Solero Hb1 Quartz Halogen Bulb 65/45w on 2040-parts.com

Call for reform over road repair funding

FUNDING patterns mean most road maintenance is being carried out in "less-efficient, cold and wet" times, a report from a Government spending watchdog has said. The current pattern of funding, combined with the need to spend money within the financial year, means that most maintenance work goes on between September and March, said the report from the National Audit Office (NAO). It went on: "Although this is less disruptive for road users, it is less efficient than carrying out the work at other times of year because materials can be more difficult to handle in cold and wet conditions, and daylight hours are shorter." The report went on: "As a result of the additional funding for emergency repairs, which is made available at the end of the financial year, almost all highways authorities need extra capacity from the market at the same time, which makes it less likely that they will get value for money." The NAO report said there was a "lack of predictability" over road spending adding that historically, local highway authorities spent more revenue on maintenance, but were now carrying out fewer routine activities such as clearing gullies which are essential to preventing water seeping into roads' sub-structure.

Skoda Fabia vRS 2000 (an open-topped vRS) at Worthersee

Skoda Fabia vRS 2000 Concept Yes, it’s Wörthersee Tour time again. Which explains why we have an OTT Skoda on display - the Skoda Fabia vRS 2000. Finished in the same striking green as the production Skoda Fabia vRS, the vRS 2000 is a concept car put together just for the GTI-Treffen event in Worthersee and is based on the Fabia vRS 2000 rally car and, as Skoda boss said, Worthersee “…is a welcome opportunity for us to show off our sports models and make sure that everyone knows that Škoda really has something to offer here.” It would have been hard to believe even just a few years ago that a car like the vRS 200 could ever come out of Skoda, but we’re now at the point where, if you can set aside badge snobbery, Skoda often has more to offer than parent VW.

Toyota tests chips that improve hybrid efficiency by 10 percent

Toyota announced on Tuesday that it has developed a new semiconductor, claiming it can boost fuel efficiency in hybrid cars by an impressive 10 percent. The semiconductors manage the flow of electricity through the power-control unit that connects the battery to an electric or hybrid car's motor and generator. The newly developed semiconductors are said to consume only a tenth of the energy of today's chips, while allowing the power-control unit to be 80 percent smaller.