New Sealed Bell Digital Altimeter Foot / Meter Backlit on 2040-parts.com

Nissan Leaf electric vehicle headed for U.S. market in 2010

Nissan has taken the wraps off its production-bound electric vehicle, named Leaf, that is plans to sell in Japan, the United States and Europe. The Leaf seats five and measures 175 inches long--about the same size as a Versa sedan. It uses an 80-kilowatt AC electric motor and draws from a laminated lithium-ion battery pack--the same type of batteries used by cellular telephones and laptop computers.

Nissan’s new lightweight philosophy revealed

The leaked official drawings of the new Nissan Micra might have revealed the conventional styling of the company’s new supermini, but they gave little clue to the dramatically lightweight new platform that underpins it. The new Micra will be significantly lighter and more fuel efficient than the outgoing car due to a ruthless pursuit of weight reduction on the new V-platform (V = versatile), which on average has slashed 50kg from the new car's weight, and up to 70kg on some models. Project leader Noritaka Tsuru described the new package as a 'breakthrough car' that required a complete 'change in mentality' in how Nissan makes cars.

Opel Ampera preview

Opel has released a teaser sketch of its new five-door extended-range electric car ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Auto Show in March. Based on the Voltec powertrain and chassis architecture of Chevrolet's Volt, the Ampera promises to surpass that car in terms of style by some margin. The body appears to be nearly identical between the A- and C-pillars, but the deformed horseshoe-shaped headlamp design and two-bar grille come straight from the 2007 Flextreme concept, as do the car's tree-branch alloy wheels.