It isn’t very often we talk about cars here at Gadgetell, but this device seems to be a worthy exception. The device is the Mavia from Mavizon Technologies, and it let’s you get every bit of information from your car and will also help you in the event of an accident. The Mavia connects to more »

Ford has teamed up with Google and is now using the Google Prediction API to optimize cars output. Ford believes that using the cloud can make their cars better by aggregating data, perform scaled computations and ultimately result in greater efficiency. “The Google Prediction API allows us to utilize information that an individual driver creates more »

Surprisingly, Audiovox had something somewhat exciting to announce at their CES press conference. Despite the company’s name, the interesting product is actually focused on cars and smartphones. CarLink is an app that will activate remote start in your car from anywhere in the world. It has four simple functions: remote start, lock, unlock and alarm more »

Toyota isn’t about to let Ford take all the credit for having a built-in system for apps a streaming music. At CES Toyota unveiled it’s competitor to Sync, Toyota Entune. Toyota Entune uses your phone to connect to the Internet for a variety of services. The apps Toyota seems really proud of are Bing, Pandroa, more »

After declaring bankruptcy, the new General Motors Corporation is looking for ways to rebuild their company. A new program being launched by GM is a sales agenda that will include making the entire GM fleet available for purchase online through eBay. GM had previously sold certified pre-owned cars through the auction site, but this new more »

American’s are begging for alternative energy sources as of late, especially in their cars if it’ll save them money over time (see the several months you have to wait for a new Prius). Hydrogen to many seems to be the next sustainable energy source. Only one problem: there are only 60 stations for hydrogen across the country, only two of which do not require an appointment. Thanks to this, the country’s first hydrogen cross country trip required flatbed trucks to carry the car when it ran out of fuel. Part of the point of the trip was apparently to show that in order for hydrogen to become viable more stations are needed, and I guess they accomplished that. Traveling 1,000 miles or more on a flatbed truck severely increases the carbon footprint of hydrogen cars.

Held just this past week in San Jose was the Plug-In 2008 conference; where automakers, utilities, battery manufacturers, and academics, along with plug-in advocates from all over, were all there with one goal in mind: how to figure out how to get these cars on the road in big numbers. They realize that this change isn’t going to be simple, whether needed in many ways or not. The automakers have to figure out a way to market the technology to consumers who for the most part know nothing about it. On the part of utilities, they have to develop the infrastructure that would enable millions of people without a garage to plug in their cars. And it’s up to all of them to figure out a way to make the vehicles affordable. Joe Consumer probably isn’t going to buy it if it costs as much as the Batmobile, even if it does save him on gas.

Some of the main issues tackled at the conference addressed just these concerns. First and foremost obviously being, that you have the advocates claiming how the electric cars will save the planet. Hurrah! While most of us by this point are kind of selfishly just wanting something that doesn’t cost so darn much every time we go to the gas station. Hey, this way we can save the earth and our stomachs. Win/win.

Those staggeringly high numbers at the gas pumps got you down? Well, then you just may be especially interested in BMW’s latest brainchild, their remake of the Mini Cooper. Over the next 18 months, BMW plans to use several hundred of their Mini’s to test electric powertrains. They haven’t leaked much detail-wise, regarding motors or batteries; although they say details will will be forthcoming by the end of the year.

However, the plans to test are just that…tests. They don’t plan to roll them out onto the assembly line for consumer purchase any time soon. Finally jumping on the environmentally-friendly bandwagon that the other Big Two German car makers, Volkswagen and Daimler, are already on, BMW is now committing to testing completely electric vehicles, but not quite ready to take the plunge to actually market them. As for hybrid cars that use a traditional gasoline engine combined with an electric motor, they should arrive “at the end of next year,” a company spokesperson for BWM was quoted as saying.

This isn’t your grandmother’s car anymore. Stuck in traffic and tired of staring at the guy in the car next to you picking his nose? Well then maybe it’s time to shop for a Chrysler. Starting in 2009, Chrysler plans to include a new in-dash system called UConnect in all of it’s vehicles. This technology more »

Suzuki has recently announced that they will be incorporating a free Garmin GPS in every 2009 SX4 as a standard option. Within the car will be a special compartment called “T.R.I.P”, in which the GPS will be housed. T.R.I.P stands for Travel, Real-time traffic, Information and Play, hey that’s clever, Suzuki. Otherwise, the GPS comes more »