Hasta La Gadget!

BMW and Toyota have inked an extension to their collaboration agreement, working together on fuel cells, electric powertrains, lightweight components and, most excitingly, “a future sports vehicle.” The new memorandum of understanding (MoU) will see the German and Japanese companies team up for “long-term strategic collaboration” with BMW bringing its sportscar prowess and Toyota its green technologies expertise to the table.

“BMW and Toyota both want to make ever-better cars. We respect each other. And I think this is shown by our taking the next step only six months since the signing of our initial agreement” Akio Toyoda of Toyota said in a statement today. “Toyota is strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells. On the other hand, I believe BMW’s strength is in developing sports cars. I am excited to think of the cars that will result from this relationship.”

The initial co-development agreement was signed back in December 2011, with BMW and Toyota starting joint research into future motor technologies. It also included an engine-sharing deal, that will see BMW-made 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter diesel engines show up in Toyota cars on sale in Europe from 2014.

A follow-up addendum in March this year focused on electric vehicle battery research. Although both firms already have hybrid cars on the road, the new deal would see them work on increasing the performance and capacity of lithium-ion battery cells using new material combinations for the cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes.

Today’s announcement throws lighter chassis and other components into the mixture, along with working together on efficient electric powerplants and fuel cell systems. There will also be collaboration on “joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle” though there is no timeline for when we might see the fruits of that project shared publicly.

BMW and Toyota working on new sports car and eco-tech is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Back in the mid-80s, the idea of transferring funds, checking your email, buying stocks and booking a trip online was all a faraway dream. But if you happened to be in France at the time, you might’ve already been wired up and doing these things for years — thanks to the state-subsidized Minitels that were in each and every household. The country was far more interconnected than any other and proud of the text-only terminals, even though government-owned France Telecom monopolized access and you had to be newspaper company to supply any content.

It took off anyway, and soon faux-newspaper companies sprung up everywhere for the not-so-secret purpose of delivering paid Minitel services. They supplied information, financial access, ticketing, online shopping, and even some naughty text-based services (sacré bleu!). At its apogee in 1998, the system generated over a billion dollars a year in revenue, and accounted for nearly 15% of the annual income for online retailers 3 Suisses and La Redoute, to name a couple.

But France can be an insular nation, and Minitel never really spread anywhere else. The internet gave the coup de grace to the system and displaced it, and though it’s still accessed by millions each year, France Telecom will pull the plug once and for all this Saturday. Some regret that the nation didn’t build on its technological lead, but most French folks will probably remember the boxes nostalgically, knowing that they beat the internet by almost 20 years.

[Image credit: Musée De l’Informatique]

Minitel to be shut down tomorrow: France bids adieu to the internet’s precursor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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