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Breakfast Topic: How is vehicle combat treating you?
The other week, I finally took my druid into Ulduar for the first time. The instance has been calling to me for weeks, but my guild has only just started EoE. Having spent all our time prior to 3.1 in Naxx, we've only now got to the point when we're all in enough epics to survive for more than five minutes. So we went in, grabbed vehicles and started downing towers and other random buildings. Then it was time for a meet and greet with one F. Leviathan. Needless to say we didn't just wipe, we crashed and burned, but I found the use of vehicles interesting, even if the controls infuriated me beyond belief. I've done my time in Wintergrasp and I love it, especially when you can hitch a ride and let someone else do all the shooting (/joke). However I've always found the targeting system a little awkward. The vehicle interface in general feels clunky -- particularly when you're doing certain quests. Wintergrasp is bearable, but boss combat means you have to be more on your toes, especially when it's a team effort between the people driving and those who are unleashing hell upon Flame Leviathan and its minions. So I'm quite curious to know what you guys think of the use of vehicles in WoW. Do you like the interface? Is there enough variety? How do you find using them in PvE combat in Ulduar? What about Wintergrasp? Do you wish we could have those flying vehicles mentioned way back at the WWI? Drop your comments in the box and cast your vote in our poll below.%Poll-30123%
METROBuddy electric car debuts, kind of resembles a mail van
Looking from behind, one might assume that the METROBuddy is an electric car with style. Unfortunately, those hopes are dashed when peeking the whole whip from the side, as you suddenly become overwhelmed with hints of USPS mail van, garbage truck and a rather large protractor. Design gripes aside, our good pals over at AutoblogGreen were able to sneak a peek at the bantam automobile, which supposedly packs a range of around 50 to 75 miles on a full charge. There's been no mention yet of a price or global release (don't get your hopes up on the latter), but feel free to have a better look around in the vid just past the break.[Via AutoblogGreen]
German researchers show off steering wheel-mounted OLED
We've already seen OLED displays that promise to squeeze into a rearview mirror and other parts of a vehicle, and it looks like Germany's CARO research association has now found yet another place to stick one: right in the middle of the steering wheel. As you can see above, that would effectively replace the center emblem in the steering wheel (the gauges are just for show, apparently), which the researchers say would open up a whole host of new design possibilities for auto manufacturers -- for instance, having the center emblem light up when the door opens. They're also quick to point out that the thin nature of the OLED wouldn't affect the airbag, and power consumption would, of course, be at a minimum. As you might have guessed, however, there's no word on any automakers that have signed up just yet, although CARO does also have a new highly-readable, orange emitting OLED suitable for in-dash use for those looking to keep things a bit more conventional.
Miles Electric's totally electric family sedan one step closer to existence
Miles Electric has confirmed that it's working on a family sedan-sized all electric car for release in North America sometime next year. The car -- which will be released under a different, unknown brandname -- will be a first for the company, which specializes in neighborhood cars that only go up to about 25 miles per hour. The sedan will have a top speed of around 80 miles per hour, and a 100 mile range. It will also require 8-12 hours to fully recharge its dead lithium-ion battery. Miles is currently running the vehicle though crash tests, and expects to see about 300 of them on the road in California sometime next year. The going rate for one of these? About $45,000.
Tesla-powered Smart Fortwo gives rides, ignites imaginations
We already knew that Daimler was looking to Tesla for its battery know-how within the electric Smart, and evidently the two have already put together a working prototype. Our best buds over at AutoblogGreen have hosted up a video and photo gallery of a Tesla-powered Smart Fortwo which was recently spotted at a heretofore unnamed automotive show. Amazingly, the vehicle was actually outfitted with the motor and gear box (version 1.0) from an original Roadster, though the incommodious nature of the show floor made it impossible to peel out and really cause a scene. Check the read link for all the multimedia goodies.
