Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Jaguar Unveils C-X75 Plug-in Hybrid Supercar Concept

Posted: 30 Sep 2010 09:18 AM PDT

Jaguar has always been something of a troubled brand that despite itself, makes beautiful cars. Jaguar has not been able to stand on its own two feet ever since it was acquired by British Leyland, before being bought by Ford, and then sold off to Tata Motors, the current owners. Yet Jaguar may be experiencing a revival under its Indian overlords. Just take a look at this latest concept car.

Inexplicably called the C-X75 concept, this 21st-century supercar is an extended-range electric car backed by a gas turbine engine. Yes, gas turbine engine. I bet it sounds beautiful.

This concept comes just ahead of the Paris Auto Show, and is being touted as a celebration of Jaguars 75th anniversary (though technically, the company was founded in 1922 as the Swallow Sidecar Company). It is powered by four electric motors, one at each wheel, each making 195 horsepower delivering a grand total of 780 horsepower. That is a lot of horsepower, but as we know, electric cars still have limited range due to their batteries. That’s where the gas turbine range-extender comes in.

The two mid-mounted mini-gas turbines, each making 94 horsepower, can operate independently of each other and help propel the C-X75 up to 500 miles. The body is made from lightweight aluminum, and the turbines, combined with the electric motors, produce a whooping 1,187 ft-lbs of torque. All that power is good for an estimated top speed of 205 mph. While that’s still 50 mph short of the Bugatti Veyron, its still fast enough for 99% of the population. If it ever does get made though, only 1% of the population will likely be able to afford it.

Should they make it? And do gas turbines have a future with alternative-fuel vehicles?

Source: Jalopnik
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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Report: U.S. Military Must Wean Itself Off of Oil by 2040

Posted: 29 Sep 2010 10:08 AM PDT

I’m a huge history buff, and I’ve always been fascinated military strategies and their far-reaching consequences. Take World War II for example. One of the main reasons the Allies were able to triumph over Nazi Germany was their prolonged and relentless bombing campaign on oil fields and pipelines. An army without fuel cannot be effective, especially given the modern, mobile tactics employed by many armed forces.

In a report called Fueling The Future Force, the authors say that the U.S. Military must be entirely oil-free by 2040 if it wants to maintain a strategic edge and avoid the inevitable lack of oil. Can it be done?

There is plenty of doomsaying and prophesy about peak oil, though the simple fact remains there is not one person on the planet who actually knows how much easy oil is left to be tapped. What we are all pretty sure of is that oil won’t last forever, and considering that China and India are becoming the world’s largest automotive consumers, America will no longer have the biggest grasp on oil imports.

It is also no secret that many of the countries we get our oil from could one day be our enemies (or currently are). Venuzela’s Huge Chavez is constantly rattling the saber, and while Saudi Arabia loves us for the money we send them, 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia and the export extremism in the form of funding extremist ideological teachings in a large proportion of muslim schools around the world. Both of those countries are also rife with political discontent; what would a rebellion in Saudi Arabia mean for our oil imports?

By 2040, the report estimates that oil will be in short supply… and it is possible. China could be buying upwards of 50 million automobiles a year. Even if they are all hybrids, that is still a lot of fuel. Even if oil is still available, it could be outrageously expensive. Imagine trying to fight a war where gas cost $400 a gallon. That could get expensive.

The report says that 77% of the military’s energy supply comes from petrol. That is a lot, and it also means we have to ship oil to some rather remote locations just to power our fighting force. The military is starting to recognize the advantages of alternative power sources though. There is wind and sunshine just about everywhere, and nobody controls it Mr. Burns style. There is a lot of talk about trimming the fat from the government these days too; greening the military is a great way to do that. A greener, leaner military means a win for all, and often times that technology will trickle down into the public sector. Can the military go green in just 30 years though? Seems like a tall order, even for the planet’s premier fighting force.

Source: Fueling The Future Force via TreeHugger | Image: US Army Flickr

Shweeb Pedal Pod Gets $1 Million From Google Competition

Posted: 29 Sep 2010 10:02 AM PDT

There are so many bold, fresh, and plain old wacky ideas out there when it comes to alternative forms of transportation. I love to see the creative ideas people come up with for new ways to get around, though in truth, 99 out of 100 of these ideas will never catch on. Many of them won’t even make the transition from idea to working concept. However, there are a handful that manage to break out, and sometimes a dark horse can end up a surprise winner.

