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Tucson Latest Testbed for Nissan’s Electric Cars

January 1, 1970

Add Tuscon, Arizona to the list of places Nissan is helping gear up for the electric cars it promises to have on the road next year.
The Japanese automaker is working with Ecotality, a battery-charging technology company, to deploy an EV charging network in the Tuscon metropolitan area. The announcement comes as a growing number of automakers develop plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles and join EV advocates and energy companies in creating the infrastructure to keep them going. Nissan and its parent company, Renault, are especially bullish on electric cars and have launched EV initiatives in several states and countries.
“This partnership represents a major step toward making zero emissions a reality in the Tuscon metro area,” Dominique Thormann, a senior VP for Nissan North America, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to working with our partners in fostering the development and acceptance of electric vehicles as the smart, [...]

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Nissan Helps Tuscon Plug In Electric Cars

January 1, 1970

Add Tuscon, Ariz., to the list of places Nissan is helping gear up for the electric cars it promises to have on the road next year.
The Japanese automaker has joined battery charging technology company Ecotality in a plan to deploy an EV charging network in the Tuscon metropolitan area. The announcement comes as a growing number of automakers develop plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles and join EV advocates and energy companies in creating the infrastructure to keep them going. Nissan and its parent company, Renault, are especially bullish on electric cars and have launched EV initiatives in several states and countries.
“This partnership represents a major step toward making zero emissions a reality in the Tuscon metro area,” Dominique Thormann, a senior VP for Nissan North America, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to working with our partners in fostering the development and acceptance of electric vehicles as [...]

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Nissan EVs Head For Arizona

January 1, 1970

Add Arizona to the list of places where Nissan will roll out the electric car it promises to have on the road next year.
The Japanese automaker has joined the battery charging technology company Ecotality in a plan to deploy an EV charging network in the Tuscon metropolitan area. The announcement comes as a growing number of automakers develop plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles and join EV advocates and energy companies in creating the infrastructure to keep them going. Nissan and its parent company, Renault, are especially bullish on electric cars and have launched EV initiatives in several states and countries.
“This partnership represents a major step toward making zero emissions a reality in the Tuscon metro area,” Dominique Thormann, a senior VP for Nissan North America, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to working with our partners in fostering the development and acceptance of electric vehicles as the [...]

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Ferrari’s 599XX Is Not For The Faint Of Heart. Or Wallet.

January 1, 1970

The Geneva Motor Show isn’t all about hybrids, EVs and hopeful thinking. There are some hardcore sports cars there as well. Ferrari, as always, brought out some serous iron. Or in this case, some serious alloy, carbon composites and technical know-how.
Witness the 700-horsepower 599XX. It’s about as serious as a sports car gets, but sadly, we’ll never see it on the roads. The 599XX is designed exclusively for the track.
The 599XX is based on the magnificent 599 GTB Fiorano but is a different beast altogether. It’s slathered with all the latest high tech goodies from Ferrari’s racing department and is not aimed merely at the rich. The 599XX, like the FXX before it, is to be sold, in Ferrari’s words, to "a select group of clients," which is to say people are are both rich and want to go wheel-to-wheel during exclusive Ferrari track days. When those few fortunate [...]

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Audi Shark Hovercraft Has Teeth

January 1, 1970

We’ve finally found something we want more than an Audi R8 FSI, and it gives us hope that we might one day ride something similar to an Imperial speeder bike. 
The Audi Shark concept is 26-year-old Kazim Doku’s winning entry into a design competition (.pdf) co-sponsored by Audi and Milan’s Domus Academy. And while the Shark may wear the four ring Audi badge, it’s not a car but a hovercraft. Still, you can see some familiar elements of Walter de’Silva’s signauture style, something Doku told us he tried to emulate when designing the Shark.
"Reflecting Audi’s clean and perfect lines, I designed a super sport automobile," Doku told Wired.com. Indeed. Looking at the Shark, it’s easy to catch glimpses of the R8, TT and S5  but with an ultra-modern twist.
Doku says the driving position is similar to a motorcycle "but with a
car’s security." LED lights come straight out of the S5 [...]

