Gas 2.0 |
- Fuel Economy Standards Could Add $15,000 to Heavy Duty Pickups
- New Electric RAV4 Means Toyota and Tesla are Gunning for Lotus
- Lighter Lamborghinis on the Horizon
- Toyota Considering Sporty Hybrid of its Own?
| Fuel Economy Standards Could Add $15,000 to Heavy Duty Pickups Posted: 15 Sep 2010 10:42 AM PDT
You just can’t expect great gas mileage when you’re hauling half a home behind you though. Upcoming fuel economy standards could have the side effect of adding $15,000 to the price of already expensive heavy duty trucks. No beuno.
Where does that $15,000 figure come from? The National Academies released a 414 page study that says improving fuel economy on pickups could cost just a few extra hundred bucks, or several thousand, depending on the vehicle in question. The cost of improving the gas mileage on diesel engines, adding hybrid-drive systems, multiple catalytic converters can add quite a bit to the bottom line. The $15,000 could be high, and certainly isn’t set in stone because we haven’t seen any of these trucks hit the market yet. Truck makers might have to get more creative though. The study breaks down vehicles in different sections; for medium and heavy-duty pickups, it lists several fuel-improvement options that seem almost insanely cost effective. A the cost of just an extra $10, a 2% increase in fuel economy can come from low-rolling resistance tires. For $100, improving the aerodynamics on a truck results in a 3% increase in fuel economy. By switching from four speed transmissions to more modern six-or-eight-speed transmissions, a 7.5% increase in fuel economy is expected, and would add just $1000 to the price of a big pickup. However, a hybrid drivetrain would add upwards of $9,000. A smaller, turbocharged engine could add $4,000 to the price of a pickup (it will be interesting to see how the F-150 EcoBoost is priced).
Cleaning up our pickups is important, but making sure people have the tools they need to do their job is important too. The economy is still rough, and while these regulations aren’t planned for any earlier than 2014, there is no saying our country will be in any position to pay that kind of premium for a tool many people need. Most people don’t buy a $60,000 pickup because they want it, but because they need it. Still, many of these vehicles have enjoyed being exempt from fuel economy standards for quite some time (manufacturers don’t even have to publish fuel economy ratings for heavy duty pickups). Maybe it is just time we held our heavy duty trucks to a higher standard. Down the road, it will obviously benefit small company owners and such who pour a lot of money into feeding their fleet. Even a marginal improvement in gas mileage can save thousands of dollars over the life of these vehicles, and many of these improvements, like aerodynamics and better transmissions are no brainers. We’ll see how this turns out though. Source: PickupTrucks.com | Image: Ford |
| New Electric RAV4 Means Toyota and Tesla are Gunning for Lotus Posted: 15 Sep 2010 10:37 AM PDT
On the surface, this is great news—look deeper though and it seems the new Toyeslas won’t be winners, but this story isn’t about new Toyeslas… this is a story about Toyota getting their grubby little mittens on Lotus’ world-beating technology on the cheap. What the heck am I talking about? Find out, after the jump.
On the surface, the story of Toyota and Tesla began earlier this year, in May, when Tesla announced that Toyota had signed a letter of intent to have Tesla build a pair of concept EVs. Tesla had plenty of reasons for letting the cat out of the bag here, sure – boost stock price, encourage investors, etc. It could also be seen differently, however: as a veiled threat to Lotus—and THAT is where this story begins. See, Lotus is discontinuing the Elise chassis that the Tesla Roadster is based on. Tesla’s new Model S sedan won’t be ready for 2011, which means that Tesla will—very shortly—run out of cars to sell. Running out of cars to sell is bad. It seemed that Tesla was screwed, and Lotus’ restructuring was to blame. Tesla, however, are no dummies. The company’s CEO, Elon Musk, cut his teeth in Silicon Valley, circled by cut-throat IP lawyers, corporate bullies, and market strategists with IQs that look like area codes—and he learned Silicon Valley’s lessons well. Recognizing that running out of cars was a problem, Tesla courted Toyota. Once Toyota reluctantly agreed to let Tesla build 2 prototypes to “prove” the efficacy of the Tesla batteries, Tesla ran a major PR campaign—effectively using their marketing clout and shimmering green halo to force a troubled Toyota into a PR corner it couldn’t escape from. Toyota, then, was forced to bargain with Tesla, but Tesla’s senior staff had something beyond money in mind when they finally got Toyota brass to the closed-door bargaining room. Tesla explained that they and Toyota had a common enemy: Lotus… and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Why all the closed-door theatrics? Toyota didn’t realize Lotus was a threat. A little background is in order, I think, for non-obsessives. See, Toyota supplies a number of engines to Lotus’ products. The Lotus Elise uses the Corolla’s 4 cyl., the Lotus Evora uses a