Take the Shweeb for example. I wrote about this pedal-powered-pod last summer, when it was still just a racetrack/ride in New Zealand. Now, however, the Shweeb has been awarded $1 million from Google to produce a working prototype for public use. But will the public get on board?

First off, yes, I know in my earlier post, I spelled Shweeb wrong (my bad). My lack-of-attention aside, this is a pretty big deal for the small company, who entered Google’s 10^100 contest, which sought to reward five good ideas with seed money to get the projects off the ground. Other winners include the Kahn Academy, which wants to provide educational content online for free, and Public.Resource.Org, which wants to make the government more transparent. Amongst that kind of company, the Shweeb… really stands out.

The idea started as a simple ride where you raced an opponent along a track in these enclosed pods via a bike-like pedal system. As far as a ride goes, it sounds fun, but as a public transportation option, it will certainly have some obstacles to overcome. For one, sweaty people. Imagine waiting at a Shweeb station, and the next pod that pulls up, a large, sweaty, gross dude gets out. I’m a pretty gross dude myself, but that would give me cause to reconsider walking to my destination.

You also have to build the railway system. Since it is human powered, it won’t need any sort of electrical lines and whatnot, but it won’t exactly be unobtrusive either. The one benefit I see to this is that since there is no engine, the pods will be pretty light, and perhaps could be mated to the side of buildings without too much effort and what not. And while it might be great for getting around alone, what if you’re with a whole group of friends? Will there be multi-Shweebs? Plenty of questions remain about the viability of this project, but Google has seen fit to give them a million bucks to build a prototype in an urban setting.

Could you see yourself using this in lieu of a bike, or short bus trip?

Wave-Generated Electricity Powers U.S. Grid for the First Time

Posted: 29 Sep 2010 09:28 AM PDT

Tapping the power of the sea, one of Ocean Power Technologies‘ new PowerBuoys can now claim to be the first wave power device to deliver electricity to America’s power grid.

The OPT PB40 PowerBuoy was hooked up to the grid at Hawaii’s Marine Corps Base as part of the firm’s program with the US military to test the viability of wave-generated energy technology.  The results of this test confirm the PowerBouy’s potential to deliver clean, sustainable energy that can be transmitted to the power grid in full accordance with US standards, according to OPT.

OPT reports that the OPT/Navy project has undergone extensive environmental assessment by an independent firm in accordance the National Environment Policy Act (NEPA), which resulted in a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI … how cool is that!?).  In other words: wave power may finally be ready for prime-time!

SOURCE:  Renewable Energy World
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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Production Saab 9-4X Biopower Spied Ahead of LA Show

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 03:19 PM PDT

These photos show the final production version of Saab’s long-anticipated 9-4X Biopower concept, which will feature Saab’s new design language and slick new turbo-charged gas and diesel engines which should deliver on the concept’s flex-fuel promises.

Saab first showed its 9-4X Biopower concept more than 2 years ago, to largely positive reviews in the press.  Since the January, 2008 reveal of the 9-4X concept, Saab—and the rest of the automotive world—has changed.  Saab—then a part of GM—almost didn’t make it through that company’s bankruptcy, and was eventually sold to Dutch supercar maker, Spyker.

The 9-4X—along with the ePower wagon set to be shown at this week’s Paris show—has a lot of the brand’s future riding on it, as well as Saab’s desire to be thought of as a green, ecologically-conscious car company.

No word yet on final specs, since the car hasn’t officially been released yet.  Still, Saab has a press conference planned for tomorrow morning, which might yet reveal all.

Stay tuned!

SOURCE:  Saabs United

Prius Minivan Spotted in Testing!

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 01:33 PM PDT

Carscoop just posted what might be the first pictures of Toyota’s upcoming Prius MPV!

According to reports from Carscoop reader Nick K., who took the photos (above and below), the mini-minivan is about the same size as the Mazda 5, and was following one of Lexus’ new CT200h Hybrids.

As you can see from the photos, the vehicle has a Prius-like nose, and generally “Prius-y” proportions, making it a likely candidate to be the first of many “Prius-branded” vehicles from parent company Toyota.

Would you buy a small Prius minivan?

SOURCE:  Carscoop.

ORLY!? Lotus Elite to Use Toyota’s Hybrid Tech

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 12:53 PM PDT

It was only a few short weeks ago that I wrote about—what seemed to be—Toyota playing Goliath to Lotus’ (formidable) David.

