I loved this article on the BBC News website, which talks about how researchers at Warwick University are experimenting with adding sound to electric vehicles.
See, electric vehicles are quiet. If you’ve ever tried to reverse a Prius out of a supermarket car park space you’ll know that people have no idea you’re ready to go and tend to get a bit of a shock when you start rolling. But full-on EVs are quiet at much higher speeds too, which poses an even greater danger to children, visually impaired people, or animals. So the idea is to add a speaker unit to EVs and make them emit a sound that signals their presence.
The question is, what should that sound be? Should it sound like a normal car? A UFO? An emergency vehicle?
Personally, I’d opt for the sound of a TIE Fighter from Star Wars. The thought of driving around town sounding like I’m defending the Death Star is making me smile as I write this.
How about you? If you could choose a sound for your car what would you have? Or would you, in fact, go for silence? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
This usually wouldn’t be so high up on the list, but seeing as the weather is causing chaos in the UK I think it deserves it. When it’s cold, dark and icy in the morning, the last thing we want to do is spend half an hour scraping ice off our windscreen. With the addition of an electric scraper to your gadget collection, your credit card can stay firmly in your wallet during winter. The electric scraper has an in-built heater which helps to soften the ice, making it easier to scrape off. It also has an extendable handle, so those who are shorter than average will be able to reach all corners of the windscreen. This is an inexpensive yet must-have gadget if you’re a car owner- as we’re in for a cold winter!
If you feel that can’t live without satellite navigation, the Tom Tom Go Live 1000 is the sat nav for you. Tom Tom has made using a sat nav as easy as possible by keeping their original menus and icons, but have formatted it so it’s easier to navigate. The voice recognition function makes the process of choosing a route even easier, and you don’t even have to touch the device while performing some functions.
The Christmas period is synonymous with parties, drinking and generally being merry, which is why this little gadget is not only useful, but could end up being a life saver. When getting caught up in the Christmas spirit it can be hard to keep track of how many units you’ve drank, and whether it’s safe for you to get into the car. Obviously it’s better not to drink at all when you’re driving, but a glass of wine or a bottle of lager with your dinner may well be under the legal limit. This key ring is a small, unnoticeable and portable way of making sure you never drive when you’re over the limit. If you’re unsure you can simply blow into the device which will then show you whether you’re okay to drive by lighting up a red or green LED. If it turns red, you look for an alternative form of transport to get you home. This is a brilliant gadget to carry around with you or a great stocking filler for any drivers in your family.
The smart phone has changed the way we function- you can now do everything from your mobile phone; talk, email, socialise and even find your car in a busy car park. Most drivers will have been in a situation where they have forgotten where they have parked. You can now download an app to make sure you don’t report any false claims of your car being stolen. You simply switch the app on when you get out of your car and it locks your cars position via GPS. Then, upon your return you scan your phone above the cars in the busy car park and this clever app with instruct you on how to find your car. You’ll never lose your car again!
On getting into the CR-Z the family resemblance was immediately obvious: it has the same colour-changing speedometer background as the 
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