chair dealer near you.

General Motors is partnering with a car-sharing startup called RelayRides on a new venture that will allow GM owners to rent out their idle vehicles via the OnStar service and their mobile phone. The program will launch first in California in 2012, before expanding to other markets.

RelayRides, a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace lets auto owners choose to rent out their car when they’re not using it, with the car’s owner controlling the rate and availability through the online service.

It’s different from other car-sharing networks like ZipCar, for example, as it doesn’t have its own fleet – all sharing is peer-to-peer. And unlike former TechCrunch Disrupt winner Getaround, the company sends out its own reps to install the device in your vehicles. Now, with the new GM partnership, RelayRides will be able to leverage the built-in OnStar service to unlock the doors, control the engine and track the car. Chevrolets, Buicks, GMC and Cadillacs are all supported.

RelayRides takes 15% of the list price for itself, 20% for its $1 million insurance policy and the remaining 65% goes to the vehicle owner. If the borrower ever wrecks the car, RelayRides handles the insurance claim and your personal policy isn’t affected. Drivers are also vetted first, to verify their driving records are up to par.

RelayRides was founded in June 2010. The company currently operates in San Francisco and Boston. It plans to rollout to additional markets based on consumer demand.

Auto maker General Motors and LG Group will be working together to design and engineer electric vehicles thanks to a new partnership that expands on LG’s earlier work for GM in lithium-ion batteries.  Previously, LG delivered batteries for the Chevrolet Volt, the Opel Ampera, and later for a demo fleet of Chevrolet Cruze electric vehicles.

According to the companies, their goal is to reduce both the cost and the time it takes to build electric cars.

LG will cover half the cost for the new EVs and will work alongside engineers from GM to collaborate on components, vehicle structures and architectures. LG will also become GM’s supplier for the components, which it’s permitted to sell to other auto makers. That means this partnership will be good for the electric vehicle industry as a whole, and not just GM.

The deal comes at a time when U.S. automakers are under pressure to raise the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards, per a recent agreement. By the end of 2025, they must meet a CAFE of 54.5 mpg (23.2 km/l) – a goal that will involve improvements to internal combustion and diesel engines, for the most part. But GM says that electric vehicles are expected to play “a major role” in reaching the CAFE goal, too.

There was no timeframe given for the vehicles’ launch.

Tokyo-based robot venture ZMP has churned out yet another robot car: this time, it’s the so-called RoboCar MEV-C, which is based on COMS, a vehicle Toyota started developing back in 2000. Just as COMS, the MEV-C is a single-person, 4-wheeled electric mini car – just with a robotic twist.

ZMP says the car can actually be driven around, but the company is actually marketing it as a research object for roboticists, universities and car manufacturers.

While the conventional COMS is a rather simple electric vehicle, ZMP added quite a few features to make it sexier: a stereo camera, a 9-axis wireless motion sensor, a GPS unit, a temperature and humidity sensor, a laser range sensor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G and the so-called CAN (Control Area Network) protocol as an “open platform” that allows buyers to access every piece of the hardware.

The RoboCar MEV-C is sized at 2.3×1.0×1.6m and weighs 310kg. ZMP has already started selling it, with prices starting at US$35,000.

Via Robonable [JP]

Although, arguably, the second Cars was sub-par, it’s nice to see how Skywalker Sound designed the sounds for the vrooming, racing Maters, Lightnings, and British spy cars in the movie.

The Nissan Leaf has been in my life for the past week. I’ve put hundreds of miles on the tires and ate several meals behind the wheel while trying to figure her out. You see, as much as this pains me to say (more on that later) the Leaf is a real car. It doesn’t feel like a glorified golf cart or tool used just for transportation. It’s a car and with this comes quirks, flaws, but most importantly, a personality and soul.

The Leaf is without equal right now. Nowhere in the world is a vehicle that the Leaf could call a partner, or, if you will, competition. It’s currently the world’s only mass-produced electric vehicle. The Volt? It’s a different sort of vehicle, a hybrid really, that does have an EV mode but it’s limited to 40 miles on electric-only and a gas-powered engine kicks on to power the electric motor after it dies. Tesla? Sure, the Roadster is long range EV, but comes with a price tag north of $100k and a long waiting list. The Leaf is the only choice right now for buyers looking to ditch gasoline entirely while not sacrificing standard creature comforts or cargo room.

