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Tech

Electricity from thin air? They’re working on it

May 30, 2023 by Alastair Sloane

An electric car battery pack based on silicon that that can deliver 160km of range after a five-minute rapid charge? A sodium-sulphur battery that has four times the capacity of lithium?  Electricity generated from humidity captured in the air? Nope, there’s nothing fanciful about each of them. The silicon battery is here and now. Same with the sodium-sulphur … [Read more...] about Electricity from thin air? They’re working on it

Amazon satellites for speedy internet 

March 20, 2023 by Alastair Sloane

Tech giant Amazon will next year launch an internet service based on low-orbit satellites, a network similar to the Starlink system that in one publicised case helped link a New Zealand community isolated by Cyclone Gabrielle to a global audience.  Project Kuiper – named after Dutch-born astronomer Gerard Kuiper – is Amazon’s plan for a constellation of 3236 … [Read more...] about Amazon satellites for speedy internet 

Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin – literally 

March 3, 2023 by Alastair Sloane

The all-electric G-Wagen from Mercedes-Benz has redefined the term ‘doing donuts’. An electric motor on each of the four wheels allows the vehicle to do spectacular  ‘tank turns’. See the video below. It’s called the G-Turn function, activated by a button on the dashboard. It tells the electric motors to spin the wheels forward on one side of the vehicle and … [Read more...] about Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin – literally 

Hitting road in Hilux adventure camper

February 14, 2023 by Alastair Sloane

The latest off-road camper from Japanese specialist Direct Cars is based on a 4x4 ute that is likely to join the Toyota fleet in New Zealand this year – the beefier Toyota Hilux GR. The GR ute itself will no doubt slot comfortably into the country’s best-selling vehicle segment. On the other hand, the GR-based camper conversion is very much a factory-finished niche product, … [Read more...] about Hitting road in Hilux adventure camper

How Holden’s top brass killed hybrid Commodore  

January 24, 2023 by Alastair Sloane

Woulda, coulda, shoulda … the celebrated Holden nameplate might have survived if the carmaker’s board of directors in Australia had listened to its most senior engineer 23 years ago. It was the year of the Sydney Olympic Games. Holden and the Australian Government’s CSIRO – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation – had developed a hybrid ECOmmodore … [Read more...] about How Holden’s top brass killed hybrid Commodore  

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The Good Oil

French carmaker Renault has won the 2025 European Car of the Year award with the all-electric R5 supermini (pictured). It’s the brand’s second win in a row, following the new Scenic’s gong in 2024. The R5 led the vote count from start to finish from the 60 jurors in 23 countries. It received 353 points, beating the Kia EV3 (291 points) and the Citroen C3/e in third place with 215 points. It’s Renault’s eighth win in the 62-year history of the Coty award. The R5 goes on sale in the UK this month. There are two main drivetrains: a 90kW motor/40kWh battery model with a 300km range, and a 112kW/52kWh example with a 400km range. The R5 starts in price at £22.995, or $NZ50,000.

EU carmakers seek trade deal with Trump

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are among carmakers urging the European Union to get a favourable trade deal with US President Donald Trump. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) wants to keep open trade with both the US and China. It fears Trump, who promises heavy tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, will look unfavourably on countries that continue to trade freely with Beijing. Ola Kallenius, president of the group and chairman of the management board of MB, said in a letter to EU leaders:  “Overall, it is essential to recognise that trade with China and the US is most vital for the prosperity of the European economy.The EU should seek a grand bargain with the US and attempt to avoid a potential trade conflict.”

Diesel fuels EV concept for US military

A  go-anywhere EV concept for the US military uses an onboard 12kW diesel generator to top up the batteries on the move.  The all-wheel-drive has 800-volt technology and a 200kWh battery pack to power three electric motors, two in the rear and one up front. Claimed output is 745kW/15,590Nm, or 1000hp and 11,500 ft-lb of torque.  The four-seater was developed by the defence division of General Motors and is based on the platform of the Hummer SUV. It rides on Fox performance shock absorbers and 37-inch tyres and comes with “exceptional” approach and departure angles for off-road mobility. Maximum range using the generator to keep things ticking over is said to be around 500km.

We are the World

The outside temperature in Midland, Texas, was 40.5C when staff at the local office of the US National Weather Service set out to show the cabin of a closed car can literally get baking hot in summer. They mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies and laid them on the car’s dashboard – the surface of which showed a temperature of 87.7C. A little over four hours later the cookies were ready to eat. “Even though ours weren’t golden brown, we can confirm that they are done and delicious,” the staff wrote on Facebook.

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Electric G-Wagen takes you for spin

https://youtu.be/NwHbJ7HN1sU

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