Electric vehicle batteries are big, heavy, and expensive. Volvo hopes to tackle all three problem with one creative solution: body panels that double as car batteries.

The vehicle manufacturer is working with the Imperial College in London on a materials development project that may ultimately turn the entire vehicles into an ultra-light batteries. As part of the project, Volvo and Imperial college built a composite blend of carbon fibers (much like what is found in fishing rods and tennis rackets) and polymer resin that is supposedly strong, flexible, and light enough to be used in body panels. According to Volvo, the new material could slash the weight of EVs by up to 15%. Volvo’s carbon fiber can also charge up faster than traditional EV batteries.

The material development project is still in the beginning stages, and Volvo and Imperial College are still figuring out how to mass produce the carbon fiber blend. But within the next three years, Volvo will attempt to convert a vehicle’s spare wheel recess into a composite battery. Volvo researcher Per-Ivar Sellergren says, “This is a relatively large structure that is easy to replace. Not sufficiently large to power the entire car, but enough to switch the engine off and on when the car is at a standstill, for instance at traffic lights.” In the next 10 years, Volvo might start commercially producing the material in everything from vehicle roofs to dashboards. Volvo claims that the composite material is strong and crash-resistant.

If the project is successful, the future of such technology is limitless. For instance, mobile phones will be able to be as slim as credit cards and laptops will manage longer without needing to be recharged.

Nissan has recently announced the latest piece of must-have kit for the iPhone – a ground-breaking self-healing iPhone case. The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case features the brand’s pioneering self-healing paint finish, a world first in paint technology developed in 2005 and already used on a number of Nissan and Infiniti models. Now, this ground-breaking technology has been applied to a product that’s prone to scratches through everyday use – the smartphone.

Developed by Nissan in collaboration with University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc., the unique Scratch Shield paint finish was initially designed for automotive use and is available on the Nissan Murano, 370Z and X-Trail along with the Infiniti range of products. Now, thanks to Nissan’s pioneering approach, this technology is being trialled for the first time on a non-automotive product in Europe.

The Scratch Shield paint is made from polyrotaxane, which has a chemical structure that is able to react and change back to its original shape and fill the gap that results from a fine scratch. Small scratches can heal in as little as an hour, while more severe scratches can take up to a week. Aside from its self-healing properties, Nissan says the Scratch Shield paint also provides a surface that is more gel-like and easier to grip than the glossy surface produced by conventional paint.

Under the outer paint layer, Nissan says it has also borrowed other automotive engineering technologies in developing the Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case. This includes the use of ABS plastic, a high grade material widely used in the automotive industry that the company says enables a more rigid, robust and tighter-fitting case.

An initial batch of prototype Scratch Shield iPhone cases have been provided to selected journalists and customers for BETA testing and, if demand proves strong, Nissan plans to release the cases compatible with the iPhone 4 and 4S for sale to the public later this year.

The voice package was developed with the help of Sesame Workshop and Locutio Voice Technologies, and is available now for all compatible TomTom devices. There’s currently no word on whether other Sesame Street characters’ voices will be released, though more could be on the way at some point.

Among the many other voice talents available for download are Mr. T, Burt Reynolds, Yoda, and even Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. For more voices by TomTom Click Here.

Japanese automaker, Toyota who aims to lead the future mobile world through integration of vehicle, home and information communication technologies has announced that the company will join effort with Intel to work together to define the next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems that will enable new usage models for mobile device connectivity in the car.

With the car becoming an extension of today’s digital lifestyle, Intel and Toyota are working together to adapt features that drivers and passengers use in the latest consumer electronic devices to an automotive environment.

“Intel has been conducting research related to the connected car for years, and with the support of Toyota, we will extend that research to advanced services that will benefit the driver and passengers in many ways,” said Staci Palmer, general manager of Intel’s Automotive Solutions Division.

“Through this joint effort, we hope to improve the driving experience by enabling a seamless connection between mobile devices and the vehicle so when brought together, they naturally adapt and work in harmony,” he added.

Intel and Toyota aim to integrate advanced technologies in the vehicle in a more intuitive manner that reduces driver distraction.

To accomplish this, the companies will focus research on developing a user interaction methodology including touch, gesture and voice technologies as well as information management for the driver.

Intel will also work to optimize these features and services using the performance of the Intel® Atom™ processor family.

The companies will also explore emerging connectivity technologies and effective ways to integrate vehicles with the home to provide a seamless connection across all areas of people’s lives.

With a reported 1,022 vehicle accidents and 19 rapes happening daily in Malaysia, emergencies and crimes are statistically on the rise in our country. Now, there’s a solution to help manage that and keep people safe on and off the road, thanks to Emergency Assistance & Response Services (EARs), now available nationwide.

