Today we have a new but very interesting gadget to show off. Especially at it’s reduced pricepoint via Amazon (Over 50% off). From Peak we have a camera display that can be placed over your vehicle’s rearview mirror and provide a quick view of what’s going on right behind you. The actual camera mounts onto your license plate while the transmitter is housed in your trunk, so while viewing what’s going on behind you you’re also greeted with what’s going on ground level, so you know not to hit something.. Like the family pet for instance. The purpose of course is to prevent such strategies and increase the safety of parking, or backing up your vehicle in general. It’s a great tool for any driver, but especially makes it different with large trucks or semis which have a difficulty in that visibility area by default.

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Cadillac has officially unveiled its Ciel Concept. The oversized, four-seat convertible was first shown off to the public at the 2011 Pebble Beach Councours D’Elegance. It’s named for the French translation for sky, which is adequate given that the car’s design was inspired by the natural beauty of the California Coast. Taking inspiration from the past and full-sized convertibles (think of the Lincoln Continental convertibles of the ’60s), the new Ciel Concept features rear-hinged rear doors, which in popular terms means suicide doors (since there is no B-pillar between the doors, you can see a panoramic side view of the interior when opened).

Under the hood, the Ciel is powered by a hybrid system pairing a lithium-ion battery with a twin-turbocharged, 3.6L V6 engine, making for a sick ass green car that will surely kick any Prius or Leaf’s ass. It pushes out 425 ponies with 430 lb.-ft. of torque so  you now it has some guts despite its green nature.

As a grand touring car, the Ciel’s striking exterior features LED headlights and an exaggerated take on the modern Caddy grille, making for a very futuristic machine that would be the perfect vacay/getaway vehicle to cruise up the coast in. At the rear are chrome exhaust tips and LED taillights, while a chrome trim runs the length of the Ciel. It sits pretty on a set of 22-inch wheels, featuring brushed nickel plating overtop milled aluminum, while carbon ceramic brake rotors aids in stopping power.  Overall, the new droptop Caddy gets a thumbs up in the looks department.

But the interior is just as nice as the outside thanks to some luxurious features such as leather and wood trim and some pull-out cashmere blankets for passengers in case it gets cold while the top is down. There is also a power-assisted transmission shifter, heating and cooling features in all the seats, and tons of other features that recall a bygone era of simple luxury.

GM has really stepped up its game with the Cadillac Ciel Concept. It seems they’ve pleased on every level except the most important one…a solid decision if this baby will see the light of day and become a production model. We’re crossing our fingers!

4.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Drives like a luxury car complemented by a quiet interior
• Bluetooth works flawlessly for calls and music, plus AUX and USB inputs
• Roomy interior

Con:

• 100 mile range
• Takes 8 hours to charge on a 220 volt plug
• Mommy mobile like form factor

A few weekends ago I had the luxury of driving Nissan’s all electric car, the Leaf. It travels up to 100 miles on a single charge, and drives like a luxury car despite lacking all the fine lines and moldings of one.

Unlike a traditional, gas guzzling vehicles of today there are no gears, no engine and no start up noise. Powering on the vehicle requires the simple push of a button and the key is merely a fob that transmits a wireless signal to the car’s computer.

From the outside and inside it’s almost impossible to tell that the Leaf is electric. Instead of a fuel cap on the backside of the vehicle, it features a lid that pops open in place of the radiator and reveals two charging ports; 240 and 480 volts.

This is the “fuel cap” that flips open by an interior switch to reveal a 220v and 480v plug

The interior dash of the Nissan leaf as well as the center console is outfitted with the usual arrangement of goodies found in today’s modern vehicles. However, there is an ‘eco tree gauge’ that displays how efficiently you’re driving. The more green or eco conscience you drive, the faster you’ll grow your eco tree. Additional eco info can be accessed via the center console’s 7-inch touch display, which is also used for dialing in directions and locating charging stations. Check out the video for more on this.

To further motivate you, Nissan has instituted some game theory into the eco aspect of driving. The system will rank you according to other Nissan EV drivers in terms of not only kilowatts used per hour while driving, but by comparing the amount of eco trees you’ve produced since your purchase. The system is called CarWings, and wraps a number of other eco offerings into one menu, allowing you to update the location of charging stations and access other tools. A dedicated button provides instant access to all of these features.

