March 31, 2008
MURRIETA, Calif. — When the light starts to flash, you had better have the cash, according to USA Today.
That's the reality for millions of subprime borrowers whose used car purchase is contingent upon having an unusual option: a little box mounted underneath the dashboard that forces them to make their payments on time.
A light on the plastic box flashes when a payment is due. If the payment isn't made and the resulting code punched in to reset the box, the vehicle won't start. The next step is a visit from the repo man.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 9:56 AM | Permalink
October 25, 2007
The Dash Express is a navigational device can not only report that a tie-up — many systems already do that — but also tell how long it will take to get through it, based on current traffic reports and its record of past journeys, according to the New York Times.
What makes the Dash device so different is that it not only receives location data from the satellites of the Global Positioning System, like other navigation units, but it also broadcasts information about its travels back to the Dash network.
The continuous two-way reporting lets the system accomplish several things. It can measure how fast traffic really travels on a given road, and use that to compile a highly detailed and accurate database of traffic information. Dash units can warn each other through the network the second they hit a traffic slowdown. And because the units stay connected to the Internet, information on nearby points of interest like restaurants is instantly available and current.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:59 AM | Permalink
October 16, 2007
General Motors isn't giving away any of the specifics just yet, but it does have a seven- and even an eight-speed automatic transmission tucked away in its product development cycle, according to thecarconnection.com
Jim Lanzon, executive director of GM Powertrain's Transmission Engineering, acknowledged last week GM is looking at the transmissions that have begun showing up on luxury models such as the BMW M5.
"I can't give away any new product news but we're looking at everything," he said.
One of the issues GM is wrestling with now is whether a seven- or eight-speed transmission will produce the kind of gains in fuel economy that would justify the cost of engineering them into a vehicle, Lanzon said.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:28 AM | Permalink
October 5, 2007
Two years after the debut of Nissan's original Pivo concept - at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show - a second version has been unveiled, according to thecarconnection.com
The car also has a new style of human machine interface called a "robotic agent." With conversations possible in Japanese and English, its job is to make every journey less stressful and takes care of everything from basic vehicle functions to finding the nearest available parking space.
The first Pivo was something of a cult hit. Powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries, it featured a unique rotating cabin - meaning no reverse gear was required.
The newcomer, badged only as Pivo2, takes that a stage further with new compact batteries, and by-wire technology for braking and steering. Each of the four wheels is powered by electric motors, and can turn through 90 degrees to allow the Pivo2 to drive sideways as well as forward.
The car will be launched at the Tokyo Motor Show later this month.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:30 AM | Permalink
October 4, 2007
OSHKOSH, Wis. — Sitting high in the cab of the hulking lime-green TerraMax truck, a driver can be excused for instinctively grabbing the steering wheel, according to USA Today.
There's no need. TerraMax is a self-driving vehicle, a prototype designed to navigate and obey traffic rules — all while the people inside, if there are any, do anything but drive.
During a recent test on property owned by manufacturer Oshkosh Truck, TerraMax barreled down a dusty road with its driver seat empty. It stopped at a four-way intersection and waited as staged traffic resolved before obediently lurching on its way.
If the Defense Department gets its way, vehicles like TerraMax — about as long as a typical sport-utility vehicle and almost twice as high — could represent the future of transportation for the military's ground forces.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:55 AM | Permalink
September 27, 2007
Ford's decision to make HD Radio receivers a standard dealer-installed option across all of its models has finally given the technology the boost it needs to be more than a niche for audio fans, according to the Detroit Free Press's Mike Wendland
I remember the first time I heard HD Radio. It was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2002. It blew me away. AM stations sounded like FM stations. Music playing on FM stations sounded like a CD.
But what has stalled widespread HD Radio's adoption up to now has been the hassle of having to yank out the old radio receiver from the dashboard and replace it with a new one.
