Visualized: Schumacher’s F1 racing Mercedes, exploded drawing style originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It isn’t exactly the hottest hybrid we’ve ever seen, Porsche’s ludicrous 918 RSR still takes that crown, but the Veritas RSIII Roadster Hybrid is certainly no wheezy commuter. It’s a tiny, open-topped racer that features a 507HP V10 from BMW that’s been paired with a 105kW motor to spin the front wheels. It’s much the same arrangement of the Porsche, again relying on a KERS flywheel to generate electricity that’s stored in a Li-ion battery pack, which can also be charged separately. The car can actually limp around for up to 31 miles powered by just that front motor, but when both sources of thrust are called upon the sled gets to 62MPH in 3.1 seconds, as fast as a 911 Turbo S, and it’ll keep on going until the speedo hits 205 — or the car hits something immovable. No word on price or availability, but there is a version with a roof coming this summer, and a fully-electric model due in 2013.
Veritas RSIII Roadster Hybrid melds plug-in tech with 600HP originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Worried that the fancy-schmancy SYNC system you just ordered up in your Mustang will soon be outlawed? Fret not, speed demon. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will reportedly not push for restrictions on handsfree phones or in-car technology until “the government conducts further research.” There are generally two prevailing trains of thought: one feels that any type of calling — be it handsfree or otherwise — is a terrible distraction to the driver, while the other feels that properly integrated technology is safe enough for use on the road. As the story goes, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently investigating whether systems like SYNC post a “cognitive distraction,” while some automakers suggest that motorists are going to goof off with their phone anyway — might as well make it as safe as possible for ’em. Of course, things could change in short order once this so-called “research” gets finalized, but for now, feel free to request that your OnStar system read on to the next post. Your OnStar system can read Engadget, right?
Transportation secretary Ray LaHood: no restrictions (yet) on in-car information originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Spring is near! The sun is shining, the weather is warming and holy what the mothercakes, gas is four dollars a gallon right now?! And what mister newscaster? It’s going to get more expensive? Geez! This is getting out of hand. We all would appreciate saving some money on gas. Here’s how. More »
Neither Chevrolet nor Nissan have felt proud enough of their EV sales numbers to list them on their latest press releases, but our colleagues over at Autoblog Green have dug those numbers up anyhow. They make for dispiriting reading if you’re an electric car well-wisher, as the Volt‘s sales declined from January’s tally of 321 to an even less impressive 281, while the Leaf closed February with only 67 US sales, down 20 on last month. Upon seeing their previous numbers, we postulated that both cars are suffering from constrained supply, which is likely still the case, but it feels ironic to us that electric vehicles, whose driving experience offers instant torque, are taking their sweet time to rev up their sales.
Electric car sales watch: 281 Volts and 67 Leafs sold in US during February originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A little over two years ago, we opined on the lack of decent built-in nav systems, hopelessly waiting for Harman and Mercedes to make good on their promise of an easily upgradable in-dash setup. Well, the day has finally come, and the partners in automotive innovation are gearing up to introduce the Becker Map Pilot to the world at the Geneva Motor Show. As promised, the system combines the flexibility and features of a PND with the integration and good looks of a built-in setup — although the interface shows up on the auto’s central display panel and relays voice instructions over the car’s speakers, the main unit is stored in the glove compartment, where it’s easily removed and upgraded via the internet. If you can afford the mammoth price tag, Map Pilot will roll out in the new Mercedes-Benz SLK and C-Class, but if you don’t have an extra $50,000 lying around, we’ll still let you peep the PR after the break.
Continue reading Harman-Mercedes Map Pilot modular built-in nav system becomes reality
Harman-Mercedes Map Pilot modular built-in nav system becomes reality originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Google gave folks a brief glimpse at its super secret self-driving cars last fall, but nothing like what it’s just showed off at the TED conference that’s happening this week in Long Beach, California. The company is not only actually letting attendees inside the autonomous car for a first-hand demonstration, but it’s intentionally stepped things up to an “aggressive” level to show just how capable the car really is — we’re talking squealing tires and really tight cornering (all on a closed course, naturally). Head on past the break for a view from both inside and outside of the car courtesy of Search Engine Land.
Continue reading Google’s self-driving cars take TED attendees for a wild ride
Google’s self-driving cars take TED attendees for a wild ride originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
It’s been a long road for the Karma to reach production, but now it finally has an end in sight: March 21st. That’s the date Fisker promises to start rolling its gorgeous PHEV off assembly lines, with deliveries to the first humans to reserve one coming up in April. The price for the 2012 Karma remains a mighty $95,900, though if you ask our brethren over at Autoblog, that’s a bunch of pennies well spent. Fisker expects to start producing 1,500 Karmas per month starting in October and to then sell 15,000 a year from 2012 onwards.
Fisker Karma enters production on March 21st, our future shortly thereafter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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GM claims its new Terrain has other SUVs beat when it comes to fuel efficiency, and they’re citing active noise cancellation — a concept near and dear to audiophiles everywhere — as one of the driving factors that puts it 4MPG above the competition. Basically, the Terrain’s enlisted a new one-touch “Eco mode” that allows its four-cylinder engine to run at a lower torque, decreasing engine speeds, and thus saving gas. The thing is, this increased fuel efficiency comes with a “low-end frequency boom,” which is where the noise cancellation sets in: two microphones built in to the car’s headliner detect the boom, prompting a frequency generator to pump counteracting sound waves through Terrain’s speakers. Simply put, GM’s just getting rid of an unpleasant hum. So a quieter car isn’t necessarily a greener car, but we’ll take a more fuel efficient SUV any day. If you’re picking up what GM’s laying down, check out the full PR after the jump.
GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Kelley Blue Book’s list of Top 10 Family Cars of 2011 acknowledges our love affair with big. Seven of the 10 are SUVs or crossovers although Kelley and KBB.com, its online arm, say “safety, comfort, economy of operation, child-friendliness, a reasonable purchase price and good resale value” are also key. Tech didn’t appear to play much of a role: no mention (in their writeups) of cars with standard Bluetooth or iPod adapters. Below, the KBB Top 10 Family Cars, excerpts from their comments, and our notes on what else you should know about this top 10. See bottom-of-story for the three cars that should have made the list.
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