Alternative Energy, auto xprize, automotive x prize, behev, motive, motive industires...

100 MPG Or Bust: Motive Industries Release Renderings Of Their X PRIZE Entrant

At the Automotive X PRIZE debut party at the NY Auto Show there were a few interesting prototypes of cars their makers believed could meet the Auto X PRIZE requirements of making a marketable vehicle that gets 100 miles per gallon of dinojuice. The folks from Motive Industries were around to talk-up their proposed Battery Exchange Hybrid Electric Vehicle (BEHEV), which we think uses a small electric motor to create the energy needed to power the electric motors. Now we have renderings and a quasi-technical drawing for their currently nameless shooting brake concept. Press release and pics below. If you've got a suggestion for the name drop it in the comments.

Motive believes that the transportation sector needs to undergo a rapid evolutionary change in order to maintain current standards of living while reducing our energy needs dramatically. In order to achieve this, a shift is required toward low volume high-tech manufacturing techniques. This will enable us rapid evolution of individualized vehicles that use a fraction of the energy required by today's automobiles and public transportation vehicles. The Automotive X-Prize will help to push the boundaries of what is perceived not only as possible, but also as probable. Motive's intent in entering the X-Prize is to demonstrate our capabilities in the fields of automotive design and engineering. Motive believes in the need for innovation and sustainability and is thus committed to developing and using ecologically sensitive materials and manufacturing methods.
The 2 initial renders below depict our BEHEV - Battery Exchange Hybrid Electric Vehicle that combines the appeal of a sports car with everyday versatility. The sporty 2+2 shooting brake is framed within a layered structure giving it muscular forms and proportions. Keep an eye on Motive for future developments.

* Four passenger, full size vehicle
* BEHEV tm - Battery Exchange Hybrid Electric Vehicle
* Modular composite/aluminium/steel chassis structure
* Lightweight bio-composite RIM body panels
* FWD multi-speed quickshift transaxle
* Regenerative braking, traction control
* High-performance ICE generator
* 1800lbs

[Source; Motive Industries]

5:00 PM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Matt Hardigree
1,858 views
40 comments

Comments

FreeMan at 05:10 PM on 04/29/08
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No name yet? I dub thee

Blindspot

There. Solved.
akirachan at 05:11 PM on 04/29/08
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Shouldn't this be RWD?
prndl at 05:12 PM on 04/29/08
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I like Shooting Break.
weatherman at 05:13 PM on 04/29/08
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Is that thing wearing a jock strap on its head?
milo_carrera at 05:13 PM on 04/29/08
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Actually, the large black band over the greenhouse is a gigantic rubber band. You simply simply hook the band on a low hanging branch of a stout tree, back up as far as you can, and presto--100 miles later you'll be counting your X dollars in your X mansion with your future X trophy wife hanging on your arm.
Gerard Drewpardieu at 05:18 PM on 04/29/08
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@weatherman: if that's a jockstrap, then it must be the "Blue Ball", n'est-ce pas?
Starlton Heston,... at 05:25 PM on 04/29/08
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the pres releaqse states it has a

* High-performance ICE generator

ans how about the motive 8R?

or motive 8NG?

or they could just use Volt and beat GM to market... /expected snide remark.
Starlton Heston,... at 05:25 PM on 04/29/08
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@Starlton Heston: and.. I can not type.
SwatLax at 05:26 PM on 04/29/08
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Part that lets me know this isn't ready for real world:
* 1800lbs

I'm gonna guess that weight is reached with some real expensive materials and a lack of airbags. Though the rules state: "Vehicles must be designed to meet safety regulations in the U.S. and other markets" so I'm guessing the engineers know that too.

Now, I love the shape and the idea of a throwing a car that weighs that much into a curve, but I'm just not convinced that it can be done for a price that's right, without sacrificing safety.
SwatLax at 05:27 PM on 04/29/08
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@SwatLax: Also, I enthusiastically encourage anyone to prove me wrong.
Bentos, Der Frischmacher! at 05:28 PM on 04/29/08
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BEHEV....The thing names itself....the BeeHive
Sotrain at 05:29 PM on 04/29/08
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Oh this is the new Bugatti?
Tomsk at 05:29 PM on 04/29/08
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Well, if nothing else, a camino version would be fairly easy to make.
RalphieDC at 05:32 PM on 04/29/08
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Paint it yellow and call it the BEHyV
RalphieDC at 05:33 PM on 04/29/08
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@Chinese Knockoff Bento: Damn you Chinese Knockoff Bento!!!
Ash78 at 05:35 PM on 04/29/08
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This makes me sick.

