GM to double size of battery lab

General Motors says it will spend $8 million to double the size of its Global Battery Systems Lab, which the company claims is the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the United States. GM says the expansion will speed up the development of hybrid and electric vehicles, such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, by improving on-site testing of battery cells and systems. When finished, the lab will be 30,000 square feet bigger than it is now, for a 63,000-square-foot total.

2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor gets engine upgrade, crew cab

A larger standard engine and more seating capacity are the big changes for the 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor pickup. For starters, all 2011 Raptors will come standard with a 6.2-liter V8, rated at 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter engine was an option on the 2010 Raptor, while a 320-ho 5.4-liter V8 was the base engine.

Volvo’s self-parking car will park your Volvo for you

Volvo’s self-parking car will do parking for you It’s rapidly getting to the point where drivers will need to do little more than be in the car to ‘drive’ it, with technology taking away control of tasks like parking. But a new technology from Volvo means you don’t even need to be in the car to park it. Volvo has been working on an autonomous parking that uses Vehicle 2 Infrastructure technology – which is basically sensors built in to the road – where the sensors guide the car to a vacant space.