Sorry guys ... I just had to post this! LaFerrari with a top speed of 217 mph and outputing 963hp !!
"It looks like the hybrid supercar wars are on, and Ferrari has fired the latest shot. Porsche revealed the 918 Spyder, McLaren went official with the P1, and now Ferrari has the… LaFerrari.
The LaFerrari is the successor to the Enzo and brings with it an 800hp V12 engine that revs to an eye popping 9,000 rpm. Its peak torque of 516 lb-ft is reached at a "lower" 6,750 rpm. In addition to the V12 monster behind the driver, the LaFerrari also features a 163hp (199 lb-ft) electric motor.
With all of this power on tap, Ferrari says that the LaFerrari can scoot to 60 mph in less than three seconds and hit 124 mph in under seven seconds. The LaFerrari will keep on accelerating at an astonishing rate (186 mph in 15 seconds) until it reaches a top speed of 217 mph."
The future is almost here ... self-driving cars is the talk of town, and will be showcased at the CES 2013 next week.
"Toyota has given a taste of self-drive car safety technology ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week. The car maker revealed a video clip of a Lexus fitted with safety features designed to minimise car crashes.
The technology includes on-board radar and video cameras to monitor the road, the surroundings, and the driver. The car can also communicate with other vehicles, according to a Toyota spokesman.
Click on image to play video
"We're looking at a car that would eliminate crashes," said the spokesman. "Zero-collisions is our ultimate aim."The video shows a prototype Lexus LS fitted with what Toyota's described as an "Intelligent Transport Systems" (ITS) technology."
Now for a bit of Car Tech ... but with a total "technology package" costing $1,950 (£1,200) ... it's a little pricey I think!
"Charging your smartphone while driving could soon be a simple process needing no cables or adaptors, but using a special wireless mat. Toyota plans to introduce the system for mobile devices in 2013 in its new Avalon sedan, using a charging standard known as Qi (pronounced "chee").
Chrysler wants to offer a similar option in its Dodge Dart model. One analyst told the BBC the feature was likely to become mainstream in the months to come.
The wireless charging option will be a part of Toyota's $1,950 (£1,200) "technology package", said to be available from next spring. To charge a device, a driver will simply have to place it on the mat, though the handset has to have a Qi protocol integrated in it.
Currently, Qi wireless charging is supported by 34 mobile phone models, including the LG Google Nexus 4, Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC Windows Phone 8X. There are also add-on systems for other smartphones."
Could this be the future of car driving ... welcome "Total Recall" automated taxi driver!
"An electric car that is able to park itself and come to the driver when "called" has been unveiled at the Ceatec 2012 show in Tokyo. Nissan's NSC-2015 is only a prototype, but its name suggests the carmaker aims to have it on the market by 2015.
Many car companies have been working on autonomous technology, with a number of driverless cars unveiled in recent months. But one analyst warned that the mass use of such cars was a long way off. The NSC-2015 is a modified version of Nissan's Leaf model.
It relies on sensors, cameras, computers and 4G communication technology for wireless links to navigate, and robotics to turn the steering wheel, change gears and brake.
When demonstrated at Ceatec, the car drove itself at about 3mph (5km/h) in a straight line forward and in reverse, and was able to turn."
Ever seen a power amp rated at 6000W ... yes six thousand watts!!! Well, I came across the Marriola M98-6000 Audio Power AMP at Saga's booth at the HKDTC 2012 exhibition about a week ago.
The Marriola M98-6000 is a Class-D high power amplifier ... I guess this model isn't widely available on the market, still it's one impressive package!
Just imagine the size of the speakers and bass box that this amp can drive! The sound and volume must be awesome. I hate to see how much battery/power consumption it will need to power such an amp! Click on the image to see more ...
The guys over at Protoean have rigged up a new electric motor system for Ford F-150 trucks and put an electric motor in each wheel. This new system ends up giving the truck over 400hp and can push the truck to around 100mph. Good news for those who think the electric movement means that everyone is going to be forced to buy little cars.
Image courtesy Engadget
"An energy efficient Ford F-150 certainly sounds like an oxymoron, but the folks at Protean Electric have proven that even this gas guzzler can go green. So how'd they do it? Well, with in-wheel motors of course. This isn't the first time we've seen this technology put to use, but if things go according to plan, Protean's version of the in-wheel motor could be road ready as soon as next year. The things weigh 68 pounds (31 kilograms) a piece and offer 110 horsepower per wheel. When pared with this F-150 -- rocking a custom battery -- they offered up 100 mile-per-hour speeds and a range of 100 miles. That might not be enough to take you across the great state of Texas, but it's certainly sufficient for tooting around the ranch. Head on over to the source link for more on Protean's in-wheel technology."
BBC's Top Gear always seem to land themselves in hot water. Last time it was the Mexican incident ... this time it's faking the race results for one of the most talked about electic sports car ... the Tesla.
"The BBC is being sued by the makers of the electric sports car, the Tesla Roadster, over claims a race on Top Gear was rigged. Tesla Motors claims the test set up by Jeremy Clarkson on a 2008 edition of the show was rigged to make it look like the Tesla ran out of power when racing a petrol powered Lotus.
The Tesla Roadster is the world's fastest production electric car. A Top Gear spokesman said the BBC would be "vigorously defending" the claim."
Even super sports cars are going green ... well at least half-way there with a "Hybrid". Yes, you've already heard about it ... but the Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-in Hybrid is coming to all you millionaries in 2013. It will cost you a mere $845,000 (GBP 530,000).
"The 918 Spyder will be a plug-in hybrid and built in limited numbers. The car will use a high-revving V8 with over 500hp combined with a pair of electric motors that will develop at least 218 additional horsepower for the car. Porsche also claims that the vehicle will consume 3L/100km on the New European Driving Cycle test. The EPA figures for the car will be announced near the end of 2013."
See that big display in the middle? The Tesla CEO has announced that there will be support for third party apps on that screen. That makes me wonder if they've considered that anything with support for third party appls will have malware made for it. And if they've considered just what malware could do to an entirely electrically controlled car!
"Musk made the announcement during the question-and-answer portion of his keynote speech at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco. He was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt in a standing-room-only crowd full of suits.
'We want people to develop car-specific applications [for the Model S],” he told the audience. “And text-to-speech technology can address some of the issues with driver distraction.'"
