Tokyo-based robot venture ZMP has churned out yet another robot car: this time, it’s the so-called RoboCar MEV-C, which is based on COMS, a vehicle Toyota started developing back in 2000. Just as COMS, the MEV-C is a single-person, 4-wheeled electric mini car – just with a robotic twist. → Read More
Ford Motor Company is teaming up with San Jose-based solar panel maker SunPower to offer a rooftop solar system option which will be sold alongside the upcoming Ford Focus EV. The “Drive Green for Life” program, as it’s being called, involves mounting solar panels on a customer’s home.
These panels wouldn’t be used just to charge the Focus itself, however. They actually help offset the cost… → Read More
Using foam for the production of vehicles (for automotive components) is hardly something new, but Japan-based “foam technology” company JSP (which is actually quite large and active globally) claims using foam instead of conventional plastic materials can help cut the weight of cars by as much as 50%. → Read More
Yamaha Japan announced [press release in English] the EC-03 today, an electric 50cc scooter that’s powered by a 50V/14Ah lithium ion battery. The vehicle has a driving range of 43km (at 30km/h on flat roads) per charge. A charge takes six hours, with Yamaha saying that a household electrical outlet (100V) is all you need. → Read More
Japan is to get another three electric bikes, two of which are being marketed as “sporty”, while one is targeted specifically at women. All three models are made by Panasonic (which announced one of the coolest e-bikes ever just a few weeks ago).
The two sport bikes [JP] are called the “Rustic” (BE-ENHL63/pictured above) and the “Little Bee” (BE-ENHB03/pictured below). Technically, both models… → Read More
The 2011 Ford Fiesta isn’t the status quo. No longer do consumers need to compromise on creature comforts for the practicality of a compact car. The top Fiesta trim level is loaded with enough gizmos to keep a baby boomer confused for months. However, while items like the comfy leather seats, voice-controlled Sync system, and long list of standard features might draw customers, it’s the… → Read More
Heads-up displays are far from new. They’ve been around in GM vehicles since the late-80s and they’ve gone from a just displaying a speedometer, to night vision, and soon to augmented reality thanks to lasers, cameras and navigation. → Read More
Hybrid commercial vehicles are the answer to the environmental crisis, not passenger vehicles. Sure, your Prius is greener than, say, a Suburban, but even the large GM SUV has a lot smaller carbon footprint than full-size commercial vehicles. But slowly hybrid powertrains are being tested for commercial applications. NYC is currently testing a garbage truck that uses a 120-kilowatt electric motor… → Read More
I’ve said over and over again, along with a lot of other people, that hybrid technology would make the biggest environmental impact if used in delivery trucks, municipal vehicles, and mail trucks. Vehicles like these are often limited in range but are gas hogs that travel in low gears where hybrid technology can really shine. Plus, the fuel savings of even 10% can be immense when a whole fleet of… → Read More
Christian Susana of Germany came up with this concept of a motor home with a detachable front car for tooling around on day trips, going to restaurants, and whatnot. Susana is calling it “Colim” for Colors of Life in Motion. → Read More
No, not that GPRS. If I knew how to ride a motorcyle, I’d buy one of these. I’ve pledged not to buy a vehicle until I can buy a real electric, but I never said anything about how many wheels it needed to have. The Electric GPR-S from Electric Motorsport is more expensive than a normal motorbike but cheaper than its EV brethren. Its specs aren’t exactly eye-popping: 70mph top… → Read More
http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml This is a great clip. I’ll let the guys do the talking, but although I’m sure GM’s point man Bob Lutz is in full spin mode here, it’s fun that he’s playing the game. Its off-the-line performance is “adequate,” a term well-known by carmakers as meaning “god-awful,” but… → Read More
I promised myself that the next car I bought would be a real electric production car. Is this my next car? More importantly, can I afford it? Likely not, but that’s not the issue here. Pictures and info after the bump. → Read More
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1735797252 There’s a reason the “wearable vehicle” concept has only taken off in games and insane stunts. It’s probably that part where there’s heavy machinery attached to your body and if you take a turn wrong, it’ll tear your limbs off. Let’s hear what the creator has to say about the death machine pictured… → Read More
Anybody feeling pinched by high gas prices? You should. Expensive gas not only hits us squarely in the pocketbook when we fill our gas tanks, but it makes everything else more expensive as well; air travel, shipping packages, groceries, you name it. Aside from being expensive, gasoline is hard on the environment too. Here are a few viable alternatives (that are available now) if you decide that… → Read More
I saw two guys riding Spyder Roadsters last night — it was too dark to get pictures — and I was amazed. These are three-wheel motorcycles with two articulated wheels up front and a powered wheel in back. They were hitting about 60 MPH running alongside us and when they went to pass they literally looked like Storm Troopers on Speeder Bikes. The entire frame articulates slightly at high… → Read More
I think it’s safe to say that everyone knows what each and every one of the included photos is and which episode it was from, so I don’t need to bore you with details. I was hoping they’d have an Imperial speeder bike since those were my favorites as a kid, but they didn’t. I almost cried about it. → Read More
Hard to believe $50 did this You’ll find that after a 1993 Honda Civic hits your car door, you may require a new paint job. Too bad that a really good paint job costs way more than you want to spend. You could go to Maaco on the cheap, but that’s still way out of your league. You my friend, need a $50 paint job. Armed with a bunch of Rustoleum-brand spraypaint and some brushes and… → Read More
Got Tons Of Money Around And A Bentley? You’re in luck. Clearly a well-known company, Iced Out EMZ is offering a $150,00 shift knob that’s being touted at the most expensive shift knob in the world. It features 10 ounces of 18-karat white gold combined with 30 karats of flawless diamonds. Oh, and of course there’s a huge ass Bentley logo on the top. Pick one up if you’re… → Read More
Time is an inevitable casualty of technology. No matter how much time it promises to save, it seems that technological advances always end up consuming more time. The issue is responsibility. A bit of technology might be convenient, but it adds another responsibility to your life. One more thing that you have to learn and use; one more thing to divert your attention from your other… → Read More
The Big Apple is catching on to the increasingly high demand for more parking and is solving the problem in Chinatown with robots. Automotion Parking Systems will be opening the first automatic, robotic parking garage in NYC next month. The garage will have only one attendant available to take cash payments and to explain the system to new users. Costing about $400 a month or $25 per day, a driver… → Read More
Perhaps you live in a city with some abandoned trolley tracks near you. Or perhaps, you live in a suburban home near abandoned rail-road tracks. Either way, these concept ideas for personal rail transportation are genius. Imagine being able to take a ride down a set of tracks all by yourself. Some of the concepts are motorized, but others (such as the unique surfboard model) rely on old-fashioned… → Read More
Over the years, the iPod has become such a popular music device for consumers, that auto manufacturers have started integrating iPod connectors in vehicles. Now Telemantics Research Group is saying that almost half the cars produced in 2007 will be equipped with iPod integration. The firm says that the iPod is “the most sought after feature in cars,” which is a pretty bold statement. Also… → Read More
It’s Chicago only right now, but a new car-sharing service is in the works. Similar to Zip-Car, I-GO allows you to pay a one-time $75 enrollment fee and then $6 an hour plus $.50 per mile for access. It’s non-profit, so you get that warm fuzzy feeling while burning fewer fossils because they use Honda Civics sedans, Honda Civic Hybrid sedans and Honda Elements. The service appears to… → Read More
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