Prototypes

  • Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle

    Olive drab isn't the only green thing in the U.S. Army. Currently undergoing testing at Fort Carson in Colorado, the Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle illustrates the unlikely intersection between eco-friendly powertrains and the demanding needs of a vehicle that may be deployed to a war zone. The Colorado ZH2 is a collaboration between General Motors and the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), but its roots are a little more humble. DON'T MISS: Honda, GM To Build Factory For Fuel-Cell Production By 2025 Underneath its show-truck...

  • Prototype plug-in electric delivery van with fuel-cell range extender to be tested by UPS in 2017
    UPS electric van with fuel-cell range extender to be tested in California

    Considerable skepticism remains that passenger vehicles powered by hydrogen will become a major part of U.S. sales any time soon—or ever. Quietly, however, analysts suggest that hydrogen may provide a solution to the different challenges of producing zero-emission heavy trucks and delivery...

  • First release candidate Tesla Model 3 electric car, from video tweeted by Elon Musk, March 2017
    First 'release candidate' Tesla Model 3 driven: video posted by Elon Musk

    The news earlier this week that the Tesla Model 3 would skip its usual "beta" development phase came as a shock to the industry and even to Tesla fans. With no reported sitings to date of Model 3 development versions on the roads, that seemed a startling and risky thing for Tesla to do. Especially...

  • 2017 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive (European model) prototype, Aug 2016
    2018 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive prototype: first ride impressions

    Following the launch of the latest Smart Fortwo hatchback, it was only a matter of time before the trendy German brand would introduce an evolution of its Fortwo Electric Drive version as well. While some electric vehicles remained desperately uncool or overpriced, the Fortwo "ED" (as Germans...

  • Toyota FCV-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Toyota Prototype Of Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car Shown To Journalists

    Toyota has given a small selection of journalists their first taste of prototypes of its long-awaited hydrogen fuel-cell production car--and driving impressions are beginning to surface. The Japanese automaker has shown off hydrogen concepts for some time, most prominent of which is the FCV-R...

  • Citroen test car fitted with Phinergy prototype aluminum-air battery
    Phinergy 1000-Mile Aluminum-Air Battery: On The Road In 2017?

    It's the sweetest dream of every electric-car fan: a battery that could store enough energy to offer up to 1,000 miles of real-world range. While it's not going to arrive in showrooms any time soon, Israeli startup Phinergy thinks its aluminum-air energy storage device might just be that battery...

  • ESB Sundancer experimental electric car, test drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Oct 1973 [Frank Lodge]

    Cars of the future--especially those from the past--always exert a powerful pull on our imaginations. They range from the outlandish (no wheels) to the bizarre (extreme styling exercises) to the jaw-dropping (powered by tiny nuclear powerplants). While the Fifties and Sixties may have been the height of extravagant future fantasies, the Seventies had its own crop of futuristic ideas. In 1973, photographer Frank Lodge attended the First Symposium on Low Pollution Power Systems Development, held in October in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The focus of the conference was on technologies that could reduce...

  • Infiniti JX Hybrid prototype, Nissan GranDrive test track, Oppama, Japan, Oct 2012
    Infiniti JX Hybrid: What Do Suburban Moms Want In A Hybrid Crossover?

    Every carmaker will soon have at least a handful of hybrid models, and Nissan is no exception. The company’s luxury brand, Infiniti, let reporters drive a prototype version of the Infiniti JX Hybrid it’s expected to launch in the U.S. market within a year or two. The 2013 Infiniti JX...

  • Ram 1500 Plug-In Hybrid pickup truck and Chrysler Town & Country plug-in hybrid minivan, April 2012
    Chrysler Yanks Plug-In Hybrid Test Fleet Off Roads, Will Replace Batteries

    Ask most people about Chrysler's plug-in hybrid prototype program, and you'll get something like, "Huh? Chrysler has plug-in hybrids?" In fact, the company does: 23 minivans and 109 pickup trucks on the roads for almost a year now, all prototypes to test the technology. Today, the company announced...

  • Nissan e-NV200
    Nissan e-NV200 Electric Van Headed To U.S. For Testing

    Over the past year, we’ve seen quite a bit of Nissan’s e-NV200, an all-electric minivan, and its taxi-based variant. A cross between the gasoline NV2000, a minivan produced by Nissan in Europe and Japan to rival the Ford Transit, and the 2012 Nissan Leaf, we first heard about the...

  • Audi A3 e-tron prototype: first drive, June 2012
    Audi A3 e-tron Prototype: First Drive Video (Exclusive)

    Unlike other carmakers--including BMW with its ActiveE program--Audi has chosen to use only in-house drivers to test the fleet of electric A3 e-tron prototypes it has brought to the U.S. So we're pleased to be among the few media outlets to drive an Audi A3 e-tron, one of just 17 such cars in North...