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Inside Aircraft Black Box Recorders

January 1, 1970

When a plane goes down, one of the first things safety investigators do is search for its black box recorder, which can provide a valuable starting point for determining what went wrong. It’s an essential tool, and it’s come a long way from the boxy recorders of the 1950s. 
First off, the black box isn’t black – it’s painted bright orange so that it’s easier to locate at a crash site. And in most cases it’s actually two boxes: one for voice communication and the other for data. The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) is fairly straightforward – it collects sounds from the microphones, earphones and an area recorders mounted on the roof of a cockpit, storing two hours of audio with a sturdy digital recorder that’s less susceptible to moisture and heat than the magnetic tape recorders of yesteryear (before that, wire recorders were used). CVRs are battery powered so [...]

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Audi Shark Concept has Teeth

January 1, 1970

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, there’s been a shark sighting at a prominent German automaker.
The Audi Shark concept is 26 year old Kazim Doku’s winning entry into a design competition (PDF) co-sponsored by Audi and Milan’s Domus Academy. Although the Shark may be wearing the four rings representing Quattro all-wheel drive, the concept is actually a no-wheel drive hovercraft. Still, familiar elements of Audi’s signauture style remain — which isn’t hard considering how gorgeous Walter de’Silva’s creations already are. “Reflecting Audi’s clean and perfect lines, I designed a super sport automobile,” Doku told Wired.com. Indeed, the front scoops and side vents are classic R8 with an ultra modern twist.
Doku told Wired.com that the driving position is similar to a motorcycle “but with a car’s security.” LED lights come straight out of the S5 parts bin, but the rear-hinged glass cockpit and [...]

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Ford’s Iosis MAX Is A CUV By A Different Name

January 1, 1970

The third iteration of the Iosis that Ford brought to the Geneva Motor Show is a surprisingly stylish "multi-activity vehicle," and although it’s just a concept, you’ll see a lot of those styling cues on Ford’s small cars.
Ford calls the styling of the four-seater "kinetic" and says the Iosis MAX shows how the style "is evolving and can be applied with stunning results to all vehicles in the Ford portfolio." The unique doors, extensive use of lightweight materials and aero tweaks could appear in other vehicles, and Ford says the fuel-saving tech under the hood will make its way to other cars beginning next year.
Slightly futuristic styling aside, this is another of the cars the Big Three has targeted specifically toward people with "active lifestyles." 
Before the economy imploded and people stopped buying cars, SUVs were being pushed out by the more car-like crossover utility vehicles that Detroit discovered a [...]

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A 187-MPH Hybrid As Fast As It Is Green

January 1, 1970

Italdesign Giugiaro is a familiar name to gearheads the world over, and its designs for everything from Hyundai to Ferrari are well known. Frazer-Nash, on the other hand, is generally considered the answer to a trivia question, but it was once a respected sports car company.
All of those names came together at the Geneva Motor Show to bring us the Namir concept, which combines Prius-beating fuel economy with Ferrari-like speed to produce what the companies say is the quickest, greenest hybrid on the planet.
Namir is Arabian for tiger, by the way. Given the specs on this ride, that name sure fits.

That’s right, this angular, scissor-doored sports car concept is a hybrid. The drivetrain was designed by Frazer-Nash, which Archie Frazer-Nash founded in England in 1923. Once a sports car maker, the company is now in the business of designing, building and marketing hybrid systems. The Namir combines an 814 cc [...]

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Fisker Seeks Federal Help With ‘Low Cost’ Plug-In Hybrid

January 1, 1970

Fisker Automotive says it could have a "lower cost" mass-market plug-in hybrid on the market "extremely quickly" with help from the federal government.
Founder Henrik Fisker says the company would use Department of Energy loans to develop the car and possibly refurbish a factory to build it in the United States. "If we get that, we could be in the market extremely quickly," he told a Reuters reporter at the Geneva Motor Show. "If we get the DoE loan we will start the project this year. It could be in the market in as little as 26 months from when we start."
Fisker didn’t say how much he’s seeking from the government, which has set aside $25 billion to help automakers convert to new vehicle technology. Tesla Motors expects to receive $350 million to start production of its Model S electric sedan in 2011, and the Big Three are among the 75 [...]

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