Good news: Formula One will be in HD this year. You’d have thought that such a fancy racing circuit would be broadcast in HD already—how many years has Nascar been in HD?—but no; we’ve had to wait. Long overdue, yes. → Read More
One of the primary criticisms of electric vehicles is that they have a limited range. Well, yes, they do. And that’s not going to change any time soon. That’s why they’re being marketed as city cars, since (as Nissan is careful to point out in almost every press release) a large majority of drivers go less than 40 miles per day, and almost all go under a hundred.
If you’re driving long distances, an electric vehicle isn’t for you. Just like if you’re hauling lots of lumber, a Civic isn’t for you. But the BBC seems to feel this particular dead horse needs a few more kicks. → Read More
And here’s another non-iPhone story to sorta cleanse the pallet. (We recognize that not everybody necessarily goes nuts over the iPhone, but today is just one of those days.) Recognize this Jeep? You will if you’ve played Call of Duty: Black Ops, the Big Mac of the gaming world. → Read More
This was just too cute to pass up. Honeywell and SAE have been running a program in which student teams (like, 10-year-olds) go through the process of researching and designing cars. I’m not sure what the program expected to come of this, but as I would have expected, we have a panda car, ladybug car, a tank… pretty much what you and I would have put together if we were doing this. → Read More
Automated vehicles are coming. That’s for sure. But until a computer can really be trusted with the lives of everyone on the road, there will be some intermediate steps that may improve mileage and traffic. The SARTRE system (Safe Road Trains for the Environment, not the best acronym I’ve seen) uses a road train system where cars would follow each other closely, guided by a human-driven front vehicle. → Read More
We all know keychain fobs are far from the most sophisticated devices in the world, but there’s a chance that their merely elementary security measures may put your car at risk. While it’s far from a widespread problem, it seems to be an issue most companies are willing to ignore. → Read More
While I’m sure the guys at Nissan were crossing their fingers, hoping for a 100MPGe rating, the EPA either had other ideas, or didn’t plan for three-digit numbers on their window stickers. Maybe the new ones will change that, but for now the poor Leaf is stuck with a paltry 99MPGe rating. Wait, that’s pretty good. → Read More
The EV wars, they be heating up! Or at least they promise to heat up, a year from now or so. We’ve already got the Leaf coming out, the Volt (though not strictly speaking an EV) on its heels, Honda’s Fit EV coming in 2012, and now Mitsubishi is entering the game in a modest way with the i EV. → Read More
We heard a little while back that Honda was beginning to go public with its new hybrid and EV line for 2012, and sure enough, today at the LA Auto Show they unveiled the concept electric Fit. It doesn’t sound particularly original, and the Leaf and Volt will be beating it to market by a year, but hey, the more the merrier.
Here are some basic stats and facts. → Read More
We all knew that one kid that grew up getting everything he wanted. You know, the one that was always first to get all the cool electronics. Jealousy sets in, especially during the holiday season when all the other children begin asking their parents why they aren’t as loved. A response something like “spoiling never gets anyone anywhere” usually follows, or that being the first isn’t necessarily the best. Later, I learned this when my PlayStation still worked years down the road. It’s easy to see that throwing comforts and amenities isn’t simply the answer to success or happiness. And as in-car electronics approach infinity, we see that one automaker is taking the similar approach of my childhood friends’ parents—Spoil ‘em. → Read More
I’m not surprised that it’s a Mustang, a brand of car that’s always walked the line between consumer and enthusiast, that’s going through with this great idea. We all know Mustangs like to run, but the fact is they’ve been tamed somewhat by the necessities of everyday driving. Sure, you can still get a thrill when you put the pedal down, but if you were to take it to a track day, you’d wish you had it tuned for something more serious.