The Leaf’s headlights are designed to reduce drag and noise

Under the center console are a variety of plugs, including a USB and AUX input. But those, as they did for me, will be forgotten once you’ve paired your phone to the car’s Bluetooth. I’m not one to wax poetic about Bluetooth, but the Leaf’s works stunningly well. After the initial pairing it was a none issue and required no manual input. Incoming calls?  No problem. Streaming music via Pandora? Instantaneous. Usually you have to manually prompt the system or iPhone to do all this, but it all happens seamlessly with the Leaf. Callers said I sounded a bit distant, but I had no problem carrying on a casual conversation while driving down the PCH to Malibu and back. But, keep in mind that using the USB or Aux input will result in better sound quality – that goes without saying.

The gauges on the dash are perfectly placed allowing you to quickly glance at your speed and other pertinent info. The steering wheel is outfitted with a variety of controls that range from answering a call to instituting cruise control. I did take issue with the four buttons located behind the left side of the steering wheel that control the dash’s HUD; they’re arranged in a counter intuitive manner, don’t mimic the menu’s layout and nor is it immediately evident that they can be used to manipulate this info.

7-inch touchscreen nav and audio system – climate control just below

Driving the Nissan Leaf is an experience in upon itself. Sure, the inside’s features and creature comforts make for a lux experience, but it’s the ride and handling that are the true jewel of this vehicle. At first I was a bit apprehensive since my every day drive is a petrol powered, stick shift vehicle. The Leaf lacks a transmission and the traditional gear leaver has been replaced by a small joystick like knob that shifts you into park with a push of button or drive or reverse by flicking it up or down when pressed into the left most position. A lever, which could be mistaken for the center console box latch, controls the e-brake and doubles as a hill start since it auto disengages when pulling forward; it doesn’t disengage in reverse. Lastly, there is an eco-mode that can be entered by shifting the lever twice into Drive and simply reduces the sensitivity of the accelerometer, thus saving you power by reducing the weight of your would be ‘lead foot’.

Because the Leaf is electric there is absolutely zero noise when the vehicle is started. First time passengers were in such awe that most were willing to place a handsome bet that the vehicle wasn’t “running” – they zipped up when I pulled away.  The car emits a slight whizzing noise upon initial launch, something analogous to that of a scene from the movie “Minority Report”. After that it drives like an every day vehicle. Initial acceleration, or low end torque is present, but the Leaf lacks torque at the high end, making it a bit challenging, though not impossible by any account, to suddenly overtake vehicles at highway speeds. Don’t get me wrong, you can go well above 80mph in this vehicle, it just won’t happen at a rocket ship like speed as found in the Tesla Roadster.  It’s performance is probably comparable to that of a 4-cylinder gas vehicle.  In the corners the Leaf is agile and responsive as is the braking.  I drove it through some of the canyons found in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, and the Leaf elicited very little body roll and communicated the road’s conditions accordingly.

The eco tree (left) shows how green you’re driving

In terms of comparison of other electric vehicles, I had the luxury of driving an Electric Mini during the same weekend. In fact it was all rather blissful. I was down to my last 20 miles when an e-Mini pulled in front of me and parked. He got out and we began to chat. No sooner than I could say yes, I was driving the all electric Mini around the block. It’s a completely different monster, and the operative word here is monster. By comparison to the Leaf, the E-Mini drives like a tank. Granted it has an automatic regenerative braking system, the ride isn’t nearly as light or smooth. It’s stiff, cold and takes concentration to drive. After this experience I was better able to ascertain how much engineering has gone into the Leaf to make it drive similar to the gas powered car’s we’ve become accustom to. The E-Mini however is an experimental vehicle that will probably never see production, so by no means is it a great comparison, but provides perspective nonetheless.

The 100 mile range of the Nissan isn’t something to take lightly.  Despite residing in LA, which is packed with a number of charging stations, it’s something that you – at least I did – will always remain cognisant of, especially if your trip calls for significant highway driving, since the Leaf’s charge drops off more rapidly at faster speeds.  A battery’s charge is influenced by a number of things; the big one is how aggressive you request power.

