Audi R8 e-tron Nurburgring record run on video

Audi has revealed video of the complete Nurburgring lap by the Audi R8 e-tron in 8:09, a new lap record for an EV. The Nurburgring is not the first place you’d associate with an electric car. After all, it’s fuelled on adrenalin, testosterone and the sound of V8s, V10s and V12s – not batteries and whooshing noises.

Seat completes industry's largest solar panel installation

SEAT HAS completed construction of the largest solar panel installation in the automotive industry. The huge 'Seat al Sol' array at the firm’s Martorell plant outside Barcelona is the size of 40 football pitches and generates 15 million kilowatt hours of power per year courtesy of the reliable Spanish sunshine. The electricity produced is enough to account for a quarter of the amount needed to build a year’s allocation of Leons, reducing the factory’s energy bills significantly and saving 7,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Fuel-economy standards rise to 27.3 mpg for 2011 model year

Fuel-economy standards for all light vehicles will rise 8 percent, to an average of 27.3 mpg for the 2011 model year, under new U.S. rules issued on Friday. The regulations will use a new system that sets standards for individual models based on their size.