Wireless charging is kicking in yo!

Now this is what I call unplug! Driving a super environment friendly electric car, and don’t have to worry about insufficient electric for your new EV. Drive home, flip the switch, and you’re ready for dinner. That’s a very cool invention from WiTriCity, a pioneer in wireless energy transfer technology, and Delphi Automotive. That’s the result of the collaboration between the two companies that are working on developing a range of automatic wireless charging products for electric vehicles.

No additional plugs or charging cords are needed in the wireless charging system. All the driver need to do is to simply park their electric vehicles over a wireless energy source that sits on the garage floor or embedded in a paved parking spot, and the system will automatically charge up your car once you activate it.



This patented wireless energy transfer technology is invented by Nikola Tesla, and improved by a team of MIT physicists since four years ago to make it feasible. The technology makes use of highly resonant magnetic coupling, offering a transfer of over 3,300 watts – enough to fully charge an electric car at the same rate as most residential plug-in chargers. The system can efficiently transfer power over significantly larger distances and allow more parking-related vehicle misalignment than inductive systems. Ask any E&E Engineering student, and they should be able to explain better to you than me, what resonant cavity is. Despite the gap, no power would be lost as power is transferred through induction within the resonant cavity, not electrical conduction.

However, wireless charging technology will of course need to co-exist with plug-in charging solutions, the company states, so that electric vehicle drivers have the ability to charge their vehicle with something like Delphi’s portable electric charger – which fits into any standard AC outlet – when they’re away from their wireless charging source. This is actually a much refined package, by offering the wireless energy transfer package as an add-on instead of a standalone device. Sometimes we just can’t park properly. Well, now you have a better reason to buy an EV!

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SSC Ultimate Aero II beats the Veyron Supersport by some inches

This has to be the best looking car around. It’s also the fastest around you know. The days of the Veyron Supersport really is short lived. SSC launched this Ultimate Aero II, their ultimate car. It has a powerplant in the form of a 6.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that has 1,350 horses. Ouch! Bye bye Veyron. The top speed of this angel (or devil) is 275mph (442.5kph). Doesn’t beat the Veyron Supersport by a lot, but still it’s a staggering number.



This has to be the best looking car around. It’s also the fastest around you know. The days of the Veyron Supersport really is short lived. SSC launched this Ultimate Aero II, their ultimate car. It has a powerplant in the form of a 6.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that has 1,350 horses. Ouch! Bye bye Veyron. The top speed of this angel (or devil) is 275mph (442.5kph). Doesn’t beat the Veyron Supersport by a lot, but still it’s a staggering number.



The car is obviously carbon fibre based, but this is the first car to have the wheels to be built on a one-piece carbon fiber unit concept, and that’s about 13 pounds. Miles better than your magnesium rims. The whole car weights at only 2,600 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio nearly double that of the Bugatti Veyron. Crazy stuff indeed. Carbon fiber is all over the Ultimate Aero II, with only some aluminium bracing for added safety and chassis rigid concern. Shelby SuperCars expected to sell it next year for $970,000. Well, let’s see how Bugatti takes this news.

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You can’t be late to class anymore in this scooter

Because this is the world’s fastest mobility scooter. Made by Colin Furze, this thing can hit 100kph (69mph). Doesn’t sound very safe to me. Imagine a scooter at that speed. Even my tiny car rattles like no tomorrow at that speed.

The scooter is actually a conventional electric model, but has fused it with a 125cc gas engine sourced from a motorcycle. The scooter was given by a friend.



