Tag Archives: car

Super hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder gets priced and production start date

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The Porsche 918 Spyder. We’ve been following this hybrid beast for quite some time now. What started out as a concept vehicle eventually got the green light for production, and now it’s actually up for preorder. The sports car company says that it “marries unique plug-in hybrid technology and outstanding performance in a visually stunning and purely Porsche package.” And that it is. At the heart of the 918 Spyder lies a 500-plus horsepower V8 engine assisted by two electric motors with a total of at least 218 horsepower. Electric energy is stored in a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery that can be recharged from a standard household outlet. Juicing up the vehicle is expected to take about seven hours. Oh, and it’s fast. It zips from zero to 60 MPH in about 3.1 seconds and can reach a top track speed of about 199 MPH. And according to Porsche, “under the right conditions” it will be able to drive on electric power alone at speeds up to 94 MPH. Even more impressive? The plug-in hybrid delivers 78MPG.

Do you have loads of money? Then keep reading. The 918 Spyder has been given a $845,000 price tag. And now you might grown when I tell you the release window: late 2013. Porsche plans to begin production on September 18, 2013 and ship ’em out later that year in the US. The carbon fiber-reinforced Carrera GT-inspired sports car is going to cost you a pretty penny when it ships in the distant future. But that’s expected when you mash together green with luxury. Full PR after the break, images below.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Super hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder gets priced and production start date →

Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME

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The Mercedes-Benz BIOME symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle “grows” when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.

If you haven’t deduced this by now, the BIOME is an eco-friendly hybrid “vehicle of the future” that can be grown in a lab.  While it’s in use it produces oxygen, like plants, thereby contributing to improving air quality.  And when the car has reached the end of its lifecycle, it can be fully composted or used as building material.  But don’t hold your breath; a concept car like the BIOME won’t become a reality for quite some time simply because its fantastical feature set is downright impossible to implent today.  But one can dream, no?  Read more about Mercedes’ crazy ideas for the future after the break, and look in the gallery below to view the BIOME from various angles.

[Via Engadget; Gizmag]

Continue reading Meet Mercedes-Benz BIOME →

Coke & Mentos Rocket Car

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We all know what happens when you combine Coke with Mentos candies (a fizzy explosion).  But have you ever imagined if the force from such an explosion could power a vehicle (of sorts) to move forward in space?  Well wonder no more, people!  Using 108 bottles of Coke Zero and 648 Mentos mints, the “Coke & Mentos guys” have created a rocket car.

The Coke Zero & Mentos Rocket Car uses a piston mechanism: a six-foot long rod sits inside a six-foot long tube attached to each bottle of Coke Zero. When the Mentos drop into the soda, the pressure tries to push the rod out of the tube. With 108 rods all pushing at once, that gives us a lot of power. All that power is pushing against a wall braced with 3,600 pounds of cement blocks. So all the force is directed into moving the Coke Zero & Mentos Rocket Car forward. We get one big push for six feet, and then it’s all coasting from there.

Watch their successful test run in the video above.  Ah, the power of science.

[Via Deadspin]

Concept: BMW’s Simple

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Simple is the acronym for sustainable and innovative mobility product for low energy consumption, a vehicle concept combining features and advantages of both motorcars and motorcycles. The concept owes its protective passenger compartment to motorcars whereas the streamline shape, the two occupants seated one behind the other and the uniquely driving experience are naturally owed to motorcycles. Whilst researching ideas for futuristic urban mobility combined with the prerequisite of reduced consumption (less than 2l /100 km eqals more than 120mpg) and emission values (50g CO2 /100 km), the BMW Group spawned this concept vehicle featuring the extremely low weight of 450 kg and aerodynamic drag properties (0,18 drag coefficient), which of course also fulfilled all the BMW Group premium brand demands: sheer driving pleasure, innovative vehicle configuration, technology integration and a sense of comfort and spaciousness.

[Via Engadget; YouTube]

Lexus concept car accomodates your iPhone

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The Lexus LF-Ch concept car sports headrest mounts for iPhones.

According to the press release:

“The LF-Ch has four sport seats that feature trim lighting along the cushion’s edge for cabin illumination. Rear passengers can enjoy headrest-mounted iPhone® docking capability for audio and video entertainment. In addition, the LF-Ch has storage in the rear seat armrests for small items such as iPods®, PDAs and cell phones.”

Very cool indeed.

[Via Gizmodo; Jalopnik]