Wouldn’t it be great to have a car-companion that simply radiates warmth on a cold, cold winter’s day? Well, Pascal Prokop has just that, except his companion isn’t human. While most people complain about the cold, this guy from Switzerland actually decided to do something about it by putting a stove in his car – a real, wood-burning stove, complete with a chimney and everything.

The sight of Prokop driving his 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon around the streets of Mettmenstetten, a town 25km south of Zurich, is a strange and funny one. With the chimney sticking up about 2m above the roof, the car looks like it’s smoking, and the effect produced is kind of cartoonish. To Prokop however, this doesn’t matter one bit, since he’s warm and happy. Temperatures across Europe have been declining steadily, especially in the past couple of weeks. So Prokop came up with the ultimate heating solution. He simply removed the passenger seat in the Volvo and replaced it with an oven, the perfect passenger. He feeds the oven occasionally with wood sticks and in turn it keeps him nice and warm all the time. Prokop likes it so much inside his car that he sometimes ends up spending the night too, mostly when he’s tired or has had too much to drink.

Of course, there have been concerns regarding the safety of the smoking vehicle. Prokop needed to get permissions from the Swiss Technical Inspection Authority to be able to drive it on the streets. It wasn’t an easy job, as officials weren’t enthusiastic about his little project at first. But when they saw that he was ready to make any changes they asked for, they realized he was actually serious about his idea. Prokop’s oven-car is now officially registered as a “Sedan with a wood oven.”

via Oddity Central

Escrow is the system where a third party, independent of a buyer or seller, holds the money for a deal until a product is delivered.

The buyer pays the money to the escrow company, the seller sends the product to the buyer, and then once it’s received, the escrow company hands the cash to the seller.

That’s great, provided the escrow company is legit and honest but crooks set up bogus escrow companies and then simply run off with the cash.

According to Kelley Blue Book, the latest fake websites offer what seems to be an escrow-type buyer protection program, a service that Kelley Blue Book itself does not, repeat NOT, offer.

So, as the company says, “any escrow-based consumer-to-consumer service or Buyer & Seller Protection Program offered under its name is a scam.”

The con starts with a bogus online car listing on a reputable site. The price is usually very low for the make and model, with a phony excuse about a quick sale being needed because of a divorce or military deployment.

The listing usually has a link to another site, supposedly offering more details. It may look very similar to the Kelley Blue Book site, kbb.com, teeming with all sorts of guarantees and buyer protection info.

Buyers are then supposed to wire full or partial payment to the bogus Kelley Blue Book escrow service. Since this would be an electronic cash payment, the recipient is untraceable.

“Recently, criminals have added sophisticated technology to their scam by adding 800 numbers and offering live chat with potential buyers in an effort to ease their concerns about online car buying and detailed information on the fraudulent buyer protection programs,” says Shayne Brown, Kelley Blue Book associate general counsel.

As we always warn, you should never wire money to someone you don’t know and you should always check the true address of the site you’re visiting in the browser address bar.

The FBI has some great tips on how to avoid online car buying scams.

via Scambusters

In 1930, laws were proposed in Massachusetts and St. Louis to ban radios while driving. According to automotive historian Michael Lamm, “Opponents of car radios argued that they distracted drivers and caused accidents, that tuning them took a driver’s attention away from the road, and that music could lull a driver to sleep.”

Even the Auto Club of New York agreed. In their 1934 poll, 56 percent deemed the car radio a “dangerous distraction.” Arguing the other side was the Radio Manufacturers Association, who pointed out that car radios could be used to warn drivers of inclement weather and bad road conditions, as well as keeping them awake when they got drowsy.

A little history on the car radio: The first one was introduced in 1922 by Chevrolet. It cost a whopping $200, and with an antenna that covered the car’s entire roof, batteries that barely fit under the front seat and two mammoth speakers attached behind the seat, it was about as convenient as taking a live orchestra along for a ride.

