Jeep Center Cap 85501 (lot 1625) 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’.

Peugeot confirms Dakar rally motorsport return for 2015

Carlos Sainz (left) and Cyril Despres, the drivers lined up for Peugeot Sport's 2015 Dakar effort By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 26 March 2014 14:00 Peugeot has announced today it will enter the 2015 Dakar rally. It brings to an end a 25-year absence from the off-road endurance race for Peugeot, which it won four times (1987, 1988 1989 and 1990). Peugeot will enter a rally raid-spec 2008 crossover (called the 2008 DKR) in the 16-day event, which runs over 16 days, beginning on January 5, and cover a distance of 5281 miles.

Want a Free Aston Martin DB9?

We all know car prices are in free-fall at the moment. But a free DB9? Well, that does seem a discount too far.