Mods

Countless small start-ups and Detroit automakers are trying to revive electric cars from an early grave, although there's a long road ahead before electricity might serve as a "fuel" for the masses.

In the meantime, however, a handful of companies aims to put the power cord in the hands of drivers who want to transform their gas-electric hybrids into plug-in hybrids, or to replace the internal combustion innards of other cars with all-electric systems.

The businesses are touting plug-in hybrid systems that can be driven up to 40 miles on batteries alone, with average fuel economy of 100 miles per gallon. The cars use gasoline once the batteries drain.

It can cost more than $10,000 to install a plug-in hybrid system on a Toyota Prius. Is the limited electric driving range worth the expense?

Absolutely, according to Felix Kramer, founder of CalCars, which counts nearly 200 plug-in hybrid conversions around the country. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based nonprofit in 2004 converted the first Prius with batteries that power up from an electrical outlet. … Read more

The Archos GPS in-car holder ($129) transforms your existing Archos 605 WiFi portable video player into a full-fledged GPS navigation system. For Archos 605 WiFi owners whose GPS needs are strictly in-car, the Archos GPS in-car holder is a great value compared with a similar priced standalone system.

Read the review.

According to a U.K. report, some 150,000 motorists a year disregard color coding and signage to pump their vehicles full of the wrong type of gas. The result is expensive repairs and probably a Homer Simpson-like "doh!"--or worse. Thus, the aptly named Fuel Checker was born.

The European gadget made its appearance at the London 2008 Motor Show last week. According to the company, it can be permanently affixed to the inside of a car's fuel door or it can be held in hand. The device comes in petrol (regular gasoline) and diesel, and … Read more

As Crave learned recently, there are some impressive technologies out there to train the novice equestrian. And now we've discovered that there are systems available for the beasts themselves--specifically, those trained to race.

Kurt Systems, which Gizmag describes as a "Turkish racehorse and camel training equipment specialist," has created a mobile racehorse trainer that basically looks like a car with a slot carved right down the middle for the animal and its jockey. This bizarre vehicle, modded from a Ford F150 truck and powered by a Volvo diesel engine, "provides a moving enclosure in which a … Read more

What could possibly be better than a million-dollar RV outfitted with state-of-art technology? One that goes in the water, of course.

As insane as it may seem, the Terra Wind Amphibious RV" has all the proper accoutrements for a luxury vehicle of its class, including an 6-foot swim deck, an 8-jet whirlpool, marble floors, wood paneling, leather furnishings, and a fully equipped home theater system featuring a 42-inch plasma TV, according to Uncrate. In the cockpit you'll find the instruments needed for the aquatic half of its persona to operate the submerged motors, rudder controls, bilge pumps, rudder … Read more

It looks like the bad guys are taking a leaf out of the Q Branch car-modification manual. According to the BBC, Mexican police have discovered a gadget-laden Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with an onboard smoke machine and a device to scatter spikes in the road behind it in order to evade capture. The vehicle, which is believed to belong to members of a drug cartel, was abandoned in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas after a shoot-out. The SUV may not be on a par with the torpedo-launching, oil-spraying, mine-ejecting Lotus Esprit that Commander Bond used to his advantage in &… Read more

The gadget world is filled with concepts and prototypes that never come close to going into production. So it's particularly encouraging to see one finally make it that far, especially one as whacky as the "iShoes."

These personal conveyances went through two versions before brother-partners Ilya and Borish Kaganovich were apparently satisfied. Now GizmoWatch says the powered footwear, which we still think are best described as a cross between the Segway and a motorized skateboard, are actually for sale.

That's the good news. The bad news is the price--$599 plus $20 shipping--which is significantly more … Read more

Already got the weighted companion cube fuzzy dice in your Astrovan and the cardboard helmet to match? There's hope for you dear portal fan. Here's yet another Aperture Laboratories-themed creation to show off your geek fetish to the world. This time it's numbered parking permits for both Aperture Laboratories and Black Mesa, the fictional experimental science organizations found in Valve's Portal and Half-Life games. The Black Mesa one's been around a little longer, but the Aperture Labs reared its wonderful head last month. Both run for $10 and come with bonus Half-Life themed bumper stickers.… Read more

"If the automobile were invented today, I'm pretty sure it would debut here at CES." So said Rick Wagoner, the boss of General Motors, in his keynote address at CES 2008 before unveiling GM's hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Cadillac Provoq. Wagoner's sentiments were echoed by the show's organizers who, for the first time, dedicated an entire hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center to in-vehicle technologies.

Among the booming bass bins and the pimped-out rides a number of innovative products took our fancy. Pioneer's AVIC-F500BT LINC combines portable and in-dash navigation in one device, complete … Read more