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

Lexus IS 300h promises unrivalled ownership costs

The new Lexus IS - launched at Detroit in January and costing from £26,495 for the IS 250 in the UK – actually offers ownership costs that eclipse diesel offerings from the likes of Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, say Lexus. Despite the logical assumption that the complex hybrid powerplant in the IS 300h would cost more to maintain, Lexus say the opposite is true. Because it has no clutch and the starter motor and alternator are integrated they require no servicing or replacement and Lexus has fitted a timing chain instead of a timing belt, so it won’t need regular replacement either.

Feds researching fire risks from EV batteries, regulator says

Federal safety regulators have begun an $8.75 million study of whether lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles pose a potential fire hazard, officials said Thursday. Kevin Vincent, chief counsel of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said researchers are looking at whether the high-voltage batteries can cause fires when they are being charged and when the vehicles are in an accident.

Peel P50 and Trident back in production – the world’s smallest car

Peel P50 and Peel Trident - backed by James Caan The Peel P50 and Trident – the Isle of Man’s contribution to the car world – are now back in production with an electric motor. Top Gear fans will probably remember Jeremy Clarkson taking the Peel P50 – billed as the world’s smallest car ever – for a trolley round London and the BBC (we’ve published the video below to remind you). Now, with the world obsessed with small cars, a bunch of businessmen – backed by former Dragons’ Den Dragon James Caan – are putting the Peel P50 and Trident back in to production.