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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’.

Motorcity Europe launches design seminars

UK-based independent design studio Motorcity Europe (MCE) has launched a series of two- and five-day training seminars aimed at broadening the skills, experience and job prospects of anyone working - or looking to work - within the field of automotive design. Held at Motorcity Europe’s design studio in Cologne, Germany, the seminars will see well-known design professionals instruct on a range of design techniques, including sketching and visualizing, clay and digital modelling, portfolio improvement, presentation skills, creative thinking, and automotive and product design business strategies. These seminars are open to students, graduates, design professionals and even non-designers seeking to gain experience in the field.

Monaco Grand Prix 2014: It’s a Mercedes front row – but it’s Rosberg on pole

Nico Rosberg (pictured) takes pole for Mercedes at Monaco 2014 Nico Rosberg has taken pole position for tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix, but the way in which he took pole position does leave room for doubt. Rosberg did seem quicker in final qualifying, but he ‘went off’ at the Mirabeau corner as final qualifying was coming to a close and depriving Lewis Hamilton of the chance to grab pole on his last qualifying lap. Did Rosberg go off on purpose to wreck Hamilton’s final run?