Vehicles
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Connected Car Company Zubie Rolls Out An API For The “Internet Of Cars”
Zubie, a company that sells a device allowing drivers to tap into their car’s onboard computer and then sync vehicle diagnostic data to their smartphone, is today expanding its footprint with the introduction of an open API that will now allow developers to build on top of this platform. Called “ZinC” – or, “Zubie for the Internet of Cars” – the… Read More
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Nvidia’s Automotive Ambitions Include Big Brains In The Car And In The Cloud
Nvidia’s focus this year on CES is on the Tegra X1 mobile chipset, a brand new SoC that offers desktop-like computing performance for a range of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, but extending also to automobiles. Already, Nvidia has a strong presence in the car, powering many of the in-car infotainment systems on the market from most of the major auto manufacturers. The… Read More
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RoboCar MEV-C: Japan Gets New Robot Car
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
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Ford to Sell Solar Panel System Alongside Electric Cars
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. Read More
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Video: Can Plastic-replacing Foam Help Cut The Weight Of Cars By 50%?
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
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EC-03: Yamaha rolls out low-cost electric 50cc scooter
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
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Little Bee, Rustic, Sugar Drop: Panasonic rolls out three new e-bikes in Japan
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”… Read More
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Test drive: 2011 Ford Fiesta
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… Read More
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GM's Enhanced Vision System brings augmented reality to vehicle HUDs
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
Latest Crunch Report
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Hybrid garbage truck picking up trash in NYC
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… Read More
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FedEx converts 92 delivery trucks to diesel hybrids
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… Read More
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Cool detachable motor home concept
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
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Affordable, upgradable electric GPR-S motorcycle
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… Read More -
Stephen Colbert on the Volt: "Will it get me laid?" GM: "I think so"
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,”… Read More
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Ladies and gentlemen, the Chevy Volt production model
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
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Can-Am Spyder Roadster: Poetry
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… Read More -
How to get around the Star Wars universe
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
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The $50 Paint Job For Your Vehicle
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… Read More -
World's Most Expensive Shift Knob
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… Read More
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Bose Media System Pimps Out That Dashboard Of Yours
If I asked you what company will have it’s in-dash navigation/media system in a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, you would probably say Alpine, right? Nope! Bose is making a huge dent on the market with its new Media System, an in-dash navigation device that can do pretty much anything your mind can dream of. Included are FM and XM Radio, CD player, a 30GB hard drive that can hold MP3s… Read More
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