New posts from Gas 2.0!

Google and Ford Team Up To Optimize Your Commute
Spring Is Here, And So Are The Airships
Formula 1 EV is “World’s Fastest” Electric Racing Car
Brammo Shatters Lap Record at the 2011 A123 Systems TTXGP

Google and Ford Team Up To Optimize Your Commute

Posted: 17 May 2011 02:37 PM PDT

Is there anything Google can't do?

Apparently not. Already a tech giant on the internets, Google has been branching out to other spheres of late and is now scheming with Ford to reduce your commute times and increase your vehicle's fuel efficiency.

Google's Prediction API uses Google's famous algorithms to track your driving habits, pulling together information on where you go and then factoring in variables like weather and traffic, among others, to optimize your driving route. The vehicle will ask you questions like: "Are you going to work?" and if you say you are, it will optimize the route for your vehicle.

This may sound a little Big-Brotherish, and in implementing Google's technology Ford has been careful to suggest that personal information security is priority number one. Hopefully they take privacy concerns more seriously than Facebook…which isn't hard to do.

Security questions aside, I have to say I'm impressed by Ford's commitment to tackling fuel efficiency from every possible angle, and partnering with a reputable American company like Google—one that sometimes seems like it can do no wrong—is a great idea. Lately I've been happy for American car companies in general, most of which have greatly improved their products over the past few years. It's a welcome sight after a decade-plus dominated by foreign competitors. Nobody likes to see American companies struggle and American workers getting laid off.

It's clear Ford intends to use the Prediction API on its all-electric lineup in the future to help reduce the "range anxiety" which remains such a bugaboo for EVs. This is smart marketing. Anything that warms the general public to the concept of EVs is a step in the right direction. Does this also mean that a self-driving Ford EV powered by Google isn’t far off?

I'm admittedly a little creeped out by the car talking to me, though. I'm fine with my GPS barking out instructions, but I don't really want to have a conversation with it…

Source: Autoblog

Spring Is Here, And So Are The Airships

Posted: 17 May 2011 11:41 AM PDT

Spring is in the air. The trees are going green. Bugs are emerging from beneath the sacred earth, flowers are blooming, and pollen is clobbering our sinuses like never before.

There’s something else in the air…airships?

Yes, it seems airships are making a comeback, nearly a quarter-century after this infamous event effectively put the kibosh on hydrogen-filled blimps. In addition to looking incredibly cool, these newer airships are far more high-tech than your grandfather's (led) zeppelin—but most importantly, they're much safer, utilizing helium instead of the volatile hydrogen which so nefariously sunk the Hindenburg.

Companies like Millenium Airship Inc., Aeros, and Lockheed Martin (you may have heard of them) are all developing helium-based freighters equipped with the latest in navigation technology and advanced landing systems which allow the airships to land both on earth and water. All of these models should be in commercial use within a few years.

But are they green? Did you have to ask? Of course they are. Airships can travel as the crow flies to their destination, avoiding the clumsy inefficiency of our traditional ground-based, carbon-laden transportation infrastructure. According to Peter DeRobertis, of Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics and Skunk Works division in Fort Worth, Texas, "airships give you access and much larger payloads at much lower costs…it's also a green aircraft. You're not polluting."

Are you listening, corporate America?

Source: Inhabitat

Formula 1 EV is “World’s Fastest” Electric Racing Car

Posted: 17 May 2011 07:05 AM PDT

There's been a lot of talk about electrifying the Formula 1 racing series. Two French companies have gone the extra mile though and built an all-electric Formula 1 car…that just happens to be the fastest electric car in the world.

This joint project came from two French companies, FCI and Formulec, who gathered scores of engineers from the Formula 1 field to build this F1 EV. This vehicle takes less than 3 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph, and has an astonishing top speed of over 155 mph. That’s way, way faster than the Nissan Leaf NISMO RC all-electric race car prototype. Depending on which metric you are comparing, that makes it the fastest "electric racing car" in the world (though the fellows behind the 300 mph Buckeye Bullet land speed racer might have something to say about that.) This F1 EV will tour the world in 2011 before Formulec sets up an all-electric F1 racing series in 2012. Color me excited.

