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Toyota taking orders for Pink Crown in Japan during September
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Transportation,
If you're a fan of ridiculous pink cars, listen up! Toyota is taking pre-orders for the Pink Crown throughout the month of September over in Japan. What is a Pink Crown? It's a special edition of the Toyota Crown, where the outside is pink, and the interior quality design based on the keyword "pink surprise." The result is white leather seats with pink accents in a car that Toyota says has been designed for women. There are two versions--a hybrid 2WD, and a 2.5-liter 4WD:
- Athlete G (Hybrid, 2WD) ¥6,000,000
- Athlete G i-Four (2.5 liters gas vehicle, 4WD) ¥5,700,000
Gallery: Toyota taking orders for Pink Crown in Japan during September
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If you're looking for a luxury EV and want a more established name than Tesla, BMW has entered the fray with the i3. In fact, the BMW i3 is both the first EV from the company, as well as a platform to build on for the future. The i3 will be priced at $41,350 when it goes on sale in the US in Q2 2013, although, like many electric vehicles, it isn't for everyone.
While it isn't the most expensive EV on the market, it also costs well above what the typical car buyer pays for a new vehicle. Also, range anxiety will be a problem for some as well, as a fully-charged BMW i3 will only get you 80-100 miles. If that worries you, you can opt for the 650cc two-cylinder generator add-on, that makes the i3 similar to a Chevy Volt, letting you get extra range through using gasoline. At 170 horsepower coupled with 184 pound-feet of torque, you'll be able to go from zero to sixty in seven seconds.
BMW definitely knows how to make a car, and for EV enthusiasts who've grown weary of the odd space-age concepts found in some other car manufacturer lines, could be a breath of clean, fresh, environmentally-safe air.
Read More 
| BMW i3
Gallery: BMW i3: A luxury electric hatchback for $41,000
An inside look at how robots birth the Tesla Model S [Video]
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Transportation, Videos,
Here is a detailed inside look of how the famed all-electric battery powered Tesla Model S car is made. It's an automotive robot car manufacturing plant literally straight out of the future. Check out the video!
Click to continue reading An inside look at how robots birth the Tesla Model S [Video]
Gallery: An inside look at how robots birth the Tesla Model S [Video]
Andru Edwards on GeekWire Radio: Windows 8.1, iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, and big data at the ballpark
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Microsoft, Software, Transportation,
I made an appearance on this weeks episode of GeekWire Radio here in Seattle, Washington, and the episode is now live for you to listen to or download. It kicks off with a report from Microsoft’s Build conference in San Francisco, talking about all the Windows 8.1 news. I also share my thoughts on iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, along with stories from my participation in the Ford “Fiesta Movement” social media campaign.
We also talk about some of the top startup news of the week, including the cool Poppy device that turns an iPhone into a 3D camera, and an app called IdealSeat that crunches large amounts of data to tell baseball fans where they should sit for the best chance of catching a ball.
Read More | GeekWire Radio (MP3)
Gallery: Andru Edwards on GeekWire Radio: Windows 8.1, iOS 7, OS X Mavericks, and big data at the ballpark
Tesla shows off Model S battery swapping service [Video]
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Transportation, Videos,
Last night Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk teased that the company would show off its battery swap service this evening, and lived up to the promise with an impressive demonstration. Tesla owners will be able to pull into a battery swap facility with their charge is running low, and a staff member will swap out the low battery with a full one. The kicker here is that the swap is performed faster than it takes to fill an empty gas tank at the pump--less than 90 seconds. Owners don't need to leave their vehicles, and the service is priced to be competitive with gas station services. The first swap stations will cost about $500,000 to build, and will appear in some of the busier Tesla corridors, including I-5 in California.
Swapping will take 90secs. You'll never get out of your car. Return the pack on your journey back or keep it & we'll bill you the difference
— Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) June 21, 2013
Check out the video after the break for the live demo, recorded from the crowd.
Click to continue reading Tesla shows off Model S battery swapping service [Video]
Gallery: Tesla shows off Model S battery swapping service [Video]
Tesla to show off Model S battery swapping this Thursday
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Transportation,
Tesla will be showing its new technology that allows Model S owners to swap battery packs in their vehicles as its design center in California on June 20th. CEO Elon Musk made the announcement on Twitter, reinforcing previous statements that Tesla would allow its customer to driver longer distances without the need to wait for the battery to charge at a Supercharger location.
