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

Best Western Hotels rolling out EV charging points in the UK

We’re electric car sceptics – or at least sceptical about their ability to replace the ICE car as our principal form of personal transport – although EVs do have their place as runarounds in urban areas, where their limited range isn’t really a factor. But taking your EV off for a weekend jaunt does pose logistical problems when the average range is probably no more than 80 miles, and something worth making the effort for a weekend away is almost always going to be further away than that. But a bit of smart marketing by Best Western Hotels – a group of 270 or so independently run hotels round the UK – means EV drivers will soon be able to plot their weekend away on the basis of Best Western Hotels en route, with Best Western planning on fitting EV charging points in their car parks, with half their hotels having free charging points by September.

Government checks Ford sedans for gas pedals trapped by floor mats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into reports of accelerator pedals being trapped by floor mats in the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans. NHTSA says its probe covers about 249,000 cars from the 2010 model year. There have been three complaints about pedals being trapped by all-weather floor mats.

Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro with 496bhp at Worthersee

Audi A1 Clubsport quattro at Worthersee gets a huge 496bhp It’s Wörthersee Tour 2011 time – heaven on earth for VW Group nutters – and this year Audi has put together a very warm A1 with 496bhp – the Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro – to tantalise and torment Audi-philes. Tease and torment because there’s not much chance the A1 Clubsport will make it in to production any time soon, although it’s always possible something similar could see the light of day as the Audi RS1 – a tempting proposition. But first we’ll have to see the Audi S1 quattro.