The 2008 edition of the Paris Motor Show officially ends today and to commemorate its passing we thought we'd bring back one of our favorite electric cars from the affair with a few video-captured words from a couple of its creators. Perhaps second only to the Pininfarina B0, (if our poll is any indication) the Joule from Optimal Energy stood out amongst its electric brethren and sisteren as a practical transportation option. Up until the start of the show its appearance was something of a secret but when the wraps finally came off we were happy to see that it wasn't some fanciful concept, or future super toy for the super rich. And thankfully it wasn't a bizarre looking NEV. No, the 6-seater MPV looked like something you might see on the street today and that's one of the main points made by Kobus Meiring, CEO of Optimal Energy who, along with some of the electric cars from Paris 2008, appears in this video after the jump.



[Source: YouTube]

French coachbuilder Heuliez, along with Michelin and Orange™, have brought with them to the 2008 Paris Motor Show a most unremarkable-looking car. (My apologies to fans of the Opel Agila) And that's the point. The WILL (pictured above) is meant to seem "familiar and friendly" even though its makers believe it is the embodiment of the future of automotive design. The technology that makes this claim plausible is the Michelin Active Wheel system which we previously saw on the Venturi Volage. It incorporates a motor, brakes and "a revolutionary electric suspension system" inside the wheels. Heuliez has constructed the WILL around the system which has allowed them to offer a lightweight 5-seater with two trunks that is built for safety and stability. With no engine under the hood, the front end is designed around absorbing impact. The active suspension in the two front wheels can quickly sense any pitch or roll and instantly adjust, which is said to offer "unprecedented levels of comfort and road holding."

Orange, the France Telecom brand, brings connectivity to the project. WILL has the usual navigation with real-time weather and traffic. It offers emergency call service as well as high-speed internet access to driver and passenger (no Googling while driving, please). It can also allow remote monitoring for theft protection and fleet tracking. The WILL should have three different lithium ion battery configurations offering 150, 300, or 400 Km of range. (That's 93, 186, or 249 miles). They also mention the possibility of a fuel cell. The first vehicles will begin testing this Autumn and should be available for professional drivers, fleets and municipalities in 2010. The general public may have to wait an extra year. The current price target is being reported as between €20,000 ($27,344) and €25,000 ($34,180). Check out the bonus video in French for glimpses of the WILL at the factory and read the press release after the jump.

[Source: Michelin / Avenir du Véhicule Electrique Méditerranéen (AVEM)]

Well, it certainly looks pretty friendly. Plus, powered only by electrons, it will be friendly to our environment too. What is it? The Heuliez Friendly, which debuted at this year's Paris Motor Show. Three seems to be a theme here, with a trio of electric motors to choose from, three different vehicle lengths to be offered and a seating capacity of yourself and two of your best friends. According to reports, the French automaker expects its Friendly to hit 70 miles per hour and its nickel metal hydride battery to last for 140 miles. After it's spent, the Friendly can be recharged via any standard wall outlet.

Heuliez plans to begin selling its Friendly in Europe in 2010. Also on the schedule are kit-assembled remakes of the G-Wiz from Reva Motors. These electric vehicles would be the first cars ever to wear the Heuliez badge, as the company has so far only created modules such as convertible tops for other automakers.

[Source: Channel 4]

As our faithful readers are already aware, the Quicc! DiVa by DuraCar has just been introduced to the world and is currently on display at the Paris Motor Show. And while its great that the public can now see the electric city van made of plastic, it would be even better if they could buy it, so we are happy to inform you that Wilhelm Karmann GmbH has stepped into the DuraCar picture and, beginning in June 2009, will be building some of the Quicc! DiVas. The famed company, located in Osnabrück, has an agreement to supply vehicles bound for the German market though there may be other collaborative efforts between the two companies in the future. Perhaps better known today for its convertible-making operations, Karmann has a long history of building entire cars and has produced over three million of them in their 100+ year history including the Chrysler Crossfire, the Ford Merkur XR4Ti and, of course, the legendary Karmann Ghia.

As part of their overall strategy, DuraCar is seeking to have several production lines in close geographical proximity to where the cars will be sold thus keeping their carbon foot print to a minimum. The Dutch company is currently in talks with other potential constructors in different markets. Hitting the jump will give you bonus videos of the Quicc! DiVa in action as well as the official press release.



[Source: DuraCar]

While we old-fashioned, glued-to-keyboard bloggers had to wait until the official reveal to get a glimpse Nissan's latest EV concept, new-fangled video blogger Danny Fleet got actual face time with both the Nuvu and a representative from the Japanese auto maker before the Paris Motor Show even started and recorded some of the low down on the concept and the company's EV future plans with his trusty camera. He even got them to drive it a very short distance.

