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Electric partnerships bloom at Geneva Motor Show

Siemens and RUF Automobile and Mitsubishi and Peugeot debut their ideas for electric cars at the massive car showcase.

Candace Lombardi
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
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Candace Lombardi
2 min read
The Greenster sports old-school style on the outside, but green-school tech on the inside. RUF Automobile

RUF Automobile and Siemens Corporate Technology, the research arm of Siemens, debuted their all electric car concept at the Geneva Motor Show this week.

The Greenster, like its name suggests, is designed to look like a roadster vehicle of yesteryear complete with plaid seats. But the tech speaks to the 2000's interest in green technology.

Siemens is providing technology for the car's power train which includes the motor/generator, the power electronics, and the interface with the car's battery.

The Greenster concept car displayed at the Geneva Motor Show had only one motor. But the Pfaffenhausen, Germany-based company said in a statement that the street version, which the company plans to start selling in 2010, will actually have a dual-motor system.

The electric vehicle will be able to recharge in less than an hour when plugged into a 400V outlet. The company made no mention of how long the car might take to recharge if the street version is made to plug into household outlets, which fall between 100 and 240 volts, depending on the country.

Greenster's interior includes the nice throwback touch of black, white, and tan plaid seats. RUF Automobile
RUF's Greenster in partnership with Siemens. RUF Automobile

Mitsubishi and Peugeot Citroën made an announcement of a similar nature late Tuesday at the Geneva Motor Show.

The two companies have signed an agreement to collaborate on an electric car based on Mitzubishi's i Miev that should become available in late 2010 or early 2011. The car will be manufactured by Mitsubishi, but sold under the Peugeot brand name, according to the agreement.

The i Miev, which will take about 7 hours to recharge at 200V outlets and 14 hours at 100V outlets, is being launched this summer in Japan, with testing and pilot projects underway in the U.S., Europe, and New Zealand, according to Mitsubishi.