New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- The 1,000 MPH Trans-Continental Jet Train That Never Was
- Professional-Grade Green? 2012 Dodge Ram Cargo
- The 214 MPGe Geo Metro “Dolphin” Conversion
| The 1,000 MPH Trans-Continental Jet Train That Never Was Posted: 23 Mar 2011 05:27 PM PDT
A jet train you say? Why yes, why not. This design, by Doug Roulfe, comes from 1948, which was the very beginning of the jet age when designers were ready to strap turbines to just about everything, from cars to planes to trains. The design was based in part around a rocket sled designed to help rocket engineers crack the sound barrier. The idea was to strap five solid-fuel rockets to a train, and basically launch it from New York City to Los Angeles. The trip could be completed in three hours at those speeds, meaning you'd arrive in Los Angeles at the same time you departed New York City. Craziness, right?  Imaging commuting to work in this! Alas this trans-continental rocket train never came to be, though we got a brief taste of what we might have been in for. In the 1960′s, both America and the Soviet Union built prototype jet trains that were eventually surpassed by Japanese and European bullet trains. New York Central added two General Electric J-147-19 turbojet engines to the front of a Rail Diesel Car and eventually went to a top speed of 184 mph. The Reds, meanwhile, also added two jet engines to the front of an ER22 rail engine, which topped out at 180 mph. Sure, the maglev and bullet trains went faster, but jet trains sound so much cooler (unless you live within ten miles of the tracks.)  In Soviet Russia, rocket train rides you! These days it seems like we've reeled in our dreams so much that nobody would even dare suggest a 1,000 mph jet train. Maybe we're just more realistic these days. Or maybe people back then had more vision and saw fewer barriers.Why build a jet train? Well, why not? Source: Modern Mechanix | io9 Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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| Professional-Grade Green? 2012 Dodge Ram Cargo Posted: 23 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PDT
I assure you, the new 2012 Ram Cargo minivan is green-car news – but (either because nobody’s noticed or because Chrysler’s pr-team was too busy dropping F-bombs to effectively push that angle) it’s not being presented as green car news. Before we get to that, however, let’s look at the van as it is being presented: as a capable, cost-effective alternative to the full-size, body-on-frame vans available from Ford and GM. This cargo-version of ChryCo’s minivan features a flat load floor , heavy-duty suspension, and beefed-up radiator – as well as panels instead of windows for added security and reduced manufacturing cost. The van also makes use of the new “Pentastar” V6, good for over 280 hp and over 25 mpg – which is sure to make fleet managers, used to the 20-or-less mpg offered by the Chevy Express‘ V6, for example. That Pentastar V6, though, is where things start to get interesting. What if, for example, you’re a fleet manager who happens to want a more ecologically-responsible fleet? Sure, the Chevy Express is available as a CNG-vehicle from GM, but that van carries a heavy up-front price premium. What if you’re a fleet manager that happens to believe in E85? Neither the V6-equipped Chevy Express or the Ram Cargo’s nearest competitor, the smaller-but-also-25 mpg Ford Transit Connect, are flex-fuel capable. The Ram Cargo Van’s Pentastar V6, on the other hand, is ready to run on E85, as equipped from the factory, fresh off the dealer’s floor, standard. That flexibility and the ability to insulate, if only slightly, fleet expenses from wildly fluctuating oil prices, coupled with the Ram Cargo’s better-than-Ford towing and payload and better-than-Chevy mileage, should make this one an “easy sell” for the local Dodge store.     Sources: Carscoop, e85vehicles.com.
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| The 214 MPGe Geo Metro “Dolphin” Conversion Posted: 23 Mar 2011 08:02 AM PDT
I love the Geo Metro, because it is about as minimalist as cars get. It also set the high water mark for American fuel efficiency at 52 mpg highway via a detuned 3-cylinder, 49 horsepower engine and…basically nothing else except a transmission, body, and four wheels. Amazing to think that twenty years ago we had a 52 mpg car, and today the best we can manage with all our fancy computers and technology is 51 mpg highway. Sigh. But David saw more potential for a ultra-aerodynamic electric car, based on the Metro but loaded with aero improvements of David's own design. Even more impressive, the whole conversion cost a scant $3,000. David set this price limit himself, and as such the car isn't as efficient as it could be.
However, David had a specific goal in mind; 200 miles on a single charge at highway speeds, and he managed to accomplish that goal. With a top speed of around 70 mph, this isn't no neighborhood electric vehicle, but a real highway driver. It lacks a transmission though, and the small electric motors are a lot less effective at low speeds. And because the Dolphin packs 60 lead-acid batteries (at 33 pounds each) the once-lightweight Geo now weighs in at over 3,200 pounds (original curb weight: about 1,900 pounds.) But, using the conversion of 33.4 kWh/per gallon, David estimates that this car delivers the MPG-equivalent of 214 mpg. Ain't it amazing what a little elbow grease and willpower can accomplish? Kudos to David and his Dolphin. Hopefully he will inspire a few others to tackle their own EV conversions. Source: EcoModder Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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