Chevy’s Spark minicar is becoming an electric vehicle come 2013, which is GM’s first full EV since their EV1. The Spark EV joins Chey’s growing electric vehicles that includes the Volt extended-range EV and the 2013 Malibu Eco with eAssist technology.

Chevy plans to start out the new EV model of the Spark with limited production offering in select countries with the American market being one of the chosen few. The advanced nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs that will power the Spark EV will come from A123 Systems. These batteries supposedly utilize nanoparticles to increase the battery cell’s storage surface area, facilitating quicker storage and release of electrons. No information on its driving range, recharge time, battery size or other performance specs have been announced yet, with details being released closer to the launch date GM executives mention.

GM is also keeping a tight lip on details like pricing, where the new EV will be built and other interesting specs. However, by the looks of pictures, it seems that the Spark EV will have a some exterior styling differences than the standard spark, but, again, no real information has been released.

There are already many EVs on the market already, with Tesla and Nissan being the bigger names in the game, but electric vehicles from other auto brands like Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Kia are in the works. Looks like we’ll be seeing a battle of the EVs in the coming years!

Wireless charging, while not truly wireless in some respects, has emerged for a variety of consumer products thanks to companies such as Powermat.  Unfortunately, there selection of goods is limited to handheld items, which makes logical sense since these tend to be the products that are often used and thus charged with great regularity.  But today there is a new emerging category of battery powered products.  What are they you ask?  Cars.

That’s right.  In the last few years we’ve seen the emergence of a number of battery powered, electric vehicles.  Unlike their hybrid counterparts, which use a gas engine to recharge their batteries, they depend on the grid to power up and this means plugging in.  Unless of course you invest in one of Evatran’s Plugless Power.

It’s effectively, from what we can tell, the same tech as Powermat, though on a much larger scale.  According to Autoblog the effeciency is above 90%, which means some power is lost in the transfer, but the pay off is the convenience.  To charge your whip, if you will, you just drive the car over the disc that is placed on the ground.  This iteration, which is the next evolution in terms of the product, doesn’t sport any moving parts, which means it’s less likely to break, and the car can now be a half a disc off and will still charge.

Evatran is currently entering the test phase and hopes to outfit 8-12 Chevy volts with the necessary receivers by the end of the year, with 20-30 more arriving as soon as January.  Production units should hit some time in late 2012.  We’re hearing each one will cost between $2,000-3,000, and that doesn’t include the $2,000 surcharge for retrofitting your vehicle.

While this tech is cool and all, what would be really neat is if you didn’t need to be in such close proximity for it to work.  As Autoblog points out, you could ostensibly drive the street while receiving a charge, provided of course there enough of them embedded into the road.

This to scale LEGO Porsche 911 is absolutely insane.  The roof is not only retractable but motorized, the hood can be opened by pulling a lever from the interior, the doors have real locks and that’s just barely scratching the surface.  Your best bet is to checkout the YouTube video embedded below.  We should note that this model is completely custom made, and doesn’t use any actual LEGO pieces.

Via: Dailypicksandflicks

Read

4.5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Precisely relays information regarding driving relative to fuel economy
• Easy to use and setup

Cons:

• Bulky, too big for some keychains

Gas is expensive. I remember a time when I couldn’t spend more than $20 filling up the gas tank. Heck, it was almost a game, trying to empty the tank as much as possible just so I could reach that $20 mark. I never could.

Then, 9/11 happened, the war in Iraq, and a number of other things. Suddenly, gasoline was more expensive than Gatorade. Then milk. Now I can’t get a full tank of gas without spending at least $40, and that’s with going out of my way to cheaper gas stations. Because here in California, the difference in price for a 20 minute drive can be as much as 50 cents. Heck, just 20 minutes ago I spent over $50 on 13 gallons. Fuel economy has never been so important.

Thus, the EconoDriver.

The EconoDriver is a handheld doohickey that has one purpose: to determine, if you are driving economically or like a gas-guzzling chump. If that doesn’t matter to you as you read this review driving in your Hummer, it’s time to click on another link. But if you sigh every time you go to the gas station to fill up, then pay attention.

The purpose of this device is twofold: to give drivers information about their car (such as distance driven, miles driven per gallon of gas, the amount of money spent per mile, and even how much money you save (or lose)) by how you drive. How does EconoDriver figure all this out? Using your car’s data port.