I get so tired of EV haters accusing electric cars of being boring and slow, without ever actually getting into one. Obviously, they never heard of Tesla Roadster. And as far as I see it, motorsports has hit something of a performance wall with traditional internal combustion engines.

But electric motors represent a whole new frontier in motorsports that has gone largely untouched by the big brands. That leaves the field wide open for pioneers to take EV racing, whether it be on the drag strip or the Formula 1 circuit, to professional levels. Amateur EV racing series are popping every day it seem and even F1 is on board with greener racing. It's a new day for motorsports, and the increasingly visible EV racing crowd is sure to win over some "traditional" fans to further spread acceptance of electric cars as the way of the future.

Source: Caradvice via Inhabitat

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.

Brammo Shatters Lap Record at the 2011 A123 Systems TTXGP

Posted: 17 May 2011 01:18 AM PDT

One year ago, I was beyond excited about the TTXGP race. It was the beginning of a new era. I rode up from LA to witness and document this world-changing event. An exciting, action-packed year has passed, culminating in a packed grid at the world final in Albacete last October.

However, the 2011 season began with a whimper this past weekend at Infineon Raceway, as only 4 bikes made it to the grid. It was really heartbreaking, knowing what a heroic effort the skeletal TTXGP team have put into running this series. I really hope to see much deeper fields throughout the season, as that's what makes it exciting for the fans.

There are now two classes, TTXGP and TTX75. Brammo's 2010 Empulse set the track on fire in the TTXGP class with a fastest lap of 1:55.150, beating Zero's 2010 lap record of 1:56.948 in Sunday's race, and lapping the slowest bike 3 times in Saturday's race. For comparison, this is about 23 seconds shy of the lead bikes in the AMA Superbike race, which are all 200hp machines. In this video I interview race winner Steve Atlas on Saturday, after he won the first race.

In the next Brammo video, I talk to CEO Craig Bramscher about their mini-moto bike. It's difficult to hear over the announcer, but essentially what he tells me is that even though the minibike may not need six gears, they are developing it with 6 as a way to leverage that development to all their bikes.

You’ve Got to be In It to Win It.

The top two bikes came from the top two electric motorcycle manufacturers- Brammo and Zero. To me, this shows the clear advantage that can be gained with actual production. Although these companies are not selling anywhere near the volume of the major OEM's, they each have experience in building bikes that can meet consumer demands, as well as income to help support their racing efforts. This sets them far ahead of the competition, many of whom are developing all-new bikes on limited funds.

Lightning did an excellent job bringing the GM EV1-powered bike to the top spot for the US in 2010. For 2011 they are developing two all-new bikes, one for TTXGP and one for TTX75. However, neither bike was ready for the opening round. Mission also intended to race, but electrical gremlins prevented them from turning a wheel this weekend.

As with any development process, there are bound to be challenges. Last year, the majority of the field were amateur builders, so while the field was deeper, it was also slower and suffered more DNF's. With so many new electric bikes being announced (Amarok, Concept Zero, Roehr, to name a few) it's only a matter of time before they make it to the TTXGP circuit. I'm sure each round will see a deeper field than the last, with closer competition as the technology advances.

But Who Will Enjoy the First Mover Advantage?

Personally, I think Brammo is crazy to not capitalize on this success and launch the Empulse as is. Although electric motors can benefit from a transmission as much as any other type of motor, is it worth waiting until the competition beats you to market? Market entry strategy is critical, and one can only wonder what the majors (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki) are doing with all the consumer interest information being generated by all this buzz. What if Steve Jobs had announced the 1^st gen iPod then delayed it until it could be made with an SD Card? Would we all be running around with Zune's?