Lightning GT-Electric Supercar

Does your knowledge on electric cars ranges only from G-Wiz to Toyota Prius? Then there is a whole world which will unfold for your eyes only starting from these few humble lines. Before you start wondering what electric cars have anything to do with the astonishing model in the photo you can’t recognize, stop thinking for a second.

When back in 2006 The Lightning Car Company announced a project on developing electric technology for a British supercar most people thought they are having a laugh. "Let them laugh" said those environment considerate maniacs and went on and designed Lightning GT. The name might be slightly on the tacky side but I couldn’t care less.

Lightning GT is an electric supercar, powered by NanoSafe™ and is proud to present features such as 700 bhp, 0-62 mph in less than 4’’ and top speed of over 130mph. Dressed up in classic British sports car outfit, racing technology and state of the art battery power & engine technology this car is years ahead. It is actually designed and developed thoroughly in the UK, showing of looks attracting even those arrogant Jaguar XK drivers. The Lightning GT produces NO emissions, it charges up in 10’ sufficient for 250 miles and is equipped with some kind of alien technology charging up the battery when braking, slowing down or travelling downhill!!

You are stubborn tough cookie if I haven’t talked you into selling your Ferrari yet. Oh, forgot to add in the packet no congestion charge or road taxes, rewarding a absolute A grade green rating and driving costs 10 times cheaper that its petrol running rivals. Need more? Right, sorry I forgot the satellite navigation and iPod interface and for those weirdoes who love the engine sound Lightning GT comes with virtual engine sound and no danger of the tank blowing up!!

Yeah, now get rid of that Ferrari; I think Lightning comes in red as well.

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Top Gear-Jeremy Clarson Drive on Mobile

There has never been such a fuss over driving and talking on the phone as the recent incident involving poor Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Allegedly, Jeremy was caught on a mobile camera being on his mobile phone while driving. Apparently the incident took place in Oxfordshire, where he lives. The BBC broadcaster was driving a rare 1970s 6.3-litre green, left-hand drive V8 600 Grosser Mercedes on 70mph on the M40.

Adam Blake, 22, and Hayley Byford, 21, reported to Mirror newspaper they say Mr. Clarkson on the phone will overtaking them in his car. "We could not believe that we'd caught him out." Mr. Blake's girlfriend was the one who noticed the incident and took the picture with her mobile, quite conveniently as the car Jeremy Clarkson was supposed to be driving was a left-hand drive.

Jeremy Clarkson denied his involvement in the incident, while a Top Gear spokesperson refused to comment, dealing with the matter as external to BBC. Drivers caught using mobiles while driving face three points on their licence and a £60 fine. I can see though, how focused on the street would be an inexperienced 22 year old driver, when his girlfriend goes hysterical looking for her mobile phone trying to take a picture of a 48 year old famous presenter - one the most experienced drivers in the world - who is overtaking them on 70mph.

Don't you guys have anything better to do while driving?

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The Car-Radar

The idea of radar use in the automotive industry isn't not hot news. The main issues depriving the industry of this technology have been size and cost but as we speak automobile manufacturers are closing up on developing devices more suitable for commercial car use.

Radar rivals devices like laser and infrared vision currently equipped extensively on various car models with main advantage being its ability to operate effectively with rain, fog and snow.

Primarily car radars will provide the following functions:

• Navigation - indication of route ahead
• Collision warning - appropriate action when unavoidable collision
• Cruise control - constant speed or car distance
• Airbag pre-crash sensing - airbag set off prior to collision
• Stop and go' functionality - for dense city traffic in low speed

Nevertheless, there are still vital problems to be overcome before the technology is suitable for practical use. One of the most important one being the device's ability to "see" both big and small targets. Radars use the echo received from objects when beaming electromagnetic waves, so accurate readings become a task even more complex when in a tunnel where concrete walls reflect the echo used by radar. Another issue being dealt with hot air or water puddles reflecting radar waves as they reflect light. The radar totally confused receives an upside-down mirror image resulting for example a puddle on the road to be mistaken for a very deep hole.

Finally, the most important feature lacking from car radars is warning against police radars. Bats have developed definitely more sophisticated radars, which function perfectly even when thousands of them fly together. Maybe radar manufacturers should work with Sir David Attenborough and try to figure out what they are doing wrong.

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"Auto Brake" by Volvo

Frankfurt Motor Show will host Volvo with its new Collision Warning with Auto Brake. This is a warning system which automatically pre-charges the car brakes in case a rear end collision ahead is about to happen.

The system will be an option offered with Adaptive Distance Alert on and Cruise Control in the Volvo V70, S80 and XC70 and will cost about 1,300 pounds.

The function of this system is based on a radar and camera that detects vehicles ahead whether stationary or moving. Once it detects anything suspicious, an audio signal sounds to alert the car driver while on the head-up a light display flashes. Subsequently, the brakes are pre-charged and then activated automatically if an imminent collision is detected by the system.

Adaptive Cruise Control is offered with the option of maintaining a steady distance from the car ahead while cruising.

Moreover, Distance Alert helps the driver to keep a safe distance to the vehicle ahead even though the Adaptive Cruise Control is not activated, by simply displaying visual information on the head-up display.

British weather though may cause problems to the system's function as fog, poor light or snow make the system unusable.

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Blame my Blackberry for car accident

Few months ago, a random car accident took place in Illinois, USA. Quite trivial on first glance – an unfortunate 70-year-old woman driving a small car was hit by a van; nothing special really. The story though, unfolded by US media, revealed the inevitable consequence of a recent frenzy in blackberry usage.

