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Ford EV Chief: 150 kW fast charging could be the norm

Ford's electrified-vehicle sales aren't exactly at the top of the charts this year, but that hasn't stopped Mike Tinskey, the automaker's global director of electrification and infrastructure, from being rather enthusiastic about advancements in various forms of more environmentally sustainable mobility. Tinskey, in an interview with The Verge, spoke of a world with really fast plug-in vehicle chargers. And of vehicles that can be re-parked using a remote driver. How fun. Tinskey, who touts SAE/combo fast-charging charging specification as the most likely to take the global leadership position, said a 150-kilowatt charger could be on the market "very soon." That'd mean an electric vehicle could be 80-percent recharged in just 20 minutes. Today's quickest units, the Tesla Supercharger, can crank out up to 120 kW. Some companies are touting 100-kW charging times, despite the lack of compatible chargers. Tinskey also spoke about Ford studies of a so-called "Remote Repositioning" feature, which would allow cars to be re-parked at night using a remote driver over a cellular network as spaces empty up, cutting down traffic, needless driving and pollution as a result. We're sure ready for such a thing. Through the first quarter of this year, sales of Ford's hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are down 28 percent from a year earlier to about 15,000 units. Sounds like those improvements Tinskey speaks of can't come soon enough. Featured Gallery 2012 Ford Focus Electric: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: The Verge Green Ford

Chevy Corvette Z06, Ford F-150 Raptor join Lego Speed Champs

Get ready to park some performance machines on your desk: Lego's 2016 line of Speed Champions kits will add seven new vehicles for next year, according to an update to the database Brickset. These include some serious muscle like a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Ford Mustang GT. There's also a listing called "Chevrolet Camaro Drag Race" and a very cool combo titled "Ford F-150 Raptor Ford/Model A Hot Rod". Fans of European performance don't need to be jealous, though. The database shows a kit called "Porsche 919 Hybrid and 917K Pit-Lane." Plus for fans of the Four Rings, the Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro and R8 LMS Ultra are also getting their own Lego models. Fourtitude appears to have some leaked shots, if you want to see what these kits will look like. Lego has partnered with Porsche, McLaren, and Ferrari and offers Speed Champions kits for vehicles like the Porsche 918 Spyder, McLaren P1, Ferrari 458 Italia GT2, and LaFerrari. The models in the series aren't as heavily detailed as the massive Mini Cooper or Volkswagen Bus sets, but they make up for that in value. The individual cars retail for a fairly affordable $14.99. The Formula One playset tops the current range at $99.99, but it comes with a truck, racecar and team figures.

How the 2015 Ford Mustang will save your knees

The 2015 Mustang is one of the most hotly anticipated vehicles of the moment, and Ford continues to leak out interesting little details about its newest pony car. The latest info doesn't have anything to do with its quarter-mile time or handling, but if any of that goes drastically wrong, the innovative new glovebox-mounted airbag may prevent passengers from knee injuries.
All variants of the 2015 Mustang get the active knee airbag as standard, and it's the first vehicle in Ford's lineup to receive the system. The setup is actually quite simple and ingenious. The glovebox is made from a plastic outer panel that is attached to the inner door. Sandwiched between them is this new injection-molded plastic bladder that folds flat when in use. If the passenger-side airbag deploys, the system springs into action to act as a cushion for your knees. Compared to a traditional knee airbag that has to fully inflate, this arrangement is 65 percent lighter and can use a 75 percent smaller inflator. It's also basically invisible when you look at the glovebox door.
Ford spokesperson Ed Saenz declined to tell Autoblog whether the system will appear in other vehicles in the Blue Oval's lineup but said, "We're considering other applications." Provided it's effective, the approach seems too simple not to make its way to other products. Scroll down to watch a video showing how the glovebox-mounted knee airbag works.