SEAT is working on bringing its first electric cars to the market, and has now unveiled prototypes for an all-electric zero emissions car, as well as a plug-in hybrid.
The Spanish car manufacturer SEAT has recently unveiled two new electric cars. The Prototype Altea XL Electric Ecomotive is a completely electrically-driven car with zero emissions in use, whereas the prototype Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive is a plug-in hybrid model.
During the course of the next few months SEAT will be making both of the new models available to government institutions in Madrid and in Catalonia for use in their vehicle fleets. This will allow the company to collect valuable information about the everyday use of the vehicles in order to compile an assessment prior to going into mass production. The firm has said that it expects the hybrid Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive to go into production in 2015, with the all-electric Altea XL Electric Ecomotive following about a year later.
This announcement from SEAT coincides with the beginning of the largest new product offensive in the history of the company. Over the next 12 months the firm will launch four new cars, with the first one being the company's new urban vehicle, the Mii.
The new Altea XL Electric Ecomotive has a number of innovative features including an advanced regeneration system with adjustable braking torque, and photovoltaic cells on the roof which generate power to circulate fresh air through the vehicle when it is parked in the sun, meaning that the car is cooler when you get in and the power drain from the climate control system is lower.
Power is provided by batteries located underneath the back seats and in the boot. These batteries allow the engine to produce a power output of 115bhp, and a limited top speed of 84mph.
Meanwhile the Leon TwinDrive Ecomotive has its own innovations, coming with the option to drive in an all-electric mode which offers a range of 52 kilometres with a top speed of 75mph. Driving in combined mode, which uses electric power combined with internal combustion, the Leon TwinDrive has a top speed of 106mph and has low emissions of 39g/km.
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