The 2012 Nissan Leaf electric car will include more standard equipment, but it will carry a higher price tag as well. Announcing the updates for the second Leaf model year, Nissan said today it will expand U.S. sales of the Leaf into several Southeastern states plus Illinois. The 2012 model of the first battery-electric vehicle sold in the U.S. in...
Remember Aptera, the firm whose futuristic three-wheeled, two-seat 2e electric vehicle promised to revolutionize the way we travelled back in 2007? After a series of technical issues and poor performance prevented it from winning the Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize last year, Aptera’s press releases have become more and more...
If you’re the kind of person who thinks that a fun weekend consists of redecorating your bathroom, landscaping your garden or perhaps making your own shelving units from scratch, you’re probably familiar with Lowe’s, the Home Improvement Store. But what you may not know is that as of August DIY Enthusiasts in selected areas will...
Last week we told you how the City of New York had just taken ownership of 50, 2011 Chevrolet Volts in an attempt to green up everything from the NYPD to official departments few will have heard of. Now Seattle has followed suit, with the announcement that the city will be buying 35 all-electric Nissan Leafs by the end of 2012. Costing the city an...
Consumers and automakers both know that range anxiety is a huge barrier standing between shoppers and electric vehicles. But soon, EV owners will have yet another tool in their anti-anxiety toolkit, and it comes from a partnership between GPS heavyweight TomTom and charging station manufacturer Coulomb Technologies. The gist of the deal is simple...
If you happen to ride on a new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) subway train in San Francisco sometime after 2017 you might be forgiven for thinking there’s something familiar — if you have owned or ridden in a BMW.
That’s because BMW DesignworksUSA, the design consultancy and subsidiary of BMW Group, has signed a contract to collaborate with BART to create the “Fleet of the Future”. The result will be all-new train cars for the famous transit system that first came into operation in 1973. At the time BART was regarded as one of the most advanced subway systems in the world. I remember being assigned to do a story on BART for a magazine in the UK, which kind of surprised me at the time considering that Europe has excellent train systems.
However now that the BART trains are coming up for their 40th birthday they are reaching the end of their life. BART is currently encouraging riders to submit ideas for improving the new train cars, which will then be provided to BMW DesignworksUSA.
Of course, many of the engineering features are specified in advance for safety and reliability, with little room for input. For example, according to BART there is “jerk limiting” – “the maximum allowable jerk shall be 2.0 mphpsps”, or miles per hour per second per second. In the specification, a jerk is not someone who takes up two seats on a crowded train. It’s a technical term describing how much the acceleration of the train changes as the train moves.
Suggestions received so far include room for bicycles, wider aisles and more seats. Riders are also in favor of getting rid of the fabric-covered seats and carpeting – with the idea that comfortable yet easier-to-clean surfaces would result in cleaner train car interiors. I wonder if BMW will be able to make hard seats as comfortable as seats in a BMW 1-series or 3-series?
You’re probably wondering why BMW is getting involved in this sort of project? In case you’re not aware, forty-year old DesignworksUSA, based in Newbury Park, near Los Angeles that has been owned by BMW since 1995, has done a lot of creative work outside of the car industry including designing interiors for busses, trains and aircraft as well as consumer products.
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Here it is, the first official video of the 2012 Porsche 911 in action on a development drive in South Africa. The best part? You get to hear it in all it’s glory for a full 22 seconds starting at 0:59 in the video below.
R&T News Editor Carter Jung gave us a detailed report online when the first 2012 Porsche 911 photos dropped on July 12. Here are the highlights…
Look for a longer wheelbase (4 in.), shorter overhangs (1.3 in. front, 0.5 in. rear), and a lower roofline (0.5 in.). It’s also got a sharper windshield rake, due to the A-pillars coming forward 1.4 in. Better yet, even though it’s 2.2 in. longer than the outgoing 997, it’s expected to come in weighing around 55 lb less, thanks to the incorporation of high-strength steel.
The base engine is assumed to be a direct-injected 3.4-liter flat-6 cranking out 350 bhp. Look for a direct-injected 3.8-liter flat 6 producing 400 bhp in the Carrera S. There are also strong indications we will see the return of the 7-speed dual-clutch PDK in the 991.
Read the full 2012 Porsche 911 report >>
First Official Photos: 2012 Porsche 911 >>
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A record-breaking global gathering of Citroën 2CVs is set to take place from July 26-31 at the 19th International ‘Amis de la 2CV’, an event expected to attract over 6000 examples of the iconic model.
Held every two years, the meeting attracts participants from all over the world who gather to celebrate one of Citroën’s longest-running success stories. The 2011 event, involving many of Europe’s 2CV owner’s clubs, promises to be the biggest yet.
In the setting of a 148-acre site near Salbris in central France, four pre-war prototype 2CVs will be on show alongside the contemporary Citroën REVOLTe concept – a city car combining luxury and technology, inspired by the 2CV’s distinctive silhouette.
Originally developed in the 1930s, most of the 250 prototype 2CVs were destroyed before war – with the exception of three, which were hidden to stop them falling into enemy hands. The fourth was stored by Michelin. The 2CV was finally unveiled at the 1948 Paris Motor Show, before going on to enjoy a fantastic career with 5,114,940 units sold between 1948 and 1990.
A wealth of activities will be taking place on and off site, including; a 2CV ‘disassemble-reassemble’ competition; a bring-and-buy sale; various children’s events; and driving simulators.
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Just when you thought you saw the last dramatic Pikes Peak video, HRE Wheels dropped another one. But before you pshaw your way to another blog post or video heaving its way to viral status, consider this: The footage is from the most recent Pikes Peak International Hill Climb where in which Tajima shattered (finally) the elusive 10 minute barrier with a 9:51.278 pass.
For our ADD readers, the film doesn’t recount the entire run in all of its sub 10 minute glory. Instead it’s cut with in- and on-car footage of Tajima and scenic shots of the Suzuki SX4 tearing up the 156 turns of road and dirt (more the former than latter). For some contrast, Rhys Millen, another HRE-sponsored driver, plays a supporting role in the video. Millen in his Hyundai prototype finished 2nd overall with a 10:09.242 time.
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