Beck/arnley 171-6885 Contact Set Austin Marina on 2040-parts.com

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

2013 Pilkington Design Awards winners announced

Royal College of Art Vehicle Design graduates Nir Siegel and Ian Slattery have taken top honors at the 26th annual Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards, held at the RCA in London. Jaguar designer Earl Beckles presented the award for Best Design Interpretation to Siegel for his Audi Genesis project, a vehicle that builds itself using 3D printing technology to the user's specifications, providing a new kind of owner experience. Beckles said that Siegel's idea was fresh and innovative, while also carrying an interesting story and development process.

Hello Chrysler, ciao Lancia?

Starting as early as 2011, Fiat S.p.A. may extend the Chrysler brand name to models currently sold as Lancias in Europe. Such a move would be a blow to the 103-year-old Fiat-owned automaker that many speculated would play a greater role in Europe following its parent's decision earlier this year to take control of Chrysler.