Monday, February 21, 2011

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

American Chevy Cruze to get Diesel Engine?

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 01:31 PM PST

Around 1980, car manufacturers turned to diesel engines to boost fuel economy. This was an unmitigated failure, and American automakers gave up on diesels as a result. But GM might get back in the diesel game with the Chevy Cruze.

Yes, you read that right; GM may bring one of its super fuel efficient diesel engines over from Europe or Australia and stick it under the hood of the 2013 Chevy Cruze. The Chevy Cruze is a global automobile, sold in over 60 countries, and in many cases it is available with a diesel or turbodiesel engine. Diesel engines are popular in Europe and elsewhere because they can get very good gas mileage, and diesel fuel is cheaper in many countries (but not America.) American emissions standards make it hard to bring these engines to the U.S. without costly modifications though, and after the horrendous reception (and quality) that many car buyers experienced during the 1980's, diesels have been struck from the Big Three's lineup. Hell, Ford has a new global diesel Ranger that gets upwards of 30 mpg, but won't bring it here because they don't think it will sell.

GM, however, may be leading the charge in bringing diesel engines back to American cars. Holden, GM's Australian subsidiary, produces a 2.0 liter diesel engine in the Cruze that has a whooping 235 ft-lbs of torque while delivering similar gas mileage to the base model Cruze (about 34 mpg). That's almost 90 ft-lbs more than the 1.4 liter turbocharged EcoTec found in the base Cruze, which makes a paltry 148 ft-lbs of torque.

As it is, GM offers a diesel engine option on the Cruze in most other markets, some of them rated as high as 50 mpg. However, GM also offers a 42 mpg highway rated version of the Cruze called the Cruze Eco, so a diesel Cruze would either have to be cheaper, or way more fuel efficient. Still, I think this is a wise move on the part of the General and it could herald the return of clean diesel cars to America. Will diesels meet the lukewarm reaction automakers expect from Americans, or has a new age of diesels dawned?

Source: GM Inside 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.

Nissan Unable to Meet Leaf Demand; Delays to Continue

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 10:17 AM PST

The Nissan Leaf is the first mass-market electric vehicle available for purchase. The only problem is that so far, delivery is taking a lot longer than expected, and it isn't expected to get better any time soon.

Through January, Nissan managed to deliver just over 1,100 cars, and 981 of those were to customers in Japan. With 27,000 pre-orders to fill worldwide, Nissan hopes to increase production of the Leaf to 4,000 vehicles per-month and deliver 10,000 Leaf electric vehicles by the end of their fiscal year, March 31st. That means they will have to build about 4,500 of these vehicles in the next two months, and to fill the remaining 17,000 pre-orders will take another four months. Nissan doesn't intend to start taking orders for the Leaf until it "delivers enough volume to the first lot," and that is commendable. However, that means new orders might not open up until the summer, and by then the Chevy Volt could hit its stride. That also means the Ford Focus Electric will be even closer to production, and something tells me that the Blue Oval doesn't intend to have the same supply blockages hurting the Leaf.

I like Nissan a lot actually; they're probably my favorite Japanese manufacturer, and they've built some of the best, most affordable rear-wheel drive sports cars on the planet (I had a 240sx that I absolutely loved, and the damn thing didn't die until well past 200,000 miles.) That said, I think Nissan is doing the electric car crowd a real disservice here. They knew how many pre-orders for this vehicle they had to fill, and in a rush to get it to market before the end of 2010 they've left a lot of people wondering when they will get their Leaf.

It's not a good way to do business in my eyes, and I'm sure Nissan would agree. They've got two auto plants lined up to help fill the volume expected of the Leaf, one in the U.K. and the other in Tennessee, and the Japanese plant is expected to have an annual volume of 50,000 units when it is fully operational. I just think Nissan should have delayed the Leaf launch until they were ready, instead of competing for attention with the Chevy Volt. The Volt did not have the massive pre-orders of the Leaf, but so far the “more car than electric” Volt has handily outsold the Leaf in America.

Do you think Nissan should have delayed the Leaf launch, or are you as excited as ever about getting your little EV?

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.

GMO Biofuels are Coming Soon(er)

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 08:42 AM PST

Last week, Ars Technica reported that a team of biologists working with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a shortcut for processing switchgrass into biofuels.

The teams focus has been on a complex polymer in switchgrass called lingen, which is described as “tough enough to support everything from buildings to the largest living thing on the planet, a giant sequoia.” Lingen forms a sort of “lock” in cellular walls, holding in chemical sugars – sugars which, are the essential ingredients required to produce ethanol fuels.

So far, extracting those sugars from lingen-rich plant matter has proved difficult, but the team has identified mutations in the gene for a specific enzyme (caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase, for those of you who took more chemistry courses than I did) has been linked to reduced lignen production.  So, the team created a piece of DNA that encoded an interfering RNA sequence that would, ideally, make limit the enzyme’s production and make the switchgrass “easier to digest”.

The results thus far seem promising, with the authors of the study reporting nearly 40 percent more production under some conditions. The genetic modification of the switchgrass also made the conversion process simpler, since pretreatment with hot acid (a step normally used to make the cellulose more accessible to enzymes that will digest it) is no longer required … which is, itself, good news, since no acid means no cleanup, and fewer steps in production means lower overall costs to producers and (ideally) consumers.

So, the process works – but the real question moving forward seems to be how the public will react to more GMO plants “out there”, and how the new switchgrass will affect the ecosystems to which it’s introduced.  Either of those topics, I might add, are way over my head.  What about you?  Let us know how you feel about genetically-engineered biofuel crops in the comments, below.

You can read the group’s abstract HERE, or CLICK HERE to read the original article at Ars Technica.

Source:  PNAS, via Ars Technica,  Photo:  Wikipedia.

Infiniti Unleashes the M35h Hybrid for 2012

Posted: 21 Feb 2011 06:43 AM PST

Equipped to outshine all other hybrid vehicles, the cool, sleek 2012 Infiniti M35h is allabout combining fuel efficiency and performance, while still maintaining its luxurious interior and sport exterior.  Infiniti is finally geared up to reveal its first hybrid vehicle, the Infiniti M35h Hybrid Sedan.

Featuring the all-new Infiniti Direct Response Hybrid system (which allows power to be carried directly to the 7-speed automatic transmission), the hybrid runs on a 3.5 liter Atkinson-cycle V6 engine, as well as a 50-kW electric motor, which is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack. Other design features include an "Eco Mode" option that allows drivers to help conserve more fuel, a rather roomy backseat, and built-in pedestrian alert sounds that CANNOT be turned off by the switch of a button, like the Nissan Leaf. Exact pricing for the M35h has not yet been disclosed, but most are estimating it to cost around $54,000.

So, what is so special about this hybrid? As of right now, the Infiniti M35h is the only vehicle in America to offer 350-plus horsepower and will get 27 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway (with a combined fuel economy of 29 mpg). Compared to other competitive luxury hybrids, the Infiniti M35h surpasses the Lexus GS 450h, which only seems to get 22 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.

The M35h can also go from 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds and though this is pretty impressive, is it nearly as impressive as the Prius’s  50 mpg? Depends on who you ask, as the M35h will blow the Prius out of the water in acceleration as the Prius takes 10 seconds to go from 0-60 mph and it looks, well, like a bug.

Seriously, could you see James Bond driving a Prius? The ideal car should be one that we can look cool driving in, that performs and excites and yet is fuel efficient – and that's why the M35h is so exceptional…for now.

Source: Infiniti
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