Vdo Volt Meter on 2040-parts.com

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.

News watch May 2011: today's auto industry news

Come to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hourTuesday 31 May 2011 • Canada will look to sell their 1.7% share in Chrysler to Fiat, but will be biding their time to see what the US goervment obtain for their own share first.  (autonews.com)• Nissan's St Petersburg, Russia assembly plant will shut down for five days due to lack of engines. The plant, which builds the X-Trail, Murano and Teana midsize saloon models, receives its engines from Japan.

Ferrari FF: The Video

The Ferrari FF Video Yesterday saw the first details of the replacement for the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti surface. We’d heard rumours – all revolving round a Shooting Brake Concept – but it was still a bit of a surprise to see the reality that is the Ferrari FF. Ferrari seem intent on pushing the boundaries of what is an ‘acceptable’, and according to much of what’s been commented on the Interweb after Ferrari revealed the FF yesterday, they may have gone a step further than many would like.