New posts from Gas 2.0!

Nils Ferber Builds Bonkers Trike, Bike Nutters Rejoice!

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:10 PM PST

Nils Ferber has gone from total anonymity to right near the tippy-top of my list of people I will let on my spaceship when the planet explodes – and he’s on that list by virtue of that thing up there: project “EX”.

The fact that the EX is totally impractical and looks, on the surface, to have been commissioned by the same people who designed Futurama’s Suicide Booth is part the bike’s appeal – especially for those of ~~you~~ us who wanted to fly like Superman and dreamed of racing Lightcycles when we were kids, this looks like hot, battery-powered ticket.

Battery-powered? Indeed! This is a green-transportation blog, after all, so you knew the gist of the article would eventually touch on this car’s innovative use of compact li-ion 18V battery-packs and twin high-torque electric motors (below).

Yes, Virginia ~~there is a Santa Claus~~ those are fairly standard-issue 18V cordless drills – the same kind many of you readers may already have stashed away somewhere in your home. Combined, the 2 Bosch-sourced batteries put enough juice through the CNC-milled “gearbox” to scoot the EX to nearly 20 mph and certainly beyond, if you’re willing to replace the relatively wussy PSR 18 Li2 “motors” with the more terrifying 36V “Brute Tough” hammer drill (also from Bosch) … and let’s be real for a moment: anyone seriously considering purchasing one of these things is very likely to upgrade to tick the 36V “Brute Tough” option box. Right?

Right.

The head-first riding position, trick CNC-machined gearbox, and brilliant re-purposing of the cordless drills aren’t the only bonkers things about the EX. Ferber’s even designed a new way to steer, creating a metallic “spine” that, by shifting your weight, will actually change the shape and footprint of the EX, allowing it slice and carve corners without over-taxing the relatively narrow bike tires with lateral loads (the single biggest dynamic challenge to all trikes).

Like everything else on this manic device, the fully-articulating metal spine is a thing of beauty (below).

Note: plenty of room for the 36V option!

I guess, in the end, the EX is a thing of fantastic brilliance and absurdity – or maybe it’s just eccentric and I’m over-thinking things again.

In the Nils’ words, the EX project is less “Must. Die. Now!” lunacy and more an artistic model of “EXentricity”, which he defines as “a deviation from what is ordinary or customary. To match this definition we couldn’t just modify an existing vehicle but had to start designing something new from scratch. The result is a completely new driving concept: The driver lies headlong on his three-wheeled vehicle and accelerates the ‘EX’ with sprawled out arms.”

Whatever you say, guy – just tell us where to send the checks!

Source: NilsFerber.com, via a bunch of people emailing this to me.

China’s New “Gas Guzzler” Tax Based on Engine Size

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 05:00 AM PST

Here's a fascinating experiment in the arena of social economics: imagine your country cuts the sales tax rate on fuel efficient vehicles in half, from 10% to 5%. You'd figure the average consumer would be lining up to buy one of these subsidized, fuel-efficient cars, wouldn't you?

If you did, you'd be wrong. In 2009 China implemented a policy which offered a roughly $442 incentive for buying fuel efficient car. Alas, their program did not achieve the anticipated results. My guess is because the rebate was passed on to the manufacturers directly, and not the buyers. Also, $442 being the relatively meager sum that it is—well, I also would not be surprised if Chinese consumers were willing to skip sticker price "savings" for the gas guzzler of their dreams, and manufacturers were happy to oblige.

We in the States have been there, done that. (cough *Hummer * cough). Anyhow, China isn't giving up. Effective in January 2012 engine size will be taxed at graduated rates which top out at $821 for the largest engines and could be as low as $46 for 1.0-1.6 liter engines.

China may be onto a key aspect of consumer psychology here. If rebates on fuel efficient models won't do the trick, perhaps slapping a heavier tax on the gas hogs will. They're betting public distaste for higher taxes will be stronger than public enthusiasm for subsidies. I'm guessing they're right .

For our part, the USA has its own "gas guzzler tax" which is also a graduated rate but is based on Miles Per Gallon (mpg) rather than engine size. Anything above 22.5 mpg is not taxed, while vehicles which get less than 12.5 mpg are tagged to the tune of $7,700.

Personally I like our mpg system better, as engine size is not the be-all-end-all of fuel efficiency, whereas the mpg metric is.

Source: autobloggreen