We aren't sure if this applies to current Models S cards, or if this is a redesign that will be part of future models. Apparently, switching out the batteries takes just minutes--about the same amount of time that it takes an average car to be filled up with gas.
Live pack swap demo on Thurs night at 8pm California time at our design studio in Hawthorne. Seeing is believing.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 18, 2013
Gallery: Tesla to show off Model S battery swapping this Thursday
Tesla set to triple Supercharger charging network by the end of June
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Transportation,
At the D11 conference, Tesla CEO Elon Musk just announced a major expansion to the Tesla Supercharger network. According to Musk:
"There's going to be a dramatic acceleration of the Supercharging network. By the end of next month, we'll triple the Supercharger coverage area. There's a map that'll go live tomorrow. By the end of this year, you'll be able to drive from LA to NY just using the Supercharger network. We're improving the density of Superchargers in well-traveled routes, as well as the overall coverage area."
This is huge, as there is always range anxiety for owners of vehicles that are 100% powered by electricity. Rapid expansion of Tesla's Supercharger network is essential to curbing that feeling. Tesla Model S owners using the Supercharger can go from 0% to 80% charged in 30 minutes. Of course, the Model S is a very expensive vehicle, but getting Superchargers in place for when Tesla expects to have a $30,000 range vehicle for sale (in about three years, according to Musk,) will go a long way towards buyer confidence.
Gallery: Tesla set to triple Supercharger charging network by the end of June
Tesla Model S Consumer Reports review: Best car we have ever tested
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Product Reviews, Transportation, Videos,
The Tesla Model S has just received the highest form of praise from Consumer Reports--best car it has ever tested. That is quite an achievement, and an amazing vote of confidence for the small California-based car manufacturer. Consumer Reports even made sure to reiterate that it didn't just mean best electric car, but rather, the Tesla Model S was simply the best car Consumer Reports has ever tested, period. Standout features like a battery that allows the driver to go 200 miles before needing to be recharged (although that is a $10,000 add-on option,) incredible handling due to the weight and low placement of the battery, and the ability to go from 0-60 in 5.6 seconds. The vehicle tested would retail for $89,650, and to be honest, we'd expect a car that costs that much to be in the running for "best car tested" in any media outlet.
Get a look at the Consumer Reports Telsa Model S video review after the break.
Click to continue reading Tesla Model S Consumer Reports review: Best car we have ever tested
Gallery: Tesla Model S Consumer Reports review: Best car we have ever tested
Wi-Fi and cell service now available in 36 NYC subway stations
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Transportation, Wireless / WiFi,
New York City subway passengers now have access to Wi-Fi, voice, and data services in 36 subway stations. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has outfitted several major stations with the service, including Times Square, Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center, and a bunch of stops on the West Side starting at 18th street, all the way up to 96th street. Wi-Fi is sponsored by Boingo, while cell service is limited to AT&T and T-Mobile at the moment, with Sprint and Verizon on the way soon.
Up next, Wi-Fi and cell service will come to Queens and the midtown area by 2014, followed by the Bronx and East Side Manhattan following. Here's hoping that it all holds up and doesn't crack under the pressure of the daily New York City commuters similar to the problems with the BART Wi-FI service in San Francisco.
[Photo courtesy of Hernan Seoane/Flickr Creative Commons]
Gallery: Wi-Fi and cell service now available in 36 NYC subway stations
LifeProof Fr? Car Mount quick review
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Accessories, Apple, Smartphones, Transportation,
No doubt about it, I'm a LifeProof case fan. So, it's only natural that I use accessories to accompany the Frē Case (see our Lifeproof Fre case review.) In this case, the car mount, which I found to be well designed with great fit and finish, and takes little-to-no effort to assemble and use. In my usage tests, I admired the attention to detail that LifeProof has put in to assure that the car mount is sturdy, yet gentle enough to safely cradle your iPhone in place for hands-free GPS navigation. I prefer using a smartphone for navigation since there's a slew of GPS apps at my disposal. Users will quickly find, as I did, that the car mount can be rotated in pretty much any direction. This is a huge plus, as it makes it easy to find that sweet spot when viewing at a glance while still practicing safe driving habits. The LifeProof Frē Car Mount is $39.99 online at Lifeproof.com or at your local Best Buy.
Also, be sure to check out our LifeProof Fre Belt Clip review.
Read More | LifeProof
Gallery: LifeProof Fr? Car Mount quick review
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