1980-1989 Chevy Truck 2-point Lap Seat Belt on 2040-parts.com

Volvo develops new energy storage technology

Volvo is looking to make heavy batteries in electric vehicles a thing of the past, unveiling a new technology still under development that could use the body panels of the vehicle to store energy. Everyone knows that right now one of the biggest technological limiting factors of electric vehicles are the batteries. They can be damaged through depletion, they add weight, they use expensive and polluting technologies to manufacture, and they just don't hold as much energy as we'd like.

Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid revealed by Bosch (video)

Bosch has built a plug-in hybrid Aston Martin DB9 We’ve always believed one of the best uses for hybrid powertrains is to provide extra performance on high-end cars, something Bosh has demonstrated by fitting the Aston Martin DB9 with a hybrid setup. The hybrid DB9 hasn’t been built to preview a production hybrid DB9 (although it probably should) but to demonstrate what Bosch can do with an existing car. Aston Martin donated the DB9 to Bosch for the hybrid project, and Bosh has fitted the DB9 with three electric motors – one at each front wheel and one next to the Aston’s V12 – which gives the DB9 something in the region of an extra 250bhp to play with.

Rearview cameras may become mandatory

Rearview cameras may become a mandatory feature in all passenger cars by 2014 if US Congress approves a rule submitted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Auto safety regulators have taken the decision to submit a final rule to Congress after figures emerged from non-profit group KidsandCars.org that stated that two children die and about 50 are injured every week when someone accidentally backs over them in a vehicle. In one quite shocking public-service announcement KidsAndCars.org showed that 62 children could fit behind a large SUV without being visible to the driver in any of the mirrors.