Wednesday, May 4, 2011

New posts from Gas 2.0!

New posts from Gas 2.0!

Ford’s Aggressive Efforts to Lower Hybrid Costs Are Paying Off

Posted: 04 May 2011 03:00 PM PDT

Plenty of automakers are doing some exciting things these days—and it seems they're all going in different directions to do it. GM's new Chevy Volt is setting a new standard for hybrids, Mazda has developed a crazy new gasoline engine, and Nissan has brought us the first mass-market all-electric car.

Lest we forget, Ford is in on the festivities as well. In an all-out effort to lower the cost of their hybrid offerings Ford has in-sourced (is that a word?) nearly all of its hybrid technology. Ford designed its own hybrid battery, which will soon start production in Ford's Rawsonville, Michigan plant, as well as its own hybrid transmission, to be produced in Detroit.

Software development for the hybrids has also been brought in-house. The results? Costs on Ford's newest generation of hybrids dropped by a cool 30%, allowing Ford to offer its hybrid version of the Lincoln MKZ at the exact same price as its gasoline counterpart–$35,455.

Ladies and gents, the train is finally pulling into the station. Ford wrongly estimated that 15% of its Lincoln MKZ sales would be hybrids. In actuality 25% of customers have been springing for the MKZ hybrid, a statistic which is still way too low in this humble blogger's opinion.

Not that the results are baffling to me, because I understand how consumer economics work, and how resistant consumers are to "newfangled" technology they don't yet fully trust. But at my core I'm an ideological fellow, so here's my argument:  I really can't begrudge consumers for rejecting hybrids and EVs while they're priced several thousand dollars higher than gasoline vehicles, but once the price is identical…well, there's just no excuse, people. You're still getting your gasoline engine, and you're simultaneously saving some greenbacks on gasoline. It's a win-win scenario.

Let's not make the mistake of fearing the future. Nobody wants to be the "back in my day!" geezer everyone finds so insufferable.

As the late Hunter S. Thompson once said: "Buy the ticket. Take the ride."

Source: Hybridcars

GM’s Chevy Volt Exceeding Expectations, Luring in Prius Owners

Posted: 04 May 2011 12:41 PM PDT

It’s looking like General Motors is back in business with its electric Chevy Volt outperforming GM’s expectations. It’s usually a good thing to be the first in the market where new technology is concerned, and the Volt’s initial success is great news for an automaker that was rowing ominously close to the rocks only two years ago.

After navigating the gauntlet of bankruptcy–and emerging with billions in taxpayer bailout money–a comprehensive restructuring plan emerged which tweaked everything from GM’s long-term business strategy to its contractual obligations with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. With the Volt, at least we’re finally seeing some return on our bailout investment, even if the bailout still remains unpalatable to many taxpayers in principle.

Owners of the new Volt are giving its gas mileage rave reviews, and GM is claiming the average Volt owner is traveling around 1,000 miles and one month between fill-ups.

Perhaps just as  importantly is how the Volt is changing consumer perception of electric cars. Owners are describing the car as “fun to drive,” a contention in direct opposition with Mazda’s campaign to paint electric vehicles as the ultimate buzzkill. Consumer perception is a funny beast, and which story ultimately prevails will play out in the years to come. For now, the additional bit of good news for GM is that 90% of Volt owners are new to the company. A disproportionate percentage of them are trading in a Toyota Prius, which I suppose is good for GM but is kind of disappointing for green energy proponents. Not that I’m surprised, but nonetheless I would rather hear that people are trading in their Hummers and SUVs for a Volt.

Dream on, right? Instead it seems that the “usual suspects” who were the first on board with the hybrid Prius are trying to remain on the cutting edge of green technology by upgrading to the Volt.

Source: Autobloggreen

New York Selects Nissan NV as Taxi of the Future

Posted: 04 May 2011 07:39 AM PDT

New York City has held a contest of sorts to determine what will be the city's future taxi. After going to the public and taxi cab owners, the city settled on the one design nobody else liked, the Nissan NV.

That sounds harsh, and I know Nissan makes a fine product. However, when New York City officials asked the public to pick a design, people drifted towards the Turkish-built Karsan taxi design (which I'm not sure exists save on paper.) The Karsan was also popular with advocates for the handicapped, as it offered dual mechanical ramps for ease of accent for the handicapable.

The taxi cab owners and operators, meanwhile, preferred the Ford Transit Connect, having been using Ford Crown Victoria’s  en masse for the last four decades or so. If you want a durable vehicle, look no further than the Crown Vic. So it is only natural that NYC officials settled on the Nissan NV200, the third and final candidate. Nissan won out based on comparisons like interior leg and headroom, durability, safety and other factors, though how does one judge the durability of a vehicle that isn't even sold in America?

Karsan had said it might build the cabs right in Brooklyn, and while Ford's Transit Connect comes all the way from Turkey, it can be outfitted as a Taxi cab, right now, with a natural-gas engine (and Ford has already announced an EV version coming in a few months time. Nissan is supposedly working on an EV version of the NV200, and by the time these Taxis of Tomorrow hit the road in 2013, there might be an effective EV version in the stable. Maybe not. Either way, the NV200 will be built in Mexico, not America. Boo.

Instead of making taxi cab owners use the Nissan though, why not let them have the choice like they do right now? New York's taxi cab fleet is a hodgepodge of Crown Vics, Escapes, Prius sedans, and other vehicles. By anointing a Taxi of Tomorrow, New York is tying itself to a single option, even after a judge shot down plans to force cab owners to purchase only hybrid taxis. What if, in two years time, GM or Hyundai or even VW comes out with an extended-range hybrid vehicle that would be the perfect taxi? Hell, the Prius V could have been a very viable taxi cab candidate once it hits the market. Too bad, you're stuck with these Nissans for the next decade.

Granted, I'd railing against the winner had it been Karsan or Ford, as I just don't believe in taking away choices from business owners. Yeah, the Nissan might be the safest and have the most comfortable ride, but most passengers are in and out of a cab in a matter of minutes. A poll on the New York Daily News finds that more people don't like the Nissan design than do by a margin of 13 points (27% for versus 40% against) with 1/3 of respondents not carrying what the cab looks like, so long as it gets them where they are going. What are you thoughts readers? Wise move, bad choice, or ya just don't care?

Source: New York Daily News | Mike Bloomberg

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.

Like Xanax for Range Anxiety Sufferers

Posted: 04 May 2011 05:27 AM PDT

There’s nothing like a little psychoactive drug humor to liven up a green car blog, I say – and there is certainly a bit of “pill” to be seen in the shape of Club Assist‘s new mobile charging station (above).

For those of you (like me) who have never heard of Club Assist, the company supplies auto clubs like AAA here in the US.   Club Assist seems to be well ahead of the roadside assistance curve, however, and has developed a portable (and EVSE compliant) support module that can get 5 kW of AC power from an on-board Honda (gas) generator.  The idea is to quickly give stranded drivers about 5 miles of extended range, getting them off the highway and (in theory) somewhere they can stop to charge up properly.

The company is already talking about 2nd-generation portable chargers using a lithium-ion battery packs and a DC/DC connection, which should cut roadside charge times to about 5 minutes, which Club Assist believes is a safer solution than towing the EV (although they would say that, given that they’re not selling tow trucks).

It’s good to someone out there is embracing EV proliferation, and I – for one – hope to see more clever solutions like these in the coming weeks and months.

Source:  Autoblog.
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