S Line Prem Plus Navi Moon 20s Bluetooth Clean Carfax on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW i3 carshare, Audi e-gas plant

Elix Wireless has announced its E10K Wireless Charging System. The system is designed for harsh conditions, delivers up to 10 kilowatts and features automatic detection and removal of foreign objects. Its low frequency makes it safe to operate near oil and gas, and in other hazardous environments. The system can charge personal vehicles, as well as electric buses, trucks, mining equipment and heavy duty machinery. Elix has "created an entirely new technology that meets customer demand for fast, safe and reliable charging," says, CEO David Smith. The E10K system uses Elix's Magneto-Dynamic Coupling technology, with rotating permanent magnets in the transmitter and receiver. Read more at Green Car Congress, or in the press release from Elix Wireless. FreeWire Technologies and Siemens are working together on a pilot program for the Mobi Charger. The mobile charging station, which uses second-life EV batteries to charge electric vehicles, will be deployed for a trial at LinkedIn's campus in Mountain View, CA. The Mobi is more flexible than stationary chargers in that it brings the charging to the car, regardless of where it is parked, rather than having to park the EV in a specific spot. It can charge up to five cars per day without putting stress on the grid during peak hours. Read more from Siemens. Audi's e-gas plant in Werlte, Germany helps stabilize the power grid. The plant, which produces synthetic methane using CO2, water and electricity, is able to draw six megawatts of power within five minutes, allowing it to become certified in the electricity balancing market. This helps the grid adapt to the larger load fluctuations that go hand-in-hand with generating renewable energy. It also allows the plant to achieve higher operating times and produce more e-gas each year. Read more in the press release from Audi. The BMW i3 is now available through the DriveNow carsharing service in Germany. DriveNow, which is a joint venture between BMW and car rental company Sixt, has put 100 i3s into service in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. BMW also says that it supports a shift away from private car ownership in order to improve urban living and mobility, and sees electric carsharing as an important part of that. "We are witnessing the changes our customers and society as a whole are making and we are taking them on board," says BMW's Dr. Bernhard Blattel.

Audi confirms autonomous tech for next-gen A8

Like so many of its rivals, Audi is hard at work getting its autonomous driving technology up to speed and ready to reach the market. And now it's revealed when we can expect that time to come – or at least in what form it will arrive. In announcing the achievements of its latest RS7 Piloted Driving prototype, Audi has confirmed that the system will be offered for the first time on the next A8, the upcoming iteration of the German automaker's flagship sedan. Just as we heard this past January, the next-gen A8 will be able to drive itself around town at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. Ingolstadt still isn't saying when we can expect the new A8 to arrive, but considering that the current model has been around since 2009 (albeit with periodic updates along the way) and that its key rivals – the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series – are both much newer models, Audi shouldn't be waiting much longer to launch its new flagship. The announcement was made as part of the reveal for "Robby," the latest version of the company's self-driving RS7 concept. The previous version, dubbed "Bobby," was based on the same model, and gave our man Jonathon Buckley over at Translogic a run for his money around Ascari a few months ago. (We'll let you watch the video below to see who fared better). But the new version is a good 882 pounds lighter, lapping the Sonoma Raceway (previously known as Infineon or Sears Point) in 2:01.01. That's in what is ostensibly still a road car, just one that's operated by a computer. The fastest lap ever recorded on the full 2.5-mile circuit, in case you were wondering, was also achieved in an Audi, but that was the R8 Le Mans Prototype that Allan McNish hustled around in a 1:20.68 qualifying lap. Related Video: 07/13/15 Sonoma/Ingolstadt Faster than a sports car driver: Audi pilots itself on US race track - Testing the new-generation Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept - Top lap times on Sonoma Raceway in California Piloted driving at Audi is approaching production readiness at race pace. On one of the world's most challenging race tracks, the Sonoma Raceway in California, the latest generation of the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept has surpassed previous top performances once again. Audi will be offering piloted driving for the first time in the upcoming generation of the Audi A8.

Audi Q1 captured wearing production metal for first time

Audi is getting closer and closer to introducing its smallest crossover ever in the form of the new Q1. Now, we have our very first shots of the mini cute ute wearing its production skin. Expected to make its debut in 2016, it would seem that the Q1 will follow the trend set by the Q3 and draw inspiration from the brand's Q5 mid-sizer. Proportionally, it doesn't look dramatically smaller than the Q3. The front overhang is similarly sized, although there's a smaller rear overhang and a more aggressive rake to the rear window. The front windshield looks more aggressive too, and overall, the Q1 looks to sit lower to the ground than its big brother. While it shares a number of parts with the current Audi A1, when the Q1 debuts, it won't be based on the same platform. Audi's smallest car rides on the Volkswagen Polo's platform, while our spies report that the Q1 will instead be based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB platform. Despite the different platforms, though, expect there to be some sharing of powerplants. That means a variety of gas engines, and likely a version of the A1's 1.6-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder. There should also be an SQ1 coming shortly after the standard model debuts. You know, for all the folks demanding a high-performance, all-wheel-drive, luxury mini crossover. Check out the full gallery of spy photos at the top of the page.