What Range Anxiety? EV Adventurers take on Longest Challenge Yet

Rarely are electric cars brought up in conversation without the phrase "range anxiety" following close behind. Two EV enthusiasts have come a long way to silently leaving that old stigma behind.

Chris Ramsey of Plug In Adventures has a history of breaking new ground for electric vehicles on Scottish soil, becoming the first person to complete the North Coast 500 in a electric car whilst racking up fuel costs of absolutely zilch thanks to his frugal choice of powertrain.

i3 Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside - BMW i3 Range Extender Road Test

The BMW i3 is the Munich marque's interpretation the future of urban motoring will look. It's packed with clever little details and impressive tech, as highlighted in my previous post on the i3, BMW's city car for the future aims to be compact, quiet and sustainable, all while still retaining the driving dynamics their customers have come to expect. Powered by an electric motor driving the rear wheels, supplemented by an optional 2-cylinder petrol range-extender engine, it straddles the divide between the past and the future.

Thanks to this, the i3 has the snappy, instant power response you'd expect from a pure EV. Combined with the range extender, it has a comfortable quoted range of 150 miles. Around town, you'd have to neglect charging the thing for a couple of days before needing the extra capacity afforded by the petrol motor, so that extra range opens up the possibility of venturing beyond the city walls.

The i3 - breaking the barrier between then and now.

The Green R-EVOLUTION Is Upon Us - EVOLUTION Scotland 2016 Round Up

Visitors to the RHC were greeted by hindsight in the
form of the original Honda Insight.

This year’s EVOLUTION Motor Show, the third held at Ingliston, drew in more people than ever before – and it’s not difficult to see why, with the wealth of progressive metal on show from mainstream manufacturers and smaller-scale independent companies alike. All were focused on breaking down outdated stereotypes about so-called ‘eco-cars’, EVs, and other progressive powertrains, in the pursuit of ultimate efficiency. 

Fiat group impressed once again with their offering, bringing a wide range of cars, each of which with it’s own green tech. Their Fiat 500 and Panda both sported different flavours of TwinAir engine, a small capacity petrol unit turbocharged to increase both power and efficiency in different driving scenarios.  Supremely characterful, this is an engine that loves to be revved. 

Also on show and available to drive, was the Alfa Romeo Giulietta with the company’s JTDM engine, putting out 120hp and returning impressive economy figures of up to 74mpg. Figures like these may not entirely stir the soul the way Alfa Romeos should, but if ever there’s a place where red leather should be fitted in a steely grey car, as in the case of this one, then it’s in a Giulietta. ‘Nuff said.

The mighty Panda Cross was more character than car.

From Fiat’s American wing, Chrysler, came the Jeep Renegade and Grand Cherokee, the later proving a stout and refined contender in the luxury SUV sector, with comfortable leather teamed excellently with rugged useability throughout the cabin and a smooth, 200bhp 2.2 Diesel engine providing waves of power and torque.

Renault arguably had the most varied selection of cars on show, drawing crowds with the nifty Twizy electric car. Closer to a motorbike than a car in a lot of ways (with a notable exception being the two extra wheels), the Twizy aims to solve the issue of inner-city streets clogged with swollen diesels all vying for the same limited parking spaces by being as minimalist as possible. Keep an eye out for our review of this head-turner.

'Look at me, look at me!'
-Twizy, 2016

 

At the other end of the scale, the company’s recently launched Kadjar crossover was on show, which draws on the company’s relationship with Nissan, yet manages to retain a character all of it’s own, adding some French flair to the tough-yet-sleek lines of it’s Japanese counterpart, the Qashqai.

Not to be outdone on the greener side of things, Renault also brought along Zoe, sister car to the popular Nissan Leaf EV. With a serene cabin and near-silent running, it demonstrates the levels of refinement on offer to the EV motorist whilst providing the practicality of a mid-sized hatchback car. 

Toyota had a raft of hybrids on show, alongside their Mirai concept, which shows off their idea of what a mass-produced, hydrogen powered car would be like. Clearly building upon the familiar lines of the Prius, the Miraii shows that hydrogen motoring isn’t as far away as we think.

The absence of diesels from the Toyota lineup is notable, with the Japanese manufacturer and their premium brand, Lexus choosing to focus on petrol/hybrid drivetrains as they aim to drop the average emissions across all their cars to under 70g/km.

The Miraii hints that a Hydrogen future
may not be as far away as we think

This meant that everything they borught to the Royal Highland Centre at the weekend, from Prius and Rav 4, to the littlest Lexus CT 200h, and the big luxo-barges of the IS 300 h and RX series SUVs that were on show was endowed with some kind of hybrid technology. An interesting direction to take, for sure, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on how things progress. 

Jaguar brought along their XE and XF (the preview of the former can be found here) for eager drivers to get behind the wheel of, both sporting the company’s new Ingenium 2.0 diesel engine, presented here in its 160bhp, 280 lb-ft form. Impressively, CO2 emissions for this power point in the XE come in below the 100g/km-mark, and a still-quite-remarkable 104g/km in the larger XF. 

The JLR stand, in 'stealth mode'

On display at the JLR stand was a heavily blacked-out F-Pace, presented alongside a similarly stealthy Range Rover Evoque in the show hall. I wasn’t sure how the F-Pace SUV would wear the family lines of the F-Type in the metal, but I’m pleased to report it’s an altogether handsome, sleek beast, easily comparable to the Porsche Cayenne - and I mean that in a good way.

