Rugged Radios Challenger-ii-blue Earbud Foam Challengerii Mono 1/8in Plug Earpie on 2040-parts.com

Who's Where: GM's new Asian and European design studio appointments

New additions have been made to the design management teams at General Motors, both in Asia and in Europe. Effective today (August 1), Friedhelm Engler begins his new role as Director of Design for the Pan Asian Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), based in Shanghai, China.  He is responsible for all design related activities in the joint venture between General Motors and the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. Group (SAIC).

Mercedes tease the 2014 S Class with a work of art

The 2014 Mercedes S Class isn’t due to be revealed until 2013, but Mercedes will be teasing it at the Paris Motor Show with a sculpture. New car model teases usually take the form of dark photos or photos showing obscure detail. But Mercedes are taking a different route with the new S Class with an artistic sculpture.

SAE approves new fast-charging standard for EVs, plug-ins

SAE International said it has approved a new technical standard that will dramatically reduce charging times for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles. The global engineering group said the new charging standard, developed with the cooperation of more than 190 automakers, utilities and equipment builders, will allow charging times to be reduced from as long as eight hours to as short as 20 minutes. Automakers want DC direct charging to take less than 10 minutes, or roughly the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline.The goal is to accommodate currents as high as 500 volts distributed from public charging stations.