He added: ‘I was told by Guinness that I could modify the engine but I wasn’t allowed to change the appearance in any way so I couldn’t give it bigger wheels or make it more stable.
‘I initially tried experimenting with battery power but I only got to about 30mph and the batteries died really quickly so I knew then it would have to be petrol powered.
‘I haven’t had any crashes but the wheel fell off when I was slowing down once. I’ve nearly been in the hedge a few times.’
The petrol-powered super scooter, which is British racing green, does 10 miles to the gallon and is nearly nine (9) times faster than an average mobility scooter which glides along at just 8mph.
‘It is quite scary when I’m driving it fast as the frame is pretty flimsy and designed for going along at slow speeds,’ continued Mr Furze.
‘You can’t take your eyes off the road when driving it as any rash steering decisions could make it flip over and the slightest dip or bump in the road makes it drift off course.
‘I was a bit nervous when I first started it up as I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it sounded good and got to 64mph, then 69mph very quickly.

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Nissan the next player of electric sports car?

The automotive market is now screeching with automakers trying to pump out fast electric cars such as Audi with their R8 E-Tron and Mercedes with their yellow gullwing. Now Nissan could be the next player as sources close to the company revealed the possibility of Nissan producing an electric sportscar.

Nothing else has been confirmed, thus we could only assume that the Japanese company using existing body structures from its current line-up such as the 370Z to test out prototype. This would be a relatively good choice as the Fairlady is a lightweight coupe. However, the size of this sportscar will be its downside; as such size would be hard to contain the vast weight and size of the lithium batteries.

Nissan would most probably source powerplant from their Leaf platform, and plung it into the Fairlady’s body, with some tweaks to get more juice out of the motors. Perhaps they might plung the motors into the Skyline G35’s coupe body too, which is strong and light enough, yet has ample space to store the batteries. Therefore the use of its premium brand Infiniti would be possible for the hybrid race.

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Audi’s New AudiDirect Reception System lets you chat with the handsome mechanics.

The German car manufacturer, Audi, has been rather thoughtful lately. They know that some customers really loved their cars like a second wife, and even by sending in the car to authorized centers for servicing, that doesn’t seemed to convince them enough that the car is in good hands. That’s where the AudiDirect Reception System comes in.

With the new AudiDirect Reception System, owners of Audi cars can have a chatting session with the mechanics and technicians while they’re hard at work and the owners chilling out at the waiting lounge. The mobile video cameras and communication systems will allow owners to directly see the work being done on their car and communicate with the person doing the work, all from the comfortable chair of the waiting lounge.

This seemed to be a great idea for some, but I can personally think of some very funny things that would make this system abit blatant. Surely, the most annoyed person would be the mechanics on duty. Who would like to have someone staring at you while you’re working hard? That’s plain unethical to me, and it will also be a hindrance to their productivity. But that’s the things to put up with for the mechanics at Audi. How about the customers? Free and live lecturing on the cars’ parts and jargons? I mean, how many of the owners would know which is the break pump and which is the ECU circuit. I bet there’re many that don’t even know where the engine oil is. But it would be funny if what they’re talking over the air is totally out of topic. Sugar mummy flirting with the macho mechanics? That’ll be super cute!

For now the ‘Audi Cam’ service is only going to be available in Europe, but the response from owners so far has been very positive (not sure how the mechanics like it though) so it might be eventually offered across the pond as well. Sugar mummies in Asia, stay tuned, you’ll get your chance soon.

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Ford promotes SYNC to stop you from sms-ing while driving.

Why? Because it’s dangerous! That’s why! It’s already a crime to talk on the phone while driving, and that’s when your eyes are still on the road. What about texting while driving? That’s worse, as you need to focus on the phone’s screen while texting, leaving you prone to danger as you do not know what’s going on the road. Pretty dangerous, and it’s banned in a few places in this cute world already. Ford has come to your assist when they heard about the ban, and is already working with RIM to sync all Blackberries to the car through Bluetooth. So, the car’s gonna read out loud the SMS that you receive, to you, and anyone else in the car. Hope your buddies don’t simply send any sms when your gals’ in the car.

There’s another cute feature coming, called the “Do Not Disturb” function. Basically, all incoming calls and texts will be hold until the journey completes. But you can call out (if you need help), and still be able to use apps while in this mode. All this just to let you pay attention on something that you should: the hot chick in the other car that’s racing with you.

