Hasta La Gadget!

Buried within an announcement from Nissan about its NV200 diesel compact van hitting the London streets, the company has also outed its plans to trial the all-electric variant for ferrying people around the city. The e-NV200 went from concept to reality earlier this year, shortly after the diesel version got a New York paint job and was branded the “Taxi of Tomorrow.” The NV200 has satisfied all legal requirements and is set to challenge the iconic London black cab with its lower emissions, greater efficiency and, of course, competitive pricing. The e-NV200 prototype (not to be confused with the soon-to-be certified diesel version) is scheduled for testing in London during 2013. However, Nissan does note that rolling out the EV would only be realistic if there’s “increasing investment in charging infrastructure” across the capital.

[Image Credit: Auto Express]

Filed under: Transportation

Nissan’s e-NV200 all-electric van earmarked for a London taxi makeover originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite our love of gadgets, we’re not willing to give any slack to people that text while driving, and for one good reason: it’s freaking dangerous. You’ve heard the grim stories before, but few incidents resonate to the heart of the matter like that of Chance Bothe from Texas. Despite his better judgment, the young man was texting a childhood friend while trying to bring the conversation to a close by saying, “I need to quit texting, because I could die in a car accident.” That message was followed by one more, an unfortunate, “b right there.” Regrettably, that final text caused him to miss a slight curve in the road and careen into a ravine. Chance is alive today — thanks in large part to the fact that the accident was witnessed — but the recovery hasn’t been easy. In addition to a broken neck, a number of fractures and severe head trauma, he’s already undergone two facial reconstructions. In the wake of the accident, Chance’s friends and family have founded UnSend, an organization that dedicates itself to raising awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. Chance, too, is using his experience to educate others: “They just need to understand, don’t do it. Don’t do it. It’s not worth losing your life.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

Texas man foretells dire outcome: messages ‘I need to quit texting,’ before driving into ravine originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Mavizon’s plans for its Mavia car tracking device (formerly the AutoBot) from almost two years ago? The company promised availability sometime in 2012, and we’re here in earnest with the car companion ready for pre-order. The business model has changed significantly since 2010, however. It’s a cheaper $169 up front for the Bluetooth cellular OBD-II peripheral — $99 for the first hundred through the gates, or $299 for a two-pack — but the full tracking service will cost $5 a month, or $49 every year. Those who do make the leap can get a look at their car’s vital signs as well as set up geofenced notifications, track long-term performance and receive impromptu driving directions to a friend’s coffee shop check-in. The first batch of Mavia units should arrive within several weeks, we’re told, and should have both browser- as well as iPhone-based apps waiting in the wings.

Continue reading Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Transportation

Mavizon Mavia tracker reaches pre-order at last, makes best friends of cars and iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car makers have been peddling wireless pedestrian avoidance systems almost as long as there have been automobiles. (We believe one of the earliest was called the “side view mirror.”) GM’s new experiment though, differs from other implementations by skipping out on the 3G, cameras and radar — instead going for a model built around WiFi Direct. The peer-to-peer 802.11 standard hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but the WiFi Alliance is diligently tweaking the platform and apparently GM thinks its a perfect match for connecting cars, cyclists and pedestrians to each other. Unlike 3G-based systems, there’s little lag between locating and identifying bikes or people crossing the street since the signal doesn’t have to be bounced off a satellite. It also has a leg up on radar detection since WiFi can be a two way pipeline — alerting someone out for a stroll of an oncoming vehicle. Of course, it will be some time before anything like this actually makes it into a production vehicle. But, in the meantime, you can check out the PR and video after the break.

Continue reading GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

GM testing pedestrian detection system powered by WiFi Direct (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week the folks at Jaguar are letting the car-loving world know that they mean business when it comes to limited-edition vehicles. The auto you’re seeing here is the Jaguar C-X75, part of an edition of 200 vehicles that’ll ring in at around $1 million USD each when they go up for sale. Each C-X75 will have four-cylinder turbo and more than 500 horsepower so you can beat up the streets in heavy style

This vehicle will debut late next year complete with a plug-in hybrid system along with a conventional internal combustion engine for good measure. The original concept for this vehicle featured a fabulous bit of jet-turbine technology while this near-final model is ready for a slightly more tried and true solution. That’s not to say that the vehicle isn’t unique, of course.

Inside this beast you’ll find more than 500 horsepower with a four-cylinder unit displacing just 1.6 liters. It’s also got an impressive bit of revving up with more than 10,000-rpm to its name if you’d like it to show you such a thing. Supercharging, turbocharging, and direct fuel injection are also pieces of this muscular monster’s technology collection.

You’ll see multiple driving models produced inside the limited edition of 200, with all-electric and hybrid being one of these – but with no gas-only model on the books. In electric-only mode, this vehicle has been recorded as grabbing a range of 37 miles and hitting 0-60 miles her hour in less than 6 seconds.

With a combination of gas and electric modes, this vehicle has been recorded as getting 0-60 MPH in under 3 seconds, speeding along at over 200 MPH when at its fastest.

Good luck catching one of these rare machines in the next year – we’ll be keeping an eye or two out as well!

[via MotorAuthority]

One million dollar Jaguar C-X75 set for four-cylinder turbo and 500 horsepower is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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