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Engadget giveaway: Win an Anki Cozmo robot and Overdrive racing set!
When the holiday season rolls around, it's always a good excuse to get in a little play time. Picking up a few items for yourself or guaranteeing second-hand fun after you gift them is a win-win scenario. This week, smart-gadget maker Anki has passed along some top "toys" for two lucky readers. There's a liquid-metal Cozmo Collector's edition robot, which can be an entertaining companion as well as a platform to limber up your coding skills. When you're feeling a bit brawnier and competitive, there's the Fast & Furious Edition Anki Overdrive racing set. Just connect your mobile device (iOS / Android) to control one of these special edition vehicles, each with special tools, tricks and tactics available to help battle the competition. Anki has provided both a Cozmo Collector's Edition robot and Fast & Furious Edition Overdrive racing set for two winners. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning a set of smart Anki products. Winners: Congratulations to Charles B. of Comstock Park, MI and David G. of Indianapolis, IN!
Formula E to let teams build their own batteries and motors
Now that the first major race is out of the way, which took place in Beijing a couple of weeks ago, it's time for Formula E to look toward the future. Accordingly, CEO Alejandro Agag has revealed some interesting details ahead of the EV racing league's sophomore season, namely its plans to allow teams to build batteries and motors of their own by then. As great and exciting as Formula E is, currently all cars are using hardware from the same manufacturer, so allowing others to take part will bring it more in line with Formula 1, in which there are engines from the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and Renault. "They could build their own whole car if they wanted. But the regulations are quite strict and they don't allow a lot of development in aerodynamics, but they do allow development in motor and battery," Agag stated. He said the idea is for Formula E to have "three or four" different companies working on motors and batteries, something that would definitely make the competition even more interesting.
Qualcomm's Halo wireless charging tech headed to Formula E, safety cars get first dibs
Ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show this week, Qualcomm has come out to announce that it'll be bringing its Halo wireless charging technology to the first-ever Formula E electric vehicle race next year. But before y'all get too excited, only the safety cars will be equipped with Halo for the first season, which goes from September 2014 to June 2015 in London, Rome, Berlin, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles and many more places. As with these safety cars plus trial vehicles from London taxi firm Addison Lee, the current-gen Halo requires electric vehicles to stay still on large charging pads, which isn't ideal for racing cars. That said, Qualcomm CMO Anand Chandrasekher told us that his folks are already looking into bringing dynamic charging to racing cars starting in the second season. In other words, these battery-powered vehicles will eventually be able to recharge while still running on the race track!
Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)
Formula 1 car technology has come a long way since it first hit the asphalt banks 62 years ago. It's been hard to convey the sheer amount of change in a succinct way, but Rufus Blacklock may have nailed it in exactly one minute. Abstract versions of the cars show us the progression from the bullet-shaped cars of the 1950's through to the low-slung, wing-laden beasts we know today. If the clip is a little too F1-fast, there's also an infographic that details exactly when certain technology changes came into play, starting with the first wings in 1968 through to modern (and at times controversial) introductions like KERS in 2009. Click past the break for the video, and check out the relevant source link for a quite literal big picture.
Toyota smashes EV record on Nurburgring, speed rivals gas-powered cars (video)
Last week, Toyota's racing team set out to break the current EV record on the Nordschleife track, part of Germany's infamous Nürburgring -- and they've done it, clocking a swift 7:47.79 seconds with the P001 electric racing car. The Peugeot EX1 EV's previous 9:01.338 record seems like a distant memory as the new contender shaved more than a minute off the time, giving even gasoline-powered vehicles a run for their money. Toyota's car is no slouch as it can reach 260km/h (174mph), with a track time that rivals the Radical SR8 LM's record breaking time of 6:48. Beating its predicted goal of eight minutes, Toyota hopes the victory will bring new awareness to electric racing and perhaps to help sell custom race cars in the future -- yes, you too might be able to cop a car with the same guts (albeit different body and chassis) as a Radical Sportscar some day. Check out the full PR after the jump.
Toyota to take on Nurburgring without a sound, aims to beat EV record
All bets are on as Toyota hits up the Nürburgring next week, hoping to shatter the existing EV speed record over all 12.9 miles of the Nordschleife, affectionately nicknamed "green hell." To break the current nine minute, 1.388 second world best, Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) is unleashing an electric race car with two motors and a top speed of 260kmph (174mph) without emissions. The Radical-based car is similar to the one used by the Racing Green Endurance team on its epic 16,000 mile road trip, only lighter thanks to lithium-ceramic batteries. The company hopes breaking the record will show racing fans just how far electric cars have come, with GM Ludwig Zeller saying, "Many people are still dreaming of an electric future for motorsport; at TMG we believe this is much closer than some think." Full details are in the PR after the break, or you can just take a detour to the Black Forest next week and check it out yourself.
