Category Archives: Motoring News

Smart electric bike on sale, for £2,500

May 08, 2012   Ian

An electric bike by Smart, the Mercedes-owned purveyor of little cars, has gone on sale this weekend. It’s got a 62-mile electric range and costs roughly the same as an 03 plate Smart ForTwo: £2,500. (Please, no complaints – we said “roughly”.)The pedelec (pedal electric cycle) can be ordered now for late May deliveries, though we don’t expect demand to outstrip supply for what is, basically, a mode of transport that retains all that’s harrowing about a bicycle but removes the major benefit – improved cardiovascular fitness.Still, it’s a stylish looking bike, and will make going up hills a doddle.
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Honda develops clever traffic jam avoidance technology

May 04, 2012   Ian

Honda has developed a system that can detect whether a driver is likely to cause a traffic jam, then take measures to prevent it happening. Hallelujah! It’s actually remarkably simple, and based on the notion that adopting an ‘on/off’ driving style on a motorway – in which a driver accelerates and decelerates rather than maintaining a smooth, constant speed – can trigger congestion.

We’ve all been stuck in motorway tailbacks that are apparently caused by nothing. Research suggests that these jams are often caused by that special group of tailgating, brake-tapping, outside lane-hogging drivers who ruin motorways for everyone.What Honda’s system does is detect this particular driving style and does something about it. Sadly, that ‘something’ doss not involve a hand appearing from the steering wheel boss and slapping the offender in the face.

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TomTom releases iPhone app that detects speed cameras

May 04, 2012   Ian

Satellite navigation giant TomTom has launched an iPhone app that “improves safety by keeping users informed about speed limits during their journey. “That’s one way of looking at the company’s new Speed Camera app. Another way is that it encourages drivers to look at their phones behind the wheel in order to avoid getting caught speeding.

Launched yesterday, the app includes the location of 95% of fixed speed cameras, and has the backing of 1.6m users in 15 countries, any of which can update the database with the location of temporary or mobile cameras.

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15-minute electric car charge system unveiled

May 04, 2012   Ian

A fast-charging system that promises to fully charge an electric car in 15-20 minutes will be demonstrated for the first time at an electric vehicle show next week.  The Electric Vehicle Symposium will see eight major car manufacturers (Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and VW) throw their weight behind a standardised DC-fast charging system. It will, according to a Volkswagen Group press release, “accelerate more affordable deployment of electrified vehicles and charging infrastructure.”
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Not indicating causes ‘millions of crashes per year’

May 01, 2012   Ian

Failing to indicate causes ‘millions of crashes per year’, according to a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) report.The US-based study shows that the effects of failing to indicate could be worse than ‘distracted driving’ – using a mobile phone behind the wheel.The study watched 12,000 vehicles as they turned or changed lanes, and noted the rate of those who used their indicators. It showed that a staggering 48% of drivers didn’t bother indicating when changing lanes, and 25% didn’t when turning.
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