Owning a Nano: The Worlds Cheapest Car

Where Robot Cars (Robocars) Will Really Take Us

Or how computer geeks can enable the electric car, save the planet and millions of lives using near-term A.I. to make taxis and trucks deliver, park, recharge and drive themselves.

People have dreamed of cars that drive themselves for decades. Now, thanks to a contest sponsored by the U.S. military, they are much closer to becoming reality than many people realize. It now feels possible to make the bold prediction that if we, as a society truly will it, we can make them ubiquitous by around 2020. More and more people are ready to declare that -- technology-wise -- it's a question of when, not if.

Read original article by Brad Templeton>

Where Robot Cars (Robocars) Will Really Take Us

The Cruzbike Silvio - form and function in a front wheel drive

From The Cruzbike Silvio - form and function in a front wheel drive

Honda to exhibit 2WD electric motorcycle at Tokyo Motor Show?

The Honda 50 for the 21th Century!

Honda to exhibit 2WD electric motorcycle at Tokyo Motor Show?

Triumph’s Rocket III Roadster gets more power and torque

Triumph’s three-cylinder 2,294cc Rocket III megamotorcycle has the strongest motor of any two wheeled roadgoing conveyance we’ve ever ridden – nothing else comes even close. As much as we fell in love with the monster, all the Rockets until now have been created with a laid-back riding position which doesn't necessarily suit everybody in general, or mountain roads and city traffic in particular. For 2010 though, the iconic British marque is to introduce a Roadster version with increased horsepower and a 15% torque boost to 224Nm. Anti-lock braking is fitted as standard and ergonomics have been reworked for a more natural around-town riding position. Read Gizmag article

motorcylce, triumph, gizmag, bbleroy

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Top 5 green cars to watch — straight from the International Motor Show

Top 5 green cars to watch — straight from the International Motor Show

The Can-Am Spyder gets a trio of fully-faired touring versions

Bombardier Recreational Products has had a remarkable success with its three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder since the roadster’s launch more than two years ago, and the big news is that the Spyder is to be developed into two streams – one for sports riding and one for touring. The existing GS model will now be designated the Spyder RS (roadster sport) and the new touring range will be designated Spyder RT (roadster touring). There’s also a new special edition Spyder RS-S model, with a host of additional features as standard, three RT models and a purpose-built 622 liter trailer.

Firstly, the RS-S comes in a limited edition color, Pearl White, has 6-spoke wheels, a special stitched seat, comes with its own travel bag, and can only be purchased with the semi-automatic SE5 transmission, and not the manual SM5 transmission.

The RT will come in three models: the RT, RT Techno and RT-S. The entire Can-Am Spyder RT roadster range will be powered by the Rotax 991 engine with Electronic Throttle Control optimized for touring, making it smoother and quieter, and with a broader mid-range with 80 pound foot of torque, compared to the normal engine’s 77 lb.-ft. The extra mid-range is at the expense of overall horsepower, with the RT motor dropping from 106 bhp to 100 bhp and maximum torque now at 5500 rpm. The engine is also now driving a 650W magneto to power all the additional electrics.

The ergonomics of the RT are far more upright for the rider and pillion than the RS models, and the windscreen can be adjusted electronically at the press of a button to ensure you find a comfortable position without wind roar and head buffeting at any speed. There’s a full complement of accessories normally found on a big touring motorcycle, including electronic cruise control, an electronic command center, and a color LCD screen which can be reconfigured at the press of a button to give you the information you’re seeking. Similarly, there’s more lighting aboard, LED turn lamps, and a new shaped-exhaust system. Read More

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VW shows 170 mpg tandem diesel hybrid two-seater

Volkswagen rocked the automotive world at a lunchtime press conference on the first day of the Frankfurt Motor Show with a carbon fiber, half width, 1-liter hybrid electric diesel tandem two-seater car named the L1. When the car makes production in 2013, four years from now, it will almost certainly be the most fuel efficient car available with a combined diesel fuel consumption figure of 1.38 l/100km, thanks to its frugal motor combo, feather-like weight – 380 kg in total - and an aerodynamic drag co-efficient of just 0.195!
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Plug-in Prius debuts next week, new details revealed | DVICE

http://www.twine.com/item/12l04jpxf-r3/plug-in-prius-debuts-next-week-new-details-revealed-dvice

Mercedes' reinterpretation of the Gullwing

Mercedes' reinterpretation of the Gullwing

Mercedes' reinterpretation of the Gullwing

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First ride: Honda's outrageous(?) DN-01 automatic sports-cruiser motorcycle