By the early 1930s, the less cumbersome built-in Motorola radios were standard features in cars. Later in the decade, push-button tuning and presets helped drivers to select stations without taking their eyes off the road. By 1946, 9 million cars had radios. Thanks to the transistor, both size and price came way down, so that by 1963, 50 million cars – over 60 percent – were outfitted with radios. By then, over one third of America’s radio listening occurred in the car.

And those anti-radio laws? Though a few were signed in small municipalities, they mostly went nowhere. Unlike the current anti-texting laws.

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia have now banned text messaging while driving. And the tickets are already piling up. In New York last year, over 5,000 texting tickets have been written (each carries a $150 fine plus two points).

Common sense tells us that texting while driving is hazardous. Since it is a relatively new phenomenon, its correlation to accidents is still under study. But here are some statistics that you may find more OMFG than LOL:

According to tests at the University of Utah, a driver is 4 times more likely to cause an accident while driving drunk or talking on a cell phone. And 8 times more likely to cause an accident while texting.
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A 2009 study conducted by Car and Driver magazine measured two drivers’ reaction times to the onset of a simulated brake light on their front windshields. The unimpaired driver took .45 seconds to brake and traveled 4 feet before stopping. The texting driver took .57 seconds to brake and traveled 41 feet before stopping.
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According to statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,870 people died in texting-related car crashes in 2008.
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The same texting-related statistics revealed that 515,000 people were injured in various car crashes in the United States. Around 28 percent of all crashes in 2008 were caused by drivers in the age group of 18 and 29, who admitted to texting while driving.
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But it’s not just young people. The texting-while-driving statistics in 2010 compiled by Pew Research Center revealed that 47 percent of adults resort to texting as compared to 34 percent of teenagers. The same stats revealed that 75 percent of adults resort to phone conversation while driving as compared to 52 percent of teenagers.

Stats aside, is it even relevant to compare car radios and texting? You could argue that for the average American back in the 1930s, operating an automobile was as involved and treacherous as flying a plane. Levers, buttons, gauges, stick shift. Add the extra ball of a radio into that attention-juggling equation, and you were asking for a fender bender.

Eighty years on, the car radio is just another part of the dashboard. But to some, it remains suspect. In 2002, the NHTSA blamed 66% of the 43,000 fatal car crashes on “Playing with the radio or CD.”

Still, there’s a big difference between tuning a radio dial and texting. The first requires one eye and a split second. The other requires both eyes, and several seconds or more. Plus most of your attention.

That so many of us believe that we can handle texting while driving is tied to the myth of multi-tasking. Scientists have shown that the brain cannot really focus on multiple tasks simultaneously. What it can do is shift from one to the next with astonishing speed. But car accidents can also happen with equally astonishing speed. Plus, there are many factors beyond our control, not the least of which are other drivers and pedestrians who may also be distracted by anything from drinking coffee to having a conversation to texting.

via mental_floss

Want to feel validated for owning a Honda? Visit our new website.

If it’s travelling faster than 1200 MPH or above 65,000 feet in altitude, the GPS function will shutdown.

These restrictions were put in place to help ensure the technology could not be used for malicious intentions by foreign governments or terrorists.

Modern commercial airplanes do not typically approach this speed or altitude, so you can’t test this unless you build your own missile or weather balloon.

via Broken Secrets

Think of its as carjacking for the Digital Age.

The increasingly sophisticated systems running a car may lead to new vulnerabilities, according to a study (PDF) released today from security software provider McAfee in partnership with mobile software provider Wind River and embedded security provider Escrypt. Those systems could allow hackers to take control of the car, track its location, and even access devices that are connected to it, including smartphones and tablets carrying valuable personal data.

The potential threat comes as hackers have increasingly shown a willingness to attack companies, government officials and agencies, and even Hollywood. Hacker groups such as Anonymous have caused headaches as they have stolen and released private information.

Those same threats could arrive in your car soon. Increasingly, the wireless industry is looking to put more connected devices into vehicles, allowing them to monitor the safety system and condition of the engine, as well as deliver games and videos to passengers.

