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Road-pricing petition closes

By Jack Carfrae Motoring Issues 12 October 2007 11:20 The UK’s controversial debate over pay-as-you-drive road tolls reaches a milestone today with the closure of a popular online protest. Nearly 1.7 million aggrieved motorists have signed the petition since it was launched by Downing Street last November – firmly rejecting Government plans to charge drivers up to £1.34 a mile at peak times.The petition, which closes at midnight on Wednesday (00.00 GMT) proved so popular that it has caused the Downing Street website to crash. And prime minister Tony Blair has vowed to send an email to everyone who signed the petition, justifying Government plans to launch road tolls as the only solution for chronic congestion problems.CAR Online’s take on all this?

Battery breakthrough set to accelerate electric-car development

A team of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are claiming a significant breakthrough in recharging times for lithium-ion batteries. According to findings published in the scientific journal Nature, MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder have unlocked the potential of lithium-ion batteries by patenting a unique process which is claimed to allow a typical laptop power pack to be fully recharged in less than a minute--an improvement in recharging performance of roughly 90 percent over existing lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electric current via the flow of lithium ions across an electrolyte, from an electrode to a cathode.

New Renault Twingo revealed – debuts at Geneva

The new Renault Twingo revealed The new Renault Twingo has been revealed a little earlier than Renault planned with a single group photo of the new Twingo (above) after first images leaked on to the Interwebs, and Renault are promising a proper set of photos later (we’ll update then). The new Twingo takes its cues from the recent Renault Twinz Concept and is underpinned by the same rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive platform as the next generation SMART ForFour. Both the new Twingo and the new ForFour will use the same range of 3-cylinder engines complete with either a manual or dual-clutch auto ‘box, and the Twingo comes with a front end that looks like the rest of the latest Renault range and will be available in both three and five-door options.