1993-2002 Chevrolet Camaro Factory Z28 Emblems on 2040-parts.com

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics (2009) teaser video

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 28 August 2009 12:49 BMW has launched a teaser video for the Vision EfficientDynamics sports car concept that it will unveil at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show – and we've today published a new (sadly teaser again) photo of the green coupé from our friends over at IAAblog.com Not a lot until the final few sequences when we get to see the rear of this eco-friendly concept car. It shows the back of the sports car with F1-inspired winglets and other body addendum, plus external rear lights. BMW announced the car at the same time it confirmed its withdrawal from F1, claiming the concept would ‘demonstrate how efficient a sports car can be’ and that it ‘will also prove that sustainability does not apply to the drive train alone, but to design and materials as well.’ There’s been no hint from Munich on the powertrain, but in line with the other cars BMW will reveal (the X6 and 7-series ActiveHybrids) the Vision EfficientDynamics concept will almost certainly feature hybrid drive.

On this clear day, you can see Fritz Henderson’s General Motors

Fritz Henderson and the guy he replaced at the top of General Motors, Rick Wagoner, both speak Portuguese. But that may be where the similarities end when it comes to the words spoken by the former CEO and his newly elevated successor. In his first news conference as the head of GM, Henderson made it abundantly clear that he understands the forces that put him where he is and what they expect from him.