Fiat Hubcaps on 2040-parts.com

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.

Peugeot BB1 concept

Peugeot BB1 concept was one of the more interesting surprises of the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. Capable of accommodating four people in a package only 2.5 meters long, the all-electric BB1 concept seeks to reinvent the car in every respect: architecture, style, interior design, driveability and connectivity, bringing the environment very much to the fore. Conveying values of freedom and optimism, and even 'altruism', the BB1 concept offers the promise of a new driving experience, wrapped in an altogether fresh and intriguing package.

Tomorrow's world: lightweight carbon composites

Once all the dust settles on The Great Battery Farce (the idea that the world's ills will be taken care of by sticking a battery in everything that moves and charging it up) we may eventually face up to the fact that the best way to move something around more economically, is to move less of it. That means making things lighter, a lot lighter. Car makers are working on it and manufacturers like Audi and Jaguar have already become masters in bringing aluminium to the mass production.