Metra Lc-gmrc-01 Gm Class 2 Data Bus Interface 2000-up on 2040-parts.com

Call for stronger penalties for texting drivers

DRIVERS convicted of causing death by dangerous driving should be given stronger and more consistent penalties, according to road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists has said. An IAM analysis of eleven recent prosecutions involving mobile and smartphone use revealed that the average sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is four-and-a-half years in prison and a disqualification from driving for seven years. In all of the cases analysed, the convicted drivers were found to have lost their concentration due to using their mobile phone.

Subaru BRZ-STI concept

Subaru is poised to unveil the BRZ-STI concept at the at the LA auto show later this month. A concept version of the all-new rear-wheel drive compact sports car jointly developed with Toyota, the lightweight BRZ shares most of its mechanical components with the Toyota FT-86 concept, which made its first public appearance at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. A world away from Subaru's ‘Sports Car Architecture' concept that has made the rounds at the past few motor shows, the BRZ's design is remarkably similar to that of the FT-86.

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.