While we broke the tale of the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics way back in September, some fresh news has emerged to make the whole thing a lot more interesting.

Specs have recently hit, and they’re downright amazing: it’s a plug in hybrid with a three cylinder turbo diesel, it gets zero to a hundred km/h in 4.8 seconds, and its total gas mileage is right around sixty two miles per gallon.

Frankly, this car is amazing no matter how you slice it.  it’s got incredible numbers on its side, and it’s easily one of the sexiest plug-in hybrids on the market.  After looking at the frumpy hausfrau that was the Toyota Prius (which will, by all accounts, still look like a shaved brick on wheels for the next couple of years at least), it’s downright liberating to get a look at the shapely, vaguely Lamborghini styled BMW Efficient Dynamics.  A sixty two mile per gallon car that looks like that?  Almost too good to be true.

Tags: BMW, BMW Vision Effcient Dynamics, hybrid, plug in hybrid, plug in hybrid car

Continue reading...

The Idea from Bright Automotive will be officially unveiled in Washington D.C. The vehicle is expected to get 100 miles per gallon and was developed at Bright’s headquarters at the Flagship Enterprise Center.

“We founded the company based on doing the right thing for the transportation sector,” said Bright President and CEO John Waters. “We’ve leveraged some of our expertise of our team’s abilities, which is strongly experienced in advanced automotive technology, electrification of vehicles and sustainability.”

The Bright team hopes to find capital in the capitol city. The company will lobby to receive $55 million in government funding to produce 50,000 vehicles by the end of 2012. On Tuesday morning, the company will hold a briefing before members of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Mike Pence, and perform a vehicle preview on the streets of Washington. Carol Browner, chief energy counselor to President Barack Obama, is expected to attend, along with companies interested in fuel-efficient transportation, including Duke Energy and Frito-Lay North America.

Waters said the vehicle has undergone “stealth tests” on public streets but, for all practical purposes, Tuesday will mark the Idea’s world premiere.

Bright plans to create 550 new jobs through 2010 and more than 5,000 by 2013. That may sound ambitious for 15-month-old startup company, but Bright has the pedigree to pull it off.

(Source) The Herald Bulletin

Tags: advanced automotive technology, Barack Obama, capitol city, duke energy, electrification, enterprise center, Government funding, herald bulletin, miles per gallon, plug in hybrid car, startup company, transportation sector, tuesday morning

Continue reading...