Air Injection System Control Valve Standard Dv20 on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

NHTSA funds development of alcohol-measuring start button

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded Takata-TruTouch some $2.25 million to continue to develop its In-Vehicle Alcohol Detection test, the company said. Takata, a safety and technology company, and TruTouch have created a vehicle start button with an integrated infrared sensor that can measure your blood-alcohol content. If the reading exceeds legal limits, the system can disable the starter.

Lamborghini URUS – the FX70 killer

Perhaps the Lamborghini Concept by Active Design points the way for the new Lamborghini Urus? Lamborghini has been long on new models – for a high-end supercar maker – but short on new cars for quite some time. Sure, we’ve had evolutions of the Gallardo in to the LP560 and the Murcielago in to the LP640 and it’s siblings.