Nissan sells the Leaf in ten countries with various different trim levels. I’m driving the US’s SL model which is basically a $940 accessory package masquerading as a different trim level. The SL model doesn’t feature any additional hardware to extend the EV’s limited range; while there’s a tiny solar panel on the rear spoiler, it’s just for keeping the accessory battery topped off.

Step into the Leaf and you’d swear you were in any Japanese econobox. Soft fabric and lots of neutral-colored plastic are used throughout the nondescript interior. It’s roomy with a ton of headroom. The back seats are sort of tight, but are situated higher than the front row (they sit on top of the batteries), which makes for a commanding feel. You wouldn’t guess it by the exterior design, but there’s actually a ton of cargo space behind the back seats, comparable to many smaller crossovers. Unlike Chevy with the Volt, Nissan clearly went to great lengths to make the Leaf non-offensive and look like any other car from the inside.

That last statement doesn’t hold true for the exterior design. It’s…unique and I don’t know if in a good way. It’s bubbly but yet angular at the same time. The rear tail lights are taller and sharper than anything ever found on a Cadillac and the smiling front fascia seems to be out of the Pixar movie Cars. I’m not a fan.

But I have to say the design is memorable. At first glance it might look like a new Nissan Versa or even a Prius. Then the strong design cues come into focus: the tall and sharp tail lights, the flowing headlamps, and the double hood design that includes the charging port. The Leaf is certainly different.

This is one car where the design doesn’t matter, though. People aren’t buying it around the world because of how it looks. Nope, they’re buying it because it’s an electric vehicle that’s actually practical.

Electric vehicles are nothing new. Ferdinand Porsche made the first electric car in 1899 and nearly every automaker has produced several since. GM’s EV1 was the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle and was leased from 1996 to 1999. Toyota sold the RAV4 EV for several years and a partnership with Tesla Motors is bringing it back. Then there are countless coach-built EVs, pumped out by dozens of companies around the world.

The Leaf is simple. It has an advertised range of 100 miles and works like any other car. That “keep it simple, stupid” mantra allows Nissan to effectively sell this vehicle across ten different markets to all types of buyers. The interior isn’t loaded with inductive buttons or a radically different instrument cluster (like in the Chevy Volt) or a massive Nvidia-powered touchscreen infotainment system (like in the Tesla Model S). The Leaf is just another car but one that runs on electricity instead of gas.

During my week with this leaf, I spent an afternoon testing the Leaf’s city driving range and found the batteries lasted for 90 miles on Eco mode. That’s 10 less than the advertised range, but this is somewhat common from what I can tell. The Internet is filled with reports of the Leaf not living up to Nissan’s claims. During my test, I drove on congested city roads for four consecutive hours and never exceeded 45 mph. I believe most of the time I was somewhere between 20 and 30 mph.

I fully stand by this 90 mile claim although a 10% positive or negative variance is appropriate. I conducted the test with the goal of squeezing every mile out of the batteries. I drove without the headlamps or climate control. I even kept the radio’s volume low although the on-board Leaf battery meter said that was pointless and didn’t reduce the draw on the battery; I wanted to make sure I was giving this Leaf a fair chance.

90 miles is a fine distance, but I believe that four hours of city driving is a better metric. I drove all over my county. I took the time to see parts of my city I never had a reason to visit. I ran out of places to go. It was this length of time rather than the actual distance that sold me on the Leaf’s real capabilities.

The Leaf knows it isn’t for everyone. The limited range restricts it from traveling the country. But it doesn’t mind bumming around town. Commuting, running errands, going to school; the Leaf can handle all of that. It was built for all of that.

I live in a suburb of Flint, MI. My little test above was conducted primarily within the city proper, which isn’t my normal area or driving conditions. I live out where the roads are long and empty. Well, they’re empty in Flint, too, but in my little town, it’s by design, not from poverty. Out here, the Leaf held its own just as well. There isn’t as much stop and go to recharge the battery through regenerative braking so it didn’t last as long. But never once during the course of my week with the Leaf did I ever feel like I would run short of battery juice.

Highway cruising kills the battery even quicker. While I didn’t perform a dedicated test on highway range due to limited time, I found on several occasions during my week with the Leaf that the battery meter would drop to 50-60 available miles while going the 70 mph speed limit. That gauge isn’t a definitive counter like a gas gauge. It tells the driver how much longer the Leaf will travel based on current driving conditions. So during my few highway trips, when the meter showed 50 available miles while traveling 70 mph, it would raise 10 or so miles when I exited the freeway and dropped my speed.

