New Bus for London: Your New Routemaster questions answered

It's 2012 and, providing the world doesn't end in a cataclysmic fireball, Britain's capital will soon be teeming with an updated, high-tech version of the Routemaster bus, known as the New Bus for London or NBfL.

It's a rubbish name, but an awesome piece of kit, we think you'll agree. But to many, it's shrouded in mystery. That's why we figured we'd take a break from stockpiling canned goods to answer some of the most pertinent questions about the NBfL.

Here, we'll fill you in on everything from its hybrid-style propulsion system to its fancy, twin staircase-toting interior. So, if you're sitting comfortably -- and you've had a look through the photo gallery above -- we'll begin. 

What is it and who created the thing?

The New Bus for London was conceived when, in September 2007, cartoon-haired then-mayoral candidate Boris Johnson told the world he wanted to scrap the hated bendy bus and introduce a modern-day Routemaster.

Boris' vision gained huge support from many corners, including Autocar. The publication commissioned bus designer Capoco to pen a hybrid re-imagining of the iconic vehicle and later presented that design to Johnson himself. Two months after winning the election in May 2008, Beej announced a competition that allowed companies and ordinary folk to brainstorm a New Bus for London.

The

View the Original article

Luminexence Lotus solar car charger is a tree-shaped carport

If you've ignored the naysayers, saved enough money and splashed out on an electric car, you're probably now looking for a dedicated home charging station. If that's the case, look no further -- architect Giancarlo Zema has teamed up with Luminexence to design a bonkers yet beautiful leaf-shaped example known as the Lotus.

The Lotus -- no relation to Norwich's premier manufacturer of mid-life crisis mobiles -- is a giant solar-powered piece of faux flora that delivers pure, carbon-neutral electricity captured from the Sun. It comes with night-time lights plus an optional information screen, seat and car charging port.

The Lotus is a modular system that's designed in a variety of colours and sizes. The smallest component, a single-leaf design, can be supplied on its own, or mated to other single-leaf units to form double, triple or quad leaf setups. A large leaf, which provides 19 square metres of photovoltaic panels, is also available. Both leaf styles can be combined to resemble a curious water lily configuration. 

Sadly, as imaginative and as attractive as the Lotus may be, it's not particularly effective. The smallest model doesn't produce anywhere near enough power to be of any real use when recharging an electric car, and would need to be connected to a separate mains outlet, which sort of defeats the object.

Still, there's no denying it's an interesting concept and one that might be of use in some scenarios. We'd be quite happy installing one of these things at the bottom of the garden and letting it feed juice to a shed, or using one to power an information point in a public park.

Have a look at the video below to see the Lotus in action and let us know what you think in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Tweet You might like these... Electric DeLorean hands-on video is 1.21 gigawatts of awesome New Honda NSX hybrid disappoints, amazes in equal measure VW E-Bugster concept gallery shows off electric Beetle DC Avanti is India's first supercar Mercedes and Pioneer's Project-X is a 122mph, 30,000W van More articles in Car Tech » Post your comment Make your comment count. Log in or register to skip the 'Are you human?' question and get an avatar

Log inJoin

Comment

View the Original article

VW E-Bugster concept gallery shows off electric Beetle

Volkswagen Beetles have traditionally run on 'flower power', and by that we mean the carbon-belching, fossilised remains of plants that have been dead for millenia.

That tradition may soon come to an end, however, thanks to the new E-Bugster concept -- an all-electric version of the VW Beetle that runs on the stuff that comes out of your mains socket at home. 

Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (that's the Detroit Motor Show to you) the two-seater E-Bugster does away with the standard car's internal combustion engine in favour of an 85kWh motor and some lithium-ion batteries.

It's roughly the same length and width as a standard Beetle, but its roof is 30mm lower, which means it looks sportier and cuts through the air with greater ease. Don't expect it to shred any tarmac, though. It'll accelerate from 0-60mph in a yawn-inducing 10.9 seconds, so it'll get left for dead even by the snail-like Nissan Leaf.

The car's batteries are slightly larger than those in a Leaf, but again, don't expect miracles here. VW says it'll go for "at least" 110 miles, which should be enough for most daily commutes. The company says it can be topped up in 35 minutes if you have access to a fast charger. Recharging from an ordinary mains outlet will likely take several hours.

The E-Bugster features some novel touches inside and out. The front bumper has a funky LED light strip, while inside, the instrument cluster "pulses with light", which spreads in a millimetre-wide strip along the doors and air vents.

It certainly looks very sexy and it definitely appeals to our inner Bob Marley, but don't expect this thing will be pounding any real-world tarmac any time soon, as it's very much a concept. Have a look through our photo gallery and let us know what you think down in the primordial ooze of the comments, or over on our neolithic Facebook page.

Tweet You might like these... Electric DeLorean hands-on video is 1.21 gigawatts of awesome New Honda NSX hybrid disappoints, amazes in equal measure DC Avanti is India's first supercar Mercedes and Pioneer's Project-X is a 122mph, 30,000W van Luminexence Lotus solar car charger is a tree-shaped carport More articles in Car Tech » Post your comment Make your comment count. Log in or register to skip the 'Are you human?' question and get an avatar

Log inJoin

Comment

View the Original article

New Honda NSX hybrid disappoints, amazes in equal measure

The Honda NSX has long been one of our favourite cars, so we shed a nostalgic tear recently when we cast an eye on its modern day successor, the Acura NSX Concept.

