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Battery breakthrough set to accelerate electric-car development

A team of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are claiming a significant breakthrough in recharging times for lithium-ion batteries. According to findings published in the scientific journal Nature, MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder have unlocked the potential of lithium-ion batteries by patenting a unique process which is claimed to allow a typical laptop power pack to be fully recharged in less than a minute--an improvement in recharging performance of roughly 90 percent over existing lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electric current via the flow of lithium ions across an electrolyte, from an electrode to a cathode.

Suzuki Regina, Q-concept, Swift EV (2011) first pictures

Suzuki is showing its vision for an aerodynamic city car at the 2011 Tokyo auto show: the regally named Regina. It's pitched as a radical 'next-generation global compact car', which sounds suspiciously as if it could have production intent. The new Suzuki Regina is all about minimalism: it weighs just 730kg, so it only requires a small capacity petrol engine, which brings emissions down to 70g/km and appetite for unleaded at a rate of 90mpg.

Ford B-Max

A production version of the Ford B-Max mini-MPV will make its debut at next month's Geneva motor show – one year after the concept was announced. The production B-Max stays true to the 2011 concept, with the same lack of a B-pillar between the conventional front and sliding rear doors, which creates a 1,500mm aperture. We'll be interested to learn how this affects both weight and rigidity as well as how much real-world advantage it offers.