Like an all-wheel drive car, the 2WD motorcycle offers more stability and traction than its rear-wheel cousins, and may even be easier to learn for the beginner rider. Honda's not alone in the 2WD space, nor is the space really that new—at least for concept vehicles. Big names like Yamaha have also been working on 2WD bikes for the better part of the last decade.

But it's Honda that appears ready to commercialize a 2WD motorcycle, or at the very least an all electric one. The company expects to have an electric bike on the market by the end of 2010, which may or may not be the EV-Cub seen here.

Honda's also preparing a nifty looking communications system called LOOP that will allow riders to communicate with one another on those long, silent jaunts through the countryside (no engine noise, remember?). The device is palm sized and leads me to believe Honda hasn't gotten the memo about the whole texting while driving thing. [Gizmag]

Someday electric sports cars like the e-WOLF here will be THE guaranteed way to pick up robotic prostitutes along the superhighway. [Autoblog via Boing Boing Gadgets]

The bike broke the record on September 1, averaging 150.059mph, and reaching a top speed of 161mph. The most amazing thing is that this is not a prototype, but an actual production model. It's the same as the first 300 bikes that will be available in 2010. In fact, you can get one of the first 50, which are already available for custom order.

It only has a 150 miles range, but still, color me absolutely wowiezowiebbergasted. [Fast Company]

The different atomic structure of the battery and knowledge of nanotechnology are what make this battery different. They used "mesoporous carbon, a material that presents a highly uniform pore structure at nanoscale level," to allow for a more efficient design:

The team assembled a nanostructure of carbon rods separated by empty channels, sulfur was then melted to fill the tiny voids thanks to capillary forces. All the spaces were uniformly filled with sulfur, thus maximizing the surface area in direct contact with carbon and boosting battery efficiency.

We've been needing a new battery technology for awhile now, especially for electric cars, so here's hoping they can get these lithium-sulfur batteries into production as soon as possible and that they deliver on the possibilities we see here. If it really is capable of three times the batter life, we're talking about something like a 730-mile range on a Tesla, 20 hours on a MacBook, or half a week on an iPod, all without added bulk or expense! [Gizmag via DVICE]

The $500,000 system works a lot like a car wash, with your vehicle placed on tracks while machines remove and replace your battery. (The raised platform is only in this prototype for demonstration effect.) And it could get you back on the road a lot faster than plugging into a wall.

Of course, there are several reasons why such a station isn't feasible within today's infrastructure—namely that different manufacturers have different shape/size/capacity standards. Also, manufacturers haven't really designed hybrid/electric cars to have their batteries constantly removed. Should these issues be ironed out, we could see a future in the battery swap station. But hopefully, we'll get a battery technology that charges faster before we rip up our entire fuel infrastructure. [Wired]

The fortwo is a tiny, tiny car, and we're sort of surprised it took so long to be fitted with electric guts. But the Tesla-Smart version still only has a range of 100 miles, and promises to cost even more than the gas or diesel versions, which already retail for about $20,000. Our brothers at Jalopnik estimate this version will come in even pricier. It's got a ton of power, since it's featuring the same motor and gearbox as the Tesla Roadster, but in this kind of car we'd expect to see a little economy of power rather than superfast acceleration. [AutoblogGreen]

The Price: $3200, Yes you read that right, $3200 bucks.

The Verdict: Let me first explain that this bike is not a motor driven bicycle, it is merely electric motor-assisted. That means there's still pedaling involved, but the electric motor will actually help you, so the pedaling is actually easier in most riding situations.

The electronics behind the Tailwinds power is an electric motor located in the front hub and a removable Toshiba SCiB 5Ah 24V battery that mounts inside the rear rack. The whole electric system is actually pretty cool and well thought out. The battery pack just slides in and out of the rear rack which makes removing it for charging very simple, and the battery only takes about 30 minutes to complete a full charge. You get somewhere in the range of 25 to 30 miles per charge, but that all depends on the type of riding and the terrain.

