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Toyota's 'Easy Speak' Gives Parents A Voice In Backseats

Parents often wish they could be in two places at once. A feature from Toyota now gives them the next best thing: The ability to yell at their children from a distance. The feature, known as Easy Speak, was introduced in the 2014 Highlander and can now be had in Toyota's Sienna minivan. It allows drivers to use a microphone to communicate with passengers via the car's speakers, all while keeping their eyes on the road. This can come in handy when your brood starts their territorial shoving matches. There's also an optional two way conversation mirror, which allows parents to keep check in on the action without having to turn their head around. These are welcome features. A three-week study from the Monash University Accident Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia showed that children – not telephones – are more likely to distract people while driving. Parents were distracted on 90 of 92 trips studied by the researchers, racking up an average of three minutes of distracted driving per 16 minute trip. Cell phones only made up one percent of that distracted drive time. Related Gallery Coolest minivans of all time Weird Car News Toyota Minivan/Van

Recharge Wrap-up: Mirai earns Toyota "Most Innovative" honor, Tesla cold-weather range

A Tesla driver has graphed the effect of cold weather on the driving range of his Model S. Rob at Teslarati kept track of the amount of miles driven and energy used and mapped that against temperature readings to find how the colder temperatures affect efficiency. The results were an average of 10 miles of range lost for every 10-degree drop in temperature. Also, he calculated that drivers will lose about 25 percent more range when the roads are slippery. Read more at Teslarati. Albany Engineered Composites (AEC) is teaming with automotive engineering and consulting company Ricardo to provide lightweight components to the automotive industry. AEC produces composites for the aerospace industry, and having proven themselves in that field, they show promise for helping automakers make their cars lighter and more efficient without sacrificing structural integrity. "The agreement announced today is excellent news for our global automotive customers as we work to find further weight reductions in vehicles to meet future CO2 reductions," says Ricardo CEO Mark Garrett. With carbon composite prices expected to drop, Garrett believes this is an "attractive solution" for structural components. Read more at Ricardo's website. Toyota Motor Europe (TME) wants to recover all of its hybrid batteries for remanufacturing. TME currently recovers 91 percent of Toyota and Lexus batteries at the end of the vehicles' lives through dealerships, and is now working with independent end-of-life vehicle treatment operators to recover the rest. Beyond just being recycled, Toyota is looking into remanufacturing batteries for other vehicles or for stationary energy storage systems. Read more in the press release below. Fast Company Magazine has recognized Toyota as one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies for 2015 for its Mirai fuel cell sedan. "Toyota plans to do for fuel cells what its Prius did for hybrids: make them ubiquitous and top of mind for environmentally conscious consumers," says Fast Company. The article also notes that Toyota has also made its fuel cell patent public and invested in hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Toyota is ranked number 18 in the Most Innovative list, just below Tesla. Read more at Fast Company.

Ford Ranger, UK Mustang, Hyundai Hybrid | Autoblog Minute

Ford may bring the Ranger back to the US, the UK goes nuts over Mustang, and the battle of hybrids heats up with spy shots of Prius and a new Hyundai. Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore reports on highlights from the week in automotive news.