Concept cars allow designers to create future vehicles
(8 Mar 2017) LEADIN: The future is already here, that's the message at the Geneva International Motor Show as car makers debut futuristic creations. Experts say as the industry moves towards digitised, battery-powered, self-driving technology, once wacky concept creations are now becoming a reality. STORYLINE: Could this be a vision of our future. This is the QUANT 48VOLT, a high performance electric design by Zurich research and development centre nanoFlowcell. But unlike many of the cars on the Geneva Motor Show floor, this is not headed for the production lines, it's instead a demonstration vehicle for how electric flowcell technology might change motoring. Quant is equipped with a 48 V Low-Voltage Flow Cell Drive which delivers 300 kilometres per hour and zero to 100 kilometres in 2.4 seconds. The flowcell technology promises a range of over 1,000 kilometres on a single charge, working on a low battery voltage of 48 volts. Ralf Kaiser from nanoFlowcell says they created the QUANT to provide "perspective" on how electric power can change mobility. "When I see many manufacturers, they do not have a perspective on electric mobility. You have individual business cases, like Tesla, but you do not have a future concept for electric mobility," he says. "You have a lot of alibi cars because no-one wants to have fingers pointed at them; 'Oh, you don't have any electric car,' But if you ask for a long-term strategy there is none because the current technology doesn't provide a perspective. And this is why we are here." Across the show floor, Toyota Europe are showcasing this EV vehicle, but the focus is not what's under the hood, but over it. The i-TRIL is intended as a viable alternative to passenger cars, public transport or motorcycles for short, inner city journeys. The idea is it can be used for short, city-centre commutes or perhaps picking up the kids from school. But not too many kids, the i-TRIL boasts just two passenger seats, plus the front driving position. "The future will be all about variety, you know. People driving SUVs, some others will use public transportation, but more and more we don't believe that one car can fit all your needs," says Pierre Romeo from Toyota Europe. "So, in the future maybe you will try to rent this car or buy this car and rent the SUV or rent something else." Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan is showing its vision of the future through an array of futuristic-looking vehicles, including this three-seater BladeGlider. Nissan unveiled a working prototype of its futuristic vehicle, which combines zero-emissions, high-performance and sports car design. A wild version of the design appeared back in 2013, but with advancing technologies, Nissan has now produced this working version. Performance is central, promising 190 kilometres per hour and 0-100 kilometres in less than five seconds. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says they created the 'Glider' to prove electric cars aren't all reserved-looking cars. "The BladeGlider is in fact a symbol of performance and electric cars," he says. "A lot of people have an image of an electric as being good cars, but more stable, slow. Well, it's not the case. Electric cars are performance cars, they can be performance cars. "So, here we have a completely new design, we have huge torque, we have a lot of performance, that's why for us it's a symbol of innovation and performance, with zero emissions." While much of the industry heads towards battery power, Hyundai is exploring the possibilities in hydrogen fuel cell technology. Robin Hayles admits fuel cell tech is very much a new technology for many drivers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