With radio controls embedded in the steering wheel on some models, that just became too painful for many consumers. The HD receivers have also been expensive, as much as $700.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 3:32 PM | Permalink
September 26, 2007
Here's a concept with a difference. This is a new prototype center console from German supplier Preh Automotive, which has production cabin components for the all-new Audi A4, according to thecarconnection.com
Looking like something off the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, it's called the PrehCon. It's made entirely from what's known in the interiors industry as black panel display technology.
It means that when the driver gets behind the wheel he sees no buttons or lights - there's only a flat black surface and the chrome detailing around the edge. But as soon as he touches the starter button everything comes to life, illuminated in smart ice-blue neon.
That includes the icons on the switches which reveal what each one does. Note also the vibrant coloring on the side of the console, which could be programmed only to light up at night.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 8:04 AM | Permalink
September 12, 2007
European automakers, stung by criticisms from environmentalists and government regulators that they are late to the green party, will be using the 2007 Frankfurt motor show to showcase everything in their alternative fuel and powertrain arsenals, according to the New York Times.
The biennial show, the 62nd Internationalen Automobil-Ausstellungen Cars, will be held at the mammoth CongressCenter Messe Frankfurt convention center from Thursday through Sept. 23.
Press preview days began Monday night and continue through Wednesday. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, will open the show to the public on Thursday.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:13 AM | Permalink
September 11, 2007
FRANKFURT, Germany - General Motors will begin testing the revolutionary electric drive system in the Chevrolet Volt concept car on the road in vehicles next spring, company Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said at a dinner Monday night, according to the Detroit Free Press.
By this time next year, GM may allow selected people outside the company to test the system.
GM is committed to putting the system in the Chevrolet Volt for sale by 2010, Lutz said.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:59 AM | Permalink
September 4, 2007
AUSTIN, Texas — Millions of inventions pass quietly through the U.S. patent office each year. Patent No. 7,033,406 did, too, until energy insiders spotted six words in the filing that sounded like a death knell for the internal combustion engine.
An Austin-based start-up called EEStor promised "technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries," meaning a motorist could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 500 miles roundtrip without gasoline, according to USA Today.
By contrast, some plug-in hybrids on the horizon would require motorists to charge their cars in a wall outlet overnight and promise only 50 miles of gasoline-free commute. And the popular gas-electric hybrids on the road today still depend heavily on fossil fuels.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:12 AM | Permalink
August 30, 2007
The video revolution is coming to a car near you, according to USA Today.
Automakers are finding new ways of using small cameras in vehicles in a quest for greater safety and security, including the first 360-degree cams that give drivers a view of blind spots in their surroundings.
The proliferation of uses for automotive video systems reflects their growing popularity. Chrysler finds nearly a third of buyers of its Pacifica family hauler opt for a backup-camera option, which costs $399 and up, spokesman Nick Cappa says.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:51 AM | Permalink
August 24, 2007
General Motors is showing off a new engine technology that could cut fuel consumption by up to 15%, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The savings are the product of an engine-transmission system known as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI, that marries the high fuel economy of a diesel engine with the relatively low emissions of gasoline engines.
With the potential to deliver better fuel efficiency than even some of its gas-electric hybrids, GM calls HCCI "the most awaited advanced combustion technology of the past 30 years." Mercedes-Benz soon will show its own version of the technology, though neither automaker has said when it will make them in production vehicles.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:44 AM | Permalink
There's a little bit of Toyota inside the Chevrolet HHR, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The HHR's seat frame was designed by the General Motors Corp. rival and produced by one of Toyota Motor Corp.'s suppliers.
This kind of sharing takes to a new level a trend the auto industry has been moving toward for decades. More recently, the Detroit automakers have been picking up speed with it.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:41 AM | Permalink
August 23, 2007
In a big garage-size laboratory in Ford’s sprawling research complex in Dearborn, Mich., Mahendra Dassanayake stands beneath a planetarium-like dome that can replicate the sun.
It can surround new cars and trucks with an eye-squinting 5,000 watts of light. Or mimic the fading light of dusk. Or make the room turn black, like a backwoods street where there are no city lights or ambient light from the stars or moon.