  • Alfa Romeo Giulietta development prototype, Madison, Wisconsin, April 2012 [photo © by Thomas Bey]
    Exclusive: Spy Shots Of Next-Generation Jeep Liberty Mule (Updated)

    Always carry a camera; you never know what you'll see parked on the street. That's how our contributor, Thomas Bey, shot these exclusive spy shots of an engineering prototype for what may be a future hybrid Jeep or Dodge model to be based on the same running gear as the 2013 Dodge Dart compact...

  • Toyota electric race car prototype live photos - Copyright High Gear Media

    There’s a new race among automakers and independent startups all around the world, and that is to be the leader in the advanced world of high-performance electric cars. And while major automakers like Audi and Mercedes-Benz are dabbling in the field of road-going cars with their respective e-tron and E-Cell projects, Toyota is looking to also be one of the first to develop a fully fledged electric race car. That’s where the electric race car prototype you see here comes into focus. As previously reported, the prototype is set to attempt a new electric car lap record of the...

  • 2009 Audi R8 e-Tron Concept
    Electric Supercars: The New Breed Of Fast And Sexy

    Forget the Jaguar C-X75 or BMW i8 range-extenders. When it comes to the greenest supercars around, pure-electric drivetrains are a must. Whether its single motors, dual motors, or one in each wheel, electric cars offer enthusiasts a whole new level of performance, and capabilities never seen...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion prototype – Copyright High Gear Media
    2014 Volkswagen Golf blue-e-motion First Drive

    Volkswagen is intent on becoming the world's leading automaker by 2018 and that means being top dog in every segment, including hybrid and electric cars. Previously, the German auto giant announced plans to start building its own electric powertrains and even opened a battery research lab at...

  • Gordon Murray Design T.27 electric car prototype
    Gordon Murray Design Reveals T.27 Electric Minicar Prototype

    About a month ago we first brought you details on the new T.27 electric minicar prototype from automotive industry legend Gordon Murray, one of the chief designers of the McLaren F1 supercar. His latest T.25 minicar project is bustling along, with his design firm, the eponymous Gordon Murray...

  • Gordon Murray Design T.27 electric car prototype
    Gordon Murray's T.25 Minicar Spawns T.27 Electric Variant

    It’s been a while since we heard about Gordon Murray and the British engineer’s enigmatic T.25 minicar. The last we heard, Gordon Murray and his eponymous design and engineering firm Gordon Murray Design had built a prototype for his new minicar, revealing details about its...

  • Volvo flywheel Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS)
    Flywheel KERS Boosts Gas Mileage By 20 Percent, Volvo Says

    It's interesting to see the variations among green technologies as automakers, both in production cars and motorsports, strive for greater fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. The most common means for automakers to boost gas mileage thus far have been hybrid-electric technology and turbodiesel...

  • Porsche Boxster E electric car prototype

    The Michelin Challenge Bibendum is an annual event run by the French tire company aimed at promoting the development of sustainable mobility. At this year’s event in the German capital of Berlin Porsche rolled out its Boxster E electric car prototype, revealing a few more saucy details about its testing schedule and zero-emission future. Porsche is currently testing three different Boxster E prototypes as part of the “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to explore the everyday practicality of electric cars and how they are used, especially in terms of...

  • 2011 Audi A3 e-tron prototype
    Audi Presents Battery-Powered A3 e-tron Prototype

    The growth of Audi’s ever-expanding family of ‘e-tron’ electrified concept cars and prototypes shows no signs of slowing with two more additions joining the fold this month alone, the latest being the battery-powered A3 e-tron revealed this week. The newest addition brings the...

  • BMW and Brilliance 5-Series plug-in hybrid prototype
    BMW 5-Series Plug-In Hybrid Prototype: 2011 Shanghai Auto Show

    BMW has taken the wraps off a new plug-in hybrid prototype based on its long-wheelbase 5-Series sedan, which it will be showcasing in just a few weeks at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. Built in collaboration with its Chinese alliance partner Brilliance Auto, development of the new prototype is the...

  • 2011 Audi A5 e-tron quattro hybrid prototype
    New A5 e-tron quattro Plug-In Packs Audi’s Latest Hybrid Tech

    Audi has taken the wraps off a sophisticated plug-in hybrid prototype that combines a number of leading green car technologies all in a single platform. Utilizing the shell of the luxurious A5 Coupe, Audi’s new A5 e-tron quattro prototype not only features a conventional power-split hybrid...

  • Rolls-Royce 102EX Electric Phantom
    Rolls-Royce Confirms 102EX Electric Phantom Prototype

    Silent cruising in a seemingly impregnable fortress of fine leather, sensuous wood, and hand-built steel and glass is the ultimate goal of hyper-luxury brands like Rolls-Royce. Which means it's not too surprising that the automaker has confirmed the development of an all-electric version of its...

  • eRuf Porsche 911 prototype
    Ruf To Start Trials Of Electric Porsche 911 Prototypes This Year

    Electricity and high-performance cars may or may not mix, depending on your frame of reference, but whether you're a Tesla fan or Formula 1 devotee, it's easy to agree that a hybrid or all-electric Porsche would be a welcome creation for sports car and EV fans alike. Porsche blew us away last year...

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