Ack A-30 Encoder Mods 2 (1917) on 2040-parts.com

BMW i3 EV to get BMW motorcycle engine as range extender?

BMW i3 to get motorcycle range-extender engine? The only real way to make an electric car – any electric car – come close to being a viable replacement for an ICE car is to fit it with a small engine to extend its range and charge its batteries when reserves get low. The range extender is the technology the Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera use to make their cars suitable for more than just short urban commuting, and it’s something BMW are planning as an option for the i3.

Jaguar Land Rover profits up 34 per cent to £1.5 billion

Just four years after Tata took over what looked like a basket case in Jaguar Land Rover, profits have hit £1.5 billion. It’s become the norm for Jaguar Land Rover to report ever improving profits and sales, but the news that JLR made profits of £1.5 billion in the year to end of March 2012 is still amazing. Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata four years ago as it unwound its faltering luxury car brands, and as recently as 2009 JLR were almost begging for government help to keep going.

Mercedes E Class Cabriolet – Detroit catch-up

The Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet was launched at the Detroit Motor Show this week It’s easy to forget that a car has not officially launched when we’ve already reported on most of the detail. Such is the case with the new Mercedes E Class Cabriolet. Mercedes released lots of information on the E Class Cabrio back in December, but this week at the Detroit Motor Show was the first public reveal, so we thought we ought to report it.