EARs is a nationwide personal safety and automotive assistance service, ready to aid anyone who find themselves lost, stranded or in need of emergency personal or automotive help. EARs also comes packaged with a free iPhone application affectionately known as the “EARsAlert2”, which allows users to seek for help at the touch of a button.

The technology was developed since 2009 and this revamped version has now been fine-tuned to meet different needs, including a 5-second auto alert. The app is now available on iTunes for iPhone users to download for free, and users can play around with the app in demo mode without an account. The app will soon be available for other smartphones.

“EARs was conceptualized mainly because I have many friends and family members who have experienced vehicle breakdowns or personal crimes, or who have had their car stolen,” said Edwin Ong, Chief Executive Officer, EARs. “Although there are services for each of the situations I’ve just mentioned, these services tend to work independently of one another, hence I felt the need for an all-in-one total solution for personal and automotive assistance, leveraging on a mobile device which many of us already have.”

A service like EARs also addresses the emotional and psychological needs of individuals who are disoriented by such experiences. Individuals may be in shock or injured, uncertain of their whereabouts or frustrated from having to contact many different parties for help, such as family members and friends, auto services and tow trucks, among others.

EARs simplifies the entire process – just tap on the icon and a signal is immediately sent within 5 seconds to EARs which identifies your name and pinpoints your location via GPS. You will receive a call from an EARs agent within a short timeframe to ascertain your condition and safety, and to confirm what kind of emergency service or assistance you need. The agent will then contact the relevant service providers to assist you. At the same time, EARs will also alert five of your closest contacts to inform them about your situation. If you were involved in an accident, EARs is also able to assist with police reporting, workshop coordinations for repairs and insurance claims, if needed.

In the event of a personal emergency such as a kidnapping case, if the EARs app is launched and the person is not contactable by the agent, the five closest contacts are immediately alerted via SMS and one primary contact is contacted to act upon the situation, armed with important information like location coordinates. These are the people who care the most about you and will definitely be the fastest to respond and do whatever it takes to help you.

A Necessary Service
Emergency services are increasingly necessary as statistics on crime and vehicle accidents keep rising:
• In 2008, there were a total of 373,047 vehicle accidents which resulted in 6,527 deaths.
• In 2009, there was a 15% increase in crimes, totalling 198,622 or 544 reported cases per day. Every day, there was at least one murder, 19 cases of rape, 243 stolen vehicles.
• In 2010, there were 1022 vehicle accidents per day (or the equivalent of one accident every 1 minute and 44 seconds).

“In light of statistics like these, we believe that EARs will bring great peace of mind to many Malaysians,” said Ong. “People can be assured that there’s someone they can call on at any time of the day who will be able to help them, regardless of whether they need a tow truck or personal assistance.”

Besides the average Malaysian, EARs is also available for travellers or people who are renting cars temporarily; Being unfamiliar with their surroundings, they would find this service especially helpful and convenient in the event of an emergency.

Kindly log on to www.ears.my to find out more about the full range of services offered by EARs, or to register for the service and stand a chance to win a brand new iPhone 4S! For Malaysians, choose from the Breakdown and Assistance (BRASS) plus Personal Alert (PAL) combined packages at only RM75 per year or RM10 per month.

You can also try out the service by registering for a one-week membership at only RM5 by sending a text SMS “ON EARS 5” to 36660 for immediate sign-ups! For non-Malaysians, please visit our website for more information on how you can benefit from EARs as well.

Honda has been very silent about Asimo, its super-advanced humanoid robot, in recent years. After introducing the first version in 2000, Honda showed several versions through 2005, until the company finally took the wraps off a new version earlier today in Tokyo. This model is the thinnest, fastest, and most “intelligent” ASIMO yet.

At 48kg, the Asimo that was shown is 6kg lighter than the previous model. He now has 57 joints in his body (23 more) and walks at 9km/h (instead of 6km/h). The company has also developed a new task performing robotic arm that can be used where humans and the humanoid robot may not fit. These and future developments are now under the “Honda Robotics” collective name.

According to Honda the all-new ASIMO has taken a step forward from being an operator-controlled “automatic machine” to an “autonomous machine” with the ability to make decisions based on its surroundings, including the movements of people. For the latest model Honda engineers addressed three key factors to make ASIMO autonomous. Honda’s criteria for the next ASIMO included:

1. High level balancing ability – maintaining its posture by putting out its leg in an instant.
2. External recognition capability – takes in information, such as the movements of people, from multiple sensors and predicts the changes that may take place.
3. The ability to generate autonomous behavior – making predictions from gathered information and determine the next movement without being controlled by an operator.

