You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Over 12 miles the road up Pikes Peak winds through 156 turns, climbing nearly 5,000 feet to terminate at an altitude of 14,110 -- 4,000 feet higher than the FAA requires to flip on your personal electronic devices in a commercial aircraft. On a normal day, people with RVs and SUVs lumber their struggling machines up to the top, engines gasping for air, and then gently thread their way back down to the bottom, brakes smoking and suffering. But, on one special day a year, a circus of hooligans with high-powered cars, motorcycles and various other motorized contraptions claim the mountain pass as their own.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has run since 1916 in some form or another, but lately the tone of the competition has been changing. Quite literally. Electric-powered vehicles are now whizzing up the mountain in droves and, increasingly, they're challenging their gas-powered competitors. Indeed, the fastest motorcycle up the course this year was electric, and the cars are getting faster. How fast? How about more power than a Ferrari 458 and nearly three times the torque in a package that weighs 1,000 pounds less? That's what Toyota's TMG EV P002 puts down in Pikes Peak trim, 600 horsepower and 900 ft-lbs of torque. It's a ridiculously overpowered little machine, and Toyota was kind enough to let me drive it.
Filed under: Transportation
With 156 turns over its 12.42-mile (19.99 km) course and elevation changes ranging from 4,720 ft (1,440 m) to 14,110 ft (4,300 m), Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the most grueling races in the world for both humans and machines. It's particularly challenging for gas-powered vehicles, since the air contains less oxygen at higher altitudes. As a result, electric cars and motorcycles have gained popularity at the event in recent years. In fact, 2013 marks the first time an electric bike's beaten its gas-powered rivals, with Carlin Dunne and Lightning Motorcycles finishing the race in Bruno Langlois who managed 10 minutes and 21.323 seconds on a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S. While electric vehicles are expected to dominate Pikes Peak in the near future, it's going to take a few more years before autonomous cars win the event.
[Image Credit: Jensen Beeler / Asphalt & Rubber]
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Asphalt & Rubber