Standardized EV plug could be adopted within months, says GM
Here's a more reassuring timeline for that proposed standardized plug for electric vehicles. The SAE J1772 Task Force-developed charging system, based on an initial design by supplier Yazaki, is now at Underwriters Labs for certification. That's scheduled to be done by the end of May and, if all things go according to plan, it can be adopted for use in the next few months. Speaking to Autoblog Green, General Motors' Gery Kissel listed his company, Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Tesla among those participating or supporting the standard. He also said the we-swear-it's-coming-this-year Chevy Volt should be equipped with the new plug, and Tesla's reportedly pledged to adopt it for current plans and retrofit its older models. Things are starting to look up for the EV industry.
Subaru yanks concept label, begins testing Stella plug-in EV
Anyone that follows the automobile sector with any semblance of regularity would know that quite a few concepts never make it beyond the drawing board. Thankfully, Subaru's Stella is one of the lucky ones. Fuji Heavy Industries, parent company and maker of Subaru automobiles, has just announced its plans to begin testing prototypes of its Subaru plug-in Stella electric vehicle, which will be introduced in Japan this summer. Furthermore, the company has managed to boost power output from 40kW in the previous iteration to 47kW, and it also stripped away some unnecessary weight and fine-tuned the output management system. There's no mention of a price or expected launch date in North America, but you'll never stop us from hoping the answer to the latter is "soon."
Automakers agree on common plug to recharge electric vehicles
Just hours after General Motors put forth a proposal for a standardized plug for electric vehicles, in flies this. German energy firm RWE has stated that a cadre of respected automakers and energy firms have all come together in agreement on a three-point, 400-volt plug that will enable electric cars the world over to be recharged anywhere, regardless of which recharging station they stop at. Caroline Reichert, an RWE spokeswoman, noted that the idea here is to ensure that "a car can be recharged in Italy in exactly the same way as in Denmark, Germany or France." We're told that the agreement includes nods of acceptance from the likes of Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Fiat, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Eon, Vattenfall, EDF, Npower, Endesa and Enel, and while there's no time frame for when it'll be introduced, we're pretty stoked to hear that at least something has been decided upon.
GM proposes standardized plug for electric vehicles
Say what you will about General Motors (okay, so maybe you should say it under your breath), but there's no denying the brilliance of this idea. On the company's FastLane blog, one Gery Kissel explains that engineers and suits will be meeting up next week to discuss the standardization of common components that will hopefully be installed in forthcoming electric vehicles. Notably, the SAE J1772 Task Force will be responsible for designing a plug that links each plug-in vehicle to an "ecosystem," ensuring that drivers can pull into any charging station from Key West to Neah Bay and see a socket that fits their ride. Specifically, the group is being charged with defining a "common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture for all major automakers in North America," but it remains to be seen if said standard can be hammered out before the Volt's not-to-be-missed 2010 introduction.
Video: Terrafugia's flying car lifts off
We've had a lot of fun with Terrafugia over the last year or so, but we weren't exactly holding our breath in anticipation of the Transition's maiden flight. That said, we're definitely psyched to hear that the "roadable aircraft" went airborne in a super-secret test flight that took place in the early hours of March 5th at Plattsburgh International Airport. The vehicle left the ground for a good thirty-seven seconds, traveling some 3,000 feet. At a press conference today, the company's CEO Carl Dietrich remarked that "with this achievement, Terrafugia has set the stage for personal aviation." Which, considering how folks light up I-95 on an average workday, might at first blush seem somewhat unsettling -- but to each his own, right? According to the company, more than forty people have put down the $10,000 deposit for the new aircraft, which -- if all goes according to plan -- will be hitting the road sometime in 2011. Videos after the break.[Via Slashdot]
The Queue: Procs and more on Patch 3.1
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Good morning, ladies and gents! Or afternoon for some of you. Probably evening for a few others! It's morning for me, though. That's all that matters, isn't it? Indeed. Adam is out of the office today thanks to a blizzard murdering his internet connection, so I'll be covering for him even though today is technically his turn to do The Queue. Lazy such-and-such, letting weather get in his way. Grumble.Ian R. asked...Do you think the first couple of bosses in Ulduar can be PUG'd on easy mode? Like Sartharion and Vault of Archavon?
