Archive for category Concept Car
Cool Concept Cars
Posted by admin in Concept Car on July 14, 2011
Automotive companies generally release concept cars every year at numerous car show events. These autos are not for sale but only for display; many are futuristic and utilize outrageous design and incredible technology. Even though many may appear unrealistic; they give us a small peek into the future. Some companies even have contests where university students can submit their ideas and sketches. Building a concept vehicle is a great opportunity for a designer to really let loose and get extremely creative.
Many cars throughout automotive history were actually inspired by concept cars. For example, the General Motors Le Sabre is a concept vehicle that was also designed by Harley Earl in the nineteen fifties. It was used to introduce 12 volt electrics and an eight cylinder engine for General Motors. Concept cars are generally outrageous but some of their more usable features are generally incorporated in autos that are made available to the public.
Did you know that the Corvette was actually inspired by a concept car? The idea came from a concept auto called the Chevrolet Corvair Monza back in the 60′s. This may seem a bit crazy nowadays, but Ford actually had a concept vehicle that was based on nuclear power; the Nucleon. We all became familiar with the Pontiac Bonneville as a family car, but the name first appeared on Pontiac’s first two-seater concept showcased in 1954 called the Pontiac Bonneville Special. Mini vans are now everywhere but they used to be unheard of back in the seventies; the first mini van was also prototype back in the 70′s; it was called the Lancia Megagamma. Read the rest of this entry »
Volvo Electric Powered Concept Sports Car and Volvo Replacement Parts
Posted by admin in Concept Car, Electric Car, Sport Car, Volvo on July 3, 2011
While major U.S. automakers are focusing on hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, Volvo took a different route, unveiling a sports car powered entirely with lithium-ion batteries. Volvo’s 3CC concept car, won “Best Design” and five Gold Standards at the recent Michelin Challenge Bibendum environmental competition in Shanghai, China.
“Not only does the 3CC combine classic Volvo styling cues with exotic gull-wing doors and a tapered, 2+1 seating configuration, but it does so with a highly advanced lithium-ion battery electric drive train. That’s a step apart from the crowd, which these days is largely focused on hybrid and fuel cell concepts,” says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal.
“Just as the earlier ECC forwarded new thought in hybrid propulsion with its high-speed turbine-generator design,” adds Cogan, “today’s lithium-ion 3CC innovates with its thousands of smallish laptop computer-style batteries, which power this zero emission vehicle to impressive levels of efficiency and performance.”
Advanced research into sustainable mobility and Volvo engineers have placed particular focus on the conditions regulating safety in small cars and their ability to handle incoming forces in a frontal collision. Read the rest of this entry »