Week-end

Mitsubishi has reduced UK pricing for the i-MiEV for deliveries from January 1st 2011. It still has a high price tag, however: £28,990, though it does qualify for a government incentive of £5000 thus bringing it down to £23,990. The  i-MiEV has been trialled successfully in the UK for three years now; it is on sale through Mitsubishi’s Electric Vehicle Centre in central London.

• It’s the little things: Federal-Mogul has developed new piston rings for direct-injection petrol engines which cut internal friction by 15% and halve oil consumption. Fuel consumption’s reduced as well.

• BMW’s Megacity has been developed for an extra-long life; it has half the number of parts of  a conventional car, making maintenance easy, and with replacement batteries, is projected to live for decades. Lengthy background on the Megacity at Autocar, plus the low-down on its construction. All-electric versions expected first, but range-extended models with a two-cylinder, 1.0-litre engine are under consideration.

• DIY EV of the day: the rather striking-looking, stripped-out electric Porsche 928 of Jeff McCabe. Video by Green Overdrive at Inhabitat.com.

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