Isuzu C190, C240 Engine Single Piston Ring Set Part 8941049540 on 2040-parts.com

Volvo and Polestar offer post-sale software upgrades

Volvo's performance arm, Polestar, will offer software upgrades for the T6 and 2.5T engines that will increase horsepower and torque. The upgrade should calm Volvo fans who missed out on the limited-edition Polestar C30. For the T6 engine in the 2010 Volvo XC60 and 2009-2010 XC70 Polestar will offer a bump in output from 281 hp to 311 hp.

PM opens Williams F1’s new Advanced Engineering Centre

Prime minister David Cameron has today opened Williams Racing’s new £8 million Advanced Engineering Centre in Grove, Oxford. The new facility will help transfer Williams’ four decades of title-winning F1 expertise into the world of road cars – and the PM has challenged the engineers working there to continue helping Britain compete on the world stage by developing new business opportunities. On Bing: see pictures of Williams F1 cars Nismo Williams!

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.