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| Green Speed: South Pole Record Runner is Clean and Mean Posted: 09 Apr 2011 10:00 AM PDT
The Bremach TRex is big, tough, and indisputably awesome … but what if you wanted a bad*** green machine that was capable of tackling some of the rough at high speed? If that were you (you lunatic!) you’d want to take a long, hard look at the truck shown here. So mean and so green you’d swear its name was Joe, the truck was built to smash Antarctica’s overall land speed records, and will employ a full range of eco-friendly power solutions – renewable biofuels, solar power cells, and wind-powered generators – to help it keep moving forward during the sub-21 hour, 21 minute run the Reuters-sponsored truck will have to make in order to claim the record. The (potentially) record-breaking truck is officially called the “Thomson Reuters Eikon Polar Vehicle”, and was built by Arctic Trucks of Iceland. Based on a Toyota pick-up platform, the Eikon (“Icon”! I get it!) is powered 340 hp bio-fueled V6, and benefits from massive modifications to the truck’s frame and suspension that serve to “beef it up” while still keeping weight as low as possible. You can follow the team’s progress as they prepare for their December 2011 run by “liking” the South Pole Challenge Facebook page.     Source: Jalopnik.
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| Awesomesauce Saturday: Italian EV Truck Puts U.S. Pickups to Shame Posted: 09 Apr 2011 06:28 AM PDT
Bremech, based out of Italy, already offers a hybrid version of its T-Rex work truck, and now they've gone and upped the ante by offering a battery-electric version, as well as a CNG V8. The BEV T-Rex is not your average pickup though; from its state-of-the-art space frame to its hand-assembled body and wide variety of engines, this is a vehicle as versatile as you can be creative. Arguably the biggest difficulty that comes with building an electric car isn't moving the vehicle on electricity, but rather powering all the secondary systems (heat, CD player, headlights, etc.) Bremach seems to have solved those problems with the T-Rex, claiming 100 to 150 miles of range under work conditions, which is mighty impressive if you ask me as the T-Rex has a carrying capacity of almost four tons and a GVWR of 10,000 pounds (thanks to the aforementioned space frame.)
Which brings a few questions to my head. Bremach has been around since the 1950's, so they're no spring chicken when it comes to building trucks. So why hasn't any other major automaker gone down this road? Are you telling me that a company like GM or Ford, with their massive factories and armies of engineers, can't develop a capable, 100 mile EV pickup truck, and sell it for half the price of the T-Rex? Perhaps it is because the Big Three think they will have a hard time convincing and selling electric pickups to the average truck buyer. But what about fleet buyers? Ford had an EV ranger in the 90's, and such a truck would sell like hotcakes right now (I just paid $3.89 a gallon for gas.) Hell Ford, keep the current Ranger around, hotwire it with a battery and electric motor, and watch it fly off dealership lots. The F-150 and Chevy Silverado have been the best selling vehicles in America for decades; surely there are some truck owners out there for whom an EV pickup with limited range would work rather well. Pipe dream, I know. But at least I have the Awesomesauce T-Rex. Source: Bremach       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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