Advanced intelligence capability
The latest system uses multiple sensors to predict the environment and program the robot to respond correctly. If a collision with a person of stationary object is predicted ASIMO can recalculate its path to avoid a collision. ASIMO is able to recognize faces and voices, much like the latest digital cameras and in-car infotainment systems.

Advanced physical ability
Honda engineers strengthened ASIMO’s legs and gave them increased range of movement. The newest design allows ASIMO’s leg to change course mid-step allowing it to gain a better food hold on uneven terrain or avoid a collision.

Improved task-performing ability
The engineering team created “a highly functional compact multi-fingered hand.” The new hand has tactile and force sensors in each finger and in the palm that enable ASIMO to pick up a glass bottle and remove the cap or hold a paper cup without crushing it. The new ASIMO can also make complex sign language expressions.

Task-performing robot arm
The company also created a “task performing robot arm.” The robot arm can be remotely controlled to be used in tight or dangerous spaces. It uses some of the same technologies found in ASIMO including the stability control technology and multi-joint control technology.

Check out the new ASIMO in action below.

Having designed everything from watches and suits, to men’s fragrances and hybrid bicycles, Porsche Design, the studio founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1972, is now looking for its next challenge in the area of designer smartphones.

Porsche Design and Research in Motion (RIM), parent company of the BlackBerry brand, has announced the Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry smart phone and is the design firm’s first custom smart phone.

Aside from brandishing the Porsche Design logos across the top of its screen, the P’9981 employs many of the studio’s characteristic styling motifs. The frame is made from forged stainless steel, and sports a flat, though not quite brushed-metal, finish. The back cover is hand-wrapped in leather, and the QWERTY keyboard is sculpted to look sleeker, with the power and menu buttons flush with the touch screen for a streamlined look.

The P’9981 runs on the BlackBerry 7 operating system, and makes use of BlackBerry’s latest browser along with a Porsche Design-exclusive user interface. The phone is powered by a 1.2-GHz processor with HD video recording ability as well as 24-bit high-res graphics are also included on its distinguished list of features.

On-board memory is capped at 8GB, though memory is expandable up to 40GB with a micro SD card. The Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app is made possible by the phone’s various sensors and can display real-time images of the surrounding area, complete with user-generated points of interest and other interactive features.

The P’9981 will be available at Porsche Design stores later this year. The word on the street is that it will have a limited run with a retail price of around USD $2,000.

From Left: En Azman Ismail (Managing Director of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd), Team Malaysia – Mr Tan Moh Chuan (Johor), Mr Lee Chee Koon (Selangor) and Ms Deborah Tan Ai Jern (Penang); Fahrin Ahmad, Shell FuelSave Ambassador (Malaysia), and Mr Leslie Ng, Retail National Sales Manager of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd.

Three Malaysian drivers have competed against motorists from four other countries, namely Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand – in a bid to be crowned as the region’s top Shell FuelSave Team in the recently concluded Shell FuelSave 1 Litre Challenge, held in Sepang International Circuit.

Team Shell FuelSave Malaysia, made up of the 2011 Regional Shell FuelSave Challenge Winners; Mr Tan Moh Chuan (Johor), Ms Deborah Tan Ai Jern (Penang) and Mr Lee Chee Koon (Selangor) finished third with an average score of 15.749 km/litre. The teams were tasked to complete a drive Challenge that included pit stops to represent a normal day’s journey using only 1 litre of Shell FuelSave 95.

Encik Azman Ismail, Managing Director of Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd and Shell Timur Sdn Bhd said: “It was great to see all Asia’s Shell FuelSave Teams come together at Shell Eco-marathon but especially good to see our own team members do so well in the 1 Litre Challenge. Everyone who attended learnt a great deal about how to be more fuel efficient – it’s now up to all of us to show other drivers in Malaysia how easy it can be to start saving fuel and money today.”

Penang’s lass, Ms Deborah Tan Ai-Jern also achieved the highest individual score of 16.91km per litre during Asia’s Shell 1 Litre Challenge beating out 18 other participants. “When I named to Team Malaysia, I didn’t expect that there was more in store for me,” said Ms Deborah Tan Ai-Jern. “The Shell FuelSave makeover session by John and Helen Taylor as well as the opportunity to share experiences with Shell FuelSave Teams from other countries has been a truly exhilarating experience. It has enabled me put into practice what I have been thought and to stretch my ringgit even further. I am looking forward to share this newfound knowledge with my family and friends.”

The three members of Shell FuelSave Malaysia received training from a team of fuel economy experts, including Guinness World Record holders, John and Helen Taylor. Fahrin Ahmad, the Shell FuelSave Ambassador for Malaysia also shared a few tips with the team prior to their Challenge. The training was designed to turn them from fuel spenders into expert fuel savers.

Their new skills were then put to the ultimate test in a head to head driving challenge with Shell FuelSave Teams from across Asia, to see which team could travel the furthest on a single litre of Shell FuelSave.

