Godspeed Super Intercooler 400hp on 2040-parts.com

Survey Reveals Car Use Slump Despite Lower Petrol Prices

USUALLY the news that petrol prices are down would be cause for celebration, but the latest AA/Populus survey reveals that car use is also on the slide. Despite more wallet-friendly prices at the pumps the situation is failing to kick-start more car use. The poll of more than 18,000 AA members, conducted in June, revealed that just 7% were more relaxed about prices at the pumps, and were using their car more than a year ago.

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’.

Geneva Motor Show 2012 Preview

Geneva Motor Show 2012 With the 2012 Geneva Motor Show now upon us, we take a look at what you can expect to find at the biggest Motor Show – in the world. The Geneva Motor Show is the closest thing most European car makers get to a proper home show these days, so it’s always going to be a show full of big name reveals, lots of new cars and more than a handful of barking mad concepts. We’ve reported over the last few months on what you can expect to arrive at Geneva, from the new Ferrari F12 Berlinetta to the Hyundai i20 facelift for 2012.