Hasta La Gadget!

You thought we were going to take a break after CES, didn’t you? Yeah, no way. We’re back and badder than ever, with all the latest iPhone / iPad gossip AND a treasure trove of new info and insight form Automotive Editor Tim Stevens about some killer new stuff going on under the hood of the vehicles of the very near future. Dig in!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller
Guest: Tim Stevens
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Born to be Wild

00:02:40 – Live from Verizon’s iPhone event
00: 07:02 – The Verizon iPhone
00:10:30 – AT&T ‘evaluating’ support for iOS Personal Hotspot, no plans yet
00:14:10 – AT&T iPhone 4 vs. Verizon iPhone 4: what’s changed?
00:22:10 – iOS 4.3 beta arrives for devs, brings AirPlay video support to apps, personal hotspot and customizable iPad side switch (update: video!)
00:29:05 – Exclusive: The future of the iPad 2, iPhone 5, and Apple TV, and why Apple is shifting its mobile line to Qualcomm chipsets
00:38:47 – IBM demonstrates Watson supercomputer in Jeopardy practice match
00:45:00 – IBM’s Watson supercomputer destroys all humans in Jeopardy practice round (video!)
00:51:52 – Toyota debuts new Prius models, family-friendlier Prius V and funkier Prius C
00:58:25 – Porsche unveils 918 RSR, the 767hp hybrid
01:00:45 – Tesla Chief Engineer Peter Rawlinson geeks out with us about Model S design
01:08:17 – A tour around the X-Prize winning Edison2 Very Light Car (video)

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @engadget @timstevens

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 229 – 01.16.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota made no bones about the fact that more Prius models were to be unveiled in Detroit for the North American International Auto Show, even throwing advertisements up around town asking whether it’s supposed to be Priuses or Priii. (We, as you can see, chose to side-step the debate.) Now we know what’s coming, first being the Prius V. It’s the MPV the company has been teasing, basically just a taller version of the four-door sedan with a hatchback and a whopping 60 percent more cargo space — 32 cubic feet, which is more than most compact SUVs. It’s to be rated 42mpg city, 38 highway, and 40 combined, which is a surprising 10mpg lower than the sedan model. That’s perhaps a bit disappointing, but availability this summer is a pleasant surprise.

Next is the Prius C, naturally for “concept,” which is aimed at “young singles and couples.” It’s definitely funkier and way cooler than the current model, looking to have a nose very similar to the car’s FT-86 concept. We hope the production model looks quite close to this, and while that’s always a doubtful proposition we won’t have all that long to wait, with it hitting dealerships in the first half of 2012. Toyota also showed off the Prius Plug-In, the very same one we test drove last year, said to be coming first to the western and eastern coasts of the US first, and re-affirmed the “patriarch” status of the current-generation Prius sedan, having sold 230,000 cars since 2009. It’s good to be the king.

Filed under: Transportation

Toyota debuts new Prius models, family-friendlier Prius V and funkier Prius C originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prius this ain’t. Take a gander at Porsche’s 918 RSR, which just rolled onto the company’s stage at the 2011 North American International Auto Show. It has a 563hp traditional gasoline engine mounted amidships, with a pair of electric motors powering the front wheels that bring the total power up to a whopping 767. The electric motors are not powered by a set of batteries, as in a traditional hybrid, rather they take their power from an inertial flywheel mounted where the passenger seat would be on a road car and spinning at up to 36,000rpm. That’s spun up by momentum when the car brakes and, when the driver hits a button, that momentum is converted to give an acceleratory boost.

That’s the same setup as the 911 GT3 RSR Hybrid, which ran reasonably successfully last year. Its styling is obviously an extension of the 918 Spyder, with a number of cues taken from the incredibly successful Porsche 917 racer of the early ’70s (dig the endplates that look like the 917’s iconic fins). At this point Porsche hasn’t indicated when this car will make its debut on the track, nor in which classes it will run, but one thing’s for clear: this isn’t for the road. So, we’re a bit disappointed we still haven’t any firm details on a production, street 918 — not that we could have afforded it anyway.

Porsche unveils 918 RSR, the 767hp hybrid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Afraid that your hybrid or full electric vehicle will be dead after a few years? Well, we recently saw how rapid-recharging has a minimal impact on the longevity of a car’s batteries, even after 1,500 iterations. Now we have some more good news: Consumer Reports decided to do a re-test a 2002 Prius, with 206,000 on the clock, and found that it delivered 46.3mpg, compared to 48.6 in the original test with a new car. Lower? Yes, but not bad for 206,000 miles. Not that bad at all. Full test results, including performance figures, are on the other end of the source link.

2002 Prius with 206,000 miles tested again, still gets (almost) the same mileage originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hybrid cars have officially jumped the shark, boring drivers from coast to coast as they smugly hypermile wherever they’re going. Meanwhile, those with big trucks have been relatively out of luck, having to stop frequently for gas — and to scrape the remains of those little hybrids out of their fender wells. That’s changing soon, with Via Motors taking its rebranded Chevy trucks (dig that flying V on the grille) and offering them to fleets in 2011, with sales to individuals coming two years later (you can get in line now for $1,000 down). Big companies like, apparently, PG&E will be able to roll in these so-called E-REV trucks that offer either 20 or 40 miles of electric range, augmented by an onboard generator. Yes, it’s a series hybrid layout similar in theory to the Volt, with the internal combustion engine charging the batteries which, in turn, send juice to the 268hp motor. Interestingly, though, that generator can power other things as well, providing 120 or 240V to tools, lights, maybe even hot tubs if you’re a super cool contractor. No word on anticipated vehicle cost nor efficiency, but we’re not expecting miracles on either front.

Continue reading Via Motors E-REV hybrid trucks power your commute and the job site too (video)

Via Motors E-REV hybrid trucks power your commute and the job site too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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