News

A land yacht may not be as practical a means of transport as a car, but it is green and surprisingly quick. British engineer, Richard Jenkins last week proved the point when he reached a speed of 126.1mph (202.9km/h) in a carbon-fibre model he designed himself, in the process smashing the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle....

A pan-European project to track the location, speed and direction of travel of every vehicle has the backing of the British government, car manufacturers and the telecoms industry. The £36m European Union initiative is intended to reduce road traffic collisions, congestion and carbon emissions and the technology could be installed in all...

British motorists are being hit with charges of up to £150 each on their car insurance due to the actions of others, the latest research has revealed. According to the study, dishonesty is the main reason for increased premiums, with factors such as damage caused by those without a policy and fraudsters adding to the price. According to the...

A British company has taken orders for its new amphibious 50-seater coach, a new design that can travel at 70mph on land and 10mph on water and might provide a useful way of getting competitors to the 2012 Olympics. The £280,000 AmphiCoach is almost indistinguishable from a conventional vehicle, but as it enters the water its wheels retract...

The eagerly-awaited Tesla Model S saloon concept car has been unveiled to journalists in California. Tesla claims the $57,000 car will have a 300-mile range, 45-minute fast charge capability and a 0-to-60 time of 5.5 seconds. A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “The car’s specification, performance and...

The organisers behind the 6,000 pay-as-you-go bicycles that will be available for hire in London from next year are worried that they will clutter the streets. As a result the bikes will not carry their own locks and people who use their own may find them cut off by the hire company. Once registered with the scheme users will be able to...

Apple has filed a patent for a sat-nav system that focuses on driver safety. The IT giant stated details of the device, which could be hard-wired into a vehicle or used in a docking station, in an eleven-page document. It states that there have been incidents in which such technology has proved to be a danger to drivers, as they are...

Britain is a nation of "distracted drivers", according to research from moneysupermarket.com. A study by the price comparison website has shown that there are a range of bad habits which keep motorists’ attention away from the road. The worst offence, taking 77 per cent of the vote, is changing radio station or a CD while...

Car manufacturers promise a big future for alternative-fuelled vehicles and produce concept designs with alarming regularity, but judging by the number actually on the road, you could be forgiven for thinking that battery-powered transport will never amount to more than the city cars sold that have found a niche market in London. The...

China is to go head-to-head with America in producing electric vehicles thanks to investment of around £1 billion in the sector during the next three years. It is hoped that around 500,000 electric and hybrid cars will be produced each year by 2011, representing a ten per cent average annual market growth. There is speculation that the...