Electric cars

Electric car challenge - Arrival in Edinburgh
An electric car is a plug-in battery powered automobile which is propelled by electric motor.
Electric cars have the potential of significantly reducing city pollution by having zero tail pipe emissions.
Vehicle greenhouse gas savings depend on how the electricity is generated.
With the current U.S. energy mix, using an electric car would result in a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Given the current energy mixes in other countries, it has been predicted that such emissions would decrease by 40% in the UK,19% in China,and as little as 1% in Germany.
Running costs and Maintenance
Most of the running cost of an electric vehicle can be attributed to the maintenance and replacement of the battery pack because an electric vehicle has only around 5 moving parts in its engine, compared to a gasoline car that has hundreds of parts in its internal combustion engine.
Electric cars have expensive batteries that must be replaced but otherwise incur very low maintenance costs, particularly in the case of current Lithium based designs.

There are hopes that the electric car will capture the imagination of British cyclist this year.
The BBC's Brian Milligan took up a challenge to drive from London to Edinburgh in an electronics car.
It might sound easy but under the rules, he was only allowed to charge the car's battery at public points.
Brian takes a look back over the four days it took to complete the journey.

The oldest house in UK

It is not exactly a superior house but the remains of what archaeologists believe is UK's oldest house has nevertheless been described as a sensational discovery that could fundamentally alter perceptions from our ancestors.

Evidence of the round residential property, which is thought to date back to 8,500 BC when Britain was still attached to the continent, has been unearthed at the Star Carr site near Scarborough in North Yorkshire, the BBC reports.

Archaeologists also discovered a platform made from timber slats, thought to be one of the earliest examples of a carpenter's handiwork in Europe.

Teams from Manchester and York universities believe the house was built from a circle of wooden stakes set around a sunken floor. The roof and walls could have been thatched or covered with animal hide.

Dr Nicky Milner from the University of York, who co-directs the Star Carr dig, said the find could change the perception of hunter-gatherers.

"There was a view of them as being very nomadic, highly-mobile people - but now we're seeing them as much more settled and sophisticated," she quoted.

Other items recovered from the Star Carr site since its discovery in the 40s include arrow tips, masks crafted from red deer skulls and antler head dresses.

UK 2010 General Election

The Labour Party won the 2005 UK general election with 35.3% of the popular British vote. The Conservative Party was just a few points behind with 32.3% of the votes, but because of the first past the post voting system, the Labour Party had a significant majority with 356 parliamentary seats (MPs) compared to 198 seats for The Conservative Party.

Just over 4 years on with political scandal after scandal, all political polls point to a Conservative win at the 2010 general election with speculation of a possible Hung Parliament (rare in British politics).