“As more and more functions get embedded in the digital technology of automobiles, the threat of attack and malicious manipulation increases,” said Stuart McClure, an executive at McAfee. “It’s one thing to have your e-mail or laptop compromised but having your car hacked could translate to dire risks to your personal safety.”

The study highlights examples of test cases where security experts from universities around the country were able to shut down cars by hacking into a remote disabling system, use a tire’s radio frequency identification system–designed to monitor the tire pressure–to track the location and activity of a driver, disrupt emergency assistance and navigation services, and hack into the critical safety system of a car. Another study used a Bluetooth connection to steal personal data.

“The report highlights very real security concerns, and many in the auto industry are already actively designing solutions to address them,” said Georg Doll, senior director for automotive solutions at Wind River. “Given the development time for automobiles, the industry is finding it essential to start work now by teaming up with those possessing the right mix of software expertise.”

The automotive industry has a mixed record when it comes to getting in front of security threats. The study noted that the first remote keyless entry systems didn’t use any security and were easily compromised, and that regular learning universal remote controls were able to record the key signals of different cars.

“Vehicle makers have to solve the conflict of implementing [a] security mechanism without losing customers’ acceptance,” said Stefan Goss, a professor of automotive technology at Osfalia University of Applied Sciences. “I expect a new chapter of car security in the next two car generations.”

via CNET

And we peered a little further into the future of automotive technology — to 2020, to be exact — to see what features are likely to be big sellers.

Safety will always be a top concern, and car companies will continue to develop technology to help reduce accidents. Government mandates to increase fuel economy and reduce pollution will lead to smaller, less thirsty vehicles, with a high percentage of electrified vehicles on the road. And you’ll likely be able to tell your car to check your Facebook page.

1. Warnings Galore

Your car won’t drive itself, but its technology will help make you a safer driver. For example, current collision-mitigation systems use radar to sense when you’re getting too close, going too fast, and give you a visual and auditory warning.

They then either “precharge” your brakes to give them more power when you step on the brake pedal or — like some systems from Hyundai, Lexus and Mercedes — tighten your seat belts and automatically apply the brakes. Prices run $1,200 to $1,500 now, but the systems may be included in more-expensive option packages.

Lane-departure warning systems and blind-spot monitoring systems use cameras and radar to determine whether you’re straying from your lane or about to move into a lane that’s occupied. Infiniti’s latest system combines the two and will steer you back into your lane. Each system costs $500 to $700 as a stand-alone option, but they are often packaged together.

Expect to see such safety monitoring systems become standard on upscale models and optional on all but the cheapest vehicles. Prices for systems that aren’t standard equipment will drop from a grand or two to a few hundred dollars.

2. Eyes All Around

Rearview cameras are likely to become standard equipment, thanks to a proposal by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that would require all light passenger vehicles to have the technology by 2014.

The additional cost by the deadline will likely be $50 or less for vehicles equipped with displays (such as a navigation screen) and about $150 for those without one. By 2020, however, the cost will be negligible.

More technologically advanced cameras will be widely standard or inexpensive options (a few hundred dollars). Cross-path cameras, like those from Ford, Chrysler and BMW, show a 180-degree view from the back or front of your vehicle and alert you if another car is approaching as you back up or pull out of a blind drive.

Infiniti’s Around View monitor gives you a 360-degree view, using a computer to stitch together four camera feeds. The cost of camera systems varies widely, but expect to pay at least $1,000 — the full complement on BMW’s 5 and 7 series cars costs $1,200, and Infiniti’s Around View is available only in a $2,500 option package.

3. Pedestrian Detection and Night Vision

A pedestrian-detection system, such as the one on Volvo’s S60, brings the car to a full stop if it detects a pedestrian in your path; if you’re going faster than 22 miles per hour, the vehicle won’t be able to stop fast enough to avoid hitting the pedestrian. (The automakers City Safety feature works the same way for a car that stops short in front of you.)

Night-vision systems, like the ones BMW and Mercedes are offering on their top-of-the-line vehicles, detect infrared light or amplify available light to help you see a person who wanders into your intended path but is out of range of your headlights.

