New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- Carroll Shelby Builds A Bicycle
- Jaguar to Build C-X75 Turbine-powered Hybrid Supercar
- Clean Diesel Not So Clean, Depending on Who You Ask
| Carroll Shelby Builds A Bicycle Posted: 09 May 2011 02:02 PM PDT
Well no, not quite, but I think it says volumes about the day and age that we live in where the Carroll Shelby collaborates with Felt Bicycles to build a limited-edition bicycle (for a cool $999.) What is surely the greenest Shelby vehicle ever produced is actually all Felt underneath, with a hydroformed aluminum tank frame sitting on top of two high-performance tires and paired with high-performance three-speed internal gearing. In other words, it's a performance bicycle decked out in the classic Shelby colors of Wimbledon White and Guardsman Blue. Just like any bonafied Shelby product, each bike is individually numbered and entered into the Shelby registry. There's probably a few of you wondering who the hell this Shelby guy is. Long story short, he was Ford's go-to guy for fast cars during the height of the muscle car movement. Among his many creations are the GT350 and GT500 Mustangs and most popular of all, the Cobra roadsters. And while this bike may not be overtly green, I can not imagine Shelby even considering such a project a decade ago. These days though, nothing is off the table. Think we'll ever see a hybrid Shelby?     Source: Autoweek 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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| Jaguar to Build C-X75 Turbine-powered Hybrid Supercar Posted: 09 May 2011 09:08 AM PDT
How different a production car will be from the twin-turbine-powered concept remains to be seen, though it already looks like Jag has dropped the turbines in favor of a small-displacement, forced-induction gasoline (or diesel??) engine. This engine will charge a battery that provides power to four wheel-mounted electric motors. Range in EV mode will be "in excess of 30 miles" and it'll produce "significantly less" that 99 g/km of CO2. Combine that with a less-than 3-second 0-60 mph sprint, a 200 mph top speed, a $1.4 million price tag, and you're talking about one of the greenest, fastest, and most-expensive supercars ever conceived. 2013 is the due date for this fancy green cat, though a lot can change in two years. For $1.4 million, you'd think they could make those micro-turbines work, but automakers and customers are clearly willing to pay a premium for green credentials combined with performance as the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, and even Formula One and the FIA mull about different ideas of going greener and faster. The more green catches on with the guys who go fast, the better off will all will be.      Source: Car Magazine UK 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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| Clean Diesel Not So Clean, Depending on Who You Ask Posted: 09 May 2011 05:56 AM PDT
Oooh, it rhymes. Anyway, that's due to a nearly undetectable substance called "black carbon," which sounds every bit as mysterious and science-y as dark matter. It's basically the stuff that's in soot, but because it's so hard to measure, black carbon is not factored into carbon dioxide emissions tests. According to experts even reduced emissions from soot could add up to additional gram of carbon emissions per kilometer (slightly under that per mile). However, many automakers live right on the edge when it comes to emission standards, so if the powers that be ever started testing and measuring black carbon, it could just barely push some models over the limit. There’s also the issue of climate effects. Climate scientists are saying that black carbon contributes to global warming as well, which is pretty much a given, because almost everything nowadays either contributes to global warming or cancer. Fortunately a Pew Research study indicates that black carbon doesn't hang around nearly as long as CO2 does, so reducing black carbon emissions could dramatically improve air quality in BC-heavy cities—and the results would be almost instantaneous. There doesn't seem to be a huge push to do so in the U.S. Given the relative scarcity of diesel vehicles, that's somewhat understandable. Europe, China, and India, however, might be wise to study this issue a little more. Source: Autobloggreen
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