Lightning Motorcycles electric bike blazes past 2010 record, joins 200 MPH Club
Bonneville, home to the world's fastest lawnmower record, has just added another notch to its land speed belt -- this time for electric motorcycles. When last we left Utah's salt flats, Mission One had claimed top honors for its all-electric bike, but that title has once again been usurped by rival Lightning. Averaging a speed of 206.079 mph, the team's Flying Banana Mk. II blazed past its 2010 record of 176.044 mph to claim the speed hog glory. The chopper's rider, Paul Thede, now gets to join the likes of 65 other inductees in Bonneville's exclusive 200 MPH Club. His award for such a hallowed distinction? Why, he got to wear the club's red hat for a whole 24 hours.
Nissan Leaf Nismo RC swaps basic comforts for a carbon fiber body and some racing good looks
Electric vehicles may have that instant torque thing going for them, but they're still a bit behind when it comes to giving heart palpitations to those diehard petrolheads. Hoping to change that perception, Nissan is setting up to unveil a brand new concept vehicle, dubbed the Leaf Nismo RC (that stands for Racing Competition, not "radio-controlled"), which strips the one-size-fits-all Leaf down to its constituent elements. The drivetrain is still 100 percent electric, however it's now powering the rear wheels instead of the front, while things like the rear seats, trunk, audio system, carpeting, and navigation have been completely removed. A carbon fiber chassis helps the Nismo RC keep weight down to 2,068 pounds (938kg), equivalent to just 60 percent of the original Leaf's heft. Yes, the Leaf is now lighter! In performance terms, you're looking at a car that can hit 62mph within 6.85 seconds, max out the speedometer at 93mph, and last a terrifying 20 minutes under racing conditions. This prototype vehicle will debut at the upcoming New York Auto Show and will thereafter help Nissan research better aerodynamics and, presumably, slightly better energy efficiency.
British Grand Prix: A rare glimpse behind the McLaren-Mercedes F1 team (video)
Jealous much? Don't be. I had to sacrifice my ears to the roaring engines at Silverstone last Friday, just for you lovely people. While the Formula One teams were taking a break from the Grand Prix practice sessions, I was able to sneak into the pit area and get up close to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' shiny stallions -- no touching allowed, naturally, but I did learn a thing or two about their pre-race preparation. And to top things off, legendary driver Jenson Button also popped by to share some thoughts on McLaren's F-duct system (a cunning and legal trickery that lets the driver's left leg redirect airflow over the rear wing in order to stall the flap, thus reducing drag when doing straights), as well as a few grumbles about the sharp corners on the recently renovated circuit. Video's after the break, and be sure to crank up your speakers for maximum sensation.%Gallery-97407%
ESRB: Death Track: Resurrection to get new life on PS3
Gaijin Entertainment Corporation plans to publish 1C's PC combat racing game Death Track: Resurrection, on PS3. At least, the publisher secured an ESRB rating for a PS3 version, which it probably wouldn't do if it didn't plan to release the game. Death Track: Resurrection, released last year, is about a violent racing competition set far in the future, in which cars have weapons and stuff. As a rookie driver, the player must make their way up the tournament ranks by driving well and not exploding. Resurrection is the sequel to a PC game, Deathtrack, created by Red Baron/Tribes developer Dynamix and originally released in 1989. That actually goes a long way toward explaining how you can have "Death Track" and "Resurrection" in the same title. It's the death track that was resurrected.
E-Wolf e1 electric race car could create new class of racing jockeys
There's certainly no shortage of hurdles to cross in building a competitive, all-electric race car, with the weight of the vehicle (and requisite battery pack) being particularly high up on the list. While the folks behind this new E-Wolf e1 vehicle have indeed managed to get the weight down to an impressive 500 kilograms (or just over 1,100 pounds), they've also taken another somewhat unique step to ensure the performance is just right: limit the weight of the driver to 150 pounds. That, combined with a 110kW, quadripolar, liquid-cooled, AC induction motor, apparently allows the car to hit 0 to 100 km/h in less than five seconds, achieve a top speed of 230 km/h, and last a full 300 kilometers on a charge. Of course, it also costs €150,000 (or over $220,000), but it is apparently street-legal, and definitely won't be mistaken for a Tesla Roadster.[Via Autoblog Green]
