Electric bikes ignored?

When the UK government announced earlier this week it was ring-fencing £43 million for Plug-in Car Grants, there was a mostly positive response from the motor industry.

However, the exclusion of electric motorcycles from the scheme has been met with criticism. The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCI) is not too happy, and it has already contacted the Department for Transport demanding an explanation for the omission.



Quite rightly, the MCI points out that electric bikes beat congestion better than any car and so reduce journey times. Its stance is that the government should therefore be encouraging them, not ignoring them.



There is already a selection of electric motorcycles and scooters available on the market. These include the Econogo Yogo and the Zero range, with more - such as the KTM Freeride - coming soon. In general, these bikes are more expensive than their petrol-powered counterparts, due mainly to the cost of the batteries. Therefore, some cash from the government would help to narrow the price gap.

But maybe the government feels that as two-wheelers usually emit less CO2 and use less fuel than cars, the benefits of getting riders to switch to electric won’t actually be that great?



Or perhaps it’s a question of economics. One of the objectives of the Plug-in Car Grant is to encourage the development and manufacture of low emissions vehicles within the UK.



With the likelihood that the majority of electric bikes (especially scooters) would come from the Far East, the government may have already determined that including motorcycles will be of little advantage to the UK. And after all, why should it spend taxpayers’ money on grants that effectively subsidise imported products?

Porsche 918 Spyder is go

Following its showing at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and at Auto China in Bejing, Porsche has now decided to develop a limited series production version of the 918 Spyder.

Part of the company’s ‘Porsche Intelligent Performance’ strategy, the 918 Spyder is a plug-in hybrid. In concept form it featured a 493 bhp (368 kW / 500 PS) V8 engine, plus electric motors that produced an extra 215 bhp (160 kW / 218 PS).

With all that power, 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration was said to take just 3.2 seconds, while the 918’s top speed was 199 mph (320 km/h).

However, the real headline numbers were CO2 emissions of only 70 g/km, and an astonishing combined cycle fuel consumption of 94.1 mpg (equivalent to the magic 3.0 l/100 km).

It remains to be seen quite how many of those performance parameters - and the car’s styling details - make it into production. For the moment, Porsche are just saying that further details will be disclosed in the coming months.

That just leaves the question of price. Latest estimates are that the 918 Spyder will cost €500,000 (around £418,000 for UK buyers or $655,000 in the US).

Electric car grants saved

The UK Plug-in Car Grant, which will cover up to 25% of the price of an electric car, has been saved. Originally announced back in March by the then Labour government, there had been fears the scheme would be scrapped by the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition to help reduce the public spending deficit.



A decision wasn’t expected until the completion of the government’s autumn spending review, but today the Department for Transport confirmed that the money would be ring fenced.



However, the rules of engagement have changed. Whereas the original proposal had £230 million set aside over five years, there’s now only £43 million allocated for the period January 2011 to March 2012. Any available budget beyond then won’t be confirmed until January 2012.



Among the reasons given for the reprieve, Business Minister Mark Prisk said, “The consumer incentive will help Britain become one of the leading centres for the design, development and manufacture of ultra-low carbon vehicles.  It sits alongside public and private sector investment in innovation and infrastructure, leading to the creation of new highly skilled low carbon jobs.”



With the maximum per car grant still capped at £5,000, there’ll be enough in the kitty for 8,600 electric car purchases. However, contrary to Mr Prisk’s comments, it’s unlikely that many of those will be manufactured in the UK.



Although Nissan has chosen Sunderland for European production of its electric Leaf, for example, production isn’t due to start until 2013. Until then, it’ll be importing cars from Japan.



Meanwhile, General Motors has yet to confirm where the Vauxhall / Opel Ampera versions of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid will be built. Ellesmere Port, in the UK, remains a contender though, and perhaps the government’s move is partly to influence the decision? Whatever, it’s doubtful the Ampera will be around in time to take advantage of the initial grants.



So that leaves buyers of cars such as the Turkish-built Renault Fluence Z.E., the Japanese Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the American Tesla Roadster to take advantage of the UK government’s money.

