After a week of driving the 2010 Toyota Prius, we got into it one morning to find the gas gauge only showing one little digital bar. But a quick check of the range showed we could go another 45 miles, which is what the Prius is all about. At a consistent 50 mpg in real-world driving, this car sips gas. Toyota made a few improvements to the cabin tech, as well, but we were left wanting more, as other companies have raised the bar quite high.
Just like the LG Watch, we are a 21st century product for the 21st century consumer. Which means we exist now for people who exist now. Sigh. Ryan Block of Gdgt joins us to talk about an algorithm to steal your Social Security number and how Gmail finally came outta beta! Yay! Bad times and good times all in one. Now if only we could get those implants for cell phones. In our neck people, in our neck!
Listen now: Download today's podcast Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video) EPISODE 1013Toyota Motor plans to start mass-producing plug-in hybrid cars in 2012, according a report.
The Japanese business newspaper Nikkei said on Saturday that the first year's production is expected to be about 20,000 to 30,000 cars.
Toyota earlier last year said that it plans to start testing 500 plug-in hybrid Priuses in 2010 for fleet owners.
Current Priuses use nickel metal hydride batteries, but for its plug-in vehicles Toyota plans to use lithium ion batteries developed and made through a joint venture with Panasonic.
The plug-in hybrid cars from Toyota will be able to go between 12 … Read more
With the July 4 holiday upon us, the citizens of the United States will be celebrating American traditions such as freedom, family and barbecue. Well, I can think of a couple of other American traditions worth celebrating such as muscle cars and the thrill of a race. And in today's video we get both traditions as we celebrate racing with the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am.
This fun vid is almost like a mini-movie. First, we get an evolutionary slideshow of some the beautiful birds from the past, set to the theme from WWE's Undertaker (ooh, scary!). Then we … Read more
Last week, we told you about Mindflex, a Mattel toy that lets players move objects with their brains. This week comes word that the same technology is making its way into a more functional application--a wheelchair that users can maneuver with thought alone.
Toyota has developed the wheelchair in collaboration with researchers in Japan. The system analyzes brain wave data using signal-processing technology and delivers neuro-feedback to the driver.
Brain wave-detecting technology, or electroencephalography (EEG), isn't new. In layman's terms, a device, usually a cap wired with sensors, detects a person's brain waves. That information is analyzed by a computer and applied to the device in question. Scientists have pursued the technology for decades, but have had difficulty achieving short response times, explains the Associated Press.
Toyota's mind-controlled wheelchair, however, has what appears to be the quickest response time yet: 125 milliseconds, or 125 thousandths of a second. The user can almost instantly steer right, left, and forward. To stop, the person in the chair must puff up a cheek, a motion that's then detected by the headpiece.
Because of this quick response time, plans are under way to turn the wheelchair into a commercial health care product. The most practical use would be for rehabilitation patients who have been paralyzed, suffered a stroke, or have other conditions that hinder their muscle control. So far, the research has centered on brain waves related to imaginary hand and foot control. However, Toyota hopes the system could ultimately be applied to brain waves generated by emotions. … Read more
There's an old joke, part of which says that in hell, the cooks are English. If that's true, then today's news suggests our world is far from fiery. Aston Martin has taken Toyota's iQ small car platform and built a luxury commuter car.
Aston Martin suggests the iQ-based concept Cygnet would work like a yacht's tender to a DB9, DBS, or Vantage. There is even a suggestion in Aston Martin's press release that the Cygnet could be sold as an option to one of Aston Martin's bigger cars.
We like the idea that … Read more
The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937, and is currently one the world's largest automakers.
The announcement comes on the heels of a massive tree-planting event held over the weekend in Bangalore. Thirty thousand trees were planted by 6,000 volunteers at the event.
(Source: Toyota Motor)
News circulated on the Internet today about a new hybrid Toyota sports car and a hybrid BMW sedan. Spy photos show the BMW 755ih, a hybrid version of the 7-series, driving the streets of Munich. The car uses the 750i's twin turbo 4.4-liter V-8 complemented by a small 20 horsepower electric motor. BMWBlog says the hybrid system reduces the V-8's fuel consumption by 15 percent. The 755ih should be unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show.
The egmCarTech blog reports that Toyota is working on a hybrid sports car to be released in 2011. Over the past … Read more
GM and Chrysler's troubles seem to have quieted the crowd that consistently suggests buying anything other than American cars is not patriotic, at least temporarily, but a new tool put online by the New York Times shows the concept of an American car is muddy, at best. Your truck may sport a bow-tie, but that doesn't mean it wasn't built in Mexico. And although your sedan's hood might be adorned with a stylized T, its major parts and final assembly may have as little to do with Japan as Texas barbecue.
Toyota is the current king of hybrids, selling more than any other automaker. In this episode of CNET's The Green Show, Brian Cooley shows you just how Toyota's Synergy hybrid power train is put together.
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CNET's Galaxy S4 giveaway spectacular!
CNET's publishing another supercharged e-book. "Mastering the Galaxy S4" is almost here, so we're celebrating with a huge S4-related giveaway.
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