The research here is about improving fuel economy with more efficient lights, such as those that use light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, according to the Detoit Free Press.
About 5% of fuel consumption goes directly to power a vehicle’s interior and exterior lights, said Dassanayake, a senior staff technology specialist at Ford. So, more efficient lighting systems, which offer good luminosity with less power, could ultimately save consumers at the gas pump.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:51 AM | Permalink
August 22, 2007
FROM the outside, the dark blue Saturn Aura accelerating to a steady 50 miles an hour on the high-bank oval here at General Motors’ proving grounds looked altogether unremarkable, according to the New York Times.
From the driving position it’s another story. A laptop computer placed between me and a G.M. engineer, Jun Mo Kang, displays a graph that plots the car’s changing engine speed against the load on the engine, just colorful enough to draw my attention away from future cars and trucks in full disguises zipping by in the faster lanes of the track.
My time behind the wheel last month was the first test drive G.M. has given to a journalist of its prototype homogeneous-charge compression-ignition engine. An H.C.C.I. engine runs on a combustion process that researchers say holds the potential for significant gains in overall engine efficiency. G.M is one of several automakers developing H.C.C.I. technology.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 11:08 AM | Permalink
Nissan plans to equip all of its cars and trucks with a gauge to tell drivers when they are being gas-guzzling lead foots, according to USA Today.
The "fuel-efficiency" meter, as the gauge is called, shows up already as a horizontal bar in the instrument cluster of the 2007 Nissan Altima and the 2008 Titan pickup, Armada SUV, Infiniti G35 car and QX56 SUV.
When coasting down a hill, the meter is long and orange, meaning little fuel is being used. When the pedal is to the metal, the line shortens dramatically.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:56 AM | Permalink
August 21, 2007
Last February, a group of Ford engineers set out to prove that an electric car powered by hydrogen could top 200 m.p.h. Last week, those engineers proved it, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The Ford Fusion Hydrogen 999 fuel cell car hit 207.297 m.p.h. at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on Thursday and set a world record in the process. It is the world's first and only production-based fuel cell racecar.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:10 PM | Permalink
August 14, 2007
Two years ago, a group of Ohio State University students asked Ford Motor Co. if it was interested in building a hydrogen-fueled race car. On Sunday, the result of that proposal made history, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The Ford Fusion 999, a hydrogen- and electric-powered car designed to whip across the salty white desert during Bonneville Speed Week, zoomed across the infinite horizon at 161 m.p.h. It was the first time a hydrogen-powered car had ever competed at the salt flats, where all manner of modified, souped-up vehicles come every August to break land-speed records.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 10:21 AM | Permalink
General Motors has signed an agreement with a battery maker that could propel it ahead of Toyota in the race to bring plug-in hybrid and electric cars to market, a top company official said Thursday, according to USA Today.
A123 Systems, based in Watertown, Mass., already produces thousands of nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries for use in cordless power tools, and it plans to apply the technology to automobiles.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:58 AM | Permalink
August 9, 2007
Automakers are putting a new emphasis on cars and trucks that excel at cutting carbon-dioxide emissions to reduce global warming, according to USA Today.
In the past, CO2 was treated as just a component of the noxious vapors spewing from tailpipes. Now, it's being singled out.
"Thanks to (former vice president) Al Gore, people are becoming aware of this extra factor," says Dominick Infante, spokesman for Subaru, which is looking to reduce its CO2 footprint. "It's becoming something people are wondering about."
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 9:09 AM | Permalink
August 7, 2007
Ford is testing a new 'eco-friendly' paint technology that reduces overall CO2 output by 15 percent, according to thecarconnection.com. And with a little luck, or calling around, you might be able to sample it yourself at a neighborhood U-Haul outlet.
About 200 Ford E-Series trucks made at the automaker's Avon Lake, Ohio plant and placed into duty as U-Haul rental vehicles have been painted with the new technology and will be put to use around the country as a way for Ford to test how well the new finish works in a heavy-use pattern. At U-Haul, the vehicles will be distinguished from the rest of the fleet through their "eco-friendly decals," according to a Ford release.
