News

The Iris eTrike is an ultralight streamlined electric-assist vehicle with a cruising speed of 25 mph. The single-seat vehicle is the brainchild of Grant Sinclair, nephew of the man behind the infamous C5 electric trike. Is the world ready for efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly personal transport? Grant Sinclair has addressed...

A new £10 emissions levy on pre-2005 cars in London is only months from launch, but such is the danger to health posed by air pollution that a far more stringent tax is already in development. Under a ‘polluter pays’ approach, local authorities will require that internal combustion engine vehicles be fitted with a black box to track their...

The Abus NutFix is a brave attempt at security for bicycle components. As bike locks have become sturdier, thieves have move their attention towards seats, wheels, shifters – pretty much anything they can pull, twist or wrench from your bicycle without too much trouble. The Abus NutFix is a nut over which is fitted a cap that can only be...

In a marriage of Chinese tech and Dubai financing, the world's first taxi drones look set to take to the skies this summer. Controlling the single seat, eight-rotor fully-automated Ehang 184 drone couldn't be more simple. The passenger uses a touch screen to select a destination and the battery-powered drone takes care of the rest. The taxi...

It’s a dog-eat-dog world on the roads today; the automotive arms race that sees motorists choosing ever-larger and aggressive-looking cars has left drivers in China turning to horrifying lengths to gain one-upmanship. Drivers have flocked to buy reflective ghost face decals for the rear windows of their cars that are visible only when the...

The question of why Brompton sells leather wallets, iPad cases and scarves as accessories for its folding bicycles, but not a carrying handle remains one the great unanswered mysteries. Luckily, a number of after-market handles are on sale to fill the void. The Off yer bike handle has been designed with as much attention to detail as the...

Cycling groups around the country this winter have been left disappointed by the failure of their local authorities to grit cycle paths in treacherous icy conditions. While road gritting machines have been out in force, cycle paths have been neglected on grounds of cost. In an attempt to keep cyclists moving however cold it gets, cycle...

Faced with the fickle British weather and a frustration with existing mudguard designs, British cyclists Dan McMahon and Patrick Laing have produced the Plume. Like a butterfly proboscis, the stainless steel Plume recoils when not in use; the simplicity of the design reflecting that of the bicycle itself. Unlike most mudguards, Plume is...

Incumbent technologies are prone to underestimate the threat posed by smaller, disruptive alternatives. Europe’s five major utilities lost £85 bn in the five years to 2013 because they did not prepare for an 8 per cent increase in renewables. A 10% loss of market share was enough to cause the collapse of the coal mining industry in America....

Governments should set ever-stricter emissions limits for lorries and cars, and increase taxes on petrol and diesel so that the internal combustion engine is phased out, according to a 10-year German-led project to find practical ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Renewbility project concluded that a combination of greater...