2007 Bmw X5 4.8i 7 Passenger on 2040-cars

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Pininfarina Battista hypercar's output specified at 1,873 horsepower

Even in a galaxy far, far away, the Pininfarina Battista would stand out. After a delay of about three years, the official specifications of the all-electric hypercar have been revealed: Full power is rated at 1,873 horsepower, outputting 1,697 foot-pounds of torque. Sixty-two miles per hour arrives in 1.86 seconds, with 124 mph coming in 4.75 seconds. 217 mph is the estimated top speed. (The Rimac Nevera recently hit 258.) The 120kWh battery pack should enable a range of about 280 miles from a single charge. A pair of electric motors are mounted to each axle, each motor powering a specific wheel and giving the Battista full torque vectoring capability. Pricing — and this is one of those cars that, if one has to ask, just move on — is about $2.2 million, which places it in the territory of the Bugatti Chiron. For those customers considering an upsell, a limited “anniversario” edition will comprise five of the expected 150-unit build run. It differs from the standard version by some cosmetic alterations, which lifts the price by some $70,000-plus. 0r you could buy a BMW M3 as a chase car. The two-seater Battista is named for Battista “Pinin” Farina, who founded Carrozzeria Pininfarina in 1930. A lot of its battery, carbon-fiber chassis and motor components come from Rimac, the nascent Croatian electric supercar maker that recently paired with Porsche to take over Bugatti.  Many more details about the carÂ’s development, several photos and our driving impressions can be found in this Autoblog post from August.   Auto News By the Numbers Green BMW Bugatti Green Automakers Green Driving Coupe Performance Supercars Pininfarina Battista

BMW and Jaguar Land Rover to jointly develop electric car tech

FRANKFURT – BMW and Jaguar Land Rover on Wednesday said they will jointly develop electric motors, transmissions and power electronics, unveiling yet another industry alliance designed to lower the costs of developing electric cars. Both carmakers are under pressure to roll out zero-emission vehicles to meet stringent anti-pollution rules, but have struggled to maintain profit margins faced with the rising costs of making electric, connected and autonomous cars. "Together, we have the opportunity to cater more effectively for customer needs by shortening development time and bringing vehicles and state-of-the-art technologies more rapidly to market," said BMW board member Klaus Froehlich. BMW and Jaguar Land Rover said they will save costs through shared development, production planning and joint purchasing of electric car components. Both companies will produce electric drivetrains in their own manufacturing facilities, BMW said. The BMW Jaguar Land Rover pact comes as rivals FiatChrysler and Renault explore a $35 billion tie-up of the Italian-American and French carmaking groups. Nick Rogers, Jaguar Land Rover's engineering director said, "We've proven we can build world beating electric cars but now we need to scale the technology to support the next generation of Jaguar and Land Rover products." BMW was in talks with rival Daimler about developing electric car components but was also in discussions with Jaguar Land Rover, a company it once owned, to explore an alliance on engines. BMW already has a deal to supply an 8 cylinder engine to Jaguar Land Rover. Carmakers are increasingly open to sharing electric car parts because the technology is expensive and because customers no longer buy a car based on what engine a vehicle has. "Carmakers are much less precious about sharing electric car technology because it is much harder to create product differentiation with electric car tech. They all accelerate fast, and everybody can do quality and ride and handling," according to Carl-Peter Forster a former chief executive of Tata Motors and a former BMW executive. Jaguar Land Rover is still run by former BMW managers, including Ralf Speth the company's chief executive who spent 20 years at BMW prior to joining JLR, and Wolfgang Ziebart, the engineer who oversaw Jaguar's I-Pace electric car program, who is a former head of research and development at BMW.

Recharge Wrap-up: E15 could help smog woes, MPG average at all-time high

A new study shows that using an E15 blend instead of regular gasoline would reduce smog in Chicago. Increasing the availability of the 15-percent ethanol blend could help reduce carcinogenic air pollution and improve air quality, particularly on the city's South Side. The study found that E15 reduces the risk of cancer by 6.6 percent. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions 1.5 percent compared to a 10-percent ethanol blend. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Fairmont Beijing is offering hotel guests a chance to experience BMW's i cars. For the next three months, guests needing airport transfers will be picked up in one of the German automakers electric vehicles. Also, those who choose the hotel's "Passion Package," which includes transportation in one of the cars or on a BMW bike, and a private guided tour of the 789 Arts District and the Peking opera house as well as tickets to an opera performance. Learn more in the press release below. Formula E will host motor shows at the circuits during its race weekends. Visitors will learn about the technology behind the all-electric race series and the racecars, including the safety and performance aspects. The goal of the four-day shows is not only to entertain and educate people, but also to generate interest in electric and hybrid vehicles in hopes that drivers will consider adopting electric cars themselves. Read more at Formula E's website. The average fuel economy of new vehicles has reached a new high of 25.8 miles per gallon, according to the University of Michigan. The school's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) used the window sticker ratings of the vehicles to reach that number for the month of August. That's 0.2 mpg higher than July, and 5.7 mpg higher than October 2007, when UMTRI began recording the data. The group also found that average emissions per driver are down by 22 percent since October 2007. Read more at Green Car Congress. The United States Advanced Battery Consortium has awarded a $667,452 development contract to battery maker Xerion. The contract - a 50-percent cost share co-funded by the US Department of Energy - is for a 15-month program to develop next-generation batteries for plug-in hybrids. Read more in the press release below. Fairmont Beijing Introduces Eco-friendly Partnership with BMW's New Electric i Series BEIJING, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairmont Beijing is partnering with BMW in a showcase of the luxury carmaker's new electric, environment-friendly i Series.