Ferdian Syah

Gordon Murray Automotive T50s Niki Lauda honors 2 kinds of F1 greats

By Ferdian Syah 19 hours ago

Such a refreshing look for a track car.


Gordon Murray Automotive

If you name your car after Formula One great Niki Lauda, it better be good. Thankfully, if there’s any company likely worthy of building such a car, it’s Gordon Murray Automotive, the company responsible for bringing the McLaren F1-inspired T50 to life. Without further ado, this is the GMA T50s Niki Lauda, meant to be the be-all and end-all for a track car.

GMA and its man in charge, Professor Gordon Murray — yes, that Murray from the iconic McLaren F1 program — revealed the T50s Niki Lauda on

… Read More

Is an electric car better for the planet?

By Ferdian Syah 19 hours ago

Which is better for Earth: an electric or gas-powered vehicle? The answer to this question might seem blindingly obvious: Of course electric cars must be better for the environment, because they don’t have exhausts and so don’t emit greenhouse gasses as they drive. However, electric vehicles (EVs) aren’t perfect, and they come with their own set of polluting problems. Notably, their batteries contain components, such as lithium, that require a significant amount of energy to source and extract. 

But battery production is just one part of an electric car’s life span. A 2014 study published in the journal

… Read More

Fox wins critical round in long-running patent fight with SRAM

By Ferdian Syah 19 hours ago

WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — A U.S. Patent and Trademark Office board has sided with Fox Factory and invalidated parts of a key SRAM patent on its X-Sync wide-narrow chainrings. The board’s decision could lead to a resolution of several long-running patent-related suits between SRAM and Fox.

The dispute dates to 2015, when SRAM sued RaceFace (which Fox had acquired in 2014) for infringing on two of its chainring patents. Several other brands offering similar chainrings had agreed to license the X-Sync technology from SRAM, but RaceFace took it to court.

Separately, in 2016 Fox sued SRAM, which owns RockShox, for infringing

… Read More

30 vehicles collide on Montana bridge in major winter weather crash

By Ferdian Syah 19 hours ago

A massive 30-vehicle pileup on Yellowstone River Bridge in Billings, Montana, critically injured two people Saturday, authorities said.

The people jumped from the bridge to avoid being hit by a car, the Montana Highway Patrol tweeted. Both were hospitalized and are expected to recover. Minor injuries were also reported but no deaths.

Emergency workers respond to a crash near Billings, Mont., on Saturday.Montana Highway Patrol via Twitter

“I would say this is the largest pileup, and winter-time accident, that I’ve seen in my nearly 20 years with the fire department,” Billings Fire Chief Jason Lyon told the Billings

… Read More

Retired Nissan legend Shiro Nakamura isn’t done

By Ferdian Syah 1 day ago

Nakamura declined to name his latest clients but says it’s a mix of established international brands and startups from Western countries and China — but not Japan. The work spans everything from interior to exterior design, but the projects have one thing in common: 90 percent of the work is for electric vehicles.

None of Nakamura’s latest creations has made it to production yet. Most of the studios’ handiwork is in upstream design proposals. The first ones should hit the market in two years.

In his earlier days, Nakamura was known for pioneering the crossover segment, first by overseeing the

… Read More

How Covid led to a $60 billion global chip shortage for automakers

By Ferdian Syah 1 day ago

This photo shows Ford 2018 and 2019 F-150 trucks on the assembly line at the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge Complex on September 27, 2018 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Images

Automakers across the globe are expected to lose billions of dollars in earnings this year due to a shortage of semiconductor chips, a situation that’s expected to worsen as companies battle for supplies of the critical parts.

Consulting firm AlixPartners expects the shortage will cut $60.6 billion in revenue from the global automotive industry this year. That conservative estimate includes the entire supply chain — from

… Read More