First ride: Honda's outrageous(?) DN-01 automatic sports-cruiser motorcycle

First ride: Honda's outrageous(?) DN-01 automatic sports-cruiser motorcycle

McLaren MP4-12C delivers jaw-dropping looks, performance and economy

McLaren MP4-12C delivers jaw-dropping looks, performance and economy

McLaren MP4-12C delivers jaw-dropping looks, performance and economy

The Hardest Cars To Get

Feel like driving Audi's posh new crossover, the $38,000 Q5? The signature Audi LED taillights and leather-cloaked interior, paired with a fast engine and car-like handling, do much to separate it from the pack of premium small SUVs.

Read More Here

The Hardest Cars To Get - Forbes.com

Cars of the Future Open Content PBS

NOVA | Car of the Future Open Content | PBS

Confederate's all-aluminium P120 Fighter Combat motorcycle

Article Summary

Harley-Davidson might have set the mold for the archetypical American motorcycle, but it's boutique brand Confederate that has taken it to the extreme. Confederate's Hellcat and Wraith are glaringly unique machines - all metal and carbon, nasty skeletal designs dripping with confrontational attitude. Now they're joined by the limited-edition Fighter Combat - a celebration of machined metal that looks like it's been chiseled from one hunk of polished aluminum for the next Terminator movie. But beyond its arresting looks, there's some interesting ideas on board.

Read original article here:

Confederate's all-aluminium P120 Fighter Combat motorcycle

City hybrid vehicle is an eco car for biking

Designed by Jameson Klug, the City is a vehicle concept for developing nations that combines two vehicles, a car and a motorbike, into one, for the motorcycle is the preferred method of transport in highly congested urban areas, whereas a small car works better on longer trips or to carry cargo. Based around the motorcycle design, the two-in-one vehicle is affordable, lightweight, simple and rugged, which when needed wraps into a car shell to provide extra cargo capacity, protection from the weather or to carry two additional passengers.

Read original article here:

City Hybrid Vehicle Is An Eco Car For Biking - The Design blog

Ferrari advances driver-car interface

In the run-up to the official unveiling of the Ferrari 458 Italia at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ferrari has released new imagery of the 458 Italia’s interior and of the steering wheel and instrument binnacle which represent a significant step forward in the concept of the ergonomic interface between driver and car.

(read more)

Can Mercedes Keep Its Luxury-Car Edge?

Can Mercedes Keep Its Luxury-Car Edge? - WSJ.com

The world's best sports car show

The world's best sports car show

Chevy Volt to go the distance with 230 mpg expected in city driving

Chevy Volt to go the distance with 230 mpg expected in city driving

Bentley Mulsanne debuts at Pebble Beach

Bentley Motors finally took the wraps off its all-new flagship grand tourer, the Mulsanne, at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in Monterey, California on the weekend. The Mulsanne is inspired by the company founder W.O. Bentley’s crowning achievement in 1930, the 8-liter. Fittingly, W.O.’s own sensitively preserved 1930 company car shared the podium with the new Mulsanne in Pebble Beach. This early motoring masterpiece represented the last big Bentley that was designed, engineered and built from the ground up by Bentley engineers – until now.
Read Original Article and see lots of images @
Bentley Mulsanne debuts at Pebble Beach

Spooklight signals your cycling intentions with a wireless indicator and brake light

City cycling is an activity fraught with danger but cyclists’ safety can be enhanced by increasing their visibility and also by signaling their movements to fellow road-users. Options such as the Safe Turn Indicator help in that department but now there’s a new product called the Spooklight that could achieve the same feat without the need to strap LED lights to your wrists.

The quietest Orange County Chopper yet: the electric Siemens Smart Chopper

The beefy gents at Orange County Choppers have surprised us a few times before, going out of their normal raked-out design brief to customise a Ducati Monster 1100, for example - but they really turned heads this week when Paul Teutul, Snr, presented the company's - and perhaps the world's - first all-electric chopper. Commissioned by Siemens and built using recycled steel, LED lighting and environmentally-friendly water-based paints, the Siemens Smart Chopper features a 27hp brushless motor good for a top speed in excess of 100mph, and enough battery life for a 60-mile range. And it's going up for auction.

Make Money by Simply Driving Your Car

You probably have heard stories about businesses that will pay you just to drive around with an advertisement on your car, but do these opportunities really exist? And, if so, how do you find them?

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Blog about driving in Florida