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

GM to double size of battery lab

General Motors says it will spend $8 million to double the size of its Global Battery Systems Lab, which the company claims is the largest and most technologically advanced automotive battery lab in the United States. GM says the expansion will speed up the development of hybrid and electric vehicles, such as the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, by improving on-site testing of battery cells and systems. When finished, the lab will be 30,000 square feet bigger than it is now, for a 63,000-square-foot total.

McLaren P1 bare carbon fibre option

McLaren are considering a full bare carbon fibre option for the P1 (pictured) With the McLaren P1 now getting close to hitting the road as a customer car (and arriving at Goodwood on the move in July), the lucky few with pockets deep enough to buy a car that will cost them pushing on £1 million are busy poring over the options for the P1. We spoke to one such customer over the weekend who was busy deciding which boxes to tick on the P1 spec sheet, and he was under the impression that McLaren were offering a full bare carbon fibre option for the P1, and at no cost. Which didn’t sound right.

Nissan LEAF £2500 UK price drop

Nissan has revealed that the LEAF EV will be reduced in price by £2500 with immediate effect and ahead of the launch of the uprated 2013 LEAF. The world hasn’t exactly fallen in love with electric cars, which has as much to do with the fact that an electric car, with its limited range, is never going to be a replacement for a normal ICE car. But compounding the impracticality of the EV as a replacement for the ICE car is the very high prices car makers are charging for electric cars, the sort of prices that mean buyers will probably find the ‘Cheap to Fuel’ EV a more costly option than fuelling a much cheaper comparable iICE car with petrol or diesel.