For the band, see Brakes (band).

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A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, and to keep it from starting to move again. The kinetic energy lost by the moving part is usually translated to heat by friction. Alternatively, in regenerative braking, much of the energy is recovered and stored in a flywheel, capacitor or turned into alternating current by an alternator, then rectified and stored in a battery for later use.

Note that kinetic energy increases with the square of the velocity (E = ½m·v² relationship). This means that if the speed of a vehicle doubles, it has four times as much energy. The brakes must therefore dissipate four times as much energy to stop it and consequently the braking distance is four times as long.

More on [ Brake ]

NYT > Automobiles

Behind the Wheel | 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1: An Exotic ’Vette for the Jet Set
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:57:46 -0000
The 638-horsepower ZR1 only looks like a regular Corvette. Nearly everything underneath, including the symbolism, is different.
A 100-Year-Old Dream: A Road Just for Cars
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:58:37 -0000
The Long Island Motor Parkway, built 100 years ago by William Kissam Vanderbilt II, was one of the first roads built specifically for the automobile.
Design: A Car to Carry a Family Legacy
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:34:37 -0000
Andrea Pininfarina, the scion of the firm best known for designing exotic Italian sports cars, had nearly completed an ambitious electric car project before he died.

Freep.com - RSS - Autos

GM, Ford finish the day on an upswing
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:03:00 -0500
Shares of General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. finished the day up slightly, despite more news of credit tightening and modest drops across the nation's major stock indexes.
Unions oppose GM-Chrysler merger
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:16:00 -0500
The possibility of a General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC merger encountered stiff opposition Tuesday from organized labor around the world, concerned about the possibility of job losses from a combined auto company. One leader even called the potential merger "an absolute catastrophe."
All-new F-150 is put to the test
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:11:00 -0500
Ford Motor Co. brought journalists from around the country to its scenic, secluded proving grounds in Romeo on Tuesday to put the all-new 2009 Ford F-150 pickup to the test against competitors.

L.A. Times - Auto Industry News

Mideast anti-Americanism doesn't apply to Harley-Davidsons
Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The motorcycles have become increasingly popular in the Middle East, and more than 100 fanatics from the Arab world recently converged in Lebanon for a rally. He'd had a rotten day at the office -- the boss had barked at him, ordering him to get some mammoth project done within an impossible deadline. So he got aboard his pearl-white Harley-Davidson Street Glide, turned the ignition, gripped the throttle and revved the engine.
Speculation amid GM and Chrysler talks: Big Two in the Making?
Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:24:56 -0700
Sources at the automakers confirmed on Friday night and Saturday that talks between GM, Chrysler and Ford had occurred, but would not describe them as anything more than preliminary.
BMW 335d sedan: Elegant electronics and a gestalt-altering diesel
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
This is a car, an engine, for fully grown adults whose idea of motoring pleasure is high fuel economy. Yes, it will go fast, but the real exaltation is in going far. We'll never know how many BMW owners suffered a severe mental break and began wearing their underpants outside their clothes and talking to their Cheerios on account of iDrive, the company's famously frustrating multi-function rotary controller. All we know for sure is that previous versions of iDrive did for human factors engineering what big rocks did for Sisyphus.

Daily automotive news and comment - from just-auto.com

US: Falling auto output hits Johnson Controls
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:42:00 -0000
Falling global vehicle output has prompted interiors and battery supplier Johnson Controls to revise its 2009 sales forecast down 3% to about $37bn and forecast earnings per share in the US$1.95-$2.10 range, 10-16% lower than for 2008.
EXCLUSIVE: INDIA: VW's Chakkan plant a year ahead of plan
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:04:00 -0000
Volkswagen India will open its new plant in Chakkan, Pune, one year ahead than originally planned and initially start production of the Skoda Fabia.
JAPAN: Mazda scraps 2nd US plant plan - reports
Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:41:00 -0000
Mazda has halted plans to build a second factory in the United States due to the sales downturn and difficulties facing Ford, its partner in its existing Auto Alliance plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, the Nikkei business newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Comments for AutoReport

Comment on Accessible Green Urban Driving from Nissan by Andrew Charles
Andrew Charles Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:54:36 -0000
Nissan's version of the new Suzuki Alto. Odd they didn't use the Twingo as a base instead. This is a very basic car—note the rear windows are fixed.
Comment on SEAT Presents the New Sporty Limousine Exeo in Paris by Andrew Charles
Andrew Charles Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:06:37 -0000
Another fine example of badge engineering from VW. After months of waiting, SEAT's "new" midsize sedan turns out to be nothing more than the "old" Audi A4 with a minor facelift to disguise its identity. It's not much of a step up from a Léon or Toledo, and has little visual connection to the rest of the SEAT range. Come on VAG, surely you can do better than this? By "B segment", SEAT refers to VW's own internal code system, where the Golf and related cars are the "A segment", the Passat, A4 and related cars are the "B segment", and the Ibiza and Polo become the "A0 segment". Outside VW the Exeo would be classed in he C/D-segment—lower midsize, if not compact. Indeed in many key domensions, the Exeo is smaller than most late-model compact sedans such as the Mégane, Astra and new Chevrolet Cruze.
Comment on BYD's Bid to Break the Chinese Mold by Ellington
Ellington Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:21:41 -0000
One day we're all going to turn around and find that China makes a lot of really good cars and other products. The economic forces in their favor are vast and there's simply no way they can continue to NOT compete in the world market. People scoff now, but just wait until Chinese cars are on sale in every country and they lead the way with vehicle efficiency and innovation.

Auto news - CNNMoney.com

GM needs cash before Chrysler
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:14:39 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
GM says no to bankruptcy
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:38:13 -0400
General Motors is not considering bankruptcy, the company said in a prepared statement Friday morning. The statement was in response to the company's precipitous stock price decline the previous day, a spokesman said.
Big drop predicted for global auto sales
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:35:46 -0400
As the economic downturn continues to hit consumers' wallets, market analysis firm J.D. Power is predicting even bigger drops in U.S. and global auto sales than it had previously thought.

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