The solar panel is used for charging gadgets plugged into the Leaf

Nissan says you can maximize your miles by traveling 28 miles per hour at 68 degree F.  I took a road trip to Malibu on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  I started with a full 100 mile charge.  Well aware of my remaining miles, I began to feel a bit panic stricken when the gauge dropped below 40 miles and I knew I still needed to return home despite my ride home being less than 30 miles. Psychologically it will take time to become accustom with the advent of electric cars; it’s just a different beast and right now calls for, as it should, more conservative driving with an emphasis placed on how many miles you consume and where you’re going – all part of the eco street cred that can be attributed to an electric car.  However, on one occasion the fuel gauge did jump from 10 miles to “empty” within a few hundred feet of travel. Perhaps it is a safety mechanism to insure a driver doesn’t find themselves stranded in the middle of no where, but a disconcerting experience nonetheless, and one I wasn’t willing to take.

For now, the Nissan charging stations are too impractical for a quick charge since the 220 volt stations take up to 8 hours for a full charge.  At your expense (about $2,000) you can have your home outfitted with a 220 volt plug or alternatively you can utilize the included home trickle charger which will take about 20 hours for a full charge.  For those of you concerned about your electricity costs, even though the Leaf will on average cost about $3 for a full charge, you can set the Leaf to charge at “off peak” hours when energy costs are less, which is generally at night time.  However, Nissan has commissioned a company to produce a number of stations up and down the I-5, which will hopefully support 480 volt charging, which means an 80% charge in as little as 30 minutes.  It’s still not comparable to filling your gas tank, but it’s the right step in the right direction.  A company by the name of Better Place has been pushing for “battery stations” that instead of filling up your “tank”, quick switch the dead battery for a freshly charged one.  It remains to be seen which car companies will adopt this technology and if it will become the standard.  Nissan seems determined to develop charging stations, at least for now.

Pardon the cliche, but aesthetics aside the Nissan Leaf fires on all cylinders, despite not physically boasting any.  The range of 100 miles while short, should suffice for most commuters and makes you, the driver, more cognizant of your driving consumption.  A 100 mile range is just the the tip of the iceberg when it comes to an electric vehicle’s range, and as we’ve already seen from the likes of Tesla a greater range is already feasible, though at an exuberant cost.

Nissan’s Leaf was able to obtain a 99 mpg fuel rating since the EPA uses a formula where 33.7 kWhs are equivalent to one gallon of gasoline energy, which is the amount of energy the Leaf consumes when traveling 100 miles.  It’s a tad mind boggling to think that a vehicle can travel 100 miles on the equivalent of one gallon of gas.  You can probably thank the automakers for this, since they’ve supposedly been in bed with the US government to manipulate our car’s crappy fuel economy thus insuring that gasoline remains in demand.  That is provided of course you’re willing to subscribe to a conspiracy theory or two.  So with that all said, there is some mixed emotion that comes with owning a “fuel efficient” vehicle, especially since it comes from a car company that has long pushed the gas guzzlers.

There is some anxiety that is inherently built into driving the Leaf since it can’t be charged up as quickly as it takes to fill your car with petrol.  With that said, the Nissan Leaf is not for the overly aggressive driver, those that take long commutes or don’t have 8 hours to spare for a complete charge.  The Leaf costs upwards of $25,000 after tax credits and at best you’ll probably achieve 80 highway miles on a single charge thanks to battery tech, which is the opposite of fuel powered vehicles which achieve a greater distances at a highway speeds.  But despite any short comings that the Leaf may have, it’s a zippy and handsomely featured car that has set the bar for all future electric vehicles in this price range.

Although the electric motorcycle space hasn’t heated up as rapidly the electric car space, it hasn’t stopped another entrant from making in roads into the still rather nascent market.

Nipping at the heals of Brammo and those alike, is the Agility Global Saietta, an all electric sport bike with a funky design to boot.  Upon release two models will be available, the S and R, boasting a 50 and 100 mile range respectively.  Engadget is reporting that the S will achieve a 0-60 run in just 4 seconds, while the R, thanks to its added battery weight, which equates to greater distance, will achieve that feat in 5 seconds.

Shipping is said to commence this April, where upon you can purchase the faster, but shorter ranged S model for $16k and the R for a few hundred under $23,000.

