Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Freightliner Electric Vans To Use Tesla Battery Packs

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 01:12 PM PDT

Electric might not seem very practical for most of the population right now, but for many companies that employ fleets of vehicles, they make all the sense on the world. Many fleet vehicles don’t wander too far from home base, and often run the same route every day. Without the cost of gas or maintaince, companies would have much more money to use to improve their business and could also lower costs.

Freightliner, a big trucking company who already has natural gas and hybrid vehicles on the road, has turned to Tesla to provide battery packs for their upcoming line of electric vans.

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Eco Electric ATV Is More Practical Than You Think

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 11:59 AM PDT

I’ve never really ridden an ATV, though I always wanted to. They look fun, and driving through nature would be a nice change of pace. But ATV’s are noisy, dirty (due to largely unregulated small engines), and in the wrong hands, very destructive. While we can’t do much about people choosing to tear up a plot of land with their off-roader, there are alternatives when it comes to noise and emissions.

Last year we heard about Barefoot Motors electric ATV, and now EVS has thrown their hat in the ring with the Eco Electric ATV. It offers three times the torque of its gas-powered counterparts, giving it a towing capacity of a thousand pounds! Not bad for a little ATV eh?

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Nissan in Talks With Daimler to Trade Electric Car Tech for Engine Tech

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 11:50 AM PDT

Nissan, looking for a way to trim production and development costs, is reportedly in talks with Daimler AG — the parent company of Mercedes, Smart, and others — to trade their coveted electric car tech for diesel and V-8 gas engines as well as develop future green automotive technology.

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Porsche Establishing Business Case for 918 Spyder; Wants Firm Orders Before Building

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 11:06 AM PDT

From the moment it was unveiled to a surprised world at the Geneva Auto Show, the 918 Spyder concept super-eco-sports car has been building a head of steam to actually reach production. The 78 mpg, 0-60 mph in 3 seconds, plug-in hybrid certainly has built up a large cult following in the few weeks since its introduction. I don’t think Porsche will have trouble finding the firm orders necessary to make a case for building it.

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Tata Nano is Developing a Bad Habit: Bursting Into Flames

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 10:32 AM PDT

“World’s cheapest car” it’s been called, and unquestionably the Tata Nano has brought about a revolution in India. In carving out a niche as an affordable, simple, and incredibly fuel efficient car for the average folk in poorer nations like India, it has also sparked a change within the global auto industry to the point where Toyota, Nissan, Ford and many other major players are now trying to compete with the Nano in this new ultra-cheap minicar segment.

But along with that, the Nano is also, quite literally, sparking something else: Over the last year, a list of Nanos that have an apparent bad habit of spontaneously combusting has been growing in India — the latest one involving a minutes-old Nano being driven home by its proud new owner. And as you can see in the above pic, that car is toast.

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Cars, Cyclists, and Pedestrians are All Equal According To DOT

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 08:36 AM PDT

Though it may be hard for us to imagine, there was a time not that long ago when if you needed to go somewhere, you walked. If you were lucky, you rode a horse. When the bicycle came around in the 1890’s, it was a revolution for personal mobility. But when the car came along, the party was over as cyclists and pedestrians alike were shuffled aside as the car took over all consideration for transportation.

In a dramatic overturn of previous policy, the Department of Transportation has declared that the needs of walkers, cyclists, and cars are all equal. So will we see more integrated biking lanes and facilities as well as a push towards more walkable communities?

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Military Solar-Powered Blimp A Movable Eye In The Sky

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 08:33 AM PDT

The first use of aerial vehicles on the battlefield was balloons hoisted up into the to spy on enemy troop movements, and occasionally to drop bombs. Balloons were used in the American Civil War, and even during the French Revolution, though in recent decades emphasis has shifted towards jets, rather than balloons.

But that may be about to change. The U.S. Air Force is looking into a high-flying, solar-powered blimp to take over spy duties, and say a small demonstration prototype could be in the air by 2014.

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