The new paint technology employs a high-solids (formulated with polymers), solvent-borne paint applied wet in three applications, with no prime coat. A smaller and cleaner paint shop compared with traditional painting facilities, and there's no need to 'bake' the paint.
Besides reducing CO2 emissions, the new system also cuts volatile organic compounds (VOC) by about ten percent, which gives it an advantage over both common solvent-borne and the water-borne paints being phased in by some companies. The water-borne paints, in general, carry a reputation for being more delicate than solvent-based coats.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth at 12:05 PM | Permalink
July 30, 2007
Three decades before the heyday of the muscle car, Henry Ford inadvertently invented the hot rod by bolting a 65-horsepower V-8 engine into a light, attractive body, according to the New York Times.
His breakthrough Ford Model 18 V-8 cost $460 in its most basic form, a two-door roadster, only $50 more than the same car powered by a four-cylinder engine. Ford figured that even in the depths of the Depression, this was within reach of the working class.
Six million Americans flocked to Ford dealerships on the announcement day.
Posted by at 10:52 AM | Permalink
July 17, 2007
The world's first rechargeable plug-in motorcycle, called the Enertia, will be available next year, according to a press release last week from its Oregon-based maker, according to thecarconnection.com
The Enertia is the first in a new series of electric commuter, commercial, and recreational vehicles from Brammo Motorsports, a privately held company based in Ashland , Ore. It's the same company that makes the minimalist Ariel Atom sports car, which has found a niche following among the enthusiast crowd; but the Enertia looks to be a no-brainer for the environmentalist set, especially those who can't quite stomach the $100,000 price tag for Tesla Motors' Roadster.
To that end, the Enertia has more than eight times the wheel-to-well efficiency of a CAFE-average car and more than four times that of a typical motorcycle, according to Brammo.
Posted by at 9:39 AM | Permalink
July 5, 2007
A riddle: Why has the Toyota Prius enjoyed such success, with sales of more than 400,000 in the United States, when most other hybrid models struggle to find buyers?
One answer may be that buyers of the Prius want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid, according to the New York Times
The Prius, after all, was built from the ground up as a hybrid, and is sold only as a hybrid. By contrast, the main way to tell that a Honda Civic, Ford Escape or Saturn Vue is a hybrid version is a small badge on the trunk or side panel.
Posted by at 2:46 PM | Permalink
July 2, 2007
Ford and Chrysler have followed General Motors in joining the United States Climate Action Partnership, a coalition working to reduce greenhouse gases tied to global warming, according to USA Today.
The alliance of big business and environmental groups told President Bush in January that mandatory emissions caps are needed to reduce the flow of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.
Ford and Chrysler on Wednesday announced their membership in the coalition.
Posted by at 11:18 AM | Permalink
June 27, 2007
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says his company is working hard to develop the next generation of smaller, lighter auto batteries - a technology that holds promise for electric cars as well as for hybrids, AP reports.
He also said Nissan and its French partner Renault SA are moving ahead with studies on a $3,000 car for the Indian market.
Posted by at 9:51 AM | Permalink
June 25, 2007
A promising, if so far underwhelming, fuel-economy technology is gaining momentum as automakers, squeezed by social and political pressure, look under every rock to gain even a few tenths of a mile per gallon, according to USA Today.
The technology goes by various names but by any name does the same thing: shuts off fuel to some of an engine's cylinders when the vehicle needs only partial power.
Chrysler just said that a new line of V-6 engines will have cylinder deactivation, starting in 2010. Honda says it will have an enhanced version of what it calls Variable Cylinder Management on V-6 engines in the redesigned 2008 Accord coming this fall. And General Motors says it will use the feature on a 2008 Buick LaCrosse V-8 and '08 hybrid versions of full-size Chevrolet and GMC SUVs.
