The Stonecutters are gonna be pissed.

If you have an E46 BMW 3-series with a blown engine and $15k just lying around, you might be interested in this electric vehicle conversion kit:

At the heart of the system are three banks of non-volatile (fire-proof) lithium-ion phosphate batteries which store 30-35KWh of energy. One pack is located under the hood along with the 500hp motor and its controller (which also handles regenerative braking), the second pack is located under the trunk (in the spare tire area), and the third is located under the car along with the charging system (presumably replacing the gas tank). There are two range options — 100 miles and 180 miles (rated at a constant speed of 65mph) — the latter sacrificing some luggage space in the trunk.

Performance is impressive, at least on paper: 0-60mph in less than 6 seconds with a top speed of over 120mph. The kit provides a generous 300hp and 300ft/lb of torque, matching the specs of BMW’s current 335i. It only takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the batteries from a 60A circuit and the 12KW charging system uses a standard J1772 socket compatible with both Level 1 (110V) and Level 2 (240V) charging stations. Donor cars can be either automatic or manual, the latter usually operating in second gear (and fourth gear on the highway).

As is the case with most new tech, it’s not exactly cost-effective¹, but it’s still really cool.

Automation.

Via /., Volkswagen just tested out a semi-self-driving car:

The system maintains a safe distance to the vehicle ahead, drives at a speed selected by the driver, reduces this speed as necessary before a bend, and maintains the vehicle’s central position with respect to lane markers. The system also observes overtaking rules and speed limits. Additionally, stop and start driving maneuvers in traffic jams are also automated.

The good news–or bad, depending on how you look at it–is that compared to the more advanced autonomous driving technologies, Volkswagen’s latest Temporary Auto Pilot is based on a relatively production-like sensor platform, consisting of production-level radar-, camera-, and ultrasonic-based sensors supplemented by a laser scanner and an electronic horizon.

This means that we could see a production version within the next couple of years.

VW is careful to say that owners would need to oversee the system, of course, but this is a big step towards  having personal cabs. On the one hand, this could be great. DUIs could become nonexistent¹, and having a computer in charge of acceleration should produce better fuel economy and better traffic flow. On the other hand, being able to do do things while in the car would give people another reason to forgo mass transit, which is a much more effective way to achieve both those things.

Linkwad.

1. Verizon dropped 10,000 emergency calls during Maryland’s January snowstorm. Hope you didn’t buy a Verizon iPhone for the service!
2. One Two-click extension adds movies to your Netflix queue. Pretty sweet.
3. Coolest nerd tattoo ever.
4. If I were going to spend $100k on an electric car, it’d be this one. No, it’d be this one. Daaaaaamn.

Son of Touchstone.

This week’s “Jevons Paradox¹ object lesson” comes in the form of wirelessly charging a Tesla Roadster:

In short, sending power through air (a good insulator) is infinitely massively² less efficient than copper (an excellent conductor). This negates a lot of the fuel-efficiency advantages of electric cars, to say nothing of what happens when those giant battery packs need to be replaced. However, because they’re marginally more convenient, newer, and cooler, I fully expect wireless charging to be commonplace soon.

Linkwad (updated).

1. Baltimore judge dismisses 75 parking tickets in 13 minutes, including two for my friend Jessica. I’m forced to side with the meter maids–Baltimoreans are idiots who double-park all the time, even when there are open spots twenty feet in front of them. In my ideal situation, double-parking would be legal, but it would also be legal to vandalize any double-parked vehicle without a driver inside.
2. Translate text in pictures. Holy crap, the future is awesome. Less awesome: no Android version. Even-less-awesome update: Steve says it doesn’t work very well on large blocks of text, which makes sense.
3. L.A. Noire, Rockstar’s newest game, looks pretty amazing, and appears to have crossed the uncanny valley. I’m stoked for the game (featuring Ken from Mad Men!), but it also brings George Lucas that much closer to making more terrible, terrible movies.
4. Update: Racing a Honda Fit sounds dumb, but it turns out to be a pretty good idea.