Putco 88894 Tundra 2007-2015 on 2040-parts.com

Electric cars amped up with £500 million boost

THE GOVERNMENT is to extend the £5,000 grant scheme open to anyone who buys a car with plug-in electric power. It is part of a £500 million move to encourage car owners – and city authorities – to take up the electric car baton and run with it. The initiative will give cities a chance to win government funding to further the sales of electric cars in their areas, for example by allowing them to use bus lanes or park for free.

Saab on brink of closing after GM rejects rescue plan

Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy on Monday and is on the brink of shutting for good after former owner General Motors rejected a rescue plan. The move sets the scene for the end of Saab's struggle to survive after months of hastily drawn-up deals for a company that hasn't made a vehicle in months. The latest plan involved Chinese automaker Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile, but this was vetoed by GM, still a key Saab supplier, over the weekend "After having received the recent position of GM on the contemplated transaction with Saab Automobile, Youngman informed Saab Automobile that the funding to continue and complete the reorganization of Saab Automobile could not be concluded," Saab's Dutch owner, Swedish Automobile, said in a statement.

Mind-powered ‘Emotiv’ car safety system tested

c Mind-controlled car (c) Getty-Ford ‘Neuroengineering’ company Emotiv has created a ‘mind-powered’ headset that can detect when a driver is distracted and automatically slow down the car, in an effort to improve safety. The Australian firm has already brought its most recent mind-controlled device to market – the Epoc headset. It’s this high-tech brain activity monitor that has now been adapted to determine how hard a driver is concentrating on the road ahead.