Camry V6, the rumored Lotus Esprit will use a Lexus engine, and so on. Lotus’ future, however, isn’t about Toyota—Lotus’ future is about cutting edge hybrid technology. Toyota would prefer that you think of TOYOTA, rather than Lotus, when it comes to cutting edge tech—and while that may be the case here in the US, selling cars in the 21st Century is all about emerging markets, and Lotus’ parent company, Proton, is poised to become a major player in markets where Toyota does not already have an established foothold. What to do? If you’re a Silicon Valley software company, you buy your competitor and shut them down. Tesla didn’t have the cash to buy Lotus, so they enlisted Toyota. Toyota can’t buy Lotus, but they can force Lotus to keep supplying Tesla with Roadster chassis, at least until the Model S is ready. If Lotus doesn’t obey, Toyota can make getting engines for their gas-engined cars “difficult,” if not impossible. What does Toyota get out of all this? A stake in Tesla… which, in itself, is worthless right now and for the foreseeable future (Toyota needs Tesla like NASA needs my model rocket collection) but it has its benefits: investing in Tesla is a PR windfall for Toyota, cementing Toyota as a forward-thinking company that is invested in the US economy, a company that cares, re-opening the NUMMI plant and employing thousands of Americans… who won’t buy Teslas, of course—but they will buy Toyotas. All of which begs a certain question: what does Toyota want from Lotus? I would bet that Toyota wants an Omnivore range-extending ICE in its iQ minicar and maybe some ultralight construction technology to help it keep the CAFE dogs at bay, but (mostly) Toyota doesn’t want Lotus to get away with what they’re planning to do: dominate the hybrid car market in emerging countries… …that’s Toyota’s job. SOURCES: Toyota, The Truth About Cars, my own troubled mind. IMAGE SOURCE: Jalopnik. |
| Lighter Lamborghinis on the Horizon Posted: 15 Sep 2010 09:19 AM PDT
Lamborghini president and CEO Stephan Winkelmann thinks that the future lies not in more powerful engines, but in lighter weight. His statements on the future of Lamborghini are sure to have resounding effects in the super car world.
"Speed is not as important anymore, because all super sports cars are exceeding 300 km/h, and this is a speed you cannot reach even on a racetrack, let alone normal roads. We think it is time to make a shift and talk more about handling and acceleration." That is quite telling coming from the CEO of an exotic sports car company known for its blistering speed. Expect carbon fiber and other space-age materials to play an important role in the future of exotic sports cars. So what is more important to you? Top speed, handling, or acceleration? Source: AutoCar | Image: Lamborghini |
| Toyota Considering Sporty Hybrid of its Own? Posted: 15 Sep 2010 09:13 AM PDT
While the Honda CR-Z is still moving into the marketplace, one has to admit that car has generated a tremendous amount of Internet buzz. Whether or not its qualifications as a sporty hybrid are off-putting due to its so-so gas mileage and lackluster performance, it’s still drawing a lot of interest… if anybody buys it or not remains to be seen. Toyota, however, seems impressed enough that they may be considering a sporty hybrid of their own. Could we see the return of the MR2, mayhaps as a hybrid?
Toyota has already teased us with an MR2-hybrid that never made its way to the showroom. However, Toyota is also working on a joint sports car with Subaru, called the FT-86. Could this be a candidate for a hybrid drive train as well? It all depends. Honda has done a decent job with the CR-Z, but it could have been better. If Toyota can deliver a superior driving experience as well as better gas mileage, I might finally find myself in a Toyota at long last. Source: Automotive News | Image: Toyota |
I am a pickup truck lover. Why? Well, why not? Mostly, I love pickups because they are so damn tough. They are the workhorses of our country and many companies, and while they are certainly gas guzzlers, much of modern life wouldn’t be possible without pickup trucks. This includes the behemoth heavy-duty trucks that I often see hauling horse trailers, carnival equipment, and other such heavy-duty hardware.
Yesterday, 
In the world of exotic sports cars, Ferrari and Lamborghini have been engaged in a never-ending feud over performance. Lamborghini has always been a bit flashy, and anybody who knows cars knows a Lamborghini by just looking at it. Of course, the sexy sound coming from the exceptionally engineered V12 engines doesn’t hurt either. Times are a-changin’ though, and Lambo is starting to look for ways to go fast other than gas-guzzling engines.
While I would never venture to call a Lamborghini “too heavy,” even Winkelmann has to acknowledged that his cars have gotten somewhat bloated in the past few years. Since the 1980′s, Winkelmann says that Lamborghini’s had added over 500 kg—or over 1,000 pounds—in average weight. That is substantial, though in line with many other manufacturers who have seen weight skyrocket as consumers and governments levy them for more safety and entertainment features.
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