Charging the Leaf is rather simple. It ships with a 25-foot 110/120V charging cable, but owners should invest in the 220/240 station that charges the Leaf in one third the time. Charging a completely dead battery takes 22 hours on the 110 but only 7h30 on the 220v. I had issues charging the Leaf but it was totally my garage’s fault. The Leaf requires grounded outlets which apparently mine are not. It’s something worth considering before you buy, or else like me you might have a cable draping out of your kitchen window for a week.

Forget about the range for a minute. There were plenty of trips where I knew I had plenty of, let’s say, volts in the tank. The Leaf is fun. The electric powertrain serves up ample torque so the Leaf is actually zippy. The tiny tires aren’t performance rubber so whipping around traffic isn’t the best idea, but if you floor the accelerator, your head will find the headrest rather quickly. Nissan doesn’t provide 0-60 stats but many have found it to 60 mph in around 7 seconds. That’s quick.

The Leaf isn’t without flaws, though. The tall stance and tiny tires makes for somewhat wobbly, awkward driving characteristics. It’s not a weekend racer. Stomping on the electric motor while rounding a curve will result in an “OMG I’m rolling over” reaction even though the front wheel drive configuration helps correct overcompensation. It feels like so much more could come from the torquey electric motor.

The inoffensive interior is, in a way, actually offensive — at least to me. It’s grey on grey with just a hint of personality. It really looks like a mashup of every Japanese budget car built in the last 10 years. The only little bit of fun comes from the gear selector, which is a little four-way blue puck. It actually looks a bit out of place, although the low-profile design works well.

The onboard infotainment system is at least well developed. The large touchscreen features navigation, media controls, and plenty of information regarding the electrical systems. The key info screen (pictured directly above) shows the motor and electrical system’s current draw on the battery. Want to know how much turning on the AC will affect the battery? It says on that screen (5 miles in the picture above).

The radio and media capabilities are like any found on a modern tech-equipped sedan. There’s XM/Sirius, AM/FM, Bluetooth audio streaming and a CD player. The speakers are flat and lifeless — not that anyone is expecting to bump Kottonmouth Kings from their Leaf.

A fun part of the Leaf ecosystem comes in the form of an companion iOS app. This lightweight app allows owners to manage
g times and monitor battery life. They can also schedule notifications concerning available range and charging status. Strangely though, the app doesn’t allow for remotely unlocking or locking of the vehicle like the apps found in GM cars. It’s just for the electric powertrain. An Android flavor is apparently in the works, but right now it’s just an iOS app.

Now as much as I like the Leaf, it is clearly a low-cost vehicle but one with an expensive powertrain. It lacks a lot of features traditionally standard in a vehicle that costs over $30k. Among many minor items, the notable ones missing are power-adjustable seats, a telescoping steering column, adjustable pedals, and a power liftgate. Some of these options were probably left out as a weight-saving measure, but buyers should know going in that the Leaf does not spec-out well with features at the same price point.

Future models will at least gain a heated steering wheel and seats. As a Nissan rep told me, these options use less battery than the traditional cabin heating system. Heat the right contact points and you heat the body, he said. Chevy knows this, too. The Volt features both of those options standard and is the only vehicle GM sells with heated cloth seats.

I’m totally sold on the Leaf. In my mind, it’s the perfect second car. I have two young kids who happen to sit in massive car seats. They fit fine in the leaf. It’s a fine people mover. But it doesn’t get much better than running around town for next to free. That’s what I really like.

I put 355 miles on the Leaf last week. In my Dodge Magnum, which gets 17 mpg in the city, I would have used about 20 gallons of gas; at $3.50 per gallon, that comes to around $70. The Leaf’s battery capacity is 24kW and my local power company charges .072567 per kWh. That means it only costs me ~$1.74 to charge the Leaf from empty to full for which I did a total of three times with a couple of charges only topping off the battery — but let’s say four full charges to make this math easy. That means the Leaf only cost me $7.01 to drive the 350 miles — alternatively, think of it as 50 miles for every $1. Of course this is my rate and your mileage will differ depending on the cost of electricity but it should be within a few dollars, and it sure isn’t going to be as much as gas.

