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he three-door LRX cross-coupé, with its more compact size, lighter weight and sustainability-focused technologies, is said to offer the potential of 120 g/km CO2 emissions and fuel economy'smanaging director, stated: “The LRX concept delivers the powerful message that we are as serious about sustainability as we are confident about the continuing relevance and desirability of our vehicles. LRX has unmistakable Land Rover design and the breadth of capability that you would expect from our vehicles. But it carries those essentials into a segment where the brand has never been before, and with a proposed level of efficiency that would make it one of the cleanest vehicles in its class.”Land Rover’s LRX is designed as a highly fuel-efficient 2.0-litre, turbodiesel hybrid, capable of running on bio-diesel. In combination with other Land Rover technologies, this power train could reduce fuel consumption by as much as 30 per cent compared with other 4x4 cars of similar size. The concept's integrated Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) is particularly significant in Land Rover terms, as it would enable the LRX to use electric drive alone at lower speeds while retaining full (or improved) off-road ability. Unlike the hybrid technology used by some other 4x4 cars, Land Rover's concept retains mechanical drive to all four wheels. Off-road, the ERAD would provide additional torque only when it is needed and, with maximum electrical torque available from standstill, this system offers even better low-speed control and enhanced pull-away on difficult surfaces. On the road, the ERAD would allow low-speed traffic creep at speeds of up to 32 km/h (20 mph) on electric power alone, with the integrated starter-generator (ISG) restarting the engine automatically when needed. The electric drive would then continue to assist the mechanical drive until the engine is running in its most efficient range, thereby benefiting both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The ISG control system would also stop the engine automatically when the vehicle halts in traffic, and restart it quickly and smoothly as required.Of course, the LRX is not solely an exercise in environmentally-aware off-road driving. For example, on either side of the horizontally-split, power-operated tailgate, there are removable speakers with an iPod docking station. The tailgate has two padded seating areas, between which are integral aluminium cup holders, and there is also a coolbox and a bottle chiller.Sports carSome people might find it surprising that a company such as Land Rover is focusing on the environment with a class of vehicle that is not generally thought of as being 'green', but the same could also be said of sports car manufacturers. Nevertheless, companies such as Morgan and Lotus are also working on ‘green’ projects. The Morgan LIFECar, for example, was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2008. RiverSimple, which led the project, says the LIFECar (lightweight integrated fuel-efficient car) summarises the company’s three key design principles: whole-system design, energy efficiency and resource minimisation. Hugo Spowers, the founder of OSCar Automotive and managing partner at RiverSimple, sought to demonstrate with the LIFECar project that significant gains in fuel efficiency could be achieved with readily available technology – though little information has so far been released about the supercapacitors in which the LIFECar would store energy. In order for this project to take place, and with the support of the Morgan Motor Company, Spowers formed the LIFECar consortium with Cranfield University, Linde, Oxford University and QinetiQThe LIFECar combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a bank of ultracapacitors such that cruise and acceleration requirements are decoupled and resolved in a highly optimised fashion. By combining these technologies with a lightweight structure, the LIFECar is intended to achieve a combination of performance, cost-effectiveness and fuel efficiency. To keep the weight down to the target of 650 kg, the LIFECar uses technologies that Morgan currently employs in its Aero 8,


Concept Cars
Concept Cars
Concept Cars
Concept Cars
Concept Cars