Posted by at 11:37 AM | Permalink
June 21, 2007
With higher government fuel economy requirements looming and gasoline prices around $3 a gallon, Chrysler Group on Thursday announced several measures to boost the fuel mileage of its cars and trucks, according to USA Today.
During an event to showcase its 2008 models, the company said its new family of V-6 engines will have the ability to drop to three cylinders when less power is needed, raising V-6 fuel economy 6% to 8%.
The company also plans to place its new two-mode hybrid powertrain in more vehicles, put a clean diesel engine in the 2009 Jeep Cherokee sport-utility vehicle, and upgrade its 5.7-liter Hemi and 4.7-liter V-8 engines to get better gas mileage.
Posted by at 12:13 PM | Permalink
June 20, 2007
MUSCLE cars are inseparable from America and the ’60s, their innocence sweetly harmonized by the Beach Boys, their more sinister side chronicled in films from “Bullitt” to “Grindhouse.”
Today’s revival of the old horsepower wars still features familiar Motown combatants like Corvette, Mustang and Charger. But it is Mercedes-Benz, once known for conservative sedans and sleepy diesels, that is overwhelming the competition, according to the New York Times. Forget 400 horses: the AMG division of Mercedes is the new King of Zing, churning out models that top 600 horsepower.
Posted by at 11:27 AM | Permalink
WITH fuel prices high and the pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions rising, automakers are finding themselves in the familiar squeeze of balancing customer wants with government mandates, according to the New York Times.
The most direct path to improving fuel economy — designing cars that are lighter and smaller — presents many challenges, including a population that is bigger and more feature conscious. While clever marketing may overcome that resistance to small cars, federal safety standards cannot be compromised, and the physics of a car crash gives the advantage to larger, heavier vehicles.
Still, development of more compact vehicles seems healthy. General Motors dipped its toe in these waters with a trio of pug-nosed microcar designs for the auto-show circuit this year; the tiny Mercedes-Benz Smart cars will be here next year; and Honda, Nissan and Toyota have all recently added smaller cars to their lines.
Posted by at 11:10 AM | Permalink
June 19, 2007
Internet search giant Google hopes to speed the development of plug-in hybrid cars by giving away millions of dollars to people and companies that have what appear to be practical ways to get plug-ins to market faster, according to USA Today.
But the money, announced Monday afternoon at Google headquarters in Mountain Valley, Calif., totals just $1 million so far with another $10 million pledged, which might not be enough to move the needle.
Auto development is crushingly expensive, especially when it involves the kind of advanced battery and powertrain technology used in plug-in hybrids.
Though automakers are tight-lipped about what they spend, bringing a plug-in hybrid to market could cost
Posted by at 2:33 PM | Permalink
June 13, 2007
It's the end of the driving world as you know it, some of the automotive industry's top engineers and executives said Tuesday during a University of Michigan forum on alternative-fuel vehicles, according to the Detroit Free Press.
More than 700 people filled the Power Center in Ann Arbor to hear hybrid and advanced technology directors from General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. discuss what their companies are doing to address increasing consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Posted by at 9:55 AM | Permalink
June 12, 2007
After taking a decade to sell its first 1 million gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles worldwide, Toyota now says it plans to sell 1 million a year within a few years, according to USA Today.
At the same time, the big automaker appears to be backing away from a pledge made a few years ago that hybrid powertrains would be available as options on nearly every one of its U.S. vehicles by 2010.
Posted by at 10:30 AM | Permalink
June 11, 2007
People who know cars know that it’s getting tougher to find skilled mechanics. Cars have become increasingly complex, and require the kind of specialized training that teenagers can’t pick up hanging around the local gas station, according to The New York Times.
Although these students are part of the video-game generation and are comfortable around computers, automotive experts said many teenagers were unwilling to undertake the training for jobs that don’t initially pay much, when they can learn similar skills to enter higher-paying professions that get more respect.
Posted by at 10:18 AM | Permalink
June 6, 2007
General Motors has awarded two contracts to companies that will help speed up development of its plug-in hybrid car called the Chevrolet Volt, GM Chairman Rick Wagoner said Tuesday, according to USA Today.
