Standard Motor Products S939 Oil Pressure Switch Connector on 2040-parts.com

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.

Mazda 3 saloon unveiled at LA Auto Show

By Ben Pulman Motor Shows 19 November 2008 17:00 Mazda has officially unveiled its new 3 four-door saloon at the LA Auto Show today, revealing the car in full and releasing more technical details. A five-door hatchback (favoured in Europe) will be shown at the Bologna motor show in December 2008, and form the basis of a hot MPS model. The current 3 is Mazda’s best-selling vehicle, accounting for one third of the Japanese manufacturer’s sales (and a total of 1.8 million units over the past five years).

Panoz confirms new Abruzzi road car

The recurring rumor is now put to rest. Don Panoz, founder of Panoz Auto Development and the American Le Mans Series, said on Monday that the latest Panoz sports car--the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans”--will be formally unveiled in June in France, in the lead-up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We wanted to wait until Le Mans to release official photos of the car, but today we are providing a ‘teaser’ image of the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ that hints at what the final car will be like,” Panoz said.