Friday, February 26, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

California “Cool Cars” Law Under Fire From Police

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 01:20 PM PST

California’s “Cool Cars” law has been controversial ever since its adoption by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) last summer… but now things have been kicked up a notch with CARB seemingly sticking to their guns in a shoot out with the police… almost literally.

In a nutshell, the law will require all new cars sold in California starting in 2012 to have a microscopic reflective layer embedded in the windows that will keep the cars from getting so hot in the sun, thereby reducing air conditioner usage and increasing fuel economy while lowering emissions.

The problem: The reflective layer has been shown to interrupt cell phone, GPS, and RFID transmissions, which, in turn, could disrupt the ability of police to track GPS-braceleted criminals, block 911 calls, and stop automated toll booths from tracking toll payers… not to mention screwing up any number of the ever-connected devices that drivers use on a daily basis.

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Traffic Congestion And Improving Economy Linked?

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 12:39 PM PST

Ah the recession. Is it over, almost over, or not even close? That all depends on who you ask.

If you ask INRIX, a leading provider of traffic information, traffic congestion is on the rise. And as the economy improves, traffic congestion will get worse. Traffic congestion as an indicator of economic improvement? Well… why not?

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The Numbers Are In: Ford F-250 Lariat Gets Worst Gas Mileage

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 12:36 PM PST

Ford has made many improvements in bettering its fleet average fuel mileage in recent years. But lest we forget, it was the Ford Explorer that helped create the SUV craze. And it wasn’t long ago you could buy the monstrous Excursion from any nearby dealership, a road behemouth more suitable to Lord Humongous than suburban soccer moms.

Consumer Reports recently did its annual round of real-world gas mileage numbers. The 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat ranked as the vehicle with the worst tested gas mileage, getting on average just 10 mpg.

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World’s Largest Solar Boat Unveiled At Last; Will Go Around the World

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 11:56 AM PST

The first great explorers of our planet were sailors. You had to be a brave soul to voluntarily embark on any seafaring journey. Scurvy, storms, and sharks were but a few of the terrors that awaited would-be sailors, who had to cross thousands of miles of ocean relying solely on wind power to get them to their destinations. Shipping has never been as clean and green as it was during the Age of Sail.

Today, most ships are used to haul goods moreso than people, and rely on heavy-oil burning engines. A huge container ship can emit as much pollution as 50 million cars. But on Thursday PlanetSolar unveiled the world’s largest solar-powered ship. Relying on about 38,000 solar cells, the PlanetSolar ship can achieve a top speed… of 9 mph. And that would be fast enough to make it the fastest solar ship to cross the Atlantic ocean.

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AMP Announces Chevy Equinox Electric Conversion With 150 Mile Range

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 11:24 AM PST

AMP, the EV company best know for it’s Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky conversions, is moving on up in the world… up in size that is. The company has just announced that it will be converting the mid-size Chevy Equinox crossovers to fully electric cars with a 150 mile range, a 0-60 mph time of 8 seconds, and a top speed of 90 mph.

Using a car that still exists for an EV conversion sure seems like a better bet to me.

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Opinion: Have We Evolved Beyond Driving?

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 10:21 AM PST

I love driving. For me it is calming. An exercise in unlimited freedom. All I need is a car and some cash, and I can be a 1,000 miles away in a matter of hours. It is… liberating.

But not everybody feels the same.

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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Coming in 2012; Slew of New Hybrids Soon

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 09:59 AM PST

Toyota has been playing a three-pronged strategy to get the ball rolling again after such a dismal few months by simultaneously launching a major mea culpa with the politicians and public, providing huge incentives for potential customers, and accelerating the announcement of new products to fuel excitement.

After seeing some congressional testimony and watching Toyota execs respond to issues over the last few months, I can’t say that Toyota is doing a very good job with the groveling. But, given that you can find some of the best deals ever for getting yourself in a Prius right now (how does $249 per month for a 3 year lease sound?) and reportedly more and deeper deals on the way, it seems the huge incentives strategy is in full effect.

And in terms of new product announcements, Toyota has been dropping a slew of them which clearly lay out Toyota’s accelerating pace of hybrid deployment including a Hybrid RAV4, a sports coupe to compete with the Honda CR-Z, a larger Prius-based car, and the Lexus CT 200h compact hybrid hatchback. Also rumored is a rear wheel drive Lexus-based hybrid sports car.

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