Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Dominican Republic Opens 1st Natural Gas Plant, Offers $700 Conversions

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 10:24 AM PST

The Dominican Republic recently inaugurated its first natural gas plant in Boca Chica, which the government hopes will supply fuel to 143,000 vehicles over the next three years.

While one half of the island Hispaniola struggles to rebuild in the wake of last year's devastating earthquake, the Dominican Republic is moving forward with a plan to convert from LPG (propane/butane) to CNG (methane). The less-refined fuel is on average 23% cheaper than the LPG that most of the country currently runs on.

The government will issue conversion kits to the public at a cost of $700 kits, and spent $10 million to build the plant which will still use imported gas from AES Andrés, the same company that already provides the LPG for much of the country. The natural gas will be distributed to 140 stations around the small country. It's a neat little project they've got going on, especially as fuel prices continue to climb. America has huge natural gas reserves, and since it delivers the most energy with the fewest CO2 emissions per joule, and it only stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years as opposed to CO2, which hangs around for 100-150 years.

It could be a cleaner alternative to oil, but natural gas has it own drawbacks, like trapping 20 times the radiation of CO2. Maybe we should wait and see how the Dominican experiment goes first.

Source: Dominican Today

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

Ram Plug-In Hybrid Pickup Has 20 Mile EV Range

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 08:17 AM PST

If ever a vehicle needed a hybrid version, it's the American pickup. Ram built 140 plug-in pickups with a 20 mile EV range and 65% better fuel economy for testing with fleet operators. But will it ever come to market?

Chrysler made the Ram plug-in pickup public at the DC Auto Show, where it revealed a two-mode hybrid transmission linked to a 12 kWh lithium-ion Electrovaya battery pack. This battery pack can supply up to 20 miles of all-electric driving, which is mighty impressive if you ask me. That's because trucks are better platforms for hybrids than cars are; they're higher off the ground, there is a lot more "unused" space, which means less cramming of hybrid components and a bigger battery pack. Plus, the Ram still has its 5.7 liter HEMI V8 engine, so all the extra hybrid equipment won't really cut into performance.

Supposedly, the hybrid drivetrain delivers a whooping 65% improvement to gas mileage during the average driving cycle. That would mean the Ram's 14/20 2wd rating could be more like 23/33…in a full-size pickup truck. That's a real game changer folks. But it's going to be up to Chrysler to build these trucks up to snuff. If the hybrid pickups can't handle the abuse the average owner puts his truck through, then what good is it?

If I were a small-business owner who relied on a fleet of pickup trucks, you better believe I'd be eyeing the hybrid models with better gas mileage. It might come at a price premium, but all that extra money I'd be saving on gas would mean more money in my pocket and for expanding my business. Maybe I could get back my small portion of the $48 million the Department of Energy shelled out for this hybrid project.

All Chrysler has to do is prove they're reliable in the real world, which is why they’re sending the vehicles out to fleet operators for some hands-on time.  and sell the damn things to make a mint. Chrysler has a head start in the hybrid pickup market at this point, as Ford and GM are concentrating on fuel-efficient cars, and they need to capitalize on it by selling high-MPG hybrid Ram pickups at a profit. Even if there isn’t a demand for such a vehicle right now, we all know there will be demand as gas prices keep creeping skyward.

Then, the truck with the most MPG’s, wins.

Source: Green Car Advisor

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

2011 Fiat 500 Falls Short of 40 MPG

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 01:40 AM PST

While 2011 marks the return of Fiat to America, the vanguard 500 already isn't living up to the hype. The five-speed manual is rated at 30/38 MPG, while the six-speed automatic manages only a 27/34 rating.

40 MPG is the new magic number for small cars, and while the $15,500 Fiat 500 offers a lot of bang-for-your-buck in the small car department, the gas mileage isn't up to par with other offerings. The Ford Focus, Chevy Cruze Eco, and Hyundai Elantra all get 40 MPG highway with automatic transmissions and are available with six-speed manuals. So the Fiat's five-speed manual kind of falls short.

However, Fiat has beefed up the 500 in other ways to make it more suitable for American tastes. That means more horsepower (around 100) and a reworked suspension among other changes. which have added 80 pounds to the tiny Italian. And the Fiat 500 is still an adorable little coupe with a competitive price tag. Considering that over 90% of American cars are sold with an automatic these days though, the Fiat is up against some stiff competition.

These numbers are somewhat akin to the disappointment associated with the Honda CR-Z's MPG numbers. Given these lower-than-expected numbers, will you still consider the 2011 Fiat 500? Or will your eyes wander elsewhere?

Source: Automotive News

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