While there weren't any "Holy Cow! Really?" moments, we did learn a bit that wasn't covered in the lengthy Nuvu press release. For instance, this is not the electric car that Nissan is planning on selling in 2010. Also, although Danny couldn't get Mia to discuss Nissan's involvement with Project Better Place we do learn that the 2010 EV will first be made available in the U.S. and Japan before the rest of the world gets it. Hit the jump for more info and hot vlogging action.





[Source: Danny's Contentment]

It's pretty easy to see more than just a passing resemblance between the new Izis from Wallyscar, which is now being shown at the Paris Motor Show, and another famous vehicle. Like the original off-roading Willys, the Izis features body-on-frame architecture and a very small gasoline engine. In the case of the Izis, that engine comes from Peugeot and displaces 1.4-liters, good enough for 75-horsepower, just a bit more than the 60 horses of the classic Willys Go Devil engine.

The Izis is street-legal in Europe, as its Peugeot engine is fully Euro 4-compliant, though the vehicle has a Euro NCAP rating of only two stars. It also has a very short wheelbase and sits well above the ground. Early Jeeps with similar dimensions were more than a bit 'tippy' on the street, as were some early Jeep-like cars from Suzuki and Daihatsu. Having never piloted in Izis, we can't really comment on how it handles, but we bet it'd do rather well off the beaten path.

An electric version is also said to be available. No information on specifications are provided other than a suggested electric-only range of 90 kilometers, or about 56 miles. That's plenty for some fun-in-the-sun off-roading or for daily transportation for city-dwellers.


[Sources: AutoMotoPortal, Wallyscar]

While some sites are busy making fun of its name (yeah, we thought of that too... and you? Does it matter? Comments are welcome), others were busy conducting interviews with Dr. Z. in an attempt to find out when we may see the smart ED in America. The answer is that it's coming, if not next year then shortly thereafter. Daimler hopes to have 1,000 electric smarts running rather silently around the world by the end of next year, and it's distinctly possible that a portion of them will be in the U.S. This is the second-generation of the smart ED, and it is now powered by a lithium ion battery pack that may or may not be supplied by Tesla Motors. The last-gen model used a sodium battery. With the new pack, the smart ED can achieve a range of up to 150 miles -- plenty of distance for the urban use the little car is likely to be subjected to.

[Source: Popular Mechanics / Photo: Inside Line]

You can check out a video of the Saab 9-X Air in action along with some discussion with GM Europe Design VP Mark Adams after the jump. Like the 9-X BioHybrid we saw at Geneva last spring, the Air is based on GM's compact Delta platform and it uses a variant of the same 1.4L Family 0 four cylinder that is going into the Chevy Cruze when it arrives stateside in 2010. As usual with Saabs recently, it is tuned to run on ethanol or gasoline. The Air also has the second-generation GM mild hybrid system using a lithium ion battery pack. In the video, Adams indicates that Saab will be making a number of product announcements during 2009 and the 9-X is likely to be one of them.


[Source: Saab]

As previously promised the wraps have come off the Venturi Volage at the Paris Motor Show. While Michelin may have been a collaborator on the revealed electric GT, one glance leaves no doubt it belongs to the Venturi family. It not only shares the carbon fiber body of its sibling, the Fétish, but it will also be lovingly hand-assembled in limited quantities at the same Monaco atelier. Styled by Sacha Lakic, the smooth-bottomed Volage is said to be "designed by subtraction" with its carbon fiber skin fitting tightly around its innovative technology.

And speaking of technology, each wheel on this car holds 2 electric motors! That's right, the "Michelin Active Wheel" system uses one motor for to drive a reduction gear that is also inside the wheel while the other handles the active suspension. All controlled by "spearhead electronics," the Volage can readily adapt to different road surfaces and driving style. Batteries for this electric car are 45 kWh worth of liquid-cooled polymer lithium and are said to provide for 320 Km (199 miles) of driving pleasure at a "stabilized" 90 Kph (56 Mph). The car is capable of getting you to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and tops out at 150 Km (93 Mph). The car will begin its limited production run in 2012 and the price goes unmentioned. If you have to ask...

Check out the gallery below for a shot of the inside of those cool wheels and hit the jump for the full press release.



[Source: Venturi]

Citroën today became the first manufacturer competing in the World Rally Championship to announce a hybrid drive WRC competitor. The C4 WRC HyMotion4 adds an electric kinetic energy recovery system to the C4 WRC. A 125kW electric motor generator is geared to the rear axle of the all-wheel-drive rally car while a lithium ion battery pack sits on top of the fuel tank. The motor-generator reduces brake wear and fade by providing regenerative braking capability. When the driver needs bursts of extra power for passing, a button provides instant electric boost. The driver can also enable an electric-only drive mode for use on road sections, particularly in urban or residential areas where noise is a concern. Citroën claims a increased range of up to 25 miles with the hybrid racer and reduced fuel consumption of 30 percent on road stages where the electric drive is used. Because rally cars run under so many different types of conditions all the different operating modes are driver selectable. Citroën hasn't given any hint yet of when or if they will try to run the hybrid WRC car in actual competition.


[Source: Citroën]