Friday, February 25, 2011

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Ford Focus SFE Officially Certified at 40 MPG

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 05:10 PM PST

There's a new member of the 40 mpg club, and it's the 2012 Ford Focus. When equipped with a six-speed automatic and the SFE (Super Fuel Economy) package, the 2012 Focus nabs a rating of 28 city and 40 highway.

That makes it the fourth Ford vehicle to get a 40mpg or better rating, the others being an auto-equipped Fiesta, the Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. It is important to note though that this 40 mpg rating is only possible with an automatic transmission and the Super Fuel Economy package. Americans overwhelmingly prefer automatics over manual transmissions, so that one is a no brainer, and a big advantage for the Blue Oval over the Chevy Cruze Eco, which needs a manual transmission to hit its 42 mpg rating. However, the Super Fuel Economy package adds full active grille shutters, 16-inch steel wheels with aerodynamic hubcaps (lets call them what they are people) "high efficiency" tires and a rear spoiler. All of that gives the 2012 Ford Focus SFE a 40 mpg highway rating, and 28 mpg in the city.

That means the 2011 Hyundai Elantra is still the only car in this price segment to attain 40 mpg without a special package. However, the Focus packs 160 horsepower, which is 8 more than the Hyundai and 12 more than Cruze Eco. The 40 mpg Focus adds another choice to the suddenly super-competitive comact market, and I think it is the best looking of the bunch yet. Is the Focus on your wish list, or are you looking elsewhere?

Source: Ford

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.

BMW Dubs Its New Eco Sub-Brand “i”

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 12:24 PM PST

Having already teased a couple of highly-efficient vehicles, the MegaCity EV and the Vision EfficientDynamics sports car, BMW has declared its intention to create the "i" sub-brand for these vehicles to occupy.

The "i" sub-brand will offer "sustainable vehicles and mobility solutions" from the German automaker. The first two models will be called the i3 and i8, better known to us as the MegaCity and Vision EfficientDynamics. In addition $100 million is being funneled into i Ventures, a holding company in New York to help develop extra-vehicular systems, like smart phone apps and "vehicle independent systems" to help people navigate public transportation. That's awful nice of BMW, ain't it?

Toyota is doing a similar thing with the Prius, breaking the hybrid leader off into its own sub-segment. This should help BMW preserve its reputation as an enthusiasts automaker with high performance vehicles, while at the same time allowing them to wade into the world of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Source: BMW

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.

Porsche Panamera Emits Less CO2 Per Horsepower Than the Prius

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 09:55 AM PST

When you’re on top, people will always try to take you down. Since the Prius is one of the most fuel efficient cars in the world, it makes for some interesting comparisons, like the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid emitting less CO2-per-horsepower than the Prius.

Horsepower-per-liter is often a measure of a vehicles performance efficiency. Many automakers clamor to make the magic 100 horsepower-per-liter. The Porsche Panamera S Hybrid, with its 333 horsepower supercharged 3.0 liter engine combined with the  47 horsepower electric motor actually makes a very impressive 125 horsepower per liter. And it still manages to get around 34.5 mpg. Can’t complain about that.

In terms of actual emissions, the Panamera puts out 159 grams of CO2 per kilometer whereas the Prius puts out about 89 grams of CO2 per kilometer. For comparision, the Chevy Volt puts out around 130 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Meanwhile, a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorana 415 grams per kilometer from its 6.0 liter V12 engine. Getting a better picture? So the Prius is without a doubt the cleaner car.

Members the the Autocar Forum, however, are measuring the performance of its Panamera Hybrid on another scale; grams of CO2-per-horsepower. It is an interesting measure of performance and green cred, and if you do the math (380 hp/159 g/CO2) the Panamera makes 2.4 horsepower per gram of CO2 per kilometer. The Prius's 1.8 liter 98 horsepower engine coupled with its 36 horsepower electric motor makes for a total of 134 horsepower, or 1.5 horsepower per gram of CO2. Interesting.

It's a neat way to poke at the Prius and in fairness, it is a sign of the efficiency of the engine if you can make more horsepower with fewer emissions.  Then again, CO2 is just one measure of engine emissions, and I doubt anybody is going to trade in their Prius for a Panamera Hybrid after reading this. But as a different measure of engine efficiency, I thought this was neat. I always liked comparing horsepower numbers of muscle cars, so why not horsepower per CO2?

The Toyota Prius in a horsepower war with Porsche? Strange times indeed.

Source: Autocar Forums via AutoBlogGreen

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.

Renault Zoe EV Will Cost A Lot Less Than Its Leaf Cousin

Posted: 24 Feb 2011 05:40 PM PST

With an MSRP of around $41,000 in Europe, the Nissan Leaf isn't exactly what one would call cheap. So why is it the Renault Zoe EV, which shares the same technology as the Leaf, almost $12,000 cheaper?

We are talking about base MSRP's here, before any government rebates or incentives. In Europe, the Leaf costs about €30,000, but the Zoe EV will have an MSRP of just €21,000. In American dollars, that is a $12,000 difference. Why? Because Renault is only leasing the battery to Zoe EV buyers for €70 (about $100) per month. If you're wondering why the Nissan Leaf costs almost $10,000 more in Europe then in America, its called taxes. Renault is sidestepping that buy merely leasing the battery, dropping over $10,000 off the Leaf's price.

When Nissan first announced the Leaf, I remember the idea of battery leasing being batted around. The idea was that by leasing the battery, the Leaf could be sold for a lot less money up front. Nissan decided against that idea though, and as a result the Leaf is has a steep cost of entry without tax rebates. Renault, however, will be using Project Better Place's battery-swapping stations, which means in a matter of minutes, rather then hours, the Zoe EV can have a full 100 mile charge. And it costs a lot less too; it would take ten years of battery leasing to make up the difference between the Nissan and Leaf. Plus Renault is planning for 150 miles of range by 2015. Range anxiety? What range anxiety?

It is kind of odd that two companies in a supposed alliance would opt for two vastly difference battery plans. Perhaps they are trying to see which business model comes out on top? I'm a big fan of battery swaps, and with such a dramatic price difference battery leasing really might be a better way to get EV's into the market en masse. The Zoe EV is set to hit market sometime in 2012.

And yes, the Zoe EV can still be charged from a normal outlet or charging station; but it has the added option of using the battery swap station, and for me that, coupled with the lower cost, is a huge advantage. I can't believe I'm saying this about a Renault, but I would totally hop on board that train.

Source: The Truth About Cars

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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