Right now, both systems are pricey options. Volvo’s Technology Package, which includes pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and collision warning with full automatic braking, is $2,100. BMW’s Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection is $2,600. But in the future, these systems will be standard on high-end vehicles and available on more-mainstream vehicles for a grand or less.

4. Easy Cruising

Adaptive cruise control uses radar to help you keep a safe distance from the car in front as you cruise at highway speeds so that you don’t have to constantly hit the brakes and reset your cruising speed.

Currently, it’s optional on BMW’s cars ($2,400) and on Audi’s A4 ($2,100); it’s available on mainstream cars like the Ford Taurus ($1,200), too.

By 2020, it will be a nearly ubiquitous option and a standard feature on all top-of-the-line vehicles. It will likely evolve to work at low speeds and help you avoid collisions in stop-and-go traffic, much like Volvo’s City Safe feature.

5. Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

Wouldn’t it be nice if cars could talk to each other in order to avoid accidents?

In the future, they will. Ford is currently engineering an intelligent vehicle system that uses advanced Wi-Fi technology; it transmits your vehicle’s location and recognizes other vehicles surrounding you.

The system will warn you of an oncoming car when you’d like to pass a vehicle on a country road, or alert you to a car about to blow through a red light, or tell you when a vehicle several cars ahead has stopped short. This technology will be available as an option by the end of the decade, although it’ll be much longer before it’s standard. Because the concept is so new, there’s no way to estimate what it will cost.

6. A Better Way to Connect

Finding your way, finding your music and finding your friends will continue to get easier. Bluetooth will be standard at every level, and pairing your phone with the hands-free system will be much less complicated.

A voice prompt will be all you’ll need to make a call or change the song. Likewise, widely standard in-car communications systems, such as Ford’s Sync, will read incoming text messages. If you have a built-in navigation system, you’ll easily be able to speak destinations or ask the system to find a stop along your route. More systems will work like Ford’s MyFord Touch (available now on the Edge and Focus models for about $1,000).

For example, you can ask “What’s playing?” to hear the song title and artist, or say “I’m hungry” to get a list of restaurant choices nearby. Many more carmakers will offer this technology, and the price tag will come down.

7. App Central

In-car Wi-Fi is available now from General Motors for a few hundred dollars, plus a monthly subscription fee, and widespread rollout is imminent.

That means surfing the Web on the way to work will probably be par for the course by 2020. And despite government concerns about distracted driving, it’s a good bet that apps for Pandora radio, Facebook and Twitter will soon be standard fare in your infotainment system.

The systems will rely on voice commands. GM has already started testing audio Facebook updates through its revamped OnStar communications link. Toyota’s Entune system, previewed at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, also responds to voice commands and can use the driver’s smart phone to bring apps such as OpenTable, MovieTickets.com and Bing to the dashboard.

8. Fuel-Sipper Tech

President Obama’s latest fuel-economy proposal calls for an industry-wide average of up to 62 miles per gallon by 2025, so look for automakers to embrace fuel savings wherever they can.

To get to the 62 mpg mark, experts estimate it will require widespread electrification, adding up to $10,000 to the cost of a new vehicle. Regenerative brakes, which recharge the battery when you step on the brake pedal, will be standard equipment for gas-engine as well as hybrid vehicles. A stop/start feature, similar to that on today’s hybrids, will become standard for gas-engine vehicles, improving fuel economy by up to 10%.

When your vehicle is stopped, such as at a light or in heavy traffic, the system turns off the engine and restarts it when you take your foot off the brake. Ford will begin offering this on some vehicles next year.

So-called economy modes, like those on the Honda Civic and Hyundai Sonata, will be standard fare, too. Selecting the econ mode on the Civic, for example, improves fuel efficiency by making throttle response more gradual, altering shifting slightly for automatic-transmission models, and modifying the climate control.

9. Advanced Engines

Hybrids will become a much bigger percentage of cars sold, as will “mild” hybrids, such as Buick’s LaCrosse with eAssist, which uses a small lithium ion battery to power a stop/start system and regenerative brakes. The remaining gas-engine models will rely on turbocharging and direct-injection.

