Buick 455 Block 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.

Peugeot at the London motor show 2008

By Guy Bird and CAR reader reporter SandyT Motor Shows 24 July 2008 10:29 Pride of place might have gone to the UK unveil of the RCZ concept but a scissor-door Irmscher 207 GTi was the real surprise on the Peugeot stand. The 207 GTi by Irmscher is a study of how far a highly tricked-out production Peugeot could look. It’s no clunky concept either.

BMW beats Mercedes-Benz to claim first U.S. luxury sales crown

BMW fended off a late-year surge by rival Mercedes-Benz to win its first title as best-selling luxury brand in the United States. BMW said Thursday that U.S. sales rose 15 percent to 26,834 in December, for an annual total of 247,907.