motor

From the library to the golf course, the idea of personal robots that follow its masters around seems to be ready for prime time. And nowhere would they be more convenient than for luggage.

Alas, that day has yet to come, but a company called Live Luggage is taking a step in the right direction. Calling its showcase product "the world's first power-assisted suitcase," the luggage has built-in motors in the wheels and an "Anti-Gravity handle" that supposedly distributes weight in all the right places, according to CrunchGear.

The motors power up only when the … Read more

Tesla Motors' case against Fisker Automotive over allegedly stolen electric car designs is scheduled to go to arbitration.

The San Mateo Superior Court on Wednesday granted Fisker Automotive's request for arbitration, according to the court's records. A case management conference is scheduled for later in August.

Tesla filed a complaint against Henrik Fisker's design company, Fisker Coachbuild, in April, accusing the company of copying its luxury sedan designs.

The suit said that Fisker and Bernhard Koehler, Fisker Coachbuild's chief operating officer, accepted the contract "to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then … Read more

A Texas company is offering a glimpse of a high-end hydrogen-gasoline sportscar it hopes to sell by the fall.

Rather than using fuel cells to power an electric motor, the Scorpion from Ronn Motor Company would have an internal combustion engine burning both gasoline and hydrogen, achieving 40 highway miles per gallon.

Unlike with a hydrogen fuel cell car, the Scorpion's "hydrogen on demand" system wouldn't require a high-pressure hydrogen storage tank. Nor would a driver need to find and fill up at a hydrogen fueling station.

Instead, electricity from the Scorpion's alternator sends an … Read more

BusinessWeek selected the perfect headline to sum up General Motors' about-face: "Small is the new big."

In recent months, CEO Rick Wagoner has signaled that change was in the offing and that the company's future depended upon more fuel-efficient vehicles. (Check out this interview we did with him at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.) With the stock approaching a 26-year low, there's more than the usual urgency to shake things up.

So it was that today GM announced reversed its years-old strategy in what likely was a surrender to $4-plus gasoline prices at the pump … Read more

Fisker Automotive is seeking a speedy end to a lawsuit filed against it by electric-sports car rival Tesla Motors.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Fisker said it has filed for arbitration, a motion that will be decided by the San Mateo Superior Court by June 11, 2008.

The contract between Fisker and Tesla had a clause that required that any disputes be handled through arbitration in the Orange County, Calif., within 90 days, according to Fisker. Tesla filed its suit against Fisker in San Mateo Superior Court.

By filing a motion to compel arbitration, Fisker is trying to avoid … Read more

NEW YORK--Fisker Automotive intends to file for arbitration on Tuesday in a legal counterattack to a suit filed against it by Tesla Motors over allegedly stolen trade secrets.

Henrik Fisker told CNET News.com that the filing will seek to have the Tesla suit derailed because it was filed in San Mateo, Calif., which would be a breach of contract.

Fisker Automotive will seek to move the case to Orange County, Calif., and detail the flaws in Tesla's legal case. He spoke here at the CleanTech Conference put on by Merriman, Curhan, and Ford.

Last month, Tesla sued Fisker Automotive, … Read more

Tesla Motors opened its first dealership in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday, attracting a gaggle of reporters.

The location of the site in the tony Westwood neighborhood reflects the high-end shopping experience it intends to create for the flashy $109,000 Tesla Roadster. The next store, slated to open in San Carlos, Calif. in a couple months, will be set up to appeal to the Silicon Valley tech elite.

The company told the Associated Press that it is impressed with demand: it has taken 600 orders for the Roadster and has a waiting list of another 400. CEO Elon Musk … Read more

Electric-car maker Tesla Motors has filed suit against a competitor, claiming the company stole trade secrets and copied design ideas.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in San Mateo County Superior Court in California. Tesla hired Henrik Fisker, CEO of car design firm Fisker Coachbuild, last year to design the body of its all-electric WhiteStar sedan. In the suit, Tesla alleges that Fisker and Fisker Coachbuild Chief Operating Officer Bernhard Koehler accepted the contract "to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then announced a competing vehicle," according to a New York Times article.

Last year, Tesla … Read more

Which came first? Hydrogen fuel-cell cars or hydrogen filling stations? The answer depends on who you ask. General Motors yesterday called for a "collective resolve" to address the problem of infrastructure to support fuel-cell powered cars. Speaking at the National Hydrogen Association's annual meeting, GM's R&D honcho Larry Burns said that the situation with regard to fuel-cell cars had "now reached a point where the energy industry and governments must pick up their pace so we can continue to advance in a timely manner."

The other problem--which Burns failed to mention-- is … Read more