Wagoner, speaking at the company's annual shareholders meeting, also said GM would introduce four new hybrid models this year.
Posted by at 9:48 AM | Permalink
June 5, 2007
Honda says it will discontinue the hybrid version of its Accord sedans, according to USA Today.
Honda will continue to make gas-and-electric models of its Civic sedan, but stop offering the hybrid Accord with the new model expected to go on sale later this year, company spokesman Yoshiyuki Kuroda said in Tokyo.
The Accord hybrid, sold only in North America, was a dud, selling just 25,000 since going on sale in 2004. It sold just 6,100 last year.
Posted by at 9:20 AM | Permalink
Hyundai eads in five categories in the annual vehicle quality study released Monday by Strategic Vision Inc., a San Diego-based market research company and consultant to automakers, according to a report in the Associated Press.
Hyundai's rise in the rankings is only the latest sign of the improved overall quality and declining number of defects in today's cars and trucks, said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor.
"They're coming together to a point where the differences are almost meaningless," Cole said.
He said that means buyers will pay increasing attention to dealer service, new technology, fashion features, price and fuel economy, AP reports.
Posted by at 9:15 AM | Permalink
May 24, 2007
Cars are getting to take over the driving, according to USA Today.
For example, using radar technology developed for military aircraft, an experimental BMW on a test track senses when it's about to crash and simultaneously flashes a red light on the dash, primes the brakes, pushes back on the gas pedal, closes the windows and sunroof, moves the seat upright, cinches the seat belt and adjusts the air bag deployment.
If the driver doesn't hit the brakes fast or hard enough, it will do that, too.
Posted by at 11:23 AM | Permalink
May 21, 2007
In “American Graffiti,” the character played by Richard Dreyfuss spends much of the movie pursuing a mysterious woman played by Suzanne Somers, who drives a white Ford Thunderbird. If only they'd had SameLane, a service that allows drivers to call strangers on the road by dialing their license plate numbers into cellphones, The New York Times reports.
A CB radio for this century, SameLane is aimed at commuters stuck in traffic, long-haul drivers fighting fatigue and good Samaritans trying to help people with broken taillights and such.
To use the service, which goes live on Monday, drivers register their cellphone and license plate numbers with SameLane, which sends them bumper stickers identifying the drivers as part of the SameLane network. After spotting a member, drivers dial a company number, punch in the license plate number of the car they want to reach and wait for SameLane’s computers to connect the call.
Posted by at 10:16 AM | Permalink
Speaking at a taping of “Wait Wait ...Don’t Tell Me!” the quiz program on National Public Radio, Robert A. Lutz, vice chairman at General Motors, declared Thursday night that the Chevrolet Volt, the hybrid-electric concept car that G.M. unveiled at this year’s Detroit auto show, may be among the most important vehicles that G.M. has ever developed, The New York Times reports.
Lutz has long been considered one of Detroit’s ultimate “car guys,” for whom no vehicle could be big enough, powerful enough or fast enough. He is the father of the V-10 Dodge Viper and has championed automobiles like the 1,000-horsepower Cadillac Sixteen.
Lutz said he was more excited about the Volt that he was about the Dodge Viper. “I think this can bring about the revolution and really make us independent of foreign oil and solve all the other problems," he said.
Posted by at 10:03 AM | Permalink
May 16, 2007
General Motors claims to have the first electrically driven fuel-cell vehicle capable of going 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen - on public roads, according to thecarconnection.com.
Sequel's 300-mile route acrossNew York State began at GM's Fuel Cell Activity Center in Honeoye Falls, near Rochester, and finished in Tarrytown, just north of New York City, where a GM assembly facility was closed more than a decade ago.
Posted by at 10:35 AM | Permalink
May 8, 2007
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Monday faulted U.S. automakers for failing to do what foreign manufacturers have accomplished in producing fuel-efficient vehicles, according to the Associated Press.