The baby Range Rover was joined by its cousin, the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which proved itself to be a commanding vehicle, and very smooth on tarmac. Plenty of glass lends a light air to the cabin, something the more upmarket Evoque has to do without.

A Kouple of the Kias at Ingliston on Saturday

Keen to impress were Kia, who brought along a cross-section of their range, spanning the terrified-looking Sportage, the nifty Pro-Cee'd, the Optima -which has the Mondeo firmly in it’s sights - and their own interpretation of what an EV should be, the Soul EV. I was very impressed with the electric Soul, it’s useful, quoted 130-mile-plus range lending it perfect to commuting, while the wide apertures and vast tailgate tick many practicality boxes.

We can’t talk about EVOLUTION without mentioning the stunning BMW i8, which once again proved itself the darling of the show, with queues for drives just about out the door and tensions running high between excited plug-in fans waiting their turn. This purified expression of what a plug-in-hybrid sportscar can be has its sharp and focussed nose pointed straight at the future. McMotors took a closer look at the i8 and it's sister, the i3, after they delighted the crowds at last year's EVOLUTION. Check that out here.

The ever popular i8 in a brief moment of rest at the show

BMW also took the opportunity to show off its hybrid tech in the X5, bringing PHEV ability to it’s op of the range SUV. This may seem like a strange choice of vehicle for pioneering green technology, but when you take into account that it has a CO2 figure of just 77g/km, you realise this may not be such an odd thing after all.

Ludicrous mode proved ludicrously popular

The car which seemed to do the most laps of the track, though, was the remarkable Tesla Model S, which I experienced not long before the EVOLUTION show. You can read about my experience of Elon Musk's super-EV, not to mention what it did to my spine, here.

All of this, and a lot more besides (too much to fit into one post!) was available for the all to see and try up-close, at the EVOLUTION Motor Show at Ingliston this year, and, if things carry on this way, there’ll be a lot more again next year. Record interest in the cars on show, plus the amount of effort and enthusiasm put in by car manufacturers across the globe prove that the wheels of the green revolution are very much in motion.

  
We’ll have more in-depth features and reviews of some of the cars from the  show in the coming weeks. 

Let us know what your highlights of EVOLUTION 2016 were @Jack_McMotors on Twitter.

Spring Clean Motoring Part 1: Jealous Green 'i's

GreenFleet Scotland has released a sneak preview of some of the eco-flavoured vehicles that will be showcased at this year's Evolution motor show.

The two day event, held at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston, focuses on innovations in green technology, and aims to educate companies and individuals alike in the virtues and reality of environmentally conscious motoring. But, unlike most motor shows where the cars are precious objects held high on a plinth, visitors to Evolution get the chance to get seriously hands-on with the cars - and there's even the opportunity to get behind the wheel on Inglistons 1.03 mile long circuit.

Over the next few weeks in the run up to the show, McMotors will be bringing you a preview of each of the cars that will be available to sample at the show. If you're near Edinburgh on the 16th April you can come along and try them for yourself!

An i3 from last year's Evolution motor show

The first car we'll be looking at is one of the stars of last year's show. The BMW i3 is a prime example of one of the giants of the car world taking green technology and injecting a bit of experience and know-how to produce something that packs a punch whilst still managing to help protect the environment.

It may look a tad high up and humdrum, but with an electric motor pushing out 125kW (roughly equal to 170hp) and 184lb/ft of torque it's no slouch, managing 0-60mph in just 7.2 seconds. It can (briefly) show the previous generation V8 M3 a clean pair of heels off the line, and though it may only have a top speed of 93mph, in pure EV mode it can do all this whilst producing no carbon dioxide whatsoever.

Suicide doors prove the i3's innovation isn't limited to its powertrain

The car comes off-the-shelf as a standalone EV or with a petrol range extender, essentially an engine that isn't connected to the wheels in the traditional sense, but which instead charges the batteries, giving an impressive and useful range of 185 miles.

And, being an electric vehicle, all of that power is available from a standstill. No turbo lag, no powerband to chase up the rev range, and this low down grunt helps make the i3 perfect for gap-hunting inner-city driving.

BMW have shared a lot of technology between the i3 and it's bigger, sportier brother, the i8. This includes a carbon fibre passenger compartment - both strong, making it incredibly safe in an accident; and light by keeping the centre of gravity in the floor of the car with the batteries. It's strength isn't the only thing keeping occupants safe, as BMW's Driving Assistant system is available as an option which keeps a constant lookout to try and prevent potential collisions even happening.

The somewhat flasher i8, poaching attention from its wee brother

The car is connected too, with an app for smartphones, which allows the owner to check where they parked their i3, and what range is left in it. You can even lock your i3 from anywhere remotely, as long as you have your phone, helping put to rest those feelings of 'did I lock it' anxiety.

Having driven an i3 at last year's Evolution show, I'm very much looking forward to getting my hands on another one this year to see how it stacks up against newer rivals to the eco-car market.

GreenFleet is hosting events at Ingliston for companies and fleet owners on the 15th April, with the show being open to the general public on the 16th April.