Zoomi Life

Back in January, at the North American International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced the concept BlueZERO platform for the modular production of three different vehicle drive trains: an electric (E-Cell), a hydrogen fuel cell (F-Cell), and a range-extended electric (E-Cell PLUS).

Read More: Mercedes-Benz Fleshes Out the E-Cell Concept

The first-ever Electric Motor Show starts November 6 in Helsinki, Finland. The show will feature the famous Tesla Roadster and a newcomer to the field, Finland-owned AMC Motors with their Sanifer range of electric vehicles.

Read More: Tesla Motors and AMC Power Up the Electric Motor Show

A lot of exciting news has happened regarding corporate partnerships and alliances over the past week or so. Volkswagen and BYD, Daimler and Tesla, and others. Car makers are entering the new era of auto manufacturing by taking a lesson from the tech sector: you can’t do it all alone anymore.

Read More: BYD Gains VW As Partner, Ford May Follow - Other Partnerships Also In the Works

The little car did surprisingly well, all told. The commentary from the “expert” in this video is a bit annoying, but he’s being realistic. The speeds at which the Smart ForTwo is likely to be involved in collisions, however, negate a lot of the supposition data he presumes. Since the Smart is an NEV, it won’t likely get into high speed collisions.

Read More: Video: Smart ForTwo Crash Test at IIHS

Check out this cool bike from Holland: the Track T-800CDI. It’s not electric or a hybrid, but it’s still awesome. It’s a diesel bike that gets a whopping 100mpg and is made by EVA Products. It does 0-100kph (0-62mph) in 3.75 seconds, an auto transmission (6 gears, preprogrammed), and gets 100mpg when ridden at 56mph average speed.

Read More: The Track T-800CDI 100mpg Biodiesel Motorcycle

Adura Systems, a Silicon Valley startup, has announced that their new MESA powertrain architecture is more efficient than a Smart ForTwo. That’s the gist of the buzz-laden press release the company put out April 20th.

Read More: Adura Systems Announces Electric Bus Powertrain With 100 Mile Range

Tesla is determined to stay in the news at all times. Back in January, it was announced that Tesla would be supplying the batteries for Daimler’s Smart Ed (now the Smart ForTwo). Well, the first model with Tesla’s input has hit the streets and Doug King of the Tesla Motors Club took one for a spin. Here’s the video:

Read More: Tesla-Powered Smart ForTwo (Video)

Daimler plans to expand the car2go carsharing service into Austin from it’s original test source in Ulm, Germany. The carshare is planned to start this fall with 200 ForTwo micro-hybrid models.

Read More: Smart ForTwo Carsharing Coming This Fall to…Austin, Texas?

The United States Army announced today, through a spokesman at the Pentagon, that they will be purchasing 10,000 specially modified Smart ForTwo EVs over the next three years. The purchase is part of the Obama Administration’s “green plan” for government agencies.

Read More: U.S. Army to Purchase 10,000 Smart ForTwo’s