New posts from Gas 2.0!

Solar Powered Car Carrier Sets Sail on Another Test
People Dropped from Leaf Waiting List for Not Having Home Chargers
Study: Mini-E Drivers Adapted to Electric Car Lifestyle
Next-Gen Ford Fusion Could Get Up To 48 MPG City

Solar Powered Car Carrier Sets Sail on Another Test

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 04:54 PM PDT

Back in 2009, Toyota retrofitted the 6,200 car carrier ship Auriga Leader with large banks of solar cells in an effort to save fuel. It wasn’t exactly successful, but big new batteries may fix a lot of those old problems.

The 328 solar cells on board the ship made just enough power for 1% of the electrical systems, and 0.05% of the propulsion power. At that rate, the Auriga Leader would save just 13 tons of fuel, and 40 tons of CO2, per year. Sounds like a lot, but consider that the average ship guzzles down 120 gallons of fuel per mile, and there's not a lot of savings to be had. Still, the panels collected 1.4 times more energy on the sea than equivalent land-based solar cells, though cloud cover would cause spikes and dips in power, making it unreliable as even a secondary backup source of power.

The initial experiment (i.e. the entire ship) completed its first trial in 2009, and Toyota's engineers have been hard at work remedying the problem. The solution they settled on was to add huge Gigacell nickel-hydride batteries on board the solar ship. As an added bonus, the solar ship will also get a low-sulfur diesel generator, as well as a water treatment system for its ballast tanks to prevent the introduction of invasive species.

It’s the batteries that will make the biggest difference though. These batteries will store the power as it comes in, and dole it out when the sun isn't shining. The Auriga Leader is set for another test this month, carrying in all likelihood some much-needed Toyota Prii, (Prius…) across the Pacific Ocean to America. Now somebody just has to combine this solar ship with Nissan’s aerodynamic car carrier and the SkySail, and we're talking about some real fuel (and cash) savings here.

Source: Wired

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.

People Dropped from Leaf Waiting List for Not Having Home Chargers

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 01:51 PM PDT

Before Nissan sold a single Leaf electric car, it had 20,000 pre-orders in North America alone. Yet some people on this reservation list are mysteriously being dropped, and it could be because they haven't installed a home charging station.

According to a report by Bloomberg, some of the 20,000 pre-order customers have found themselves dropped from the waiting list with no warning, and then asked to reapply if they could not prove they had a home charging station installed.

Now just hold on here a second. Is Nissan saying that it won't sell you a Leaf EV if you don't have a charging station? No…and yes, as it turns out. By asking people to reapply for purchasing a Leaf if they can’t prove they don’t have a charging station for a car they don't own yet, Nissan is setting a pretty screwy precedent, even as they struggle to get cars to customers in a timely fashion.

Now I do understand that supplies of the Nissan Leaf are limited, especially after the devastating tsunami that struck northeast Japan. And it only makes sense to deliver cars to those with the means to install a home charging station, and get the most out of their car. Personally though, I've always been a fan of first come, first serve. Most Leaf buyers are already fairly affluent, tech saavy, and not exactly in need of an electric car, so I won't shed tears over a few of them having to wait a bit longer. But if I lost my place in line over some stipulation I’m just hearing about…I would not be a happy camper (and I might even buy a Volt just to spite Nissan.)

I'm also not thrilled that a car company is picking and choosing its customers, especially for what is supposed to be the first mass market EV. Again, I understand wanting to find the best home for your product; but dropping people without fair warning is just rude, and not conducive to building a loyal customer base.

The Japanese automaker has toned down its delivery expectations for 2011 in the U.S., from 20,000 vehicles to around 10,000. To date Leaf deliveries have been slow, though over 1,100 of the EV’s were delivered in May, and Nissan CEO Carlso Ghosn estimates that over 1,500 will find their owners in June. They had better step the pace up if they want to reach even 10,000 deliveries this year though.

