Dorman 611-100.1 Wheel Nut on 2040-parts.com

NHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs

Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed on Monday. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.

Mercedes B55 (2011) - a ballistic V8 B-class

Mercedes' tuning arm AMG has not yet ventured into sensible B-class territory, but a bunch of Merc trainees in Germany has come up with this: the B55. It's a V8-powered B-class, complete with AMG-spec 383bhp 5.5-litre V8 mounted up front and driving an old W210 E-class rear axle. Sounds like a promising skunkworks special, derived from an old B200 CDI hack that was kicking about the training centre.

Webinars: Technical Surfacing from Autodesk

Autodesk's Technical Surfacing webinar, presented by Uwe Rossbacher, Product Manager for NURBS Modeling/Technical Surfacing at the Manufacturing Solutions Division of Autodesk, was presented on September 21, 2010. The webinar was an introduction to professional NURBS* surfacing and a demonstration of how to evaluate surfaces and users' own level of surfacing expertise. View the recorded webinar in our archive by clicking the above link.