Our collective eyeball then shed a few tears of anger. Sure, we were pleased to see the NSX name back in the spotlight, but this thing -- this modern day abomination -- looks and functions almost nothing like the original.

The NSX Concept ditches the original's sleek, low-slung profile in favour of a generic supercar wedge shape. Its designers have also axed the flourishes that made the original such a looker. Where are the vents behind the doors, or the rear spoiler? You call those headlights?

Honda has molested the car's propulsion system too. Whereas the previous NSX was a simple, no-nonsense rear-wheel drive brute, this new concept is a hybrid. No, we kid you not -- it has a mid-mounted V6 powering the rear wheels and a pair of electric motors driving the fronts.

Damn you, Honda. But while we're cursing you, we should also probably be thanking you for dragging the NSX kicking and screaming into the 21st century. 

Its styling may be controversial, but the new NSX is still stunning. Just look at the thing -- it turns out it's the car Iron Man drives in The Avengers for goodness' sake. It redefines badassery. 

Whether it drives well is yet to be seen, but according to Acura, the new NSX "champions the true racing philosophy of an extremely favourable power-to-weight ratio". In other words, it'll probably be all types of agile.  

That's our two cents -- but tell us what you think of it. Leave your comments below or head over to our Facebook page to vent your spleen.

Tweet You might like these... Electric DeLorean hands-on video is 1.21 gigawatts of awesome VW E-Bugster concept gallery shows off electric Beetle DC Avanti is India's first supercar Mercedes and Pioneer's Project-X is a 122mph, 30,000W van Luminexence Lotus solar car charger is a tree-shaped carport More articles in Car Tech » Comments 6

Add your comment

View the Original article

BBC maps all UK car crashes since 1999

Ever wondered how many car crashes occur in the UK? No, probably not. And if you have, you've probably guessed the number was somewhere north of 'quite a few' and moved on with your life. That's how we roll.

The bods at the BBC roll in a very different way. Not only have they questioned just how many road traffic accidents occur on UK streets, they've channelled their warped curiosity into creating a visual illustration of all serious crashes (ie those that have resulted in injury) since 1999.

What they came up with is a time-lapse animation that shows 12 years of road crash data, with each crash represented as a point of light on a map of the UK. The brighter the area of light on the map, the more collisions have occurred in that area.

The animation, which looks a bit like a real-life aerial shot of the UK, is a fascinating means of depicting crash intensity, and provides visual insight into when and where road traffic accidents occur the most.

The animation clearly shows the number of crashes increasing in the daylight hours as more people take to the road, with definite peaks in the morning and evening rush hours. It also shows more crashes occurring in big cities -- London, Manchester and Newcastle are lit up like like fireworks -- while smaller towns and cities appear relatively safe.

The Beeb has also prepared separate close-up animations that show how many crashes occurred in specific regions including London, the Borders, the North, the Midlands, South Wales and the West.

Head on over to Auntie B's webbed area now to see the data in all its glory for yourself, then flick back to our Facebook page to tell us what you think.

Tweet You might like these... Mercedes G-Class, Sprinter 4x4, Unimog, Zetros off-road test Google revs up driverless car patent Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid due in 2012 Airless puncture-proof tyre concept developed by Bridgestone Top 5 insane concept cars from the Tokyo Motor Show More articles in Car Tech » Comments 1

Add your comment

View the Original article

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid due in 2012

Good news, nature fanboys. Volvo's uber-frugal, 150mpg V60 Plug-in Hybrid just took a step closer to reality. A limited production run of 1,000 vehicles will go on sale in November 2012.

Volvo has confirmed the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will sell for between

View the Original article

Google revs up driverless car patent

Google's taking us for a ride, having patented a method for transferring a car into robot-control mode, the BBC reports.

The search giant has been awarded the nugget of intellectual property, which describes 'Transitioning a Mixed-mode Vehicle to Autonomous Mode'. In non-patent speak, that means switching a car from driver control to a state where the car itself takes charge of the wheel.

The patent itself specifies that transitioning from stupid-human to supersmart-robot mode may include stopping the car on a predefined 'landing strip' or detecting a 'reference indicator', which could be a marking on the road itself that tells the car where it is. That marking could be a QR code -- the patent says the vehicle could also use the marking to acquire instructions via a URL.

Google has been quietly beavering away on driverless cars for a while now -- last October we reported that the Big G had already been testing cars that trundle happily along without any human input.

The driverless cars have already clocked over 1,000 miles with zero human input. Google has said its goal is to prevent accidents, make cars more efficient and reduce carbon emissions.

This latest patent could suggest Google is now working on the practical bits of tech that would be required to make the cars something the public could actually use, and, dare we say it, buy.

Would you trust a car that used Google's web nous? Or is there no replacement for donning a pair of driving gloves and going for a spin? Tell us in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.

Tweet You might like these... Mercedes G-Class, Sprinter 4x4, Unimog, Zetros off-road test Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid due in 2012 BBC maps all UK car crashes since 1999 Airless puncture-proof tyre concept developed by Bridgestone Top 5 insane concept cars from the Tokyo Motor Show More articles in Car Tech » Comments 1

Add your comment

View the Original article