Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Toyota Recalls 650,000 Prius Over Coolant Concerns

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:57 PM PST

Ever since the whole "unintended acceleration" fiasco, automakers have been voluntarily recalling a record number of cars this year. Toyota, trying to nip a coolant problem with the Prius, has recalled 650,000 of the hybrids worldwide.

Of those 650,000 recalled Prius, 378,000 were sold in the U.S. and the affected model years are 2004-2007. The problem seems to stem from the water pump, which pumps coolant and water through the radiator and into the engine block, absorbing heat and keeping the engine cool. Alas, the water pump on the affected cars can cause air bubbles to occur in the flow, disrupting the circulation and increasing the possibility of engine and hybrid system overheating. No injuries or accidents have occurred from the problem, and even if the engine were to blow because of the water pump, it is unlikely to cause any kind of accident as the car will simply go into "limp" mode.

Toyota will of course fix the water pump for free. Seems like a bit of an over reaction, though I'm curious, have any of you Prius owners experienced any sort of over-heating problem?

Source: Reuters

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Iceland Wants 1,000 Amp Electric-SUVs

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 08:17 AM PST

Northern Lights, an Icelandic utility conversion company, is talking with AMP about buying 1,000 of their electric conversion cars based on the Chevy Equinox, Saturn Vue, and Pontiac Solstice convertible.

I know what you're thinking. A convertible in Iceland? Well no, this is more about the Equinox and Vue. You see, apparently one-third of the Icelandic light-vehicle market is made up of SUV's (which sounds like America circa 2000). Northern Lights wants to buy some of these conversions for its own fleet, as well as selling them on the local market later on. If the deal goes through (they’ve so far written a letter of intent) Northern Lights will buy 1,000 of AMP's converted Chevy's over the next five years in a deal that totals between $45 million and $50 million.

The AMP Equinox can reportedly go up to 150 miles on a single electric charge and is set to cost between $45,000 and $50,000 each when they go on sale early next year. It's an important deal for the fledgling EV conversion company, and I hope to see them tackle some other GM vehicles too. All-electric Camaro anyone?

Source: Green Car Advisor

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
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