All cars made after 1996, and some models in 95 and 94, have an OBD-II port, a computerized port not too dissimilar from a USB port, that relays information about the car to special devices. Mechanics have such devices, though in this case maker Lemur Motors is using that information to determine the distance driven and gallons of gasoline spent. Those two critical pieces are determine everything else the EconoDriver shows…along with one user-input bit: price of gas.

The EconoDriver, in front of a 4th gen iPod Touch for size comparison

Same as above, for thickness comparison

Locally (in Los Angeles County), gas prices can be anywhere from $3.27-$3.69 for 87-rated gasoline in recent weeks. I am currently estimating my cost per gallon at $3.29, because I’ve managed to buy gas for that price, on average, for the past two months. Based on that number, and using the distance and gallons spent, I can know how much money I spend per gallon or mile (9.2mi/$, $0.10/mi), the average miles per gallon (30.3mpg), an estimate of money wasted ($4.77) and money spent ($239), and of course the distance driven (2200mi). Money wasted is essentially the amount of gas you spent that didn’t need to be spent, which is mostly caused from irregular braking and accelerating, and driving too fast. Finally, there’s a five-leaf rating on how “green” you drive, for which I aced.

How you drive will of course impact these numbers. When I drove to Las Vegas for CES, my average of 30.3mpg went down to 29.2mpg in a matter of 3 days. It should be noted that I drive a Nissan Altima Hybrid 2008, which means my car drives more efficiently on streets, not highways and freeways, that latter of which is the drive to Vegas, mostly. My leaf-rating fell from 5 to 4.5 in just the drive from LA to Vegas one way.

The OBD-II plug-in, which relays data to the EconoDriver wirelessly every 30 seconds when in range

Using the EconoDriver is easy, as should be expected from a 3-button device. Plug the OBD-II connector into your car and once the LED on it activates, you’re ready to sync the devices together. Once synced, select the fuel type (gasoline or diesel) and the engine size. The engine size is not generally necessary, and for my Altima only the wrong engine size would properly synchronize. If you have a similar problem, don’t worry, just find an engine size that works and keep going. As the manual states, this is not a problem for most vehicles.

This review was made easier because my Altima has a built-in real-time MPG rating which updates instantly, so I always have a feeling for how economically I’m driving. For the past two years since I’ve owned the Altima, I’ve found the car runs at roughly 30mpg, which is exactly what the EconoDriver indicates, as seen above. This is for several reasons: I’m a very smooth driver (it’s important to understand when to brake and to accelerate…specifically, that braking always lowers gas mileage), that my car rarely spends gas when idling (thanks to the electric engine), that I don’t often carry excess weight and I rarely need to use the A/C.

My only problem with the EconoDriver is that while it’s made for a keychain, it’s very large. I recently had to clear off my keychain from too much clutter, and I never added the EconoDriver to it. Instead, it has a place in my front-seat cupholder, which isn’t so bad. I still checked on it regularly, especially when driving differently intentionally for this review.

As a 5-leaf driver, I can say with certainty that anyone who doesn’t have a good sense of how they drive, or perhaps if you have a new kid driver who is still learning the ropes, or if you just want a good method to keep track of your driving and spending on gas, the EconoDriver works great for all of those functions. Just remember two things: it requires a vehicle with an OBD-II port (meaning any car manufactured after 1996, and some 95 and 94 models), and that you may not be happy with the results. That is, you may find that you aren’t as economical driver as you think. A win-win, either way!

The EconoDriver is available on Amazon for $74.95.

We love us some Tesla…the car company that is.  Elon Musk, who recently made an appearance in the Iron Man 2 movie, is on a ‘roadshow’ in anticipation of the company’s IPO.  His presentation hints at 3 new electric vehicles in addition to the model S, all of which would sit on the same ‘adaptable common platform’.  The van is looking a bit too ‘delivery’ for us, but the cabriolet looks bad ass.

Read

Not too sure why it’s called the Power Bullet Charger, but it actually looks like a decent product.  Effectively allowing you to eliminate a charger from your stockpile, the Power Bullet Charger has both a wall charger and a car charger in the same build.

Also housing a dual USB input, you and shorty can charge the shit out of your phones simultaneously.  On sale now from ThinkGeek for a steal at $15, provided it doesn’t break on you with the first two weeks.

Read

Screw cars, screw hover crafts, I want the Wing in Ground flying hovercraft.  Invented by Rudy Heeman of Nelson, New Zealand it took him 10+ years to build the water/flight vehicle in his garage.  He used a variety of parts from all sorts of junked vehicles including a 1.8l Subaru engine to power the machine.