The bike can be ridden in either that motor-assisted mode I explained earlier or in conventional bike mode—toggled between by using the PowerDial on the left handlebar. That PowerDial can also switch between power modes: downhill, flat or uphill, each changing the way the motor assists.

Aside from the electronics, the Tailwind is a full featured commuter bike. It's got bells and whistles like an 8 speed Shimano rear hub, Nexus twist shifter, fenders, lights, integrated rear wheel lock, an actual bell bell, brakes, rear rack and of course a kickstand (but no whistle). With all the added crap like fenders and lights combined with the electric motor and battery the bike ends up weighing more than 50 pounds, which compared to a road bike can feel like a ton.

When it comes to actually riding this thing, I have to say it's somewhat interesting. When starting out on the bike and the motor-assist is enabled the bike initially feels like a normal bicycle. Then all of a sudden as your pedaling cadence starts the electric motor kicks on, you can feel it pushing the bike forward making it easier to pedal. As soon as the bike reaches the current gear's top speed or your pedaling ceases, the electric motor stops assisting and saves battery life. For the most part riding around town up and down easy hills is great. As soon as you begin pedaling harder on a hill the electric motor will pitch in and the hill becomes much easier to climb. It's not doing all the work for you but I would imagine the motor-assist would at the very least save you from breaking a sweat.

Don't expect to be climbing huge hills with this bike that you couldn't already do on a normal bike. I attempted to hit a decent-sized SF hill thinking the electric motor would at least help out with my pedaling; I was dead wrong. As soon as I left the saddle and began putting my weight into pedaling the electric motor just shut off, the battery drained instantly and I was left lugging a 50 pound bicycle up a hill. Not fun.

With a $3200 price tag it's hard to justify buying this bike. Yeah, it's got a pretty sophisticated electric motor system which does indeed help when commuting around town for work or school. But for $3200 it seems more logical to buy a cheap Vespa or motor-scooter that actually features a full time motor with no pedaling needed.

The Zero S is the followup to the earlier Zero X, the dirt bike with a smaller, 20 horsepower engine, which wasn't allowed on the road. The clutchless, one-speed bike has a battery that will let you roam for 60 miles before having to charge it (4 hours 'til full). It uses aircraft-grade aluminum for the body and a custom "Z-Force" power pack for enhanced accleration. On the more techie side of things, the Zero S also has a digital speedometer as well as a special, "projector beam" headlight, which apparently emits more "focused" light.

The Zero S will cost $10000, and can be yours with a $1000 down payment. It starts shipping in May. [Hell For Leather Mag]

Evo Design Solutions used a couple design tricks to allow room for the bike's large battery, including a monocoque that encloses the drivetrain, which negates the need for a frame. Bikes in this category easily break the 4-second mark in a 0-60mph, so these aren't electric toys. As for this particular model, it'll be sold for less than 20,000 pounds (about $28,000 USD), and there are no immediate plans for mass production, though that may change if it's a big hit. Mostly, we're just impressed with how pretty it is. Just look at it! [Wired]

The Mission One was designed in part by Yves Behar of OLPC fame. Featuring a lithium ion battery that recharges in two hours before supplying 150 miles worth of power, the liquid cooled engine doesn't even need an exhaust or gas tank since there's no internal combustion. And a single-speed transmission eliminates shifting. From the aluminum, honeycomb body that flows in a single line to the convex front meant to suck the rider's chest in for speed, the Mission One is really a remarkable looking machine, even if we have no idea how designing OLPC laptops equates into the kind of wind carving design that a bike at 150mph needs to have. You can pre-order your Mission One now on Missions site. [Mission Motors and fuseproject]

We here at Gizmodo HQ are trying to decide if this is real or not. One the one hand, that spark looks relatively real, and the dude certainly reacts like it's real, but the battery terminal looks like its hooked up to the foil in a short, which should cause HEAT, not shocks...Oh wait. There are two separate pieces of foil going on there! But anyhow, what kind of person would actually do this? Good god. What say you, commenters? [Break via The Daily What]

As previously mentioned, the car also has a solar panel used in the roof used to ventilate the car while parked, reducing AC usage once in motion, and LED taillights and daytime running lights.