Via: Engadget

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10) Don’s Solar Scooter

This is a total DIY project, but hey, it’s a solar powered vehicle, right?  The solar panels can be folded away during driving making it completely street legal.  When it’s parked they can be unfolded and the battery juiced from the sun’s rays.

9) Sunraycer

The Sunraycer was built in 1987 in just 10 months.  It’s covered with 8800 solar cells that produce up to 1500 watts of power.  It won the world’s first race featuring solar powered vehicles and achieved a speed of 109 km/h (65mph) over 3005 km.  The following year it achieved a top speed of 75.2mph, destroying the previously held record.

8) E-V Sunny Bicycle

It’s really a kit, but you can’t knock an all solar powered bicycle, right?  Sure, you could pedal, but why not take the extra help, especially when it has no carbon emissions.  The bike can move at a speed of up to 19mph by way of it’s 500 watt electric motor.  You can score a completed bike for about $1,250 or opt fo the kit which costs $775.

7) Solar Golf Cart

This thing costs a whopping $9k, but that’s the price you pay for a little luxury and a clear conscious.  The roof features 72 photovoltaic cells that increase its range by up to 33% between charges of a standard electric golf cart.  That means you can play 10 rounds of golf before it needs to be plugged in, or you can just leave it in the sun for 15 hours and you’ll be all set.

6) Nuna4 Fastest Solar Car

This things takes records, period.  It weighs less than 190 kg and can achieve a top speed of 90.87 kmh.  Enough said.

Hit the ‘leap’ for the remaining 5

5) Venturi High Performance Solar Vehicle

This is the first commercially available high performance solar vehicle. It boast 21 square meters of solar cells.  The passenger sits directly behind the driver, who can accelerate the vehicle to a top speed of 120 kmh with a range of 110 km.  Unfortunately, we don’t think any have been built.

4) Smallest Solar Power Car

This little car is the smallest solar powered vehicle.  It measures 33×22×14 millimeters and has a tiny electric engine.

3) World’s First Solar Powered Motorcycle

The dude that built this apparently sold his entire motorcycle collection and house to fund the project.  The result?  The world’s first sun powered motorcycle with a range of 50 miles.  It took him more than 2 years to build.

2) Planet Solar, World’s Largest Solar Boat

We’ve covered the Planet Solar boat in the past.  It’s the largest of its type and rocks 1600 square feet of solar panels.  It’s cost its maker more than $25 million to build and took its first ocean voyage this past March.

1) Solar Impulse Plane

This plane just completed its first 24 hour flight.  It’s a single person vehicle powered by 12,000 solar cells.  It’s inventor is now planning for an around the world trip.

We love us some Tesla…the car company that is.  Elon Musk, who recently made an appearance in the Iron Man 2 movie, is on a ‘roadshow’ in anticipation of the company’s IPO.  His presentation hints at 3 new electric vehicles in addition to the model S, all of which would sit on the same ‘adaptable common platform’.  The van is looking a bit too ‘delivery’ for us, but the cabriolet looks bad ass.

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Update: We’ve now posted our Nissan Leaf review.

Electric cars look to be the way of the future and Nissan’s LEAF is set to be one of the most affordable, $30,000 US.

But what makes this thing tech worthy, aside from the electric engine, is that users will be able to communicate with the vehicle using a smartphone, such as the iPhone. Before returning to the vehicle you can adjust the air conditioning, review how much time is left until a full charge or be notified of a complete charge, amongst other yet to be named features. 

According to Nissan the LEAF will have a range of up to 100 miles on each charge and will hit a top speed of 90MPH. There’s no word on if it will hit the US, but it is set for the UK in 2011, where motorists will forgo the annual road tax and city congestion charges since it is a zero emission vehicle.

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The last time you hit a bump in the road you probably cursed and sweared.  But soon, thanks to a technology from Levant Power, you’ll be praising your city’s pot holes.

The GenShock is designed to replace part of  a car or truck’s suspension system.  In addition to providing what Levant claims is a smoother ride and better control, the GenShock can harvest the energy from the bumps in the road and transfer it to battery cells, alternators and other electrical components in the vehicle.  If installed in a hybrid they say it can improve fuel efficiency any where from 1.5-6%.