Mini to compete in WRC

The World Rally Championship could do with a few more works teams right now, so it’s good news that Mini has confirmed it’ll be joining the series.



Using the new Countryman as a basis, the cars will be prepared by Banbury-based Prodrive in accordance with the FIA’s Super2000 rules that come into force next year.

The revised regulations, which stipulate the use of 1.6 litre turbo engines and four-wheel drive, are designed to reduce costs by around 25% compared to current specification WRC cars. Existing competitors Ford and Citroen are also working on their Super2000 challengers, and development versions of the Fiesta and DS3 have already been seen out testing.



Mini will begin its WRC campaign by entering selected rounds of the 2011 season, before competing in all events the following year. There’s no word on drivers yet, although it’s rumoured Marcus Gronholm and Kris Meeke may become involved. The Countryman WRC will also be made available for private customer teams to buy, which should hopefully further boost the number of championship entrants.

Hybrid Panamera coming

As anticipated, Porsche has confirmed that the Panamera S Hybrid will be launched in 2011. It’ll share the technology already used in the Cayenne S Hybrid, which means a combined 374 bhp (279 kW / 380 PS) from a supercharged six-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor.

In the Cayenne, that hybrid package is good for a 150 mph (242 km/h) top speed, while 0-62 mph (100 km/h) acceleration takes just 6.5 seconds.  Despite the performance, it still manages a fairly respectable combined cycle fuel consumption of 34.4 mpg (8.2 l/100km). But the benefits are most noticeable when it comes to CO2 emissions: the Cayenne S Hybrid’s figure of 193 g/km is actually better than that of the recently announced Cayenne Diesel.

When it arrives, the Panamera S Hybrid should record even better stats. That’s because it’ll probably be around 250 kg lighter than the Cayenne, and have a lower drag coefficient. If only it was a bit better looking…



Porsche is also starting work on a purely electric car, using three Boxsters as research cars. Michael Macht, President and CEO of Porsche AG, backed this up by saying, “We will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers product qualities typical of a Porsche.”

Fiat 500 Blackjack

Following in the tyre tracks of cars such as the Ford Focus RS500 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class DR 520, Fiat has jumped onboard the matt black bandwagon.



Its offering is somewhat less high performance though, and the unique features of the 500 Blackjack special edition are purely cosmetic. Apart from the paint, these include leather upholstery, 16” alloys, red brake calipers and a gloss black finish for the door handles, mirrors and bumper trim.

There’s no doubt that matt black looks good on the small Fiat. However, it remains to be seen how well it will stand up to the scuffs and scratches that come with hard city use.



When the Blackjack goes on sale in September, buyers will be able to choose from the usual selection of Fiat 500 petrol and diesel offerings, including the recently-announced two-cylinder TwinAir engine.



UK prices for the Fiat 500 Blackjack have yet to be confirmed.

Misleading BMW advert

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld two complaints made against a regional press advertisement for the BMW Z4 sDrive35is.

Objections were raised because of the environmental claims made in the ad, which had the text:

"Joy presses you back in your seat. It's a lesson in EfficientDynamics - our way of doing more with less. Part of the thrill of being in an accelerating BMW is knowing nothing is going to waste. High Precision Fuel Injection gives you abundant power, using less fuel. So you can step on the accelerator, knowing Joy will minimise the CO2 emissions. The story of Joy continues at bmw.co.uk/joy. THE BMW Z4 sDRIVE35is JOY IS FUTUREPROOF. BMW EfficientDynamics Less emissions, More driving pleasure."

The associated small print read:

"Official fuel economy figures for the Z4 sDrive35is Roadster: Urban 22.4 mpg (12.6 l/100km). Extra Urban 40.9 mpg (6.9 l/100km), Combined 31.4 mpg (9.0 l/100km). CO2 emissions 210 g/km. BMW EfficientDynamics reduces BMW emissions without compromising performance developments and is standard across the model range."

The complainants thought this implied that a CO2 emissions level of 210 g/km was low. They in fact understood it to be relatively high, meaning BMW’s advert was misleading (although perhaps not to them?).