Posted by at 10:30 AM | Permalink
May 4, 2007
Automakers would have until 2020 to raise the fuel efficiency of their cars and trucks to an average of 35 miles per gallon under a key U.S. Senate proposal, which includes several clauses Detroit automakers have pushed, giving federal regulators power over future rules, according to the Detroit Free Press
The amendment offered Friday by Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, will be the starting point when the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee meets Tuesday to consider passing a fuel economy increase to the full Senate.
Posted by at 11:45 AM | Permalink
May 2, 2007
I finally got around to seeing Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and recommend it highly. Even though it has long seemed to me obvious that our carbon emissions had to be having an impact on the world's atmosphere, I was surprised and pretty horrified by the weight of evidence the former vice president and president elect has built up.
Certainly, Gore has focused attention on this issue like no one else and the move underway toward alternative fuels, for example, is bound to gain even more momentum.
Gore quickly defines global warming - the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that prevents the escape of reflected sunlight .
He then demonstrates through a series of charts how the modern era is burdened by a global population of about 6 billion compared with 2 billion when he was born; and how the burning of fossil fuels that started in earnest with the coal-fired factories of the industrial revolution in the 19th Century has caused the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to literally go off a chart that traces the data over 650,000 years through ice cores from Antartica!
He then points out evidence of a changing environment, including the number of 'record' hot years, the increase in major storms including Hurricane Katrina, the rapid retreat of the world's glaciers and the ongoing meltdown in the Arctic.
The evidence is overwhelming and it's astonishing that there is still a cadre of drivelers who continue to belittle the entire concept.
The documentary, which won an Oscar, is basically a lecture which he admits he has given "over 1,000 times." Well, practice makes perfect and the presentation is extremely tight and focused.
He ends it by pointing out that the technology exists to avert disaster; what we need is the political will. The notion that the current administration of former fossil fuel executives has any interest in this is risible; hopefully, a changing of the guard in 2008 will include a renewed focus on this very serious and growing problem.
But there is always the possibility that by the fall of 2008, we will have already experienced a monumental catastrophe that will make Katrina seem like a picnic. For while the move is on to alternative fuels, consider that China is planning to build 500 new coal-fired power plants over the next decade, according to an NPR report this morning.
Posted by at 12:39 PM | Permalink
April 17, 2007
Alex Ion writes there seems to be a real interest in the auto world in the kind of heads up displays that pilots use in fighter jets - where instead of having to look down at the various dials, pilots read them on a a transparent display on their windscreen that does not obstruct their overall view.
However, for his list of pros and cons of the technology, see his article on Devicepedia.com .
Posted by at 3:00 PM | Permalink
April 16, 2007
Could the electric vehicle be poised for a comeback? A new joint venture between Nissan Motor Co., NEC Corporation, and its subsidiary, NEC TOKIN Corporation, could pave the way for a new generation of battery cars, including super-high-efficiency hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electric vehicles with far more range than the EVs California consumers snubbed in the 1990s, according to thecarconnection.com.
Posted by at 12:33 PM | Permalink
March 15, 2007
Check out how the boffins at MIT are doing in their efforts to make the century-old internal-combustion engines smaller and to reduce engine knock. "An engine this size," says Daniel Cohn, a senior research scientist at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, pointing out an ordinary-looking 2.4-liter midsize gasoline engine, "would be a rocket with our technology."
By combining turbocharging technology and direct fuel injection and augmenting them with a novel way to use a small amount of ethanol, Cohn and his colleagues have created a design that they believe could triple the power of a test engine, an advance that could allow automakers to convert small engines designed for economy cars into muscular engines with more than enough power for SUVs or sports cars.
By extracting better performance from smaller, more efficient engines, the technology could lead to vehicles whose fuel economy rivals that of hybrids, which use both an electric motor and a gasoline engine. And that fuel efficiency could come at a fraction of the cost.
The full report is in MIT's Technology Review.
Posted by at 11:28 AM | Permalink
