News

The Golf GTI Clubsport 45 was tested at the Nurburgring

With the special Golf GTI Clubsport 45, Volkswagen recently marked 45 years since the introduction of the first Golf GTI (Grand Touring Injection).

The Clubsport 45 is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 297 hp (218 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Power transmission to the front wheels is via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 166 mph (267 km / h). It rides on 19-inch wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

The German magazine Sport Auto has decided that the most powerful Golf GTI so far will face the famous German track Nürburgring Nordschleife. Test driver Christian Gebhardt completed a lap in eight minutes and 2.66 seconds. That’s a slightly better time than the seventh-generation Golf GTI TCR (08: 04.92).

The Golf GTI Clubsport 45 was significantly slower than the Renault Megan RS Trophy-R whose best time of seven minutes and 55.12 seconds was achieved with the same driver.

The new Honda Civic Type R will soon be tested at the Nürburgring. Whether it will return the title of the fastest with front-wheel drive to Japan remains to be seen.

Source: Volkswagen

EV, News

Increased demand for electric vehicles in Norway

Norway is a country that, through its incentives, has enabled increased demand for electric vehicles. Also, in the next few years, Norway intends to become the first country to stop selling petrol and diesel cars.

Although it is among the 20 largest oil producers, Norway is seeking to increase the number of electric cars on its roads. The goal is 2025, but according to the current demand for electric vehicles, that could happen even earlier.

According to the Norwegian Information Council for the Road Traffic (OFV), 1 in 10 new cars sold in Norway is non-electric. Only 5% use gasoline, and even fewer are diesel-powered.

According to data for this year, only 20% of new cars sold were not electric. This means that sales of electric vehicles in September jumped by 46% compared to September last year, and the best-selling models are the Tesla Model Y and Model 3. The electric Škoda Enyaq broke through to third place. Interestingly, the fourth is the Toyota RAV4, the only hybrid in the Top 10.

Buyers of electric vehicles are exempt from taxes on the purchase and import of vehicles, taxes on roads, and they also have large discounts when paying tolls, parking and ferries.

“The tax is progressive – it depends on the mass, CO2 and NOx emissions, so large vehicles with high emissions become very expensive,” said the Norwegian Automobile Federation.

News

Hyundai is investing over a billion dollars in hydrogen fuel cells

Hyundai intends to produce more than 100,000 hydrogen fuel cells annually. This will make Hyundai the world’s largest producer of hydrogen fuel cells. The news was announced at the groundbreaking ceremony.

These are not the first Hyundai hydrogen cell factories. The first factory, Hyundai built three years ago with a capacity of 23,000 fuel cells per year. By increasing capacity, the Korean manufacturer would gain more momentum in the global mobility race. Currently, Hyundai uses most fuel cell systems in electric cars.

President and CEO of Hyundai Mobis, Sung Hwan Cho, said:
“Despite uncertainties including COVID-19, we have decided to make this large-scale investment to secure the market-leading competitiveness in the global fuel cell industry. We will continue to invest more in facilities and strengthen our R&D capability for the development of the hydrogen industry and expand the ecosystem. ”

With an investment of $ 1.1 billion, Hyundai intends to expand the use of its fuel cell power packs to construction machinery and logistics equipment. Last year they developed fuel cell power packs for hydrogen forklifts, and now they are developing power packs for hydrogen-fueled excavator.

Source: Hyundai

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