The fore mentioned Ford dash, here:

Full details of the new Prius are over at Jalopnik.
[NetCarShow via Jalopnik]

CEO Elon 'Manly' Musk says the company either needs federal backing or capital market backing, which will take a year or two to recover from the current mess. They've just sold their 100th $109,000 Roadster this past week to that guy who Oprah leaned on during the Obama acceptance speech. Yeah, that guy. You get an electric roadster! You get an electric roadster! You get an electric roadster! You get an electric roadster! [Detroit News]

The High Speed Rail is expected to transport 100 million people a year and generate 230,000 permanent jobs by 2030, and if these videos are any indication, the beautiful California landscape will remain remarkably untouched for, well, at least 22 years.

[MAKE]

FISKER AUTOMOTIVE ANNOUNCES A LETTER OF INTENT FOR
ASSEMBLY CONTRACT WITH VALMET AUTOMOTIVE

Valmet to Serve as Global Manufacturing Facility, Fisker Automotive
Strategy Sees Manufacturing Facility in the US for Future Models

IRVINE, CA. July 14, 2008: Fisker Automotive, Inc., a green American premium
car company, today announced that Valmet Automotive will manufacture its first
production car, the Fisker Karma. Known for producing high quality specialty cars
like the Porsche Boxster and Cayman for Porsche AG, the Finland-based contract
manufacturer brings to the Fisker Karma 40 years of experience of working with
OEM customers and their wide ranging engineering and production needs.

When the Fisker Karma begins rolling off the Valmet assembly line in the fourth
quarter of 2009, it will mark the first ever plug-in hybrid 4 door sports sedan to hit
the market. With 50 miles of electric range and more than 350 miles of total range,
the Fisker Karma with its proprietary Q-DRIVE powertrain developed by Quantum
Technologies, will have the potential for a fuel economy of over 100 miles per gallon
(MPG) on extended drives. Boasting a top speed of 125mph and 0-60 acceleration
in less than 6 seconds, the Fisker Karma is poised to be the world’s first true luxury
plug-in hybrid sports car.

“After an exhaustive global search, we are thrilled to have found the ideal
manufacturing partner in Valmet Automotive,” said Fisker Automotive CEO, Henrik
Fisker. “Valmet offers us the quality and speed necessary to meet our production
goals and given that more than half of Fisker Automotive’s sales are expected to be
outside of North America, Valmet represents an ideal international foothold. We do
have a strategic plan to utilize an American manufacturing site for future models of
the Fisker Karma."

“It is forecasted that the market of environmentally-friendly electric vehicles will
grow very fast and we are proud to be in the pole position in this growth”, says Ilpo
Korhonen, President of Valmet Automotive. “Fisker Automotive leads the way by
adapting the most innovative technologies to new, environmentally-friendly premium
cars. The strategic partnership with Fisker Automotive will open a new window for
Valmet Automotive. Our production process can be easily adapted to the production
of electric and hybrid cars and new body designs. In line with our renewed strategy,
engineering will have a strong role in the cooperation.”

“Our mission at Fisker Automotive is to develop beautiful, environmentally friendly
cars that make environmental sense without compromise – be it quality-wise or cost-
wise,” Fisker continued. “Valmet Automotive has the track-record, high quality
technology and has the dedicated resources to take us there, and their high tech
production line with eco-friendly automated paints agrees with our ideology.”

Initial domestic deliveries of Fisker Automotive’s first car, the Karma, will
commence in the 4th quarter of 2009 in North America with planned delivery to
Europe in 2010. Fisker Automotive’s annual production is projected to reach 15,000
cars, with more than half of sales expected to be overseas.