Vehicles, 200 weapons and hospitalized writers in Champions Online
All right, so maybe the 200 mundane weapons available in Champions Online won't fit into a vehicle -- but it makes for some startling imagery. Unfortunately, according to the panel which took place last weekend at the New York Comic-con, Champions Online is unlikely to launch with drivable wheels of steel or any other form of bodacious transportation. But don't feel like all is lost, because Cryptic was quick mention that situation would be remedied soon after CO-day.(Everyone calls launch day CO-day, right?)
Rumor: Interview with a 3D modeler from Blizzard
We're going to go ahead and throw this out there, even though it's likely as fake as the 3.1 patch notes that come out a little while ago. But WotLK Wiki has an "interview" up with someone who (without any proof at all) claims to be a 3D modeler for Blizzard, and it's got some interesting info in it about a few of the future patches and the way things work behind the scenes over there.The good news is that we'll someday know if this guy's full of bull or not -- he says that the optional boss in Ulduar will be vehicle-based, and that part of the raid will deal with the boss, while the other part of the raid runs around destroying parts of the environment in vehicles. He also says there's a whole new Azjol-Nerub zone going into the game in patch 3.2, and that the next expansion will likely focus on the Maelstrom and Caverns of Time, which will send us back in time and have Sargeras and Azshara as the main baddies. This could all be complete and total boloney (most of those things have already been rumored before), but at least it's stuff we can verify in the future.The rest of his insights could just be made up, and unfortunately, he says some unkind things about a few other developers that Blizzard would probably frown upon if they were true. So take this with a metric ton of salt -- I looked around the Something Awful Ask/Tell forums to see if that's where this was originally posted, but didn't find anything, and WotLK Wiki didn't share a source at all, either. But we do have to agree with one of their sentiments: it would be nice if Blizzard was this forthcoming with some of their official outlets.
TeleNav's GPS Vehicle Tracker comes to AT&T's enterprise services
Vehicle tracking is an old trick at this point, but that's not to say there's no demand out there in the enterprise space. Announced today, the TeleNav Vehicle Tracker has been added to the carrier's portfolio of enterprise mobility services. Said GPS-enabled device can be hard-wired or embedded onto a vehicle to provide "companies of all sizes with a hassle-free method for monitoring and managing fleet operations." Specifically, it can log and report via email or SMS (on AT&T's network, obviously) when an employee violates an established policy (speed, stop time, mileage, etc.) and provide "detailed information about vehicle activity, including whether the engine is turned on or doors are open." The tracker will run customers a whopping $399, with a monthly service fee of around $34 (yes, for each device). In other words, you better be really suspicious before diving into this.[Via RCRWireless]
Production Fisker Karma gets revealed, shakes that sexy thang
Unlike another automaker out there, Fisker Automotive's eco-friendly vehicle looks a whole lot like the concept, and while the Tesla Roadster is certainly a sexy beast, we're having an exceptionally difficult time taming our fondness for this ride. The $80,000 $87,000 plug-in hybrid has been officially revealed ahead of its "debut" at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, but sadly, it seems that the '09 ship date has already slipped to "late 2010." We can't say looking at the gorgeous pictures make that fact any less depressing, but they're all there in the read link if you care to indulge.[Via CNET]
BigRedKitty: Mario Andretti Mammoth
Daniel Howell contributes BigRedKitty, a column with strategies, tips and tricks for and about the Hunter class, sprinkled with a healthy dose of completely improper, sometimes libelous, personal commentary. One more Mammoth-movie, no hissing please.The Traveler's Tundra Mammoth is a vehicle, not a mount. The difference is that a vehicle is part of your party, like a hunter-pet. This means that he can be buffed, just like any other member of your party.Hunters have a nifty party-buff called Aspect of the Pack that grants 30% increased movement speed to the hunter and all members of the hunter's party, who are within thirty yards of the hunter. Our Mammoth is a vehicle, thus, AotP buffs our Mammoth. We did this movie to show you just how fast a 130% Mammoth is.Mammoths can accept any buff, like Water Walking! And if you have a party of five people, all on Mammoths, and member of that party is a hunter with Aspect of the Pack cooking, all five Mammoth-riders will be riding at 130%! Who needs Paladins anymore! You are invited to download the YouTube version (26MB) of this movie here, and the full-sized version (42MB) here.As always, a great big Thank You to the WoW Insider editors for allowing us to publish this movie both here and on our little blog at the same time! Nobody covers raid Hunters like BRK. Looking for more Hunter goodness? Check out our non-raid Hunter column, Scattered Shots or the WoW Insider Directory of Hunter Guides.
