Cars and Motors

Mazda Planning Direct Injection for Next Generation Rotary Engine

by George Delozier

Rotary engines are almost always associated with the name Mazda. For their small size, they can produce quite a bit of power, but at the expense of fuel economy and tailpipe emissions. Mazda, most likely in an effort to reduce the latter two, has been granted a patent for a newly designed rotary engine.

Prius Neighborhoods Found at Twitter, Facebook & At The Pump!

by Ron Callari

The new Toyota Prius is about to land in a neighborhood near you!. Starting this week, Gas Station TV and Toyota Team up to Launch 'Prius Neighborhood,' the first-ever community-generated TV Program. The community relations program broadcasts consumer-generated local cause-related events at-the-pump screens while informing viewers about the new 2010 third-generation Prius. "Prius Neighborhood" submissions are available online.

XR3 Diesel Hybrid Now Available Factory Assembled

by George Delozier

Back in 2006, the XR3 diesel hybrid went on sale as a kit car. While it was great for the DIY-ers, anyone who wanted the vehicle but didn't have the time to invest in assembly was out of luck. A problem solved by the recent decision to assemble the XR3 at the factory and ship it to buyers from there.

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Funeral Home Takes You To The Afterlife In Style

by Beth Hodgson

If you've gone through life in style, you want to go out the same way. One unique funeral home is accommodating requests for the deceased to go out with a bang, with a special kind of hearse.

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Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) Powered Volkswagen Golf Hits Showfloors

by George Delozier

Back in December, the folks at Volkswagen unveiled the new Golf BiFuel mkVI. The VW can run on either traditional petroleum or Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and has just now entered the German Automakers lineup.

Urban Delivery Services Could Be Aided By New CarGo

by George Delozier

The recent drive to find a more efficient means of urban delivery has spawned many interesting and sometimes awful concept vehicles. While most are practical and affordable, very few will ever get a shot a production. A recent design, aptly named the CarGo, could be one of these new concepts that will actually see production.

Two Italian Exotics Planning Hybrid Vehicles in the Near Future

by George Delozier

Ferrari and Lamborghini. Together, these two companies have more than 100 years of experience building some of the fastest and most exciting vehicles ever driven on public roads. Now, both of the Italian based performance gurus are planning to offer vehicles that appease both the automotive enthusiast and the environmentalist.

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Ford's Bobcat Engine Test Proves Feasibility of Smaller Engines: Could Be Pivotal to Companies Future

by George Delozier

Ford's new Ethanol Injected Engine, codenamed "Bobcat," has been in and out of the spotlight throughout the past few months. While how the engine operates is known, just how powerful a moderately sized version of the Bobcat would be was a question that was left unanswered, until now.

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Bike Laser: Making Streets Safer for Bicyclists

by Chris Weiss

If your daily commute involves biking post-dusk on busy streets, the Laser is of interest to you. Replace the ineffective bike light with a full laser perimeter that honks when vehicles get to close.

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E1pc Electric Superbike Headed for Zero-Emissions eGrandPrix

by George Delozier

As soon as electrically powered cars began entering the professional racing leagues, we knew it was only a matter of time until they started lining up in the 2-wheeled world as well. With the unveiling of the Motoczysz E1pc, it seems as though that time has arrived.

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Cheaper Than Solar and Better Than Gas: The New Neuton CE 6 Lawnmower

by Gloria Campos

Around here the rain has not fallen in weeks. This is why the grass remains short, but the rain will come and when it does it will pour and the grass will grow tall quickly, which will mean, time to mow. Fortunately, there is one more planet-friendly lawnmower on the market to consider using when you mow your lawn.

New BMW System Could Aid Drivers in a Medical Emergency

by George Delozier

More often than not, people suffering from certain medical conditions will elect not to drive due to the risk of causing an accident should their condition flare up. However, this problem may soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new system being developed by BMW.

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New Audi Technology Could Reduce Fuel Consumption By 20%

by George Delozier

Reducing fuel consumption is no easy task, especially when considering how heavily we rely on motorized transportation. Audi, however, has designed a new system that they claim will be able to cut fuel consumption by as much as 20% compared to the 2007 level.

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Innovative Car Insurance Company Onna-Onna Alerts Drivers To Bad Weather

by Beth Hodgson

Putting a twist on car insurance is Dutch insurance company for women, Onna-Onna. Not only can they help people recover financially from car accidents or other related incidents, they also alert people when it's unsafe to be on the road; decreasing their chances of having an accident.

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KVANT Motorbike Snow-Ready Dirtbike

by Chris Weiss

The KVANT Motorbike is a snowmobile motorcyle crossover that would allow motorcycle enthusiasts to keep riding even in the snowiest conditions. While it looks like the most fun innovation in decades, don't get too attached.

Top 10 Inventions Of 'Garage Inventors' Win 2009 Popular Science Awards

by Myra Per-Lee

Popular Science has announced the 2009 Invention Awards for the top 10 groundbreaking inventions that originated from the minds and perseverance of individual inventors. These inventions did not have big companies behind them with a big research lab and lots of money. You won't see the likes of Apple® or Motorola® or Honda® among this list. Just folks like you and me whose inventions will make a major impact on the way we live, work, learn, play, and even manage intelligence in battle.

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GTI Project Lets you Get Behind the Wheel of the New Golf GTI Before they Even Hit the Dealers

by George Delozier

"Teenagers and video games go together like peanut butter and jelly." Ask any parent and they will likely agree with that statement. I mean seriously, where else can you command your own army one minute, and be burning around the Nurburgring at over 150mph the next? Video game artists can create anything. But, why go to all this work? Because video games offer us a chance to do things we would normally never be able to do. Or, in the recent case of Volkswagen, they give us the chance to do things we are too impatient to wait for.

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Wi-Drive: Eco-Chic Transportation Service For Executive Commuters

by Beth Hodgson

As businesses work to bring more environmentally friendly alternatives to their operations, there's a necessity to reconsider traditional options to cater to a more elite crowd. While the average commuter might have no problem with taking public transportation by way of a city bus, commuter train or subway; it takes a little bit more persuasion to convince some executives to give up the comfort of their Mercedes for the more eco-friendly alternative. Following of a new San Francisco law that requires companies with 20 employees or more to offer incentives to encourage employees to choose ride-sharing programs or other forms of shared transportation; Wi-Drive, an eco-chic transportation option for business executives has been created.

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Ever Run Your Car On Air ... Intentionally? The STAIR Air-Fueled Battery

by Myra Per-Lee

If you've ever run your gas tank down so low that you could swear you were driving on air, you'll be pleased to know that in the near future, you will be driving on an air-fueled battery.

Intelligent Speed Adaptation to Slow Down Speeders in London

by George Delozier

All too often, excessive speed is the primary factor when it comes to traffic accidents. We as a society have come to believe that time is more important than safety and because of that, we sometimes risk life and limb to shave seconds off of travel time. A company called Transport for London, based in the UK, is now testing a system that will stop this risk taking, and plans on offering the system to the public in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities.

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