The Leaf isn’t perfect, with its $33,000 window sticker being one of the main downfalls. It’s expensive yet still feels cheap on the inside. But it’s fun, practical, and if you look at the back-end cost of gas, the car is rather cost effective. Many city drivers could probably foot the bill of the Leaf in just the gas savings alone. As long as buyers go into the Leaf knowing that they’re not going to get all the creature comforts they’re used to, the Leaf is a fine vehicle.

At least the Leaf isn’t missing anything in the fun department. The electric motor has enough oomph to make most smile while zipping people around town. It comes with all the media bells and whistles with XM, Bluetooth streaming, and so on, all done through a large touchscreen.

So here I am, swallowing my pride and recommending the Leaf. You see, like I stated a couple posts back, I’m supposed to be a Chevy Volt fan. Hailing from the fine city of Flint, which happens to be the birthplace of General Motors, I’ve constantly championed the Volt’s unlimited range and justified the $40,000 price tag while ragging on my fellow editor Devin for covering what I thought was the lame Leaf. This admission doesn’t diminish the the Volt’s strengths, but the Leaf’s pure electric powertrain costs nearly nothing to run, making it the perfect city car. Highly recommended.

The question is whether you make EVs sound like other cars by simulating engine noise, or do you take this chance to give them an entirely new and perhaps more practical and customizable noise?

Some cars, of course, have a distinctive noise that results naturally from the mechanics of the engine and exhaust. Car designers can make their own noise now, even make your Leaf sound like an old Mustang — but should this noise be regulated, and if so, on what level?

Manufacturers and designers are testing out different sounds, from a UFO noise to the sound of a baseball card flapping against bike spokes, attempting to suss out which exactly produces the most awareness without becoming grating. The BBC has a nice video here with some of the noises being looked at by UK researchers.

They’re even simulating intersections with dozens of such vehicles and seeing how certain sounds would interact. Hey, you don’t roll something out to ten thousand vehicles without doing a little checking around, right?

I’m torn on the subject. Obviously there’s a line that needs to be walked between good taste and safety, but there are lots of unanswered questions as well. What about special sounds for certain types of vehicles, or user-selectable sounds? I want mine to sound like a Transformer transforming, all the time.

Things are looking up all over. Sirius just reported that they had a great quarter thanks to new car sales. They are up 118% new subscribers from Q1 2010 and hit 20 million subscribers, up 2 million from the same period last year.

Subscriber growth accelerates. Strong auto sales drove net subscriber additions in the first quarter of 2011 to 373,064, up 118% from 171,441 in the first quarter of 2010. Ending subscribers as of March 31, 2011 were 20,564,028, up 9% from the 18,944,199 subscribers reported as of March 31, 2010.

Clearly the small uptick in buying is improving the outlook for cars and the radios inside them alike.

Unlike other automakers, Tesla is headquartered in the hills of Palo Alto next to beautiful rolling hills with lush green scenery and horse crossing signs. As you can imagine, a place like this would have some of the best driving roads in the country. We were slightly disappointed that the man behind it all, Elon Musk, was out of town. But coincidentally this gave us the perfect opportunity to borrow his personal Roadster Sport while he was gone.

The CEO’s Roadster came fully loaded with all the carbon fiber you could dream of — which it needs to keep weight around 2,700 lbs. The fully electric car has a 990 lb battery that delivers 215 kW of power. It’s capable of propelling the Roadster to a supercar-fast 0-60 mph in only 3.7 sec. Not only is the Roadster fast, but it also has an enormous range of 245 miles. A fully charged battery stores 56 kWh of electric energy (the Volt’s battery stores 16 kWh).

During hard testing in the mountains we clocked 165 miles before the low battery warning light came on. Considering our driving, it’s hard to believe Top Gear only made it 55 miles.

There is something very magical about driving the Tesla Roadster. It’s the realization that the future is truly here. Not only is the Tesla an electric car, it’s also engineered to perform. You can see that in every sharp turn or long straightaway. The Tesla Roadster pulls forever as if powered by smiles, a childhood dream come true.

The performance is… well, we can’t expect too much, since it’s more or less an optimized Leaf, not a sports car from the ground up. So 0-60 in 6.85 seconds is actually quite impressive. The top speed of 93, not so much, and the running time of 20 minutes won’t have it winning any endurance races.

