autos
Vehicles
Tesla Model S Electric Sedan Prototype Has a Giant Touch Dashboard
3:35AM Jason Chen | Kevin Rose, the Silicon Valley’s John Mayer, just got a few Tesla S concept shots leaked to him. The S, Tesla’s $US50,000ish electric 4-door Sedan, is supposed to be unveiled in Los Angeles today. More »
Vehicles
Rumoured Toyota Hybrid Sportscar is Prius-based
1:30PM Adrian Covert | The thing that’s always kept me from wanting a hybrid car is that they aren’t all that fast. And the ones that are fast cost too much money. That might change with Toyota’s MR2 Hybrid. More »
Vehicles
Chinese Car Maker Begins Selling the F3DM, the World’s First Mass Produced, Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle
12:20PM Adrian Covert | I never expected the world’s first mass produced, plug-in hybrid car to pop up for sale in China, mecca of e-waste and air pollution. But BYD Auto did just that with the F3DM. More »
Vehicles
Mercedes-Benz Integrates iPhone into Its Cars with Special Cradle
9:45PM Gizmodo US Edition | German car manufacturer Mercedes is buying the iPhone-is-God credo, and has come up with a designated piece of gear to allow Benz drivers to integrate their iPhones into the car system. The US$249 gadget works with the C-, E-, CLK-, CLS-, S-, CL-, SL-, M- and R-Class cars, as well as the forthcoming GLK-Class. It connects your phone to the car’s audio system via either the optionally available Media Interface or the retrofittable iPod® Interface Kit. Full press release below. More »
Vehicles
Toyota Gosei Creates 360º Airbags, Plus One on the Front for Unlucky Pedestrians
11:15PM Gizmodo US Edition | We’ve already seen a version of this: Autoliv’s hood airbag system, but Toyota Gosei (an offshoot of, no prizes for etc etc, Toyota) has gone one better. As well as protecting the pedestrian from being squished like a bug on a windscreen, it has airbags down the side of the car, both front and back, protecting passengers from injury in the event of a nasty shunt from every which way in the car. More »
Gadgets
Paint Thickness Tester Won’t Determine the IQ of Your Walls
10:30PM Addy Dugdale | A handy little gadget for those of you who prefer to buy second-hand cars rather than brand spanking new models that smell of plastic, Westfalia’s paint-thickness tester will let you know if the vehicle has had a paint job—which can often mean it’s been involved in a crash somewhere down the line. Here’s how it works: More »
Games
Car Engine Meets NES Controller
11:50AM Jason Chen | I’m confused, but happy to see this Civic’s Corolla’s engine block get a cover that looks like a NES controller. When this baby redlines, it sounds like me mashing buttons in bionic commando. Hello! Just build the turbo function INTO THE GAME. Prediction: The urge to punch down on running temperature A,B, and cross pad buttons during an oil change could lead to some pretty bad blistering. Recommendation: Sawzall the hood and give NESTER some breathing room! [Kotaku] More »
Vehicles
Tesla Sues White Star Ex-Designer for Sabotage
12:45AM Matt Buchanan | Tesla Motors, maker of the much hyped (and well reviewed) electric Roadster is suing Fisker Automotive, the outfit behind fake vroom-y Karma, for stealing Tesla’s design and trade secrets. Supposedly, this pushed the sale date for Tesla’s four-door sedan, White Star, back six months, to 2010. Henrik Fisker (the eponymous founder) was hired by Tesla to design White Star. Tesla alleges he took the US$875,000 contract, sabotaged Tesla’s project with sub-par work, and then made off with their secrets and designs, using the money to launch his rival electric car effort. More »
Vehicles
MonoTracer Bike Is Singularly Fantastic
1:00AM Mark Wilson | Traditional motorcycles are OK, but this is the future. We need future things. And the US$82,350 glass/kevlar/carbon/steel MonoTracer bike certainly feels like it’s from the Utopian, roundmobile world to come. Featuring a fully enclosed cabin for less drag and less pebbles in the face, the MonoTracer’s 130hp BMW engine goes 0-100 in 5.6 seconds and hits speeds up to 250kph. We’re not exactly sure what you’ll do at stoplights, but apparently there are little training wheels that pop out for parking…a solution that’s admittedly not much more suave than toppling over at every stop. [MonoTracer via DVICE] More »
Vehicles