Engine size will be a factor, as well. Ford’s newest EcoBoost engine is a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder with direct injection that will offer up to 20% better fuel economy than a traditional four-cylinder with the same amount of power. (No pricing is available yet for the three-cylinder engine, but on the 2011 Ford Flex, the six-cylinder EcoBoost engine costs $3,000 more than the regular one.)

You’ll also see transmissions with more gears, which will help improve fuel economy by up to 6%. Eight speeds is the new six.

10. Exotic Materials

Making cars lighter is one way that automakers can meet higher mileage standards. So instead of high-strength steel and aluminum, carmakers are looking at carbon fiber, the strong, durable and ultralight material found in tennis rackets, bicycles and even airplanes.

Lightweight carbon fiber pieces will be featured on many upscale vehicles, like BMW’s forthcoming line of electric cars, which will hit the road in 2013. Although manufacturing the material is costly now, prices will come down as advances in manufacturing are made. Using carbon fiber to reduce weight could improve fuel economy by 7%.

By Jessica Anderson of Kiplinger

Thefts probably declined 7.2 percent last year from 794,616 in 2009, according to preliminary figures released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The New York City region, Dallas, Los Angeles, Detroit and Miami were among 257 urban areas reporting fewer thefts, the non-profit trade group said, citing FBI data.

Insurers including Allstate Corp. (ALL) and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. offer discounts to customers who use anti-theft devices. In addition to built-in security features, NICB recommends manufacturer-installed products such as LoJack Corp. tracking devices and Ravelco ignition disablers.

“Technology both on the manufacturing end and what comes out of the automakers is a lot better than it was,” Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for Des Plaines, Illinois-based NICB, said in an interview. “Even on the baseline vehicle today, it’s harder to steal than in 2000.”

Auto thefts in the New York City area, including northern New Jersey and Long Island, fell 1.9 percent to 29,189. The region had the 198th-highest-rate of 366 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, compared with 223rd in 2009. State College, Pennsylvania, had the lowest rate for the second straight year with 46 thefts, or 30 per 100,000 people.

Bait Programs

Car thefts in Dallas declined 14.5 percent in 2010 to 21,963, or 345 thefts per 100,000 people, the NICB said. Police use “bait programs” in which officers leave cars unlocked, often with the keys still in the ignition, to tempt would-be thieves. The tactic has helped reduce thefts, said Sgt. Robert Benitez of the Dallas Police Department.

Fresno, California — one of eight regions in the state among the top 10 places for car snatching — had the highest rate of theft. The Fresno area, in central California, had 7,559 thefts, or 812 per 100,000 people, the NICB said.

Law-enforcement efforts are hobbled by insufficient capacity at the county jail resulting from staff shortages, said Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

“Individuals we arrest for the crime of auto theft are being booked into jail and released, generally the same day,” he said in an interview. “It is not uncommon for us to arrest the same person for auto theft multiple times in one week.”

Sgt. Eddie Perez of California’s Delano Police Department, in the Southern California region with the third-highest rate of car thefts, said more automobile owners should take basic precautions.

“The simplest, the easiest and the most cost-effective is really just to lock the thing,” Scafidi said. “I know that sounds kind of elementary, but there are lots of vehicles that are stolen every year because people make it easy on the thief.”

via Bloomberg

It should come as no surprise, then, that humans aren’t the only creatures to benefit from great car accessories. More pet owners are updating their cars to accommodate their favorite critters. Whether we’re road tripping with Fido or simply shuttling kitty to the vet, today’s broad range of pet travel accessories make your best friend’s ride more comfortable while minimizing any potential distractions.

5: Pet Seat Covers

It’s happened to all pet owners: One minute your car is immaculately clean, the next it’s the covered in pet hair. You can’t put the windows down on a nice spring day without choking in a swirling cloud of shed fur. If you’re tired of arriving at your destination studded with pet hair, the answer is simple: Cover your seats.

