News

Honda this week unveiled a new design of electric scooter that bears a resemblance to the C90, an equally humble-looking bike that went on to sell over 60 million units earning it the title of best-selling powered vehicle to date. Honda is aiming the EV-neo at local delivery services such as fast-food outlets, a type of business that...

The current fashion for fixed gear bicycles is inspired by the pared down bikes used by couriers in New York, but designs based on the very earliest direct drive cycles of the 1870s are about to make a reappearance. The penny farthing that has recently gone on sale for £499 may be a tiddler in comparison to the original bikes – its wheels...

The Environmental Transport Association (ETA) today celebrates its twentieth anniversary. The ETA was founded in 1990 to raise awareness of the impact of excessive car use and help individuals and organisations to make positive changes in their travel habits – work that is in part funded through the sale of car breakdown services , cycle...

Solar Impulse HB-SIA, an emissions-free aircraft that has been designed to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies by circumnavigating the globe without landing, has made its maiden flight from Payerne airfield, Switzerland. During the 87-minute flight, Solar Impulse reached a height of 1,200m before performing a series of...

The current fashion for fixed gear bicycles may be partly explained by their light weight and low maintenance, but there is also something undeniably pleasing about their simplicity of form. The simpler the bike, the greater one’s attention on those components that remain – a fact that has been addressed by Cykelmargeren, a Danish company...

A fully-automated robotic battery swap service for electric cars is to be tested this month in Tokyo. The technology is being pioneered by Better Place, a Californian company with plans to build a global infrastructure for electric cars. The system enables the empty battery of a Renault Fluence Z.E to be exchanged for a fully-charged one in...

Designer Erik Lanuza is the man behind a stylish electric bike based on the self-balancing technology pioneered by Segway. The Taurus allows the rider to sit astride a motorcycle-style seat rather than stand as is the case with the Segway Personal Transporter. To control the Taurus, the rider leans forward or backward to control the speed...

London’s long-awaited mass cycle hire scheme will begin on 30 July, Boris Johnson has announced. A total of 6,000 distinctive-looking bicycles will available for hire from 400 locations dotted around the city. Users will have to pay a small amount to register for the scheme, but the first 30 minutes of each trip will be free. London mayor,...

A super-efficient, petrol-engined car designed by students from Laval University in Quebec this week achieved a fuel efficiency of over 2,000mpg to win first place in the prototype class and overall grand prize in the Shell Eco-marathon competition. The NTF 4.0 vehicle achieved 2,487.5 miles per gallon (US) over a 0.6-mile circuit on real...

Buses have long suffered an image as dirty, slow and unreliable but that could change with the introduction of the Superbus, an all-electric vehicle capable of 155mph that turns up close to your home on request. The 15metre-long bus seats 23 passengers and is designed to operate on existing roads as well as purpose-built super highways that...