Mustang 3.8l Cluster 00-03 on 2040-parts.com

MIT researchers rethink electric-car batteries

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a new battery design for electric vehicles could be a lightweight and inexpensive alternative. The goal for the team's three-year project, launched in September 2010, is to have a functioning prototype ready to be engineered as a replacement for existing electric-car batteries. At this point in the project, the prototype uses a “semi-solid flow” to separate the two functions of a battery--storing energy and discharging it when needed--into separate physical structures.

Wraps come off revised Touareg

VOLKSWAGEN has announced prices and specifications for its revised Touareg, ahead of the SUV hitting the showrooms in November. Priced from £43,000, two versions of VW’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine will be offered, while the inclusion of an eight-speed auto gearbox has resulted in the entry level 204 horsepower variant emitting just 173g/km CO2 – 11g/km less than before. On the outside, the new Touareg features revised bumpers and grilles, new alloy wheel designs, new colours and bi-xenon headlights as standard.

Opel / Vauxhall Electric Urban Concept – another EV Go-Kart

Vauxhall Electric Urban Concept - another EV Go-Kart We’ve come to the conclusion that car makers now employ designers who were 10 years old in 1985. That’s the only explanation for the raft of Sinclair C5 ‘Homage’ cars arriving on the car scene. And the latest of these is an electric urban car concept from Vauxhall / Opel, which will arrive in Frankfurt next week.