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Jaguar XKR 75 Limited Edition

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the British luxury car maker, the limited edition Jaguar XKR 75 has been released. This sports coupe is powered by 5.0L supercharged engine, boasting 530hp (thats 20 more than the standard edition). It boost from 0-60 at 4.4 seconds. Other features included upgraded suspension systems, active front lighting, 20-inch Vortex dark gray alloy wheels, red brake calipers, “Stratus Gray” exterior paint, and an optional graphics pack with stylish white striping. The Jaguar XKR 75 is limited to 75 models, bound to be a collector’s item. Priced at £85,500 (approx. $130,000).

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AMG joining the electric supercar rally behind Porsche and Audi with the E-Cell Prototype

Mercedes-Benz is keen to join the electric sports car market with their new E-Cell prototype. Just like how Audi transformed their R8 into an E-Tron prototype, and Porsche’s ‘already-in-production’ hybrid Spyder 918, the AMG team has thrown in some massive electric power plant into their gull-wing supercar, that is comparable with its fuel-guzzling petrol version of 6.2-liter 563hp V8 engine.



With four electric motors at each axle coupled with reduction gears, the Lumilectric Mango (yellow color to be exact) SLS AMG E-Cell prototype is able to scream to a scary 12k rpm range. The E-Cell will have 526 horses on their wheels ready to be dispersed, along with 649Nm of torque to burn the rubber and twist the road. The 60-miles rally is short under 4 seconds, making it nearly identical in every aspect of its V8-version sibling, albeit with less noise and green to Mother Nature. Though there’s one thing to note, is that despite not being a smoke puffer, the E-Cell has gained quite some weight due to the four motors, necessitated the replacement of the double-wishbone suspension with a multi-link setup with push-rod dampers. But surely the drive experience would be somewhat identical.



New cooling was needed for the electrifying experience. Two separate cooling circuits are used to manage the temperature of the battery packs and related power electronics by either heating or cooling the units as needed. The lithium polymer batteries are split between the center tunnel and a box mounted behind the cockpit to have a properly distributed bodyweight ratio.



An extendable front splitter works with the reshaped rear diffuser to increase available downforce beyond what’s possible with the standard 6.2-liter-V8-powered gull-wing. Inside, the electric SLS gets a 10-inch touchscreen “infotainment” display in the center console. The E-Cell is also getting new shoes, with massive 19-inch front and 20-inch rear ten-spoke rims, coupled with 265/35 and 295/30 rubber, respectively. Well this baby is ready for you in 2013 if your pocket’s deep enough, as Mercedes-Benz stated that the prototype is already ready-to-run. Hopefully the mileage for the E-Cell would be better than Porsche’s 42km journey.

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Batman’s Golf cart

Someone has modified his golf cart into Batman’s Tumbler. Hmm… it’s weird to see this black thing on the green field. More pictures after the break.

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Audi wishes to woo the audiophiles with its “Audi Sound Concept”

Audi, the makers of the godlike R8 V10 that I can only dream of owning, is in the funky Einstein lab again. They have been setting standards for in-car audio systems with collaborations from premium audio companies like Bang & Olufsen and Bose. The engineers have been tinkering some magic yet again, with the Audi Sound Concept, which they hope will bring “wave field synthesis” to the ICE (In Car Entertainment) world. How crazy does putting 62 speakers into a mammoth Audi Q7 sounds to you?

That’s 5 woofers, 5 tweeters, with 52 mid-range speakers. By synthesizing “artificial” wave sounds driven by large numbers of speakers, the engineers hope to produce wave field synthesis.



“One of the driving forces in the field of wave field synthesis is the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) in Ilmenau, which first demonstrated that wave field synthesis can be made to work in a real-world application at the Linden Lichtspiele Cinema. Each of the 192 individual speakers at the movie theater is driven separately by a fast computer – at the precise moment in which the virtual wave front would pass through its point in space. Some signals are delayed by milliseconds, depending on the location of the speaker. The result is that each moviegoer experiences perfect audio spatialization in optimal sound.”



