Hasta La Gadget!

When we took Brammo’s Enertia motorcycle for a test ride last summer we found it to be a lovingly crafted and fun to ride bike that really only disappointed when it came to ultimate performance — far closer to your average scooter than your average sportbike. Since then the company has gone racing, taking on the iconic Isle of Man as part of the all-electric TTXGP and finishing third place with a top speed of 102mph. That fully-faired bike was called the TTR, and now the company is making a naked version for you: the 100mph Empulse. Read on for full details and a little video too.

Continue reading Brammo goes street fighting with the 100mph Empulse electric motorcycle (video)

Brammo goes street fighting with the 100mph Empulse electric motorcycle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Can’t say we’re any keener on the idea of blasting our outlets with Super Soakers, but Wet Circuit’s water resistant power strips boast its ability to withstand just such a defiant action — occasional rain and snow, wet hands, temporary flooding, and accidental water spills (assuredly intentional, too). $35 is the asking price, and while the company claims you can put metallic objects in the socket without fear of electrocution, you probably shouldn’t press your luck. Check out a plethora of demonstrations after the break — no really, we beseech you. Crank the speakers for this one.

Continue reading Wet Circuits waterproof power strip presented by all-time best dubbed videos

Wet Circuits waterproof power strip presented by all-time best dubbed videos originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gear Diary  |  Wet Circuits  | Email this | Comments

Oh, electric supercar, why do you tease us so? Mercedes is latest to throw up a prototype of what it expects future rubber burners to look like, and its SLS E-Cell doesn’t disappoint. Based on its petrol-guzzling SLS AMG model, this beast produces 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque, thanks to four motors (one for each wheel) allied to a battery array that can provide an industry-leading 480kW of juice. How fast does that get you to the magical 60mph marker? Try four seconds. There’s a handsome 10-inch infotainment panel in the center console, which you may see after the break, but the best news is that this prototype can be driven now and could well turn into a production Benz at some point in 2013.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses

Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog  |  Automobile  | Email this | Comments

Epyon, a small Dutch startup, is showing the big boys how it’s done with its recently unveiled fast-charging station for electric vehicles. Billed as Europe’s first commercially available charger of its kind, this unit will recharge anything up to a nine-seater taxi van within 30 minutes, thanks to its 50 kilowatts of power capacity. It’s now installed alongside more conventional petrol and diesel refilling points in a fueling station over in Leeuwarden. That’s the capital city of Friesland, a Dutch province that has set itself the ambitious goal of having 100,000 EVs on its roads by 2015. That aim is shared by the wider European Union as well, which yesterday agreed on defining a common electric recharging standard, whose universality might attract skeptical consumers and more cautious investors into the field. They’ve set themselves a deadline of “mid-2011,” though the broad outlines and new incentives for buying greener cars are likely to appear by the end of this year.

Europe gets first fast-charging EV station, hungers for more originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  Green Car Advisor, PhysOrg  | Email this | Comments