They did it mainly to combat the idea that electric cars aren’t sporty. I guess they haven’t heard of Tesla. Here’s the full press release, with a few more specs for racing enthusiasts:

The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are enjoying lots of free publicity right now. Each of their unique approaches to cleaner mobility has drawn a lot of hype. What about the car that started it all? What’s the next step for the Toyota Prius?

Though battery technology does not yet rival the energy density of gasoline, that hasn’t stopped the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf from trying. Toyota, with their more than 14 years of hybrid experience, must have a better solution, right?

Toyota has been investing significantly in their Prius “plug-in hybrid” Prototypes: PHEVs offering a combination of an internal combustion engine and a battery electric vehicle. Has their worked paid off? We got one week with the Prius PHEV to find out if it’s energy solution meets our needs.

The car appears to be a normal Prius. Aside from some lower body graphics and a cutout out for the plug near the driver-side fender most of the changes involve the electric powertrain. The older Prius’ nickel-metal hydride battery gets replaced with a bigger, more powerful lithium-ion pack. Ancillary equipment such as high-voltage lines, battery charger and thermal management were also added, but aren’t immediately visible.

The new battery can achieve a full charge in about three hours from a 110-volt outlet or in about an hour and a half with a 220-volt. I have a 220-volt outlet in my garage, so charging was never an issue. 220-volt outlets aren’t uncommon in US homes — for instance most dryers and electric stoves have them, though they may not be easily accessible for vehicle plug-in.

Because the Prius PHEV is in the experimental stage, Toyota will be using the data from the fleet of 150 prototypes to determine if the battery size is adequate for most daily commutes. I also wanted to do my own experiment to see whether or not the Prius PHEV would fit my (mostly minimal) driving habits. For this review, I kept a driving journal including miles driven, charge times and fuel economy in both electric-only and hybrid-electric modes.

Driver’s Log

I logged many entries the week I spent with the Prius, but for the sake of brevity I’m listing the three most relevant scenarios.

Trip 1

My first commute involved driving to two stores on different sides of town for general errands. The first leg to get a new lens for my camera was only 3.7 miles — this, of course, was done on all electricity. From a full charge the battery meter showed 13.6 miles of range, at the destination it showed 9.6 miles left. Not bad.

Afterwards, it was on to Trader Joe’s for some groceries, exactly 5.2 miles away. For this leg the battery meter underestimated range by 1.4 miles. Still, not bad. 3 miles of all-battery range were left when it was time to go back home. I live less than 3 miles from the Trader Joe’s, so I decided to push the car a bit harder on the way back. Once during the trip the engine briefly kicked on to assist an apparent hard acceleration. I made the 1.3-mile trip back with 0.9 miles of battery left. 10.2 miles traveled with 0.9 left means the full charge would last 11.1 miles under these particular driving conditions. I was impressed because it was 22 degrees F that day and electric cars have lower range in the cold. That was all the driving I had for the day, but if I needed to go anywhere else it would only be a 1.5-hour wait until the battery could be fully charged.

Trip 2

This next drive involved about 100 miles of expressway driving at 70 mph. The fully charged battery estimate was 11.8 miles. This estimate always differed depending on many variables, but I noticed it was less when cold out. The 11.8-mile estimate ended up being 15.3 miles before the standard hybrid mode the Prius is famous for kicked in. I ended up getting 15.3 miles in EV mode because only two of those miles were in the city, the rest were on the expressway driving 70 mph.

Interestingly enough, the Prius’ battery doesn’t have enough current to maintain speeds over 65 mph without assistance from the engine. Much of those expressway miles were assisted by the engine, hence the increased battery life of 15.3 miles. After the hybrid mode took over the energy sources shifted from either the engine or battery, or a combination of both. This all depended on a variety of constraints involving battery state and road conditions.

Nonetheless, the Prius PHEV was able to get me to my destination and back (100 miles) with a fully charged battery and less than 2 gallons of gas. If I were in a Nissan Leaf the trip wouldn’t have been possible — though, to be fair, the Leaf isn’t officially rated for a trip that long, except in marketing materials.

Trip 3

Trip 3 wasn’t much different from Trip 2, except that the route had many stop signs along a 2-lane road. This 28.7-mile trip to get raw milk from the local dairy farm started with 14.3 miles worth of gasoline-free driving. Eco mode, which keeps pedal pressure minimized during acceleration, is hugely responsible for the better range. With it activated the car was less motivated to accelerate, saving the battery from my lead foot.

