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

Battery breakthrough set to accelerate electric-car development

A team of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are claiming a significant breakthrough in recharging times for lithium-ion batteries. According to findings published in the scientific journal Nature, MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder have unlocked the potential of lithium-ion batteries by patenting a unique process which is claimed to allow a typical laptop power pack to be fully recharged in less than a minute--an improvement in recharging performance of roughly 90 percent over existing lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electric current via the flow of lithium ions across an electrolyte, from an electrode to a cathode.

Volkswagen to buy 42 percent of Porsche, full merger planned

Volkswagen will buy 42 percent of Porsche's sports-car business en route to a full merger by the end of 2011, the companies announced Thursday. VW will pay $4.7 billion for its initial stake in Porsche. It positions the new company to have 10 brands and global sales of 6.4 million, and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn is likely to lead the entity.

World’s oldest unrestored Austin Mini fetches £40k

1959 Austin Mini Seven went for £40k The oldest unrestored Mini in the world was expected to fetch £12-15k in auction last week. It actually went for £40,250. Just a couple of weeks ago we reported that the oldest unrestored Mini in the world was going under the hammer at the Bonhams sale at the RAF Museum in Hendon, expected to fetch as much as £15k.