Yamaha 1991 Phazer Ii Gas Tank Snowmobile on 2040-parts.com

Volvo consign normal car batteries to the history book

Volvo consign normal car batteries to the history book by using body panels for storage As our cars become more and more reliant on power from batteries – either to run the multitude of technology or top provide power for electric motors – the cost and size of the batteries needed continues to grow. But Volvo have been working an an alternative for the last 3.5 years which can potentially do away with the battery and instead store power in body panels. Volvo has built an experimental S80 which has body panels made of carbon fibre and polymer resins and structural super capacitors.

Smart Fortwo Lightshine launches

Yet another Smart Limited Edition - the Smart Fortwo Lightshine You have to hand it to Mercedes – they don’t give up on Smart (or Maybach – another expensive departure). They keep churning out new cars (well, endless new limited editions, anyway) despite sales that seem to keep falling. Last year (2010) saw Smart sales in the UK fall by 8.5% and their sales last month (December 2010) were a woeful 57% down on December 2009.

Hertz to rent EVs in San Francisco

Car-rental company Hertz has added electric vehicles to its fleet in San Francisco, available to members of the Hertz On Demand program. Renters can choose from the Nissan Leaf, the Smart EV or the Mitsubishi "i". Rentals include an in-car connection to the 24-hour member care center, where drivers can get information on charging stations, alternate drop-off points or roadside assistance.