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Royal College of Art Degree Show 2008

The Vehicle Design Masters program at the RCA held its annual degree show a few weeks ago, showcasing an array of transport designs created by the graduating class of 2008. In all, 18 students - including three PhD graduates - developed projects which dealt with the current issues of accessibility, aerodynamics, environmental impact, ergonomics, legislation, materials, production, safety, and technology, as well as the aesthetic principles of vehicle design. Peter Stevens - the first MA graduate - David Wilkie of Stile Bertone, Alfonso Albaisa of Nissan and Peter Shreyer of Kia were just some of the RCA alumni in attendance.

Weather still causing commuter chaos

COMMUTERS had a miserable return to work today as bad weather continued to cause havoc to road travel. A number of major road routes were affected by flooding or by fallen trees, while one lane was closed on the M48 Severn Bridge due to strong winds and a section of the M77 in Glasgow was closed because of flooding. A landslip at Hawick on the Scottish Borders led to hold-ups on the A7, while a section of the A36 in Hampshire was closed due to a fallen tree and fallen power cables.

Volvo makes breakthrough in battery tech

Volvo has developed a new way of ‘storing’ energy for its future electric vehicles. The Swedish firm is exploring the concept of lightweight structural energy storage components made from carbonfibre, containing “nano structured batteries and super capacitors.” This technology is said to offer a lighter, more compact solution to the problem of energy storage, potentially removing the need for the heavy, bulky batteries used in current electric vehicles. On Bing: see pictures of the Volvo S80 Find out how much a used Volvo S80 costs on Auto Trader The investigation into the new technology is part of an EU-funded research project, undertaken by Volvo – the only major car manufacturer involved – and nine other organisations.