SAE approves new fast-charging standard for EVs, plug-ins

SAE International said it has approved a new technical standard that will dramatically reduce charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. The global engineering group said the new charging standard, developed with the cooperation of more than 190 automakers, utilities and equipment builders, will allow charging times to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes. Automakers want DC direct charging to take less than 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline.The goal is to accommodate currents as high as 500 volts distributed from public charging stations.

McLaren MP4-12C to start at about $230,000

The McLaren MP4-12C sports car will have a sticker price of between $230,000 and $250,000 when it goes on sale in the United States about a year from now. McLaren said on Wednesday that the sports car will be priced at 168,500 pounds (about $265,800) in the United Kingdom and at 200,000 euros (about $267,200) in Europe when it goes on sale in that region in early 2011. A final price for the U.S.

Senna to be honoured by Gran Turismo

FORMULA 1 legend Ayrton Senna is to be honoured by PlayStation franchise phenomenon Gran Turismo to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death. May 2014 will see the milestone marked by the inclusion of Senna and one of his cars within Gran Turismo 6, after special instruction from the game’s creator and enduring Senna fan, Kazunori Yamauchi. “There were two things that I learned from Ayrton Senna,” he said at the game’s international launch at the Ascari Race Resort in Spain.