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Are laser-powered cars in our future?

We have no shortage of ideas here in the United States about how to power our cars. We’ve seen gasoline and electricity, and we’ve heard about fuel cells powered by water. The nuclear option is the only thing left to discuss.

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.

Studebaker trees: Dead company, living advertisement

Some of you may have seen this already; it’s been popular on the map sites for a while. But those who don’t know about Bendix Woods County Park west of South Bend, Ind., feast your eyes on 5,000 pine trees, planted in 1937, spelling Studebaker when viewed from high enough. Bendix Woods park was formerly the Studebaker proving grounds, and much of the track surface is still visible in satellite photos.