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Cars

alternative fuels

MicroFueler Home Ethanol Pump Unveiled, Ready For Pre-Orders

E-Fuel's MicroFueler, the home-based ethanol production system that makes gas from sugar or stale beer, was unveiled for the first time today in New York. E-Fuel says it will now take preorders for the $10,000 system, and will ship it by the end of the year. As you can see, it's not the smallest thing—no wonder the original image of it only showed a corner. Given its bulk and its price, what makes investing in this particular ethanol machine really worth it?
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cars

Scientist Studies Cars That Speak and Listen Like KITT

KITTdash1.jpgI used to want a car just like KITT when I was a kid, though perhaps without that slightly annoying nasal voice. And now a Stanford scientist is looking at whether nattering to your vehicle may be good for you, the car, other road users and even (darnit) your insurers or advertising execs.
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cars

Volvo Creating Injury-Proof Car By 2020

Having been in the business of making incredibly safe vehicles for decades, Volvo is going one step further and making a "virtually" injury-proof car by the year 2020. "Virtually," because it will ensure all occupents survive all but the craziest wrecks. Not only is Volvo making the car more resistant to crashes, but they're putting stuff like radar and sonar in order to automatically force the car to brake when a collision is imminent, lowering death rates by half with just a 10 MPH decrease in smash speed. More »

cctv britain

Crossing Guards Become Big Brothers

If you wanted a sure sign that the Orwell-ization of Great Britain is underway, then look no further than this. Lollipop ladies, those kindly old women who man the main roads next to school, similar to the US crossing guard, have been issued with video cameras to record lollipop rage—as school-side road rage is known. More »

cars

Next Generation Prius Hybrid Is Bigger, More Powerful, With More MPG

AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it'll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan's metrics for fuel economy, the current setup gets 84kpg, but the next gen has been reported to run 94 kilometers under the same conditions. The car is set to be unveiled in 2009. [AutoObserver, photo above of the Prius Concept, not the next gen model, thanks Mona for realizing the KPG and MPG differences.]

prius plug-in

Hymotion Prius Plug-in Conversion Kit Gives 100+ MPG For Short Distances

Like the previously released EDrive kit, this Hymotion Prius conversion package lets you convert your stock Prius into one that can be plugged in for charging. After a 4.5-hour charge time, your Prius will be able to use more battery power over about 30-40 miles in order achieve that mileage. More »

diy

DIY G-Force Meter Turns Your Civic Into Top Gun

Perfect for Speed Racers and out-of-control Soyuz capsules, this DIY personal G-force meter attaches to your dashboard and enhances the driving experience when a mere speedometer won't do. The device measures acceleration/tilt on one axis and attaches to the windshield of your Porsche Honda Civic with a few suction cups. Three 7-Segment LED displays show instantaneous acceleration measurement to two decimal accuracy. Watch designer Chris build the meter in rhythm to techno music and pull a paltry 0.6 G's while braking after the jump. More »

autoliv pedestrian protection system

Autoliv's Hood Airbag System Saves Dumb Walkers From Dumb Drivers

Autoliv's new Pedestrian Protection System combines a hood that opens to cushion impact and a pair of hood mounted airbags to reduce the risk of serious injury when a car comes into contact with an unfortunate pedestrian, cyclist or motorcyclist. The tech's safety specs are impressive: "From almost certain death to less than a 15% risk of life-threatening injuries in a car-to-pedestrian impact at 40 km/h." [Autoliv via Autoblog via Inventor Spot]

keyless entry watch

Chinese Car Maker Invents Keyless Entry Watch

The problem with Chinese made cars in the year 2008 is that they're complete shit. It's true. Maybe in a few years they'll catch up to the Koreans, the Japanese, the Americans and the Germans, but for now they'll have to be satisfied with unlocking their cars with their watches. Who wouldn't? More »

gadgets

Fat Shark Wireless RC Glasses Let You See Through Your Car In First Person

We were too poor to play with RC cars when we were kids, but it seems like it was worth the wait in order for these Fat Shark Wireless RC Glasses to be invented. Strap the glasses on your face and you'll be able to see through the actual head of the RC driver. Better yet, the head can pivot and tilt so you're not always looking straight ahead in front of the car. We only wish it would be adapted for Top Gun 2008, the end result of which would be tons and tons of "pilots" puking on the ground. Video (of the ground model) after the jump. [Hobby Media] More »