Chrysler's Web Edition vehicle package: includes WiFi, iPod touch and a Dell Mini 9
Chrysler has been toying with in-car connectivity for months now, so it's really no shock to see the next logical step being taken. At the San Francisco Auto Show this week, the automaker is set to showcase a "Web Edition" package, which would theoretically be available as a dealer-installed option for most Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. The bundle would include an Autonet Mobile router (branded as Uconnect Web), a Dell Mini 9, 8GB iPod touch, Sony PSP and an Eye-Fi WiFi SD card; couple that with one year of internet service and you've got everything that makes up the $1,999 asking price. Reportedly, a slimmed down option will go for $1,100 and only include the router, service and Mini 9, though there's no indication of when it'll be hitting new whips. Nor if Chrysler will survive long enough to tell us.
Fujitsu development enables real-time wraparound vehicle view
Fujitsu and automotive safety advancements go hand-in-hand, so it's no shock whatsoever to hear that the outfit is fixing to showcase a new technology that enables wraparound view of vehicles in real-time. The new video-processing technology "adapts to different driving situations, enabling the driver to peripherally view the entire surroundings of a vehicle, from the point of view and field of view that is most appropriate for each driving situation." Obviously, such an inclusion would come in handy when parking downtown, passing on a narrow street and / or watching your back should real life ever mimic something straight out of GTA IV. Unfortunately, there's no word as to when an automaker will begin infusing its automobiles with this here invention, but our insurance premiums are begging for it to be sooner rather than later.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Ferrari's Scuderia Spider 16M to integrate customized iPod touch
We've already seen one luxury car concept utilize an iPhone for displaying automotive information as well as managing the entertainment end of things, but the photo you see above isn't just conceptual. In fact, Ferrari will build 499 of its ultra-limited Scuderia Spider 16Ms, and for those who choose, it can be outfitted with an iPod touch dock right in the center of the dashboard. The 16GB touch will feature Ferrari themes, images and sounds, and of course, fortunate buyers can remove the PMP after having it parked in the garage. There's no word yet on how pricey the iPod touch upgrade is nor how expensive the whip itself will be, but the standard iteration of the car rings up at $277,000. You know, just so you have a frame of reference.[Via Engadget Spanish]
Audi confirms pure electric car, will likely be based on VW Up! concept
With an electric MINI Cooper just around the bend, a Twin Drive hybrid Volkswagen landing in 2010 and Chevrolet's Volt rolling into showrooms in a matter of months, Audi's ten-year plan is looking a little awkward. Though we've yet to hear that it's actually speeding things up, Peter Schwarzenbauer, who sits on the management board at Ingolstadt, recently confirmed that the company would be offering "a pure electric car" sometime in the future. Additionally, rumors of it being based on the A1 were dashed, opening the door for speculation that it will instead be built around the VW Up! (Lupo) concept. Here's hoping we find our prior to 2018.[Via Autoblog]