As well as learning various driving tips that can help them to save fuel, the Shell FuelSave Teams were given an insight to the groundbreaking fuel economy formula contained in Shell FuelSave 95 which is the specially designed to help drivers save up to 1 litre per tank at no extra cost.

“It’s great to once again be part of the fuel economy makeover together with fellow Shell FuelSave Ambassadors from Hong Kong and Singapore as well as John and Helen Taylor,” said Fahrin Ahmad, Shell FuelSave Ambassador. “This time around the session was delivered with a more practical approach which I believe will resonate more with every day drivers. I look forward to working closely with Tan, Lee and Deborah in educating more motorists on how to save fuel and further stretch their Ringgit.”

The three team members from Malaysia will now lead a campaign to inspire the nation’s drivers to be more fuel efficient. To do so, they will use their own fuel economy training and experiences to show how choosing the right fuel and making a few simple changes to driving habits can help anyone cut valuable Ringgit from their weekly fuel bill.

They will also take part in a Guinness World Record attempt for the ‘Largest Fuel Efficiency Masterclass’ to be held in approximately 10 countries simultaneously on Shell FuelSave Day on 15th October.

Shell FuelSave Thailand was crowned as the region’s Shell FuelSave 1 Litre Challenge winner with an average score of 15.952 km/litre, followed closely by Singapore team with an average score of 15.856 km/litre. Shell FuelSave Hong Kong came in fourth with an average score of 15.631 km/litre, while Shell FuelSave Philippines came in at fifth place with an average of 15.136 km/litre.

The state of Nevada has passed Bill Number 511, which authorizes executives at the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to begin coming up with a set of rules of the road for autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles. It looks like self-driving cars may be on the road sooner than most people had thought — at least in Nevada.

This is the first step in what could be a lengthy process in getting autonomous cars, which are designed to use artificial intelligence, computer sensors and GPS instead of human drivers, on the roads.

But the move must be seen as good news to companies such as Google and General Motors, along with researchers at institutions such as Stanford, Cornell and Carnegie Mellon University. All of these organizations have been working on autonomous cars.

Google’s self-driving car reportedly logged 140,000 miles in California, driving around Lake Tahoe, across the Golden Gate Bridge and along the Pacific Coast Highway. The test were done with a trained driver and software engineer on board

Self-driving cars have been the focus of high-tech contests sponsored by U.S. government’s military research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA. The race pits teams of researchers from universities like Virginia Tech, Stanford and Cornell, against each other as they test their robotic vehicles on a long course.

Work on robotic cars has advanced to the point that one Stanford researcher said developing self-driving cars could help the U.S. auto industry take back its global leadership role, and maybe even save the industry as a whole.

Technology, specifically artificial intelligence, could revolutionize what automobiles are able to do, said Sebastian Thrun, a professor of computer science and director of the artificial intelligence laboratory at Stanford.

No word on when we can start to see Google’s automated Priuses and Audi TTs cruising around without human input, but it should be soon.

Skeptics should have a look at the video below for an explanation behind the car and see one in action. It’s pretty amazing.

The first of McLaren’s 35 dealerships set to open in 2011 opens its doors tomorrow in London’s prestigious One Hyde Park. It will be the first of 35 dealerships McLaren will open this year around the world.

Although the MP12-4C is not McLaren’s first foray into street legal super cars it will offer more than four times the sales and service support than it did with the F1 and its eight worldwide dealerships. This time instead of flying a technician to the owner of the car or service center McLaren claims it “is stocking its retail network with a spare of every serviceable part for the MP4-12C.” McLaren calls it “its ‘pit stop’ service concept that ensures fast and efficient repair.”

Good thing too because the MP4-12C is the first in a full lineup of carbon-fiber based sports cars McLaren has planned – all with higher production numbers than the F1. Production for the MP4-12C alone is planned for 1,000 units just this year – significantly higher than the F1’s production run of 106 cars over a seven year (1992-1998) period. McLaren plans to increase total production to 4,000 cars per year by mid decade when their full model lineup is complete.

Two more British dealerships will open soon: Manchester on June 30 and Birmingham on July 5. By year’s end McLaren’s dealerships will have 35 locations in 19 countries:

• Europe: UK (Birmingham, London, Manchester); Germany (Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich); Benelux (Brussels); France (Monaco, Paris); Italy (Milan); Spain (Madrid), Switzerland (Zürich)

• North America: Canada (Toronto); USA (Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Newport Beach, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa)

• Middle East / South Africa: UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai); Qatar; Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh); Bahrain; South Africa (Johannesburg)

• Asia Pacific: Hong Kong; Singapore; Australia (Sydney); Japan (Tokyo, Osaka)