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

China to boost electric cars with 30% Government EV fleet

The BYD E6 EV (pictured) will benefit from China’s push on EVs The UK government has just announced its commitment to use electric cars for its own vehicles in an effort to boost the take-up of EVs, but China is going even further. China has ordered government officials to start buying electric cars (that means BEVs, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell cars) in a big way, with instructions that 30 per cent of government cars must fall in to the ‘New Energy’ category by 2017, and an even higher percentage going forward. The aim is to cut pollution, and China expects to have 5 million New Energy cars on the road by 2020 and it is urging it government agencies and some city governments to start buying New Energy vehicles from Chinese makers like BYD and SDAIC, but also instructing them to build more charging stations and supporting infrastructure.

Donkey Kong Derby Car wins IDSA Launch Day 2013 competition

Product design consultancy Priority Design's ‘Donkey Kong Derby Car' was the winner of the IDSA Launch Day 2013 competition, earning its team a brand-new 3D printer. The Launch Day competition, which took place at the Industrial Design Society of America conference on 24 August, asked for designs for a tiny 3D-printed car that could be launched down a miniature model of a ski jump before smashing into a crash site. Featuring Mario and Princess from the classic Nintendo series in glorious 32-bit form, the Donkey Kong Derby Car – car being a very loose term, as it has no wheels – was, in fact, a barrel.

Saturn alerts customers it is considering a spinoff

Saturn has begun alerting customers that it may be spun off by General Motors as an independent marketing and distribution company. In a letter sent to about 1.5 million Saturn owners Wednesday night, Saturn said it would have to line up products to sell--either from other manufacturers or from GM in the role of a vendor--after GM's current commitment to build Saturn products ends after the 2012 model year. "The Saturn Distribution Corporation already exists as an indirect subsidiary of GM," wrote Jill Lajdziak, general manager of Saturn, in the letter.