Only because it's better looking than most auto show entrants. And these are relative no-names.

But where are the moon disks and the boattail/taper and the rest of the aerodynamic compromises? You mean to tell me the Prius was designed like that for style?
Mad_Science at 05:41 PM on 04/29/08
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Wow. A golf clap is certainly in order, as that's a sharp lookin' little fuelmiser.
Feds at 05:42 PM on 04/29/08
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"which we think uses a small electric motor to create the energy needed to power the electric motors."

Now why didn't I think of that! Just ask a small electric motor to create energy to help its bigger brothers, and BINGO! No more foreign oil dependancy!
Sharky at 05:44 PM on 04/29/08
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Yes, that should be "small gasoline motor" I would think.
jarque at 05:54 PM on 04/29/08
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This thing is way too weird and interesting looking for the environmentals. Consider the things greenies love... tofu, Al Gore, Priususes - all of them are Bland-O-Rama.
Smells_Homeless at 06:11 PM on 04/29/08
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I like it, but I must question the need for designers to emulate power tool designers, who in turn emulate running shoe designers.
nick2ny at 06:13 PM on 04/29/08
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Word. too much pressure drag. Prius strikes a balance between pressure and vortex. On a car like this I'd expect spats and a slantback.
charles_barrett at 06:46 PM on 04/29/08
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Pedesto Stalker Stealth Coupé...
my favorite car is a... at 07:03 PM on 04/29/08
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The proportions are great, but they'd better fix the surface details in the wind tunnel.
Sloop_John_B at 07:22 PM on 04/29/08
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100mpg is a lot like HD-TV. I'd pretty much drive it no matter what the content or it looks like.
morrisseyscoot at 08:26 PM on 04/29/08
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First thing that came into my head:

The Motive Fleeting.
thechoop at 08:29 PM on 04/29/08
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Snowboard Binding.
CORKSTER at 10:34 PM on 04/29/08
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Call It
"THE GREEN" OR "N-EXPERIRENCE"
Definition: Lacking experience and the knowledge gained from it.
skulldriveshaft at 10:53 PM on 04/29/08
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BMW 1 Series now dropping out of hyperspace.
bmoredlj at 11:03 PM on 04/29/08
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Make that Gaping blind spot.

If it doesn't make practical sense, and it doesn't make the car sexier, what exactly is the point of such thick pillars?
CharlzR at 11:31 PM on 04/29/08
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@Chinese Knockoff Bento: Or have Austin Powers market it and call it the Behave...
mytdawg at 11:58 PM on 04/29/08
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One syllable, silent H, as in "Ward, don't you think you were a little hard on the BEHEV last night?"
kleinlowe at 12:17 AM on 04/30/08
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I know it's considered acceptable to take sports-car design queues from running shoes and vice-versa, but really...
skierpage at 03:10 AM on 04/30/08
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@kleinlowe: A queue is what British people stand in waiting for GTA:IV midnight release. A design cue is a "2: a feature indicating the nature of something perceived"

Either Motive Industries is so confident that they don't to reduce drag, or they don't know aero.

The rear looks like the symbiote-suit in Spiderman 3, before it covers his face. If the back and sides really are composite or bio-composite, cool.
muhnkee_2 at 07:44 AM on 04/30/08
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i hereby name thee "Special K"
DoctorNine at 07:49 AM on 04/30/08
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They need to study that VW Eco Racer concept a little bit more.
Roadster_Guy at 09:46 AM on 04/30/08
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Am I the only one who sees more than a little AMC Gremlin in this?
Bazza at 11:33 AM on 04/30/08
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It looks like a Bugatti Getz (the Hyundai)
JONNRG at 11:46 AM on 04/30/08
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full size vehicle
I do not think it means what you think it means.
blackfin at 12:07 PM on 05/01/08
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soon, there will be a SNL skit:
"Austin Powers: oh BEHEV!"