Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EMC Flash truck unveiled: 40 miles of electric power in a F-150 body for $50,000]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/08/emc-flash-truck-unveiled-40-miles-of-electric-power-in-a-f-150/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/08/emc-flash-truck-unveiled-40-miles-of-electric-power-in-a-f-150/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/08/emc-flash-truck-unveiled-40-miles-of-electric-power-in-a-f-150/#commentsFiled under: ,


Electric Motors Corporation has been working on upgrading Ford F-150 trucks with more advanced powertrains for a while now. The company's drives incorporate PML-Hi-Pa electric motor technology and were in the F-150 that was at SEMA last year (see more here). But EMC has bigger plans, including a pair of plug-in serial hybrid trucks, called Flash and Thunderbolt, that it hopes to start building next year. The company took the wraps off of the Flash prototype at its Wakarusa, Indiana headquarters over the weekend during the Green Jobs for America Exposition.

Pickuptrucks.com's Mike Levine snapped some images of the new and unconventional vehicle and got the story from EMC CEO Wil Cashen about the two-truck project. The Flash has lithium-ion batteries that will be able to drive for 40, 100 or 250 miles, depending on which option the buyer chooses. All versions use a 1.2-liter gas engine as a range extender. The electric motor and powertrain should be enough to to tow 5,700 pounds and cary 1,940 pounds, but won't be able to go off-road. Price: under $50,000 for the base model before a potential federal tax credit of $7,500. The Thunderbolt will be even more powerful and is intended to serve as a power source at work sites and have built-in WiFi.

Cashen described his company's methods as Tesla-like, saying, "It's an electric truck with an onboard range-extender generator system. We've taken an F-150 and have done something similar to Tesla, where they used a Lotus sports car for the underpinnings of their electric car. We're using an American-made vehicle for [the underpinnings] of our truck." There's a video of Cashen speaking about his company on Indiana Business after the jump.

[Source: EMC, Pickuptrucks.com]

Continue reading EMC Flash truck unveiled: 40 miles of electric power in a F-150 body for $50,000

EMC Flash truck unveiled: 40 miles of electric power in a F-150 body for $50,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>elecric motors corporationElecricMotorsCorporationemcemc flashemc thunderboltEmcFlashEmcThunderboltflashflash truckFlashTruckgreen jobs for americaGreenJobsForAmericahi-pathunderboltthunderbolt truckThunderboltTruckwakarusawil cashenWilCashenwill cashenWillCashenTue, 08 Sep 2009 16:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Time waster of the day: Bourne Stunt Simulator]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/07/time-waster-of-the-day-borne-stunt-simulator/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/07/time-waster-of-the-day-borne-stunt-simulator/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/07/time-waster-of-the-day-borne-stunt-simulator/#commentsFiled under: ,



Coinciding with the launch of the new Bourne Ultimatum movie, Volkswagen has launched an interactive stunt simulator that allows fans to play out their own stunts online as many times as they want. Users can maneuver any of six different VW models through different explosions, while altering vehicle speeds, props, sound effects and camera angles to make that perfect scene.

Product placement in the movie has several VW vehicles making an appearance, including the Touareg 2 SUV and Golf GTI, a smart move seeing that The Bourne Ultimatum has grossed more than $70 million in its first weekend. That's a hell of lot of viewers seeing VW's new models up on the big screen.

[Source: Bourne Simulator]

Time waster of the day: Bourne Stunt Simulator originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Aug 2007 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Bourne UltimatimBourneUltimatimcrashexplosionflashflash gamesFlashGamesgamesGolf GTIGolfGtimovieTouaregTue, 07 Aug 2007 18:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Fast Files: Ducati flash drive]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/25/fast-files-ducati-flash-drive/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/25/fast-files-ducati-flash-drive/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/25/fast-files-ducati-flash-drive/#commentsFiled under: ,


Ducati is positioning itself as the Ferrari of motorbikes. They may not say it, but that's what it comes down to. Like Ferrari, they make some of the fastest and most desirable Italian road-rockets around. Like Ferrari, they been 'round the GP circuit. And like Ferrari, they've been ramping up their merchandising efforts to increase brand awareness and capitalize on it. But Ducatis are much smaller than Ferraris, so if the latter has a range of laptop computers, Ducati's answer is a USB memory drive.

