Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

The Future Role of the Vehicle Designer

The vehicle design department at the Royal College of Art hosted the second in a series of five lectures looking at the future of the profession last week. Moving on from the previous week's topic of sustainability, this debate explored the future roles and responsibilities of the vehicle designer. Head of department Dale Harrow began by posing the question "Is it time to rethink – do we still need the car?" Although still relevant, Harrow's ultimate answer to this was that the profession was about to see marked change, with the end to an era where "designers are locked behind closed doors in studios".

Lee Noble returns with Fenix Automotive

Lee Noble is returning to car making, with a new car due in 2010. Noble M12 pictured We’ll resist telling you that Lee Noble is returning ‘Fenix’ like to the realm of specialist car makers. But he is, with a new company – Fenix Automotive Ltd.

Algae-powered street lights eat CO2

Algae powered street lighting (great Photoshop) A French biochemist – Pierre Calleja – has developed a street lighting system using micro algae that absorbs CO2. The need to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere is contentious - to say the least – but as long as governments use CO2 as a stick to beat motorists and empty their bank accounts it’s sensible to look at ways of ‘balancing’ the CO2 emissions of cars. French biochemist Pierre Calleja thinks he’s come up with a solution that would neutralise CO2 emissions from cars by cancelling it out with his micro-algae lighting.