cars

Paint Thickness Tester Won't Determine the IQ of Your Walls

A handy little gadget for those of you who prefer to buy second-hand cars rather than brand spanking new models that smell of plastic, Westfalia's paint-thickness tester will let you know if the vehicle has had a paint job—which can often mean it's been involved in a crash somewhere down the line. Here's how it works: More »

vehicles

Exhaust Air Jack Lifts Your Car with a Toxic Balloon

I'm not much of a "car guy," but this Exhaust Air Jack seems like a pretty brilliant alternative to your normal jacks. Simply plug the hose into your exhaust pipe, stick the balloon under the frame of the car, and let the exhaust lift the car up so you can change the tire. Apparently, it's strong enough to lift a three-ton vehicle 18 inches for up to 45 minutes, which should be enough time for even the most inept of us to change a tire. Hit the jump for a video of it in action. More »

retromodo

1930s Steam Cooker Uses Car Exhaust To Cook For, Poison Your Family

Before the advent of the drive-through, families on road trips were stumped by the dilemma of how to have a hot meal ready at any time during their travels. But never fear, 1930s road warrior — hook up this automatic food cooking contraption to your exhaust pipe and your car will prepare your dinners for you! More »

safety first

European Company Looks To Make a Death Proof Car

It may not be Kurt Russell's stunt car, but if a European company named Prevent is successful in its quest, the world will have the first "uncrashable" vehicle. As their name suggests, the approach they are taking does not involve any space age armor to avoid damage in the event of an accident, rather, the focus is on new technologies that prevent accidents from occurring in the first place. A list of some of these innovations are listed after the break. More »

ghetto

The Most Ghetto Car Stereo Ever Makes Duct Taped Windows Seem Classy

We've no idea how old this image is—it's probably been floating around the internet for a while—but unless we see any other possible entries, we're going to award this the Most Ghetto Car Stereo Ever trophy. If you've got an old beater from the 1970s or '80s, you can actually make your own! I know! It's seriously making a statement to potential stereo thieves. A statement that says, "really, your self-esteem is low enough that you'll steal THIS? How about I just give you five bucks and we call it even?" [My Confined Space via Gearfuse via Tech Digest]

fashion

Nissan Uses Old Suit To Build Cars, Score Early Bird Specials

To help its engineers better understand the challenges that the elderly have behind the wheel (and feed the fears of Japan's midlife crisis population), Nissan has developed an "old suit" simulating stiff movements, blurred vision, bad balance and extra weight (probably to simulate weaker strength). It all makes sense to us, save for the harsh generalization of the warp-around eyewear. Can't we get this engineer a pair of blurry contacts or something? Maybe some that give him a sexier eye color, even? It's already embarrassing enough to drive 25 in a 40 while soiling a diaper, trust us on this one. [reuters]

dlo

DLO VentMount iPhone Car Holder is Practical, Convenient

Using a car's AC vents to hold cellphones is an old idea. Using a car's AC vent to hold an iPhone so you can watch movies/Cover Flow your way through your music is a new idea. DLO's VentMount seems like an incredibly practical way to keep your iPhone/iPod Touch within short reach, especially in cars (like ours) that don't have a convenient cupholder location to shove it into. It's not mindblowing, but it's $24.99 we'd gladly spend for usability's sake. [DLO]

tesla

Tesla Sues White Star Ex-Designer for Sabotage

Tesla Motors, maker of the much hyped (and well reviewed) electric Roadster is suing Fisker Automotive, the outfit behind fake vroom-y Karma, for stealing Tesla's design and trade secrets. Supposedly, this pushed the sale date for Tesla's four-door sedan, White Star, back six months, to 2010. Henrik Fisker (the eponymous founder) was hired by Tesla to design White Star. Tesla alleges he took the $875,000 contract, sabotaged Tesla's project with sub-par work, and then made off with their secrets and designs, using the money to launch his rival electric car effort. More »