Animal seat covers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Vinyl or cloth covers clip around the rear headrests and tuck underneath the seat’s edge for a snug fit; they’re super lightweight, and simple to unclip, shake clean or machine wash. You can often purchase custom-fitted seat covers from automobile manufacturers. These fit your seats like a glove and trap animal hair so that it doesn’t fly around in the air too much. For hatchbacks, station wagons and SUVs, another great option is to place durable, washable rubber mats in the cargo compartments.

4: Pet Ramps

Sometimes older dogs, especially bigger breeds, need a little extra help getting into the car.When you think of pet ramps, you might imagine a pampered socialite coaxing her teacup poodle up a ramp while a white-gloved butler patiently holds open the rear door of a stretch limo. While pet ramps might seem like an indulgence, to the elderly pet owner or the creaky-kneed Great Dane, they’re a lifesaver.

For pets that are too large to be lifted into the car, too elderly to jump on their own, or too tiny to spring into that tall SUV, pet ramps are essential accessories. Ramps also save pet owners the backbreaking work of having to lift reluctant animals into the car. There are several varieties, including folding ramps, telescoping ramps and fixed ramps. Look for one that’s lightweight and convenient to store, but sturdy enough to bear the weight of your pet. A good pet ramp will have a nonskid surface and is easy to clean. Another great pet accessibility accessory is a seat extender, “backseat bridge” or pet hammock, which give large animals more room to stretch out. A hammock can also double as a seat cover.

3: Pet Harnesses

What says happiness better than a pooch standing head and shoulders out of the car window, ears flapping and tongue lolling? Though your pet may love this freedom, it’s not the safest way for him to travel. In the same way that people benefit from seatbelts, pets benefit from harnesses. Not only will a pet harness keep your companion from flying through the windshield in a wreck, it may also prevent the wreck itself by minimizing the considerable driving distractions a pet can cause.

Pet harnesses generally fit animals that are 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) or larger. Most consist of a padded chest plate that slips over the front legs and buckles to a standard seatbelt, strapping pets comfortably in place for the duration of a car trip. Other harnesses work for dog walks, too, making it a snap to go from car to trail.

2: Pet Barriers

Pet barriers give everyone the right amount of space.Left to their own devices, pets will wander all over your car, creating all kinds of distraction. Anxious animals may paw at you or even try to jump into your lap. Mischievous pets may knock over coffee cups, or startle you with loud mewling or barking. While pet harnesses are a great way to tether your animal companions to one spot, some pets don’t adapt to them well, and you might want to allow your pet a little more mobility, especially on long trips. In these instances, you can turn the cargo bay of your hatchback, station wagon or SUV into the perfect kennel-on-the-go with a pet barrier.

Pet barriers come in many varieties — adjustable metal tubes, wire gates or soft fabric mesh. Many car manufacturers offer pet barriers custom-made for your station wagon or SUV. Adjustable aftermarket varieties are just as effective, and fabric “backseat” models are also available for drivers of sedans and sports cars. Using a pet barrier keeps pets from jumping into the front seat and minimizes mess by confining pet hair to a single area of your vehicle.

1: Pet Emergency Travel Kits

Unexpected things happen when you’re on the road. Paws sometimes get injured on pit stops in unfamiliar places. Hot sun pouring in through the rear windows dehydrates your furry friends. Some animals, especially cats, will get carsick.

One way to combat the unknown is to follow the Boy Scout motto and “be prepared” by packing an emergency travel kit for your pet. Some shops advertise rugged nylon totes with matching collapsible dog bowl, collar and lead, as well as basic first aid supplies. Survivalist shops even offer military-style pet travel kits with MRE-like emergency water and food rations for your animal.

Think of a pet emergency travel kit as a diaper bag. You’ll want to pack the essentials: a water dish or collapsible bowl, water, pet waste bags, treats, and food. Basic first aid supplies — antiseptic, gauze, tape and any medications your dog might be taking — are also handy.

No matter whether you’re traveling hours into the tundra or toting your pet along on errands, pet travel accessories provide a safer, cleaner travel experience for both you and your pet.

via HowStuffWorks