Automobile
”Much Cheaper Fuel Cells On The Way With New Prototype
Australian researchers have developed a new fuel cell prototype that could lead to much cheaper, more efficient fuel cell vehicles in the near future. Scientists at Monash University in Melbourne created a new cathode that could bypass the need for expensive platinum nanoparticles, which adds about $3500 to $4000 to the sticker price of current fuel cells. More »Only 25 Tesla Roadsters Left On Sale For 2009
Tesla Motors has finally begun deliveries of its awesome 100-percent electric Tesla Roadster, but eco-conscious sports car fanatics willing to plunk down the $109,000 need to reserve one quick. The company said it only has 25 production slots left for the second quarter of 2009. Locking in a reservation will cost a refundable $5000. An additional $55,000 will give you a set production slot and delivery time frame. More »SMART Car Vending Machine Only Dispenses Marketing Materials, False Hope
Here I was, credit card in hand, ready to fly across the Pacific and purchase my very first SMART Car from a vending machine, when I'm told it's just some advertisement. Sure, SMART Cars can't float (they can barely survive the SUV-congested streets of the U.S.), and the Japanese steer on the opposite side of their automobiles than us Yanks, but this was the promise of a car via a vending machine. I would have figured out a way to bring it home and make it work. To paraphrase the late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg, things are just better when they fall. More »Scorpion Supercar Uses Hydrogen Hybrid Engine to get 40MPG
According to Ronn Motors, the Scorpion supercar will not only achieve 0-60 mph in just 3.5 seconds, but also earns green credentials by getting 40 miles per gallon. This trick is achieved by having a hydrogen-hybrid engine under the hood (also known as hydrogen injection, Water4Gas or HHO.) Small doses of hydrogen are generated and fed into the fuel mixture, making for a more efficient burn. Apparently this technology is a little controversial, but that hasn't stopped Ronn from putting together a bloody good looking car around that special engine, as the second photo underlines. More »
cars
Navisurfer II Car PC, Surprisingly Affordable
The Navisurfer II is a pretty interesting little in-dash PC. Featuring a 7-inch flip-out touchscreen display, you can run Windows or Linux driven by a 1.3 Ghz processor in respectable 800 x 480 resolution. Built-in GPS along with a 2.5-inch hard drive (ranging from 40GB to 120GB) mean that you won't require an additional stereo or nav device. Plus, there's surely some fun to be had with its GPRS/CDMA capabilities paired with Bluetooth—and that 7-inch screen can serve as a rearview mirror with the proper setup. Damn.
But the reason it all sounds so great is the price, ranging from $578 to $656. For an in-dash system with this much functionality, that's a steal...even if it's not the fastest system on the planet. [product via techabob]
footwear
Car Slippers Light Up the Bathroom Trail
We've seen flashlight slippers before, but were they in the shape of a car? Definitely not. These Illuminating Car speakers? Definitely shaped like cars. More »
gadgets
Vampire Jet Car Does 0-270 MPH in 6 Seconds, Eats Driver
Here's a 300MPH Jet car that weighs 2,200 lbs, is 30 feet long and drinks 7-10 gallons of fuel per mile. The jet-car accelerates from 0 to 272 mph in six seconds and is powered by a Rolls Royce Orpheus jet engine theoretically capable of 370mph. The car holds the "Outright British Land Speed Record" and doesn't like to be told what to do. Top Gear's Richard Hammond is in the hospital after the car ate shit at about 270MPH. Bad jet-car, bad! More »Jalopnik G-G-Gadget Car: Hydrogen Driven Chevy Sequel and BMW Hydrogen 7
This week saw the introduction of two vastly different concept cars running engines powered by
Dodge Charger SRT8 Gadget Review, Plus Smokey Burnouts
Gizmodo and our auto-obsessed brother blog Jalopnik, are again working hard in our joint effort to keep you at the bleeding edge intersection of cars and technology. Jalopnik's taken the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8 for a spin—and although they claim wthat even if it didn't have a single gadget goody in it, it'd still be an amazing car due to the high-level of hoonage potential in a rear-wheel drive (RWD) sedan with 425 hp. Lucky for both car-nerds and gadget-nerds, it's chock-full o' gizmos—including the first-ever video review of Chrysler's UConnect bluetooth hands-free system. And check out the full review over at Jalopnik. More »



















