Hasta La Gadget!

There are two ways to make a car go faster, add power or subtract weight, and Porsche has done a little bit of both to its new 911 GT3 R hybrid racer in preparation for this year’s Nürburgring 24-hour race. Porsche took last year’s version, put it on a 50kg diet, and bumped the output of each of the car’s two KERS-powered front-wheel electric motors by 21hp (giving drivers 202 ‘lectric horses and 480 of the ICE variety for a pavement-melting 682hp total). The boys from Stuttgart hope the Jenny Craig routine will improve performance, fuel economy, and the car’s chances of winning the endurance event in June. The hybrid-drive technology — originally sourced from Williams’ F1 cars — made an appearance in the firm’s 918 RSR hybrid and is largely unchanged from the 2010 model. Unfortunately, this is a racing-only situation, what with the KERS flywheel riding shotgun, but we’re sure one of the hundreds of other technologically-inclined 911 variants will sate your need for speed.

Porsche gives 911 GT3 R hybrid more power, less weight — swears it wasn’t fat or anything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If electric cars are ever going to replace their gas-guzzling ancestors, we’ll inevitably need a few more places to plug in and charge up. Cue Google, who’s just added a database of EV — that’s electric vehicle for you non-green folk — charging stations to Google Maps, enabling drivers to locate places to get their juice on while on longer trips or when out of town (though without the social flare of PlugShare). We’ve gotta say, a future of self-driving cars that can automatically charge themselves doesn’t sound too bad to us — and spending less on gas only makes the deal even sweeter.

Google adds EV charging stations to Google Maps, but you still have to drive to them yourself originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

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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.

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