News

When engineers developed the gyroscopes, tilt sensors and high-speed microprocessors to allow the Segway to stay upright they had not considered the balancing act involved in getting the scooter approved from the Department for Transport, but luckily such legal hurdles have not stopped other designers from using the same technology to build...

A new and improved version of the Riversimple hydrogen fuel cell urban car will mark a radical evolution from the ground-breaking technology demonstrator the company unveiled in 2009. The new vehicle will share none of the components used in its predecessor, but will once again forsake a conventional engine in favour of a fuel cell stack, a...

Research showing that 30 per cent of car club users put off buying a vehicle as a result of their car club membership, supports the estimate that each car of this kind can potentially replace more than 20 privately-owned vehicles. Transport charity Carplus found that car club membership is growing by an average of 70 per cent each year....

For while a there has been a trend in America to ‘rat out’ cars – stripping them down to their bare essentials and encouraging them (through chemical treatment) to rust, giving them a distinct ‘unfinished’ look. Now it seems cyclists are jumping on the ‘rat-rod’ band wagon – ‘ratting’ out their bikes by stripping off the paint, and...

Much is heard about air freight, but the vast bulk of goods are not flown around the world but shipped, and despite the fact that emissions from transport have increased steadily since 1990, the European Commission continues to exclude shipping from the Emissions Trade System (ETS) and no change to this policy is expected before 2050. The...

Student Jaryn Miller has designed a set of removable handlebars that separate into three pieces to become a lock. The Senza bike lock comprises a central section of handlebar, which always remains in place on the frame and two outer sections that can be removed and fixed together to offer a larger alternative to a standard D-Lock. According...

The recent use of bait bikes, GPS tracking and online registers by British police to snare bicycle thieves is certainly high-tech compared to the lacklustre response that has often met those that report their bike as stolen, but top marks for a proactive response goes to River police in Illinois. When a thief in River Forest broke a garage...

Velib is by no means the world’s first mass cycle hire scheme, but with over 20,000 bicycles and docking stations roughly every 300 metres throughout the city centre, Vélib is not only Europe’s largest and best-known pay-as-you-go cycling system, but the inspiration for London’s own Boris Bikes. Velib continues to tweak its systems in order...

The Fuego Element Portable Grill might be more expensive and heavy than a disposable BBQ, but it is gas-powered, ready to cook at the push of a button, boasts built-in legs that fold up to become handles and features an adjustable canvas shoulder strap for easy carrying by bike. For the ultimate in mobile cooking and extra style, we suggest...

If Prince William decides to consign his Ducati superbike to the garage following his marriage to Kate Middleton he now has a more sedate, but no less satisfying, way to get around on two wheels in the shape of a tandem bicycle presented to the couple this week as wedding gift from London Mayor, Boris Johnson. However, according to the...