Gas 2.0 |
- West Virginia McDonalds Adding Two EV Chargers
- Honda X-Track Transforming Street/Track Hybrid
- Video: MonoTracer E Crosses Sierra Nevada Desert
| West Virginia McDonalds Adding Two EV Chargers Posted: 22 Dec 2010 01:54 PM PST
The two charging ports come from American Electric Power, a major supplier of electricity to the Southwho wants to demonstrate the use of electric vehicle charging stations. While I question the location (coal-mining West Virginia isn't exactly an environmental haven), it's nice to see more restaurants getting in on the EV game. Cracker Barrel same time seems to be catching on. It’s the first McDonalds to have a Level 2 Electric Charger in the U.S., though Cracker Barrel is adding EV chargers to 24 restaurants in Tennessee. The idea of filling up your belly and your electric vehicle at seems to be catching on with Americans and American companies. The company that revolutionized fast food could have a dramatic impact on EV charging, should it so decide. Imagine if all of the more than 12,000 McDonalds restaurants in America had charging stations? You'd have a hard time arguing that the infrastructure for electric vehicles aren't in place. Even if that happened, it wouldn't make McDonalds all that green in the grand scheme of things. Of course, compared to American Electric Power, one of the largest producers of coal power in the U.S. (26,595 MW from coal alone in 2005), McDonalds looks downright carbon neutral. How serious McDonalds is about going green remains to be seen, but if they get on the green bandwagon and add EV chargers to all their stores, it would make overall acceptance of electric cars that much easier to swallow (ha). 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. |
| Honda X-Track Transforming Street/Track Hybrid Posted: 22 Dec 2010 11:40 AM PST
Honda has a very quiet, reserved reputation as a manufacturer of reliable, if boring, automobiles. I know, however, that Honda has a huge following in the tuner crowd, and they have in fact built some very reputable race cars that influence car designers the world over. Designer Nikita Kalinin decided to combine some DNA from their hybrids and race cars into the X-Track Concept. This dual-purpose vehicle doubles as an efficient hybrid on the street and a lightweight road course car at the track. Basically, the aerodynamic body panels found on "Street" mode improve aerodynamics and thus fuel efficiency. These body panels, as well as the headlights, tail lights, and other unnecessary bits can be removed however, saving weight. Of course, racing relies heavily on aerodynamics too, and all of those hard angles don’t like conducive to smooth sailing.
A hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System gathers up energy regained during braking, transforming it into usable power at the press of a button. Porsche is using a similar system for their 911 GT3 hybrid, and Honda has developed their own KERS system for use in Formula 1. This concept will never see the light of day as a production car, but it is another example of thinking outside the box for future cars. I wouldn't mind a vehicle with removable bits, especially if it is built as a street/track car…but I'm also pretty far from your "average" consumer. Then again, this idea could have more practical purposes, like transforming a pickup into a minivan, or a two-door coupe into a family sedan. Would any of you normal folks ever consider a transformable car?       Source: EcoFriend via Nikita Kalinin 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. |
| Video: MonoTracer E Crosses Sierra Nevada Desert Posted: 22 Dec 2010 08:49 AM PST
There were several classes in the Automotive X-Prize, including Tandem which was basically for motorcycles. The X-Tracer, now called the MonoTracer-E, took home $2.5 million while getting the equivalent of over 200 mpge (it's all electric.) The SEMA show was back at the beginning of November, and normally all the show cars are trailered out there. The MonoTracer team, however, drove their proven electric motorcycles 625 miles across the Sierra Nevada desert from California to Las Vegas. And they did it 70 kWhr of energy, going nearly nine miles are every kWhr. That works out to nearly 300 mpge, costing just $5 of electricity to make the journey. The team does plan on selling the MonoTracer-E to the public, though hopefully for a lot less than the $100,000 the prototype cost them to make. If the cost was reasonable, could you see yourself in one of these cabin motorcycles? Source: Peraves Cabin Motorcycles 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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