Monday, July 19, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Nissan Working On Electric LEAF-Based Sports Car?

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:14 AM PDT

The Nissan LEAF is coming, and it could be the catalyst that makes electric cars more than just a pipe dream. Nissan says orders have already exceeded expectations and the hype around this little electric car is poppin’ (to use the vernacular of our times). Reality may dampen some expectations though; the 100 mile range is under the best of conditions, and I doubt the LEAF will be a very fun car to drive in terms of speed and handling… though I’ve been wrong before [Ed. Note: Having driven one, I can say it is a fun drive].

That could all change though, as Edmunds Inside Line reports that Nissan is working on a sport car based on the LEAF. This could get interesting.

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Honda Giving Up On Diesels To Focus On Hybrids

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:12 AM PDT

For whatever reason, diesel engines get a bad rap in America. Even at their worst, they were never that bad (at least in my opinion). Torque, good gas mileage, and never a line at the gas station (just 5% of American cars are diesels). Plus, they last forever. Even so, the tide of public opinion still seems against diesel engines, and the major manufacturers are noticing.

Honda is ditching its R&D into clean diesel engines to focus instead on hybrids. As we all know, hybrids are all the rage right now, and Honda is hedging its bets by focusing on building band-aid cars instead of coming up with genuine solutions. Didn’t try already try that?

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50 Million Cars Sold In China Annually By 2030?

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 11:09 AM PDT

I write about cars because I love cars. I know not everyone shares my enthusiasm, and there are a great many things to hate about cars. Cost, maintenance, pollution, congestion, the list goes on. Historically though, cars have represented a sort of coming-of-age. When you can afford a car, especially a brand new one, you’ve “made it” in a sense. Car ownership, along with home ownership, has been a tenant of life in America for at least 60 years. But as people in America begin to shy away from the automobile, people in other countries are beginning to embrace it.

Like China. In 2009, for the first time ever, Chinese consumers bought more cars than Americans, and it is a trend that will see an ever-widening gap. A report over at the The Truth About Cars says that China is about to enter an automobile buying boom, and conservative reports place annual car sales at 35 million a year by 2030. The more likely figure though is that China could be buying 50 million cars. Is that a good thing?

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Rotary Engine As Electric Vehicle Range Extender?

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:51 AM PDT

I’ve got a lot of respect for people who try to do things differently, especially when it comes to cars. We’ve been driving the same basic contraption for over a century now, from the engine to the suspension to even the accelerator. While I love cars, I also love the innovation and creativity I’m seeing from the alternative fuel movement from both big manufacturers and small, and some old ideas are getting a second look.

Take the rotary engine. It has fewer moving parts than a standard engine… but it also makes a lot less torque, requires precision machining, and devours oil rather quickly, making it rather useless for towing or performance. Plus, since the internal combustion engine has become so ingrained in our culture, many mechanics can’t make heads or tails of the Wankel, as it is called. But this little engine (made popular by Mazda in the 70’s and 80’s) could find a second life… as an electric vehicle range extender.

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Tesla And Toyota Working On RAV4 EV

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:48 AM PDT


It’s kind of crazy to think just ten years ago, the SUV craze was hitting its stride. Personally, I never bought into the whole SUV craze (I like nimble vehicles, thank you). There is, however, something to say about the utility and usefulness of a good-sized SUV though, and even today, I still see plenty of these hulking behemoths on the road. So Americans still like SUV’s.

I guess it’s a good thing then that Toyota and Tesla are working together to build an all-electric version of the RAV4. Not exactly my cup of tea as far as SUV’s go, but it’s a damn popular car. Plus, it’s size means it could carry a larger battery for longer range.

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All Electric Toyota Supercar Coming?

Posted: 19 Jul 2010 08:46 AM PDT


Reliable. Dependable. Boring. That is what most people have to say about their Toyotas. Ok, maybe not the third one, but anybody who is really into cars can see where I am coming from. There isn’t anything exciting or even turbocharged in the Toyota lineup. But there was a time when Toyota actually made some pretty exciting cars, like the mid-engine MR2 and the turbocharged Supra. Hell, even the Previa minivan had a supercharger and rear-wheel drive (I’m not kidding). There is the Lexus LFA, but… that doesn’t count because it’s too expensive and rare to be meaningful to the average Joe.

So when rumor has it that Toyota is working on a supercar, I get a little excited. The rumor mill has been churning out word of a Supra successor for years now, but lately the rumor mill has changed its tone. Is Toyota working on an all-electric supercar?

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