MINI Scooter E Concepts: First Official Photos

Just after Smart published the first real life pictures of its 'escooter' study, MINI went ahead and released official photos of its take on the pure electric scooter concept. To be precise, the BMW Group owned maker will display three individually colored and trimmed versions of its lithium-ion battery-powered scooter study at next week's Paris Motor Show.

One of the Scooter E Concepts is themed after the MINI E electric car, the other is finished in a classic British Racing Green with a brown-colored leather seat and the last pays homage to the UK Mod subculture.

The MINI Scooter Es borrows some styling cues from the firm's automobile range including the headlamp and mirror designs.

Like Smart's scooter concept, the MINI models also utilize a smartphone that slots between the handlebars offering its service as a navigation system among other things.

More information on MINI's Scooter E concepts will be revealed at the Paris Auto Show.

Citroen’s Survolt EV Takes on Agni Z2 Electric Motorcycle in Friendly Race [with Video]

Following its appearance at the Prince of Wales' Start Eco Car Spectacular, Citroen's conceptual Survolt electric racer has gone head-to-head (battery-to-battery?) with the Agni Z2 electric motorcycle at a friendly race held at Thruxton Race Circuit recently.

In the red corner, and behind the wheel of the Citroen Survolt is Le Mans / Touring Car racer Vanina Ickx, daughter of six times Le Mans winner and F1 driver Jacky Ickx.

The carbon fibre bodied Survolt features a tubular chasis and twin electric motors. With 220 kw (30o-horsepower) from 0 to 5,000 rpm, the Lotus Elise-sized Survolt can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in under five seconds. It has a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph) and an estimated range of 200 km (124 miles) from its twin 31kw lithium ion batteries.

In the blue corner, and piloting the Agni Z2 is the fastest woman around the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) course and championship leader in the 2010 TTXGP clean emissions motorcycle race, Jenny Tinmouth.

The Agni Z2 comes with eighty small battery packs and a 50 kw (65-horsepower) electric motor offering a 0 - 100 km/h (0 - 62 mph) sprint time of just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 209 km/h (130 mph).

Below are pictures and video of the friendly race, as the two racy women took their electric vehicles around the Thruxton Circuit as part of a joint publicity showing.

By Tristan Hankins

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The Smallest Smart Ever: Electric 'escooter' Uncovered before Paris Show

Previewing a possible expansion to the world of two wheels in the very near future, Daimler's Smart division will showcase a scooter concept at next week's Paris motor show. Seen here for the first time in the flesh, the purely electrically driven 'escooter' uses a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack placed behind the paneling in the foot area and is capable of traveling up to 100 kilometers (over 60 miles) on a single charge.

The company says the batteries can be fully recharged through any standard household power socket, within three to five hours. The charging socket is located at the front of the scooter underneath a hinged smart emblem.

Smart's two-wheel study is driven by a disc-shaped wheel hub motor in the rear wheel, which offers an output of 4 kW (equal to 5.3-horsepower) allowing the scooter to reach a top speed of 45 km/h or 28mph.

The connection to Smart's four-wheel products is made through the electric scooter's supporting chassis structure which the company says is "consciously modelled on the tridion safety cell of the Fortwo" and the fully interchangeable plastic bodypanels.

Technical highlights include the use of an anti-lock braking system (ABS) specially adapted for a two-wheeler, an airbag integrated in the paneling under the handlebars, and Blind Spot Assist, which like the system found on Mercedes cars, draws the rider's attention to vehicles following close behind that are not visible in the "blind spot" of the rear-view mirrors.

Another cool feature is the Smartphone that is placed in the centre of the handlebars and is fully linked with the escooter. It replaces the traditional instrument panel providing info on speed, range and battery charge level and even acts as a navigation system.

KTM Announces 2011 X-BOW R Model with 300HP

Austrian motorcycle specialist KTM is hard at work on the 2011 model year version of its X-BOW track-focused sports car, which will gain a higher performance R model. The original 790 kg (1,742 lb) X-BOW is powered by an Audi-sourced 240HP 2.0-liter TFSI. Around 500 have been sold worldwide since it was launched into the market in 2008.

The R model will have an additional 60 hp (45kw) over the standard model thanks to the adoption of the more powerful 2.0 TFSI from the Audi S3, which features changes to the engine electronics and peripherals to bump output to 300-horsepower.

It will be available in two equipment packages: a road legal / homologated "Sport" package and a more track orientated "Race" pack.

Many of the parts that go into the R will be available through X-BOW's PowerParts, so owners can tune their existing X-BOW to Sport and Race specifications.

Pictured in our gallery is a prototype version of the 2011 X-BOW R with the new parts installed undergoing testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

More detailed information, including pricing, will be released early next year.

By Tristan Hankins