The bikemaker partnered with the biggest name in the business, SanDisk, to offer this Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive (in addition to a selection of flash memory cards). For starters, the Ducati flash drive is one of the slickest, sleekest, fastest-lookin' portable digital storage devices we've ever seen. And it's got the performance to match, with transfer times of 20MB/sec and a 4GB capacity. It also comes packed with file recovery software and a lifetime warranty. Just be careful when taking those sharp corners, or you could end up crashing your system.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: Engadget and Carscoop]

Continue reading Fast Files: Ducati flash drive

Fast Files: Ducati flash drive originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>driveducatiflashmemorysandiskusbWed, 25 Jul 2007 08:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Wacky USB remote-controlled car provides minutes of fun]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/23/wacky-usb-remote-controlled-car-provides-minutes-of-fun/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/23/wacky-usb-remote-controlled-car-provides-minutes-of-fun/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/23/wacky-usb-remote-controlled-car-provides-minutes-of-fun/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Around our office, we're always passing small files between the multiple workstations via USB flash drives. Chinese toymaker Marsilli has come up with a fun way for us to amuse ourselves as we pass files back and forth. Their 512MB flash drive that doubles as an RC car comes with its own race track, though the first thing we'd try is zooming these little buggers around from room to room. They're controllable with your cellphone, though we're not sure if it's via Bluetooth or some other scheme. The USB port jutting out the back of the New Beetle is also just about the correct scale to match some of the inane drainage-pipe exhausts we've seen on clapped out rides around town, too. It's too bad we don't have an office pet, as we bet these zoomy little cars would do great on smooth surfaces and drive cats and dogs absolutely bonkers. We know we'd giggle like schoolgirls for a good half hour, maybe more. We're not sure where to find these in the US just yet, but we haven't looked terribly hard, either. We've been avoiding actually finding them because they're just what we need, more excuses to be unproductive while we hold out for that dream job of GranTurismo beta tester.

[Source: engadget.com]

Wacky USB remote-controlled car provides minutes of fun originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bluetoothcarcontroldriveflashmarsilliremoteremote controlremote control carRemoteControlRemoteControlCartoysusbusb flash drive remote control carUsbFlashDriveRemoteControlCarTue, 23 Jan 2007 19:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Micron to use Baja 1000 to prove chip reliability]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/06/micron-to-use-baja-1000-to-prove-chip-reliability/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/06/micron-to-use-baja-1000-to-prove-chip-reliability/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/10/06/micron-to-use-baja-1000-to-prove-chip-reliability/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Testing new semiconductor products doesn't always have to be boring - or at least not when a chipmaker is run by an ex-motocrosser. Micron CEO Steve Appleton will be driving a Porsche-powered Baja Tour Car buggy in the upcoming SCORE Baja 1000, and his company's Lexar flash memory and image sensing products will record the entire journey. This is said to be the first complete video recording ever assembled of the race, which underscores the nastiness of this environment.

The point of competing in this treacherous point-to-point race across the desert is simple - Micron wishes to compete in the automotive market, and this represents a high-visibility means to prove that its products are up to the task (the automobile being somewhat more intense than your average PC or digital camera). And, well, we're guessing that it's a lot more fun than babysitting some parts in a test lab.

The Baja 1000 will be run on Nov. 15-18, and Micron will be posting updates at http://baja.micron.com/ (right now, that link just kicks you to their automotive products website).

[Sources: CNN, Micron]

Micron to use Baja 1000 to prove chip reliability originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bajabuggyccdcmosdesertflashimageimagingmemorymicronPorscheraceFri, 06 Oct 2006 10:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Dwayne Wade, chef Rocco DeSpirito tapped for Lincoln ads]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/04/dwayne-wade-chef-rocco-despirito-tapped-for-lincoln-ads/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/04/dwayne-wade-chef-rocco-despirito-tapped-for-lincoln-ads/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/04/dwayne-wade-chef-rocco-despirito-tapped-for-lincoln-ads/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Dwayne Wade is still fresh from his first NBA title with the Miami Heat and a "King of Bling" award at GM's All-Car Showdown for custom Hummer H2 SUT. Lincoln has announced, however, that the NBA All-Star will appear in a TV spot for its new Navigator. Celebrity chef Rocco DeSpirito will also appear in ads for the luxury automaker, which will be part of the new "Advancing the American Dream" campaign.

The series of ads is said to be the largest push by Lincoln in over a decade, and is intended to "speak to people achieving success on their own terms". The first spots are said to show the Lincoln product itself (the Navigator, MKZ, and MKX), while the celebs will hit the screen later when the vehicles start arriving in showrooms. Expect the D-wade ad sometime in September. Does this mean the NBA All-Star has traded in his blinged-out Hummer H2 SUT for a new Navi? What would Shaq say?

[Source: Detroit News]

Dwayne Wade, chef Rocco DeSpirito tapped for Lincoln ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Aug 2006 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>d-wadedwayneflashfordlincolnmiami heatmkxmkznavigatorwadeFri, 04 Aug 2006 12:27:00 EST