Cycling is fun and healthy. Cycling to work is noble, when you think of the green cause, and, yeah, it’s healthy too.

But for the modern-day office commuter on two wheels, the biggest pain would be to carry his work gear, that new latest configuration, a delicate laptop.

While many use good old backpacks to lug their laptops, some carry it in front baskets or rear carriers, both of which will adversely affect the cycle’s balance as it changes the centre of gravity. Regulars who cycle to work, which by the way, includes this writer too, find the balancing act a bit of a pain, considering the other juggling acts they all have to endure to keep themselves on road.

Peugeot has come out with a concept urban cycle which addresses this issue. Of course the DL122 that Peugeot has brought out is an urban bike, the looks, elegant as it may be for the nerdy cyclist, may not appeal to the mountain-biker in us all.

But functionality is what Peugeot — who is known for car-manufacturing but a company which has also seen its cycles win ten Tour de France crowns — is trying to highlight in the DL122.

The concept bicycle has a centrally positioned leather laptop compartment; a safer cocoon for the laptop. It also provides a better balanced bike and the briefcase can be locked in place, claims Peugeot.  The design breakthrough here is that the positioning of the carrying case is such that it keeps the centre of gravity of the bike roughly in the same spot where it is when rode without a bag, therefore making it stable.

The centre of gravity, as we all know, is the average location of the mass of a bicycle. If the rider can manage his as well as the luggage weight to as close to the centre as possible, it could significantly stabilize the bike. This is where Peugeot designers have succeeded: using materials such as Aluminium while leather adds a touch of class to the design.

But the point is,will the case be immune to shocks and bumps a rider and his cycle endures on a pot hole ridden road to work?  When carrying a laptop in a backpack, riders generally save it from shocks as most of them have the tendency of standing up while riding over rough terrain. With the laptop fixed in a case on the frame, it is likely to take the full brunt of the shocks transferred from the frame.

Unless of course, Peugeot has come up with some shock absorbing buffers in the frame or between the frame and the leather case. But one has to admit that design indeed offers a stable bike with loaded luggage that is.

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Although Detroit’s NAIAS is thought of as the first big auto event of the year, the presence of automobile giants at CES suggests that the Las Vegas event is fast becoming the kick-off of the year’s major auto events in regards to in-vehicle computing. We saw some interesting stuff at the automotive area of CES 2012 this year, one among which is the RoadRover Android-powered dashboard.

As you might know, the company already provides its service via a number of vehicle models such as Audi A3, Nissan Altima, Peugeot 407/408, Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Captiva and others.

With the RoadRover Android system, you will be able to synchronize data among Android-powered devices such as smartphones and tablets.  You will have access to Android Market for playing with a lot apps from the comfort of your car and get access to Facebook updates and tweets via your connected smartphone.

They are also providing external USB camera support which lets you take pictures while traveling and you will be able to upload everything right away onto your Facebook profile. But for that also, you just need your handset. Let’s not forget about its navigation capabilities too.

[ source ]

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Who said electric cars can’t be fast? The Peugeot EX1 electric concept car, which we first saw some time last year, recently attacked the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany, emerging with a new lap record.

The twin electric motor in the EX1 is capable of developing 340bhp, so it’s not exactly a slouch in the power department. Even under some somewhat adverse weather conditions, the EX1 was able to achieve an average speed of 138km/h and a total lap time of 9:01.338.

That’s a record… for electric vehicles. The previous electric record was held by the Mini E, which lapped the Nurburgring in 9:51.45. That means the Peugeot smashed the time by almost a whole minute, but its times still pale in comparison to the best regular gas-powered cars.

As far as production cars, the current leader is the Radical SR8 LM with a time of 6:48. The 2011 Nissan GT-R? That’s 7:24.22. You have to go pretty far down the list before you see nine-minute times. The EX1 is in the same range as a Ford Focus RS, Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo, and Jaguar S-Type Diesel.

Even so, it’s a big achievement for an electric car and it’ll be interesting to see how much faster they’ll be able to go in the very near future. After all, the Mini E only did the lap last year. Does this mean we’ll be looking at 8-minute electrics by 2012?

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