Hasta La Gadget!

The New York International Auto Show has just wrapped up and, for part of our most recent Engadget Show, we were given the opportunity to sit down with one of the biggest players in the automotive industry: Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. He got his start as a Boeing Engineer in 1969 and, among many other achievements, helped get that company into the 21st century with fully-digital cockpits. He moved over to Ford in 2006 and, since then, has completely turned the company around. His enthusiasm for everything he does is patently obvious, including his enthusiasm for what could be powering the next car that sits in your driveway. With Ford about to launch its first fully-electric car in about 100 years, the Focus Electric, the time seemed ripe to get the man’s perspective on what’s down the road for transportation — and just when we might actually get our flying car.

Continue reading The Engadget Interview: Ford’s Alan Mulally talks the future of transportation

The Engadget Interview: Ford’s Alan Mulally talks the future of transportation originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 14:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are many, many tests of automotive performance throughout the average calendar year, yet the Pikes Peak Hill Climb stands out as one of America’s most historic and most brutal. Oh, and most pucker-inducing, what with the general lack of guardrails and corner edges bounded by nothing but thousands of feet of free-fall — then rocks. This is the challenge that an unmodified Nissan Leaf will face this summer, all 110 horsepower dedicated to hitting the summit in a time that hopefully won’t be too embarrassing but surely won’t challenge the current EV record of 13 minutes and 17 seconds. Driver Chad Hord will sit behind the wheel when the event gets underway on June 26th, burning nary a drop of gas on the way up and putting on something less of a show than Ari Vatanen did in his (traditionally-powered) Peugeot back in 1990. That rather invigorating performance is embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf entered in 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, can feel free to just coast back down again

Nissan Leaf entered in 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb, can feel free to just coast back down again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With gas prices topping $4.50 per gallon in some parts of the country, a car that costs a fraction of a penny per mile to drive (and looks like it belongs on the road) is sure to get our attention. The 275-pound, 2,200MPG Celeritas appears to be the closest we’ve come to having a solar-powered car that could one day take to the streets, however, which explains why the vehicle scored first prize in the Urban Concept category in this year’s Shell Eco-marathon. While it can only transport a single person (the driver), the car includes headlights, taillights, a trunk and even backup cameras. Notably absent from this version are air conditioning and a license plate — the latter of which would (naturally) be required before the car becomes street legal. The Purdue University design team chose “Celeritas” (Latin for “swiftness”) as the name for this soon-to-be-street-legal roadster, though in a category that’s notorious for slower vehicles, we wouldn’t expect the prototype to fly past us in the fast lane. Perhaps we can get Celeritas and IVy together for some alone time before we’re dropping Hamiltons for a gallon of regular?

Purdue’s Celeritas car scores 2,200MPG from the sun, wins Shell Eco-marathon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so the pic only shows one child seat on this new power-assisted bike from Panasonic, but the designers reckon you can fit another one on the back. It’s called the Gyutto and it packs some nifty technology to make it safe for a trio. For a start, to prevent the bike toppling when you park up, the kickstand activates a lock on the handle bar, making the front wheel rigid. And to keep you travelling in the right direction up a steep hill, the 8Ah lithium-ion battery delivers some high-torque power assist, good for 36km on a single charge — better than some others. Talking about steep, the price will work out at around $1,780 (including the two child seats) when the bike is released in Japan on May 23rd. The same money will get you a Mini version with smaller (20-inch) wheels. It’s a lot to spend on a couple of ungrateful rugrats, but at least you won’t have to pump those pedals so hard.

Panasonic’s Gyutto e-bike has room for two, actually even three originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wheego has, at long last, let its first $32,995, 100-mile range LiFe electric two-seater loose on the public, and added another cute little electric car to the US EV collective. By either stroke-of-luck or sheer coincidence (no way is it intentional), the first of the breed was delivered today, otherwise known as Earth Day, to a couple of lucky owners in the ATL. Good to see Dixieland drivers (who often prefer something with a lift kit and Super Swampers to fuel-efficient subcompacts) bringing cleaner motoring to the derrrty South.

Couple in Atlanta finally gets a LiFe, courtesy of Wheego originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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