Source: Bloomberg | San Francisco Chronicle

Study: Mini-E Drivers Adapted to Electric Car Lifestyle

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:01 AM PDT

Has your life ever been changed by a gadget? Apparently some of those who leased the Mini-E in 2009 adapted their lifestyles to suit their cars, and still claimed that the Mini-E suited 90% of their driving needs. Not too shabby.

During the summer of 2009, BMW put all-electric Mini-E's into the hands of about 450 test drivers. Now, obviously, those willing to shell out $850 a month to drive an EV put a premium of driving clean…and it also means they put a lot of their own money at stake. And opinions change when money is at stake. No matter how clean the car, if it can’t get you to work on time, of what use is it?

A joint study by BMW and the University of California, Davis found that of the 40 study participants who also leased the Mini-E, 90% of them said it suited their daily driving needs, despite a real world range of around 80 miles (about half of that in sub-freezing weather.) That could be because 71% of the respondents drove less than 40 miles per-day (like most Americans) and 88% were still considering buying an electric car within 5 years after their experience with the Mini-E. I guess it left a good impression.

What I found most fascinating though, were that some of these testers actually adapted their lifestyles around their cars, driving less, and doing without comforts like air conditioning and heating. While that is all well and dandy, I think it goes to show that the study is slightly skewed in favor of the EV's. Again, these people were paying a hefty premium just to lease and test these EV’s, so they were probably already fans to begin with. Giving up these comforts to go those extra few miles probably didn’t seem like a big deal to them, but try doing that with a car full of fussy kids.

So ask yourself, honestly, would you or your neighbors willingly give up air conditioning to get a few extra MPG's? Probably not many of you would, I'd wager (for the record, none of my vehicles have working A/C, but I’d never give up my heater.) One of the largest obstacles EV's must yet overcome is sustaining comforts and infotainment, while increasing range and decreasing charging time. In other words, there's a long road ahead…but more people seem to be getting on board the EV train every day. I mean it makes sense…how far do most people really drive a day? Sure, having the ability to go 300 or 400 miles on a whim is nice…but is it totally necessary in this day in age?

Perhaps, perhaps not, though much of EV’s acceptance or rejection rests with the answer to this seemingly simple question.

Source: BMW

Next-Gen Ford Fusion Could Get Up To 48 MPG City

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 06:59 AM PDT

The current Toyota Prius still has no rival on a mpg-to-mpg comparison, though by 2012 that may change. The next Ford Fusion Hybrid could get as high as 48 mpg in the city, putting it on par with the Prius.

This report comes from Ford Inside News, which also lists a number of other new products the Blue Oval is said to have in the works. Ford will also introduce the 1.0 liter 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine dubbed “Fox” into the European built B-Max subcompact MPV (yes there is such a thing, apparently.) The next Ford Escape (based on the Vertrek concept) may lose its hybrid model, but gain a 1.6 liter EcoBoost engine for even better fuel economy.

By far the biggest deal though is the next generation Fusion Hybrid, which looks to unseat the current hybrid king, the Toyota Prius. As I've already mentioned, the Prius is in danger of losing its MPG Crown if it doesn't push for bolder gains in fuel efficiency. And Ford isn't the only automaker Toyota needs to worry about. Hyundai, Nissan, GM, and the rest of the world’s automakers are gunning for that fuel efficient slice of the sales pie.

Ford plans to pump up the Fusion Hybrids mpg ratings with a new eight-speed e-CVT transmission, and I'm sure they have more tricks up their sleeve as well. Expect a longer all-EV range, higher EV top speed, and of course more mpgs. Which leaves me wondering; will we see an EcoBoost hybrid anytime soon? The two technologies would seem to compliment each other naturally, and add a little more excitement to the hybrid lineup. Unlikely, but maybe not.

I also wonder if the new Ford Fusion can crack the magic 51 mpg highway rating that the Prius also lays claim to. If it can, we could see a new segment leader among hybrids, a car that looks like a car but gets the fuel efficiency of an egg. Can the Fusion topple the Prius? Will there be a new segment leader? How will Toyota answer this challenge?

Stay tuned, as I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this latest hybrid drama.

Source: Ford Inside News