BMW (UK) responded by saying the emissions from the current Z4 range were significantly reduced compared to the previous generation, and the 210 g/km of CO2 produced by the 335 bhp (250 kW / 340 PS) Z4 sDrive35is is lower than all of its competitors.



Indeed, that seems to be correct: For example, the slightly less powerful Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 and Porsche Boxster S have CO2 figures of 227 g/km and 223 g/km respectively.



But BMW’s defence was to no avail. The ASA ruled that the advert was ‘likely to mislead without further qualification’, because 210 g/km was a relatively high figure for any car. Consequently, the advert should not appear again in its current form.

Ducati 848 EVO unveiled

Two years on from its launch, the Ducati 848 has received a few tweaks. These have been focussed mainly on the engine and brakes.



Changes to the 849 cc Testastretta V-twin include revised throttle bodies, cylinder heads and camshafts. As a result, power is up from 134 bhp (100 kW / 136 PS) to 138 bhp (103 kW / 140 PS), while maximum torque is now 98 Nm.

Braking ability has been improved as well, thanks to the use of race-derived Brembo Monobloc calipers for the front twin 320 mm discs. For the first time, the 848 also gets a steering damper.



To mark the changes, Ducati has given the 848 an ‘EVO’ suffix. However, despite the various enhancements, the good news is that UK prices are unchanged compared to the outgoing models.

The 848 EVO, which comes in traditional Ducati red with a matching frame and black wheels, remains at £10,695 (plus on the road charges). A slightly cheaper alternative is the very cool looking 848 EVO Dark Stealth which, as the name implies, has a matt-effect black finish with a black frame. It costs £9,995.



Orders for the 848 EVO can be placed now, ahead of the first customer deliveries which are expected to take place during September.

"SUMMER BREEZES" are calling ... going on a holliday ... see you in one month ... 'travel' back in the blog in the meanwhile ...

JOHN KOCH "Painting New York Life"

No periodo de 16 de Outubro de 2001 a 27 de Janeiro de 2002 a 'New York Historical Society"organizou uma exposição à volta de John Koch, pintor realista e retratista desconhecido para o Mundo, mas não desconhecido em Nova York, cidade que ele documentou através da sua arte, durante os anos 50, 60 e início de 70.
Com efeito, John Koch (1909-1978) resistente do realismo num período dominado pelo Expressionismo Abstracto e pela "feira das vaidades" e os egocentrismos decadentes de Warwhol, deixou-nos testemunhos detalhados dum mundo NovaYorquino de artistas, modelos, interiores do seu elegante apartamento com vista para Central Park e ambientes com a sua mulher Dora Zalavsky, professora de piano ...
John Koch era em grande parte um artista auto-didacta, com 4 anos de auto formação em Paris, copiando pinturas no Louvre ... no entanto ele conseguiu viver com estilo e qualidade através do que ganhava com os seus retratos, desenvolvendo um verdadeiro 'Salon' cultural sofisticado, que ele tão bem documentou ... e que constituiu um verdadeiro 'oásis' ...

INKLINGS - Lewis, Tolkien, Williams - "The capacity to dream or the power of imagination"

Os "Inklings" eram um grupo de escritores, tendo os principais tido um percurso académico ligado à Universidade de Oxford, nomeadamente ao 'Magdalen College' ...
No presente depois da transposição para o cinema de 'Lord of the Rings', o nome de Tolkien tornou-se uma legenda, assim como o de C.S. Lewis através das 'Chronicles of Narnia' e a sua transposição para o cinema, além do filme 'Shadowlands' com Anthony Hopkins, onde a sua relação com a escritora Americana Joy Davidman Gresham é retratada e o seu dramático desfecho.
Os 'inklings', que constituíam uma tertúlia literária com vários nomes importantes, além dos já citados, encontravam-se no ambiente académico de Oxford e, uma vez por semana, no Pub "Eagle and Child", que ficou famoso devido a este ilustre grupo...

C.S. LEWIS

WILLIAMS AND LEWIS

LEWIS 'COTTAGE'

TOLKIEN

'MAGDALEN COLLEGE'

'EAGLE AND CHILD' PUB