Thursday, March 18, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Ford Investing $2.3 Billion in Britain to Build Next Gen Cars

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 01:09 PM PDT

On the heels of an announcement by the British government that Ford would get $550 million in government loan guarantees, Ford has said they will invest $2.3 billion in Britain over the next five years to modernize their facilities and build the next generation of fuel-efficient cars and powertrains — including clean diesel and EcoBoost technologies.

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Keeping it Real: Nissan LEAF $45K Pricing Rumor is Just That… A Rumor

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 12:29 PM PDT

The unbridled internet rumor mill is both a thing of beauty and an incredibly annoying echo chamber. The latest one to get lost in translation: Nissan has priced the LEAF electric car at $45,000.

Given that Nissan has consistently said for a year now that the LEAF will be comparably priced to a conventional sedan of the the same size and capabilities, this is one rumor that just doesn’t hold much water. Although many have seemed to take it at face value. (more…)

Laser-Ignited Nanoparticle Engines Could be Way More Efficient, Less Polluting

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 11:03 AM PDT

Researchers from the University of Florida are reporting this week on a discovery that could have wide-ranging implications for everything from cancer treatment to cars. By shining very weak lasers — no more intense than those found in laser pointers — at nanoparticles known as “functionalized fullerenes,” the researchers have been able to cause those fullerenes to ignite with much lower energy input than traditional ignition techniques.

When mixed with gasoline, the researchers envision that the fullerenes would allow the gasoline to be ignited with low energy lasers in an engine instead of with the normal spark plugs. Not only would this lower the amount of energy needed to ignite the fuel, it would also cause the fuel to be more completely combusted, thus increasing the fuel economy and lowering emissions. (more…)

Winning Formula One Ferrari Ran on Cellulosic Ethanol

Posted: 18 Mar 2010 08:37 AM PDT

The American Le Mans Series isn’t the only racing outfit getting into green fuels.

This past weekend was the season opener for the Formula One World Championship. This is the peak, the very pinnacle of automotive performance, with teams spending hundreds of millions of dollars every season trying to one up each other with a technological advantage. Drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso  took Ferrari to victory at the season opener of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ferrari’s fuel sponsor Shell incorporated ethanol into its race fuel for the first time.

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