Standard Motor Products Ac290 Idle Air Control Motor on 2040-parts.com

BMW 7-series hybrid due in 2009

By Nick Gibbs Motor Industry 07 July 2008 14:30 BMW will launch a hybrid petrol version of the newly unveiled 7-series in 2009, but admits it’s more for green-leaning V8 addicts than seriously eco-aware bosses. Even with the latest lithium-ion batteries, the forthcoming 4.4-litre V8 petrol-electric version will struggle to match the astonishing 39.2mpg and 192g/km of CO2 of the new six-cylinder diesel, especially when BMW will launch stop-start technology for the whole range within two years. The hybrid is likely to cost several thousand more than the £65,000 it’s estimated you’ll need to buy the regular, twin-turbo 750i that goes on sale in November 2008.

MIT researchers rethink electric-car batteries

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say a new battery design for electric vehicles could be a lightweight and inexpensive alternative. The goal for the team's three-year project, launched in September 2010, is to have a functioning prototype ready to be engineered as a replacement for existing electric-car batteries. At this point in the project, the prototype uses a “semi-solid flow” to separate the two functions of a battery--storing energy and discharging it when needed--into separate physical structures.

Kia Ray concept car (2010) first news and photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 11 February 2010 09:00 Kia Motors has picked the 2010 Chicago motor show to unveil its new Ray plug-in hybrid concept car. It's a futuristic look at what a 4.4m-long Kia family car of tomorrow could look like. It's based on the Kia Forte platform, but boosted by a plug-in hybrid system mixing a 151bhp direct-injection 1.4-litre petrol with the latest lithium-polymer batteries.