We gave you the rundown and a few photos yesterday, but here’s Porsche’s press release video on the 918 Hybid Concept they’re showing in Geneva. I still don’t believe the performance numbers quoted by their marketing people, but at least they stopped short of saying that the 918’s trunk held a shark that fired laser beams from its eyes. It’s still car porn of the finest order, and at least you get to see it move in the video.

Lotus Evora 414E Hybid Concept: the business end

Lotus will show a hybrid version of the Evora at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Called the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid (at least until marketing works their branding magic), the car is powered by lithium polymer batteries driving one electric motor at each rear wheel. The motors produce 207 horsepower each, so the car’s name is derived from their combined horsepower. The batteries alone are good for around 35 miles, before the 1.2 liter gasoline motor kicks in to recharge them. Total range is said to be 300 miles between charges.

BERU F1 Systems, a British firm that specializes in supplying performance engineering solutions to motor sports, has taken a blank slate approach to redesigning the bicycle. To start, the firm opted for a carbon fiber frame that uses a twin spar down tube and seat tube to improve stiffness yet reduce weight. The fork blades are carried to the top of the head tube, reducing the mass of the fork crown and improving the loading of steering bearings. The wheels are made entirely from carbon fiber and feature hydraulic disc brakes front and rear, with carbon ceramic discs being an option for dry weather riding. The bike’s information system monitors rider output, temperature, atmospheric pressure and even includes a GPS function for routing.

Opel/Vauxhall is bringing the Flextreme GT/E concept car to Geneva this year. It’s like the Volt, only faster and better looking. The car can cruise at 125 miles per hour while achieving 175 miles per gallon. Like the Volt, it’s powered by electric motors and batteries, with an internal-combustion engine that drives a generator for extended-range. The Flextreme uses slide-out panels that deflect air around its rear to achieve a staggering .22 drag coefficient. I like the way it looks, but at the pace the auto industry moves, we won’t see a design like this hit the market for, say, 50 years.

Source: Gizmag

Compared to this, even you look like a gas guzzler. Students at Cal Poly have built a super-streamlined ride that clocks a record 2,752.3 miles per gallon. They call it the Black Widow. The all-carbon-fiber three wheeler weighs a scant 95 pounds and is powered by a seriously tweaked 3-horsepower, four-stroke Honda 50cc single. Its coefficient of drag is an astounding .12. It uses 20-inch bicycle wheels, two in the front and one in the rear. Yeah, it tops out at only 30 miles per hour, but still, it’s an incredible feat.

Source: Inhabitat

Okay, so it’s not breathtaking news, but it is an excuse to post a photo of the Fisker Karma, just in case you forgot how damn sexy it is. Fisker says it’ll reveal the Karma’s “advanced aluminum space frame” at the Geneva Auto Show. Essentially, Fisker wants you to know that there’s some bad-ass engineering to back up the Karma’s gorgeous looks. The aluminum space frame reportedly gives the Karma “new levels of strength and rigidity.” Indeed. Hit the jump for some more Fisker porn and a shot of the stunning Karma Sunset convertible.

Source: Autoblog

I don’t mean to be a bummer, but a team of researchers from UC Berkeley, Switzerland, and Spain, have found that exposure to exhaust fumes thickens arteries and could increase the chances of cardiovascular disease.

The study looked at people in the Los Angeles area who live within 100 meters of a highway. It found that their arteries thickened by 5.5 micrometers – one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair – per year, more than twice the average.

“For the first time, we have shown that air pollution contributes to the early formation of heart disease, known as atherosclerosis, which is connected to nearly half the deaths in Western societies and to a growing proportion of deaths in the rapidly industrializing nations of Asia and Latin America,” said study co-author Michael Jerrett, UC Berkeley associate professor of environmental health sciences. “The implications are that by controlling air pollution from traffic, we may see much larger benefits to public health than we thought previously.”

Via: UC Berkeley

Bigfoot. El Chupacabre. The Loch Ness monster. Honest politicians. People swear that they’ve had encounters, and swear on a stack of bibles that these critters exist. The Tesla Model S, revealed to the public just about one year ago, fits in the same realm; call it “auto-cryptozoology”. With clean lines reminiscent of a Maserati, it looked to be the out-of-the-park home run alternative to Chevy’s plain vanilla Volt electric sedan.

Every car nut dreams of building a custom ride, a one-off wonder that reflects its owner’s heart and soul. But not even the fantastic fever dreams of a madman could conjure this. The guys at Hector’s Chop Shop in Santa Rosa, Ca., are building an electric, rear-drive ‘69 Honda N360.

While cruising around on the internet, I came across this little posting over at CarEnvy. First, take a look at how small a Honda N-360 is. Yes, it is packed inside a Toyota Hiace Van, comparable to a GM savanna Van here in the US.

However, when it hits the Dyno, the little engine that could virtually roars to life. All this from just 345 CCs.

Source: CarEnvy.ca