Road tests with a Humvee have already completed and they plan to expand the device to trucks, buses and other vehicles this summer.  When they will be commercially available is unknown, but Levant says the cost of the power generating shock absorbers can be recouped in as little as 18 months.

Although the above infomercial is a bit hoky – the executives of the company looks like teenagers and the interviews take place in a hallway – they’ve already received accolades from MIT, Pop Sic and the US Department of Energy.

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We’re a little bashful to post on this since it hit the blogosphere about 3.5 years ago, but we simply can’t resist a two in one vehicle.  The Quadski is an ATV and Jetski in one.  With a flick of a button it converts from a land traversing machine to a buoyant water craft that can hit speeds up to 50 mph on either terrain.  Commercial availability doesn’t seem to be a prominent part of their selling point, but after reading a few comments on YouTube it appears to cost just south of $50,000.

Video after the ‘leap’

[via Uncrate]

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You’d have to be an idiot to spend $52,000 on a golf cart, but that’s exactly what Garia Soleil de Minuit Golf Cart costs.  For all those greenbacks you get two-colored hand-stitched luxury seats, alcantara roof lining, opulentlly padded cup holders, an over the top LCD speedometer with battery charge and the always necessary cooler.  What, no bumping sound system?

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Toys powered by water are nothing new, but cola or juice, that’s something worth doing a double take over.

Takara Tomy is set to introduce a Japanese toy RC car powered by an ‘ene Bio Engine’, which uses juice, soda or any sugary drink for fuel.  The RC car’s controls are rather archaic, as is the speed and the design of the remote, but clearly the exercise here is less about spoiling your kid and more about teaching them about the fundamentals of science and how to be green.

Video after the ‘leap’

[via Inhabitots]

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Has Halo reached its critical mass?  The next stage for Halo merchandising is this collection of R/C vehicles that will surely pique the interest of any die hard fan.  With prices ranging from $25-$35, you can get the Warthog, Mongoose, and Flying Hornet to complete your ultimate geek collection.

Funny enough the controller for the Warthog and Mongoose is shaped like a Sony controller.  Just imagine that battle you can create around the Christmas tree this year!  Take it out of the box or leave it packaged?  On sale now.

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I know, I know, it doesn’t look real, but apparently some dude (François Knorreck) spent 10 years, 10,000 work hours and 15,000 Euros building the Snaefell, a motorcycle with the ultimate side car.  I was sort of hoping that the bike could detach from the side car and be independently propelled, but as you can see from the overhead shot it’s one complete body; a Unibody (wink) of sorts.  I have to question how well it handles, but considering its uniqueness does it really matter?

More pics after the ‘leap’

[via TheKneeSlider]

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Range Rover and Mercedes might have ‘dual view’ touchscreen displays, but I’ll tell you something they don’t have: glowing speakers that pulsate to to the beat.  It’s not clear if the Kia Soul will keep this feature when it arrives State Side, but since I just saw it in a US commercial I don’t see why not.  The light up speakers, which give the appearance of a red hot BBQ grill, have 3 settings:  ‘Mood’ which looks like the Macbook breathing, ‘Music’ which I already mentioned and ‘On’ which keeps the speakers lit up.   Also adding to the ‘lifestyle’ vehicle is glow in the dark upholstery.  Hit the video below to see the Soul’s speakers in action.

Remember the Aptera Vehicle we showed you last month?  Well, two of  the all electric vehicles were spotted at the TED conference the day before they’re official unveiling (which is today).  Ya, that’s all I got.

Official product page here

[Treehugger]

Their website isn’t entirely clear, but if I am reading it correctly, you retrofrit this unit to your vehicle and can increase the mileage by 75% – 125%.  The system uses hydrogen in combination with your vehicle’s preexisting source of energy.  To fill up, you simply add water and the system converts Hydrogen on the spot. They’ve built-in some failsafes in the event the system goes hay wire.  The price you ask?  Just a mere $3,500 for gas engine and $7,000 for diesel.

Looks like the Scorpion Hydrogen car is using this system.  At a 200 MPH top speed I can’t imagine its range being massive, though.  Hit the ‘leap’ to peep the Scorpion.