Now (well, yesterday) the boys at Autoblog are reporting that the 2014 production version of the Lotus Elite concept (shown, above) might be using Toyota’s hybrid system, and NOT Lotus’ own innovative Omnivore range-extending system from the Evora 414E shown at Geneva earlier this year… an interesting development, to say the least.

What does this mean for my pet theory about Toyota forcing itself on Lotus? I think I’m right, and this move is all about Toyota forcing Lotus (which already relies on Toyota for its ICE engines) to play ball—which, in this case, means Toyota wants Lotus to publicly acknowledge Toyota as the world leader in hybrid technology.

At this point, this is all speculation—but the more I dig the more it seems like there is more to the whole Toyota / Lotus / Tesla saga than meets the eye… especially when considering Lotus’ recent return to Formula 1, hot off the heels of Toyota’s embarrassing failures in F1.

Why is F1 significant to any of this? Remember that Akio Toyoda is an active racing driver, who (it was rumored) pushed the Lexus supercar project along so he could have something to drive. Toyoda had to sit out this year’s 24 hour race due to the PR trouble nightmare surrounding Toyota’s unintended acceleration lawsuits earlier this year, and you can bet that stung—they don’t call it a “need for speed” for nothing.

Could it be that Toyota is positioning itself to return to F1, as an engine supplier to Lotus (the R&D money on an engine AND KERS system has already been spent, after all)? Could Akio Toyoda be lining himself up for a drive in the next Lotus Esprit GT racer? Could Toyota be making a play to take full control of both Tesla AND Lotus, in a bid for their tech to leap so far ahead of every other automaker that they’ll never be able to catch up?

Yes, yes, and very likely… and this is still just the tip, I think, of an iceberg that might yet determine the future of hybrid cars, EVs, and Toyota motorsports.

Stay tuned!

SOURCES:  Autoblog, wild speculation.

Infiniti Crafting its Own “High Performance” Version of the LEAF

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 10:08 AM PDT

Infiniti was introduced to America in 1989 as the luxury arm of Nissan, and since then it has blossomed to be an outright competitor for many European luxury sports brands like BMW and Audi. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for the Inifiniti G35/37, and it has a very competitive entry price as well. I knew it wouldn’t take long for Infiniti to make plans for its own version of Nissan’s upcoming electric car, the LEAF.

Here it is… the first blurry sketch. What do you think?

I am of the opinion that most electric cars should, for the time being, be aimed at the upscale market due to the inherent costliness of current electric vehicle technology. I’m also hoping automakers will promote the power and speed electric vehicles can achieve, as there is still a general consensus out there that electric vehicles are slow and boring.

Nissan seems to be reading my mind. The Infiniti electric vehicle, which is due out sometime in 2013, will be a “stylish, high performance five-seat luxury vehicle with zero emissions technology.” It will of course be based on the LEAF… though it might ditch the Versa platform for something a little bigger (perhaps the Altima?) Sounds like a car I could see myself in. I just hope they can come up with a better name than this numbers crap Infiniti (and other luxury car makers, quite frankly) seem obsessed with. Infiniti Zero, maybe?

Source: Nissan

GM Will Add Diesels to its Lineup

Posted: 28 Sep 2010 10:05 AM PDT

America doesn’t seem to like diesels. About 2% of the vehicles on the road in America are diesels, and that includes many heavy duty trucks and haulers. Why the hatred? Back in the 1980′s, diesels were loud, unreliable, and smelly, and they never really caught on… But modern diesels a reliable, quiet, don’t smell and get great fuel economy. America was able to migrate from large cars to smaller cars without too much pain, so can the same happen for diesels? GM seems to think so.

General Motors is considering a “wide variety” of diesel vehicles for its future lineup, though nothing is set in stone yet.

Diesels are a sore subject for many of us pining for better fuel economy here in America. While 50% of European vehicle sales come with a diesel engine, options in America are incredibly limited. General Motors has not offered a diesel car since the 1980′s, though they do have a diesel engine option for their trucks. GM’s diesel debacle back in the 1980′s apparently left a very sour taste in executives mouths. For example, the Cadillac Seville diesel was relentlessly unreliable, and Cadillac buyers turned away from the brand in droves.

Yet if GM brings diesels back, it likely won’t be in their luxury brand, at least not at first. GM has a four-cylinder EcoTec diesel engine for sale in Europe, and they are bringing their best-selling Cruze to America soon too. GM and diesels, will this be a story with a happy ending? Or another horror story?

Source: Wards Auto (subscription required)
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