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

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

McLaren 12C production ends – killed off by the new 650S

The McLaren 12C bites the dusts – killed off by the new 650S When the new McLaren 650S was revealed in February, we commented that we expected the McLaren 12C to quietly disappear. And it has. To start with McLaren simply halted production of the 12C to concentrate on building the new 650S, but now they say it won’t be restarted as the McLaren range ‘evolves’.

Toyota Hybrid X concept (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 16 February 2007 09:47 Toyota Hybrid X: the lowdown Toyota's love affair with the hybrid continues: it'll show this Hybrid X at the Geneva Motor Show next month, hinting at a second Toyota hybrid to sell alongside the Prius. It's designed to showcase Toyota's new hybrid design language - a fresh look for its high-tech petrol-electric models, to differentiate them from its more conventional-fueled models. More excitement, less prosaic ordinariness, is the order of the day.