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

CES: It's a digital experience

The night before the Consumer Electronics Show opens its portals to the world’s technogeeks, there is a sort of preshow called the Digital Experience! (They added that exclamation mark to the name, not us.) Still, the relatively small, ancillary consumer-technology show does set the stage for the massive CES juggernaut the next day. This year, as always, we wandered the aisles of Digital Experience looking for car-related tech.

EPA makes it official--greenhouse gases are pollutants

On the eve of an international climate summit, the EPA on Monday formally declared greenhouse gases to be dangerous pollutants, strengthening President Barack Obama's hand and laying the groundwork for a new 35.5 mpg standard for light vehicles. The finding is likely to have a greater impact on electric utilities, oil companies and manufacturers than on the auto industry. The EPA's scientific finding reported that these gases “are the primary driver of climate change,” which can intensify heat waves and increase ozone pollution linked to asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

Petrol cars twice as likely to fail MOT on emissions

The latest MOT test data shows that 26.2% of all cars tested fail on excess exhaust emissions – and surprisingly petrol cars fail more than twice as often as diesels in this part of the annual roadworthiness test. According to the official Vehicle Operator and Standard Agency (VOSA) figures, which cover all of 2010 and the first nine months of 2011, 9.7% of petrol cars failed to meet MOT emissions standards compared to just 3.9% of diesels. On Bing: see pictures of the MOT test Find out how much a used car with 12 months MOT costs on Auto Trader The analysis has been carried out by fuel additive “provider” Redex, which naturally has an interest in the findings, since its products are designed to breakdown engine deposits and improve efficiency.