News

Audi scraps electric car plans as Tesla delivers latest model

June 7, 2012

Audi has scrapped plans for an all-electric version of its A2 car and is likely to stop development of the A1 e-tron hybrid, according to motoring magazine, Car. It is thought likely that sluggish consumer demand, the high cost of production and high retail price have caused the brand to re-think its plans for a range of electric cars....

Environment

Bicycle tools that hide in the handlebars

June 7, 2012

With the theft of bike accessories an increasing problem for cyclists, what better place to store a multi tool than hidden away inside the handlebars? Despite its diminutive size, the InCOG design holds ten tools including Philips, torx and hex bits. If needed, the tool’s attachments can be tailored to best suit an individual bike by...

Cycling

Solar Impulse electric plane completes first intercontinental flight

June 7, 2012

A single-seat solar-powered plane has successfully completed a flight from Switzerland to Morocco – the first inter-continental trip recorded by a solar-powered aircraft. Highly efficient electric motors and batteries allowed pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg to keep the four-engine Solar Impulse aircraft aloft throughout the...

Environment

A bicycle that’s half ice yacht, half microlight

June 7, 2012

It looks like an ice yacht without its sail or a microlight aircraft that’s lost its wing, but the Ice Bat is a new type of human-powered sport; a propeller-driven trike that powers across ice at speeds of 20mph. The concept is as unusual as it is environmentally friendly. Think of it as a cycle you can use on frozen roads, lakes and even...

Cycling

DeLorean bicycle is a blast from the past

June 6, 2012

The DeLorean brand – best known for the modified car used in the 1984 film Back to the Future – has remerged from the past as a stainless steel-framed bicycle. Of course, bicycles bearing the marque of a luxury brand are nothing new; Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche and Mercedes are among the many car makers that have put their badges on...

Cycling

Trains of future may run on steam

June 1, 2012

A team of engineers in America is seeking to transform a railway engine from 1937 into a test bed for the world’s first modern steam locomotive run on biofuel. The Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR) hopes to build a steam engine that will generate thousands of horsepower with the smallest carbon footprint of any non-electrified...

General News

Tips for driving in Europe

May 26, 2012

A few simple steps can help ensure your driving trip to mainland Europe runs smoothly. Much of the best advice is common sense – ensure that your trip is well-planned, that your vehicle is in good working order and that you take your time. However, rules and regulations vary from country to country – our tips for driving in Europe cover...

Driving

Cyclist takes 4,000 steps down mountainside

May 16, 2012

Downhill mountain biker Marcelo Gutierrez describes the Red Bull Devotos de Monserrate 2012 race that took place in Colombia earlier this month as the hardest downhill event he’s ever ridden. As the course drops thousands of feet, riders have to contend with over 4,000 stone steps and countless turns, ramps and drop-offs. Gutierrez’s run,...

Cycling

New electric bicycle boasts automatic wheelie mode

May 15, 2012

The ability of kids to master cycling skills, be it the perfect wheelie or the elusive art of bicycle drifting, is a source of amazement and frustration to older cyclists everywhere, but help is on its way in the form of a new e-bike from Audi equipped with an automatic wheelie mode. Cyclists wanting pull off the perfect wheelie have to put...

Cycling

50 per cent more fuel duty or road user charging – you decide

May 15, 2012

Falling revenue from taxes on fuel and vehicle excise duty will leave the Treasury with a shortfall of £13bn a year by 2029, according to a report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies. In order for the government to plug the gap in revenue, fuel duty would have to be increased by 50 per cent. The government is committed to finding alternative...

General News