EnviroCar

Venturi unveils Eco-friendly concepts in Paris

Having just returned from Paris and seen the superb creations on display at the Mondial de L'Automobile, the stand which was laden with the most futuristic concepts and which had the greatest forsight toward creating solutions to the detrimental environmental impact associated with automobiles was Venturi. The small Monaco-based automaker had not one but three radical designs which incorporated not only electricity, but also solar power to propel their creations.

The Astrolab vehicle (pictured) uses 3.6 cubic metres of photovoltaic cells covering the entire upper body structure of the car. It is said to use the lowest (16kw) energy of any vehicle in the world, and is simultaneously capable of recharging the latest generation NiMH Venturi NIV-7 batteries on the move due to the extensive solar panel usage. The company claim this is the first ever electro-solar hybrid vehicle.

The car is fabricated around an ultra lightweight carbon monocoque chassis, has a top speed of 120 km per hour, and is able to travel 110 km without needing a recharge. It will be made to order at a cost of €92,000 with the first vehicles scheduled for delivery in January, 2008.


Venturi also unveiled a new version of the Fetish, first unveiled at the 2004 Paris Motor Show. Since then the company has made significant strides in technological innovation, particularly with respect to their exclusive batteries.

This year's Fetish, powered by a mid-mounted electric induction engine placed atop its composite carbon-aluminium honeycomb chassis, produces roughly 241hp and 162 pound-ft. of torque. The car’s body panels are also made entirely of carbon fiber in an attempt to keep weight of the Lotus Elise-sized vehicle down, but the 31 Lithium-ion LIV-7 batteries strategically placed within its frame means it still weighs nearly 2200lbs. Despite this, Venturi claim the car will reach 62mph in under 5 seconds and hit a top speed of 100mph.

Though it has never garnered huge sales, the Fetish is one of the most exclusive cars to own, electric or not. Only 25 will be built with an expected price of nearly 300,000 €.

posted by Eric @ 11:52 PM