Automotive

Work to design a new version of the Buckeye Bullet capable of speeds in excess of 400 mph has begun. The Ohio State University team has revealed that Version 3 is to be an entirely new battery electric vehicle featuring an optimized body and fin shape based on aerodynamic simulations undertaken at the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Other drag-reduction tweaks - such as driver position and the strategic addition of wind deflectors - are currently being considered, ahead of construction and testing during the next academic year. Read More

Covini is testing a new petrol-electric hybrid "speedster" version of the new 434 bhp V8 C3A. In testing, the track-only hybrid is apparently proving to be extremely fast with excellent braking and handling. The six-wheelTyrell P34 Formula One car won an F1 race before it was banned, so the logical benefits of four-front-wheels (reduced high speed lift and improved aerodynamics, more rubber, more braking power and more grip, particularly in treacherous conditions) are once again being validated. Read More

Until now, Audi’s e-tron line of concept vehicles, including the e-tron Frankfurt, e-tron Detroit, and e-tron Spyder, have featured highly desirable, albeit conventional designs reflecting Audi’s intention to put the vehicles into production over the next few years. With the latest e-tron branded concept vehicle intended purely as a technical study and not being based on any previous model the Audi designers have been freed up to make a departure from previous designs with the new Audi urban concept. Read More

At one time not all that long ago, cars had a warning light on the dashboard that simply said “ENGINE.” That’s pretty vague. Really, it might just as well have said “CAR.” Some newer automobiles now have codes that appear on the console, which the driver must then look up in an index in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Working with Audi, Germany’s Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) Institute of Business Informatics is now working on taking things a step farther, with the development of an on-screen avatar that will talk to drivers, and even understand their spoken questions. Read More

The mid-term future for fuel efficient vehicles with useful range is likely a hybrid solution of electric motors powered by batteries, topped up by a fuel-burning generator. Prof. Norbert Müller at Michigan State, backed by $2.5 million from the US Government, aims to make that last part of the equation a much more compact and efficient proposition with a revolutionary new form of combustion engine. Read More

BMW has fully committed itself to the battery-electric driving revolution by setting up a whole new sub-brand - BMW i - devoted to emission-free motoring. Now, the i group has released details of two concept cars that look set to become production models within a few years. The i3 concept is a fully-electric city car with an everyday driving range of around 160 km (100 miles) per charge, and the i8 is a sporty 4-seater plug-in hybrid that combines electric and petrol drive to give a good compromise between emission-free commuting and petrol-powered range and performance. Both cars make widespread use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) to keep weight down, and both offer a raft of fascinating new driver assist and efficiency initiatives that seem likely to make it through to the real world. Read More

Nissan has unveiled a new power supply system that allows electricity stored in the lithium-ion batteries of the all-electric Nissan LEAF to be supplied to a house. With the LEAF’s batteries able to store up to 24 kWh of electricity, Nissan says the system could supply the average Japanese household with electricity for about two days. This would be enough to provide a stable electricity supply in the event of power outages or to allow consumers to store cheaper off-peak power for use in high demand periods. Read More

Car parks can be a hassle – you have to roll down your car window and reach out to get a ticket from the dispenser on the way in, and then have to reach over and pay the cashier on the way out. The engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, however, have come up with something easier. They’ve developed an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag system that allows drivers to pass unimpeded in and out of car parks, with parking fees being automatically deducted from an online account. Read More

The first of the major vehicle announcements from the 64th Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA aka Frankfurt Motor Show) has broken cover with Mazda announcing that it will debut an all-new CX-5 crossover SUV. The new beastie will be the first to fully adopt Mazda's SKYACTIV technology and to be styled with the company's latest "KODO - Soul of Motion" design theme first seen in the SHINARI and MINAGI concept cars. Read More