The driver, an electric company employee, consulted his blackberry device in order to navigate himself, as he was completely lost. Regrettably for him and the poor old woman, he didn’t care to pull over in order to plot his route efficiently, resulting into him running through a red light, in broad day light on a clear day and ramming the lady’s vehicle. The victim underwent five surgeries as a result of the crash, 2 of which on her neck. The case was settled with a staggering $4.1 million compensation, covered by his company’s insurance.

On this side of the ocean, a similar in stupidity accident took place in cosmopolitan Mayfair, London a few weeks ago. A 43-year-old male was driving a black Jaguar on Piccadilly heading west, fiddling with his BlackBerry and completely ignorant to believe traffic ahead on Piccadilly might come to a stop. What followed could have gone horribly wrong. He crashed in the rear of a van, causing an accident involving 3 cars with the later ending the “crash race” smashing into bus route 8 carrying 12 passengers. There were no serious injuries reported in this incident, nevertheless the accident led the London traffic authorities to conduct a study and consider intensifying penalties for lawbreakers.

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German legend relives - VW Sciroco

The 70's legendary Volkswagen Scirocco has returned. Born from the divine hand of Giorgetto Giugiaro back in 1974, Sciroco landmarked a major part of the most important era in automotive design and technology.

Practical sport cars and coupe vehicles for everyday use started emerging in the European market targeting an extensive consumer group. It was an excellent choice for all those new drivers anticipating to put their newly acquired skills into test, or should we say onto the asphalt. But it was also a tempting sin for the matures drivers bored of their heavy sedan and fancy something more... perky.

The all new Sciroco is here. Based on IROC, a model first introduced to the public in Paris Motor Show 2006, the new model will be arriving the European markets fairly soon. Sciroco will be available with three TSI (gasoline direct-injection) engines of 122, 160 or 200 hp and a TDI of 140 hp. I was surprised by the hi-tech gizmos in the control system but it was for the 17-inch alloy wheels that put a smile on my face. Sciroco's design does pay tribute to its 70's ancestor, though it certainly looks sharp and stylish. You may notice the elongated roof, providing a little extra legroom for those poor back seat passengers. From a front angle it resembles - and pardon the blasphemy - the new Evo X. It sounds crazy I know, but it does. In the end of the day, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

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Porsche to fight environmental law

London Mayor Ken Livingstone is planning to impose heavy congestion charges for high-pollution vehicles coming into London.

However, Porsche Chairman Wendelin Wiedeking tried to have the decision reversed by threatening to take Livingstone to court.

Apparently, the Stuttgart-based company chose to be on the wrong side of the argument by trying to deny the huge impact that pollution has on the environment. Contrary to this, it could just start developing carbon-free products and in turn to encourage people to change their behavior towards environmental issues.

Livingstone who has come up with effective traffic-curbing strategies in the past, like congestion charging for central London, is announcing now a plan that is about to triple the daily fee only for the cars that generate high levels of pollution.

Overall, it is clear that environmental questions affect companies and sometimes they seem to do a lot of damage. In addition, the air quality in many cities is terrible. If you are not convinced, try taking a deep breath while standing on a busy London street.

Furthermore, it's obvious where public sympathies lie, considering that people focus more and more on the environment. Even if you assume they are misguided, nobody would ever go ahead in business world by attacking the customers.

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Renault- Nissan in talks, talks, talks...

The Renault- Nissan partnership is now looking for an American partner to set up a new alliance. In 2006, the two partners held talks with General Motors but things didn't finally work out.

In the meantime, Renault- Nissan partnership has been creeping up while everyone was standing observing the saga of the Detroit Three.

In 2008, the alliance managed to take a fairly strong position and also to be considered as the world's sixth largest automotive group. However, this status may change as they are about to acquire a 25% blocking minority stake in OAO AvtoVaz automaker of Russia.

In addition, Renault- Nissan is interested in cooperating on specific products of Chrysler. It is said that the talks with Chrysler could bring more resourceful designs.

If all these talks have a happy ending, then Renault- Nissan have many chances to keep staying under the radar.

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Hire a limo for the Valentine's Day

Surveys in the UK show that the rate of people hiring luxurious limos for a night out has increased. Especially in London, where there is a higher concentration of wealth in relation to other UK cities, car hire companies claim that they mainly make money from limo hire.

Walking down London high streets on Saturday, strings of limo parade alongside you. While this extraordinary scene may at first come as a surprise you soon get used to it. However, not everyone can afford this ''limo fashion'' as the price is set too high for those with a low income.

Nevertheless, it is a great idea for special occasions like birthday parties, anniversaries, or - with upcoming events in mind- Valentine's Day. It's hassle-free to hire a limo online as the company will take care of everything. You only need to fill out a form telling them the pick up point, the destination and some other information.

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Nissan brings out 370Z

Speculation is going around the automotive news that Nissan is preparing the launch of a revised version of the Z-car which, according to reports, will be the 370Z model once Nissan updates the 350Z sportscar by equipping it with the 3.7-liter V6.

It is anticipated that the new model will keep the general shape of the retiring model, but with a more smoothed out appearance. Also, reports revealed that the 370Z will be unveiled at the Motor Show taken place in Paris this coming October. Paris is also considered as the home turf of Nissan's sibling, Renault.

Although this is still months away, try to stay tuned as the parade is expected to be outstanding.

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