Category: Automotive

Automotive Business

Why Tesla Motors can’t sell cars in most of the United States

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As reported on Engadget. BY BEN GILBERT  Tesla Motors makes beautiful, quality electric automobiles. Don’t just take it from us;Consumer Reports rated the Tesla Model S the “best overall” car in its 2014 Top Picks report (which includes all non-electric cars as well). Yet, despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s ongoing effort to expand his EV empire, state after state in the United States is pushing back. Not because those states are against electronic vehicles, Musk or even Tesla; it’s about the way Tesla wants to…

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Automotive Culture Environmental

A Weekend With The All-Electric BMW i3

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Darrell Etherington I’ve never driven a BMW, or an electric car, so I might have been an odd choice to test drive the new BMW i3, the German car maker’s all-electric hatchback, which packs the equivalent of 170 HP into its electric engine. But an unexpected reviewer might be the perfect candidate for an unexpected car. The car, which was on limited display at CES back in January, is on sale as…

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Automotive Business

Toyota’s first hydrogen car is priced to go head-to-head with Tesla

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As reported on Engadget. BY SHARIF SAKR  Sure, Elon Musk is giving away Tesla patents, but don’t be surprised if more established manufacturers politely decline his offer. Instead of batteries and electric charging stations, players like General Motors, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota are focusing their efforts on a very different sort of fuel system: hydrogen. Toyota has just revealed that its first commercial hydrogen fuel cell car, a sedan modelled on the earlier FCV concept, will be ready…

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Application Automotive

With A Series Of Upgrades, Dash Becomes A Viable Competitor Among Smart Driving Apps

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Sarah Perez Dash, a smart driving app that’s something of a “Fitbit for you car,” is now rolling out a series of updates, including integration with notifications platform IFTTT, as well as an API for third-party developers, and more. The company has also beaten competitors to an international launch, which is a notable milestone for apps like this. According to CEO Jamyn Edis, Dash has now been downloaded in over 100 countries, where Dash has…

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Automotive Business Culture

This is Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris Meet Project LiveWire America’s foremost bike manufacturer is leaving a century of tradition behind with the all-electric Project LiveWire, and it’s inviting the public to help test it. While the company is being coy with details on the bike, it says LiveWire offers “tire-shredding acceleration and an unmissable new sound,” and is capable of hitting 0-60 in less than four seconds. LiveWire is not for sale, and is instead…

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Automotive Business Culture

Big money, fast cars, and a Nyan Cat: this is the Gumball 3000

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As reported on The Verge. By Chris Ziegler A notorious road rally drops by NYC on the way to Ibiza “Rev it!” screams a man in the crowd. He gets his wish: a McLaren MP4-12C, covered from nose to tail in fluorescent livery, blips its throttle to the delight of a few hundred people gathered in New York City’s historic South Street Seaport. I came here to get a glimpse of the Gumball 3000, an annual…

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Automotive Engineering

To make a car, Audi had to blow one up

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As reported on The Verge. By Aaron Souppouris The exploded car of Ingolstadt About an hour from Munich, Audi basically runs a city. Its headquarters are situated in Ingolstadt, a city of around 125,000 people. Audi employs over 35,000 here, an enormous complex housing corporate offices, research and development centers, production lines, and a large museum and visitors’ center. Today I’m standing in one of the many innocuous buildings, in front of the company’s new TT…

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Automotive Business

FTC: State bans on Tesla’s direct sales model are hurting competition

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Tesla has just gained a valuable ally in its battle to sell cars directly to customers: the Federal Trade Commission. The regulator now argues that state bans on direct sales are “protectionist,” propping up the traditional dealership business model rather than protecting companies from unfair abuses by automakers. It’s the “competitive process” that should decide which sales model is better, not the law. The FTC also doesn’t buy the notion that Tesla’s modest US…

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Application Automotive

Google Maps Rival Mapbox Adds Smart Directions, A Navigation Service For Any App

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Ingrid Lunden Mapbox, the OpenStreetMap-based mapping platform that lets app developers incorporate maps into any app, is adding another feature to better compete against the likes of Google Maps, ESRI and Nokia Maps: Smart Directions, a navigation service that developers can customise with extra details such type of terrain, specific places of interest, and current traffic conditions. Its first partner, getting announced today alongside Smart Directions, is Scoot, the electric vehicle-sharing startup live in San…

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Automotive Military

The US military is building a stealth dirt bike

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As reported on The Verge. By Arielle Duhaime-Ross The US military has issued a grant for the development of a stealth motorcycle, reportsDefense Tech. The motorcycle’s “stealthiness” will be a product of its hybrid-electric engine, which will allow soldiers to drive for long periods on rough terrain while emitting virtually no engine noise. And according to Logos Technologies — the company responsible for building the engine — this will be the first hybrid-electric dirt bike ever built.…

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