Enter the TracKey. → Read More
You can pretty much stand off to the side of the Infiniti M37S and check off the little box for every available vehicle feature: H-O V6? *check* 4 wheel steer? *check* Adaptive cruise control? *check* Bose active noise cancellation? *check* 5.1 Bose surround system? *check* 3D navigation system? *check* A 2011 Infiniti M37S hit my driveway a little bit ago and after taking it for a quick drive, I’ll profess that this sedan is unlike any I’ve drove before. It doesn’t belong on the road. This is a track car. The 4-wheel steer and high-strung V6 gives this saloon F1 car cornering capabilities. So it only seems natural that when the performance aspect is combined with the impressive infotainment suite that it would make a lasting positive first impression, right? Wrong. It only took 2 miles for me to decide that I’m not a fan of this car. → Read More
Here’s another round of iPhone car monitoring apps, this time from Audi. It’s no secret that VW and Audi are gunning for top positions on the market, and if they keep up on their technology it might just happen. Take for instance this iPhone app, it works by using the cars OBD-II port to read out large amounts of data. The data includes everything from emissions information like how much CO2 the car is putting out every time you mash the peddle to data logging with GPS and the ability to find where ever your kids have taken the car.
App users can then upload their information to www.myAudiLabs.com to further analyze and share the data–pretty neat. Audi is currently showing this technology off at SEMA along with wireless iPhone chargers for in-car charging without the wires. Can’t wait to see more auto companies add features integrating smart phones into the car.
Press Release after the break. → Read More
The Leaf I drove a couple months back was more or less final, with only some small adjustments here and there yet to be effected. But some specs have remained in question as the consumer-grade EV entered manufacturing. Nissan has cleared up the matter, mostly anyway, with a nice new spec sheet.
Here are some highlights from the official announcement. → Read More
Back in July, I wrote about an Italian project in which an engineering team was going to allow two driverless electric vans to make their way from Parma to Shanghai. After months of travel, they’ve just arrived at their destination, unharmed and triumphant. → Read More
After watching our recent in-car tour of the Ford Edge Sport, I noticed the same problem Matt and our commenters did: the in-dash interface is a pain. Slow and unfamiliar, just like most other car dash touchscreens. Don’t you wish you could just have something you already knew, or maybe use whatever’s on your phone or iPod already? Well, that’s actually starting to happen, and this demo from QNX of Blackberry OS 6 running on the car touchscreen actually looks pretty solid. → Read More
The Hyundai Equus, pronounced Eh-cuus, is Hyundai’s flagship luxury sedan in South Korea—so popular among the upper-class, that the South Korean President has one. Continuing off the car maker’s recent successes in the states, Hyundai is bringing the Equus here to enjoy sales from the already-brimming full-size luxury segment. This is the first Korean car to compete directly with the flagship sedans from Japan, Germany, and India/Britain (depending on where you call Jaguar home.) The Equus has been on the market for some time in South Korea, in fact, this is the second generation since its debut in 1999. We’ve only had the car for bit, but can already tell that it will live up to the hype. This car is for real. There’s enough technology within the driver’s (and backseat passenger’s) reach to require a few trips to the manual, which just so happens to be an app on the included iPad. Yep, this is the car that comes with an iPad as the user manual. It makes sense, too. Instead of following a series of step-by-step instructions to, say, change the audio settings, you can just refer to the app for a quick demonstration. It’s genius from a user experience and marketing standpoint. But this car isn’t all flash. Nope, a few minutes with the Equus will tell you that Hyundai just hit the market with another surprisingly competent vehicle. It’s going to be a great week. → Read More
We may not have the Concorde any more (I speak as if I ever rode in one), but don’t let that stop you from breaking the sound barrier at whim. A “car” made to go more than 800MPH in a bid to break the land speed record is now for sale for just $3 million. → Read More
We all know that texting and driving at the same time is both incredibly dangerously and incredibly stupid. If you don’t agree, you’re wrong. But what the U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, wants borders on the ridiculous. If he gets his way, a federal law would be passed that would outright ban the presence of phones inside cars. Land of the free, etc. → Read More
San Francisco, CA