To take flight the WIG must achieve a minimum speed of 40 mph, where upon it will lift off 10 feet into the air carrying a max payload of about 350lbs, or 3 people.  Top air speed is 50mph and range is over 100 miles.  Because the craft is mostly boat it doesn’t require a pilot’s license, though you must obey boating laws – hello drinking and boating.

Want one?  You can buy it from TradeMe New Zealand, that is assuming your willing to bid higher than the dude in front of you, which is currently $27k.

[via Automoto]

Read

The RoboCar G could easily be mistaken for a golf cart, but it’s much more than that.  Using a combination of sensors, including stereo cameras, laser rangefinders, radar and sonar, as well as an inertial measurement unit, the diminutive sized vehicle can drive itself and can be controlled wirelessly using a computer.

Top speed of the vehicle is currently 37mph; it’s powered by a lithium-ion battery and a brushless DC electric motor.

The vehicle was developed in collaboration with Gunma University and industry partners, and will be sold in Japan to public facilities and hospitals.  There’s no word on a price, but they’re due to ship this November.

Read

Antro’s solar vehicle is far more than meets the eye.  Sure it can drive up to 20km per day on solar power alone, but what you can’t see is that the car is modular and according to renders and specs – no actual image were shown – it can be split into two separate smaller vehicles, or conversely combined with another for a six passenger auto.

The inside is laden with wood and the steering wheel is like something ripped out of 1980′s arcade machine.  And don’t forget the solar panel roof.

So far 1.5 million Euros has been invested in the Antro Solo since 2002 and they plan to bring the vehicle to market by 2012.

Read

Honda’s 3 wheeled concept vehicle won’t reach the kind of top speeds we’d obtain from the T-Rex, but it will get you there with a far smaller carbon footprint. The Honda 3R-C will be on show at this year’s Geneva Motor Show and claims to be a zero emission vehicle using an electric, battery powered motor of some sort.  The deets are few and far between, but you know as well as we do that this thing will never get built.

Read

The T-Rex is a motorcycle in sheep’s clothing.  Sure it appears to be a car, but handles like a bike and damn if it doesn’t fly like a bike.  Under the hood of the ultra lightweight two seater is a 1400 cc inline 4 cylinder Kawasaki engine that puts out 197hp and 113ft lbs of torque.  Unlike the previous model, which included a motorcycle steering and shifting mechanism, the 2010 T-Rex, the 14R, appears to have actual pedals and a steering wheel.  0-60mph: 3.92 seconds.

Pricing for the 14R starts at $52,000, while the 14RR jumps to $56.5k.

Read

Available next month, GM’s AutoNet will let you literally install a WiFi hotspot in your car.  The unit plus installation will cost $500 and there will be a monthly charge of $30 for a 1GB cap.  There is also a 5GB cap offered but no price is known as of now.

The range will last up to a radius of 150 feet away from you car and would be great for camping, tailgating, and beyond.  You could even have traveling video game competitions in your SUV while you drive from Inglewood to Compton.  Anybody like this product?

Read

For those of you who live and die with your iPhone, now there’s a way for you to actually start your car with your smart phone of choice.  Viper has just announced their new iPhone app and vehicle module appropriately titled the Viper Smart Start.  From your iPhone you can start your car, turn on the heat, unlock doors and the trunk, and manage the alarm.  The app itself is not limited by any certain distance parameters as long as it receives a signal.  Sounds crazy right?

So while the App itself is free, the device that needs to be installed into your car is not.  Costing somewhere between $300-$500 depending on the make and model of your car, there’s also a annual fee of $30.  Available now at BestBuy.

Watch the fun informational video.

Read

Looking positively swanky, this radar sniffing aftermarket mirror attachment by Cheetah will actually minimize your blind spots as well as alert you to the long arm of the law.  Priced at $300 you won’t even be able to tell it’s an add on if you can hide the power cord.  It is so concealed that you may find it difficult to locate let alone operate the functions while driving.  The mirror digitally displays your speed, the time of day, the closing distance to an enforcement camera with known speed, red light camera intersection locations and it will give you visual and audio alerts upon approach.  You can also mark other locations for personal use and keep the mirror up to date by downloading new locations via the Cheetah website.  Too bad there aren’t any recording options that track and log your speed so you can use the data later if you have to.  Still, looks sweet.

[via Wired]

Read