“Looking to bring wave field synthesis technology to its automobiles, Audi began its development work in collaboration with IDMT five years ago. The current status of the project is the Q7 prototype, which is parked in a workshop.

Most of the Q7’s luggage compartment is taken up with a powerful amplifier and thick cables that connect it to three PCs. The 62 speakers installed in the car include five woofers and five tweeters plus 52 mid-range speakers in the instrument panel beneath the windshield, in the roof pillars and in the doors. Five units are integrated into each door sill, with specialists needing to make cutouts in the sheet metal, fabricate new bezels and lower the interior door release handles to fit them all in.

As with the Iosono cinema system, Audi can only enjoy the full potential of the system using specially created wave field audio media because there is no corresponding audio media available on the market. The media used to demonstrate the system comprises up to 32 tracks, with specific spatial information for each of those tracks. Although a few film studios are already producing films using wave field synthesis says head engineer of the Audi Sound Concept, Peter Gleim.

When Gleim plays the sample a sound like a thunderhead issues from the speakers – a mix of music, traffic noise and animal sounds. A female narrator guides the listener through the acoustic hubbub, dancing past the listener on the right and at other times on the left. The whole time the listener’s ears are surrounded by the sounds of driving cars and roaring lions. A marching band seems to march from side to side through the Q7 before finally a helicopter flies a lap around the cabin below the headliner.”

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A screaming LFA breaks a champagne glass.

Lexus, notorious for their obsession in perfection, has been rather humble lately with their new and overpriced masterpiece, the Lexus LF-A. But now, Lexus has put their latest V10 into the hands of a physicist to turn it into an art. They summoned the V10, with the insane burble of the rumbling engine that goes on to make an incredibly erotic cry. Cry that is so intense and magnifying that it makes a champagne glass shattered into a million pieces. That’s right, Lexus has just released a new spot featuring their lovely V10 beast roaring to life and shattering a champagne glass with nothing but its exhaust note, in its latest advertisement.

Now before the skeptical cat comes, Toyota had claimed that they had hired a physicist to find out which type of glass would resonate at the same frequency with the LF-A’s exhaust note. This was supposedly achieved at an incredible 7000-9000 rpm. Thus, no CGI was involved in the whole recording process. The LFA among other things is known for its beautiful sounding engine and this has been achieved meticulously by a group of engineers from Yamaha’s instrumental department, through the tuning of the multi-stage exhaust system.

Lexus has been causing quite a stir with the LFA recently, as it was announced that all 500 models had been sold. The more interesting point to the story is the fact that a third of these customers were from Germany. Yet this is a land of BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsches. Maybe they really like the futuristic TFT HUD after all.

Each buyer has already put down their 100,000 Euro down payment so it might be too late to check your bank balance. Nonetheless watch the video and enjoy the precision of Lexus/Toyota engineering, if you’re like me who could never afford such posh supercar.

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Toyota iQ ‘Nimble as a mouse’ campaign

Transform car into a mouse. It is a promo video of the Toyota iQ new four-seater car.

“The feat required a large indoor space, a web cam, two laptops, an LED for the car, and a projection screen.

The camera tracked the light on the car and translated its position into X-Y co-ordinates. The first laptop sent these co-ordinates to the second laptop 30 times per second. The second laptop read these co-ordinates and moved its mouse cursor in real-time. That image was then projected onto the large screen”

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The Brabus T65 RS Vanish

Check out the SL65 Black Series-based T65 RS. It is powered by a modded 800-horsepower, 1,100 Nm (811 lb-ft) twin-turbo Brabus V12. It also has four intercoolers and a new stainless-steel high-performance exhaust system with free-flow metal catalysts. While at the inside you will see the Black’s seats have been replaced with luxurious, multifunction pieces. More pictures after the break.

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Shell Helix Ultra Transparent Car

In promoting the Shell Helix Engine Oil, the company have created a transparent Nissan 370Z. It looks really really cool. Video after the break.

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