After the charge ran out the Prius resorted back, once again, to the familiar hybrid mode. However, because the Prius PHEV’s electrical system runs at a higher voltage the average fuel economy was 62 mpg — much better than the normal Prius. Drive routes with frequent stops actually decrease gasoline consumption; the car has a chance to capture kinetic energy from regenerative braking. A time out for the engine, if you will.

Is the Prius PHEV the next step?

From my experience behind the wheel of the Prius PHEV, I’d say that the advantages offered make it a very compelling alternative to battery-only electrics. Even though two of the three trips involved driving further than 12 miles, keep in mind I spent a lot of time driving the car that week for this review. If it were a normal week, my daily mileage would have been less than 20 miles.

Not only are plug-in hybrids the next step because of their convenience, but the more robust lithium-ion battery vastly improves fuel economy over the regular Prius when operating in the hybrid-only mode.

Currently the estimated price is $27,000, but that’s not an accurate number for a number of reasons. The first few vehicles are prototypes; the battery size hasn’t been finalized. Toyota engineers are collecting data from all the prototypes running around the world in an attempt determine what range would be appropriate for most drivers. It’s not 12 miles, but that’s not far off either. If the production Prius PHEV could hit 20-30 miles, then Chevy and Nissan will again have to worry about the Prius.

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http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

[via Autoblog Green]

Audi has just announced details of another EV to be produced under their e-tron moniker in the form of the A3. The A3 e-tron is a battery electric vehicle, similar to the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster. The Audi has a front mounted electric motor powered by two lithium-ion batteries, one in the middle and one in the rear, with 26.5 kWh of energy. Total output of the A3 e-tron is just over 130 horsepower with 199 lb-ft or torque.

Range is expected to be near 90 miles after a 9-hour charge on a 110-volt outlet. Don’t expect this Audi to be quick; 0-60 times are near 11 seconds and top speed is just 90 mph.

The release date is still unknown. We know R8 e-tron is due out in 2013, but it’s possible Audi will try to get the A3 e-tron out sooner inorder to compete in the expanding EV market.

The announcement is a bit short on details, but it’s clear that this isn’t just a new GPS system using Bing. Microsoft is hoping to position itself as the connective tissue between people and their cars.

It’s focused on the 2012 Toyota hybrids and plug-ins; one of the major features will be remote monitoring of battery status. Power and range management and visualization is an under-appreciated and under-engineered feature, as any Leaf owner who thought they had 15 more miles in the “tank” will tell you.

The partnership takes the form of a ¥1 billion (~$12m) investment in Toyota’s “Media Service” R&D division. Services will roll out next year, but the full system is planned for a 2015 roll-out.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda briefly describes some other functions that are partially present in existing systems, but will likely soon be standard (from Toyota’s transcript):

For example, this new system will include advanced car-telematics like virtual operators with voice recognition … management of vehicle charging to reduce stress on energy supply…and remote control of appliances, heating and lighting at home.

And with the introduction of Toyota plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles next year…our cars will play a big role in the global expansion of what we call “smart centers” … on-board systems capable of better managing overall energy consumption of cars… driving trips…and homes.

Ballmer chimes in to note that cloud will play a big part:

These applications will be built on Microsoft’s Windows Azure cloud computing platform.

Starting in 2012, customers who purchase one of Toyota’s electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles will be able to connect via the cloud to control and monitor their car from anywhere – safely and conveniently. For example, customers will be able to turn on the heat or AC in their car while their vehicle is plugged into the grid or dynamically monitor miles until the next charging station right from their GPS system.

Additionally, customers can use these applications and services for power management as cars connect into the smart power grid. Imagine being able to tell a car to charge at the time of day when energy demand is low and therefore, the least expensive.

Admirable! Good ideas all, but really the important thing is establishing the car as just another node in your grid of connected devices. If Microsoft can establish a beachhead in the intelligent car system field, that’s a lot of leverage later on as more services start coming to cars as natural extensions of someone’s data environment. Streaming video to the backseat screens, Pandora presets in the radio, calendar notifications with map integration, that kind of thing. Making Bing drivable will also help its share on the desktop.

As usual, the main threat to partnerships like this is the tumultuous nature of tech and the danger of a stated four-year development period. While creating a global telematics platform for the world’s biggest car manufacturer is no small task, four years is an eternity and consumer demands may have shifted significantly by then. But you can’t win if you don’t play. Hopefully we’ll hear more and see some prototypes within a few months.