Gas 2.0

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New York City Announces Finalists for Future Taxis Posted: 16 Nov 2010 02:21 PM PST I've hailed my fair share of taxis in New York City, which are mostly Crown Victorias. That ancient car ceases production next year though, so New York held a contest seeking a replacement taxi, and today announced three finalists. Kasan's entry is the only one that is wheelchair accessible New York employs over 13,000 taxi cabs currently, many of them still Crown Victorias, but I've seen a good number of Prius and Ford Escapes as well. New York City is looking for a more uniform look though, as well as more fuel efficient vehicles. Makes sense financially as well as environmentally, because these taxis see upwards of 70,000 miles of city driving annually. The Crown Victoria has a 4.6 liter V8 engine that isn't exactly optimized for city driving. Nissan's minivan-like entry The first two finalists are from companies you have certainly heard of, Ford and Nissan. Ford is offering up a version of its Transit Connect work van, set up to have its doors slammed between 60 and 70 times a day picking up passengers. Nissan meanwhile designed an heavy-duty minivan it looks like, and with Nissan's work on electric vehicles, such a design could easily go electric down the road. Then there is the third finalist, from a Turkish car designer called Karsan. This is the only design that is wheelchair-accessible and it looks pretty spacious on the inside as well. A shame none of the entries are hybrids or even electric vehicles (though to be fair, all the details on these designs haven’t yet been released). Still, did they ALL have to be minvans? Source: NPR Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness atSublime Burnout.

Chevy Volt: Car of the Year Posted: 16 Nov 2010 01:34 PM PST As the end of the year rolls around, many automotive publications are getting ready to name the best vehicle of 2010. Both Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine named the Chevy Volt their car of the year. The Volt had some stiff competition, and has weathered some extreme skepticism, criticism, and outright mis-information (GM really needs to work on its hype machine). Yet apparently it has won over the automotive media, though I haven't actually driven the car myself. Both publications call the Volt a “game changer,” and even a “value” because of all the technology crammed into the car. While I’d argue with calling a $41,000 car a value no matter how much gas it saves, they make a compelling argument none-the-less. I guess the question to ask yourself is, does the Volt deserve this honor? Is it really the car of the future, or just sucking up to a troubled American automaker? Does it really even matter? Source: Motor Trend | Automobile Magazine Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness atSublime Burnout.

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