225 Flywheel on 2040-parts.com

Labour calls for ban on in-car smoking with children

Labour has called for a ban on smoking in cars when carrying children as passengers. The proposal, as part of an amendment to the Children’s and Families Bill, will go before the House of Lords on Wednesday. On Bing: see pictures of smoking drivers Ban smoking in cars with kids?

Rolls Royce 102EX: Electric Phantom revealed

Electric Rolls Royce Phantom Rolls Royce has taken the wraps of its experimental electric Phantom at  Geneva – Rolls Royce 102EX –  and they certainly haven’t done things by halves. Rolls Royce engineers have taken the regular engine out of the Phantom and replaced it with a pair of electric motors rated at 145 kWh and possibly the biggest lithium-ion battery bank on four wheels. The Phantom EV uses five lithium-cobalt-manganese-oxide (or NCM) pouch cells which form the shape of the engine and live under the bonnet.

2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.