Friday, January 7, 2011

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Ford Lifts the Veil on Ford Focus Electric

Posted: 07 Jan 2011 01:24 PM PST

Today at 2pm, Ford finally took the covers off the soon-to-come 2012 Focus Electric. Set to debut later this year, Ford calls it a "real car." But how does it stack up to the competition?

The 2012 Focus Electric is the vanguard of Ford's electric car rollout, with five "electrified" models set to hit the market by 2013. I'm banking on a Focus hybrid, plug-in hybrid Focus, and probably an electric version of the Transit Connect as well. While the Blue Oval neglects to say what the range is, they do provide some interesting tidbits. From a 240-volt charger, the Focus Electric takes just three to four hours to fully charge. That's about half the time it takes the Nissan Leaf, and Ford claims the Focus will have a range comparable to its main competition.

Not wanting to leave Chevy out, Ford also claims the Focus Electric will offer a better miles-per-gallon equivalent than the Volt. Then theres MyFord Touch, and MyFord Mobile, which lets electric car drivers hook up to the cheapest utility rates for charging and allows for monitoring of the car's battery level via a smart phone app and website. That'll make life all the easier for future electric car users.

The Focus Electric is also getting absolutely loaded with high-end standard features, from 17-inch aluminum wheels to push button start and a navigation system. A next-generation SmartGauge determines how efficiently you're driving via butterflies. The more butterflies, the more efficient you are driving, Apparently the designers were inspired by the "butterfly effect," where a seemingly-small action can have much-larger impact, in this case, driving an electric car towards the goal of reducing emissions.

Of course, both the Volt and Leaf offer a lot in the way of standard features and their own take on the gauge to help make their higher-than-normal prices easier to swallow. Ford didn't mention a price point, but it will probably be in the $30,000 to $40,000 neighborhood (pre-tax credit). Without knowing more detailed specs on the battery, it's hard to make a fair comparison, but I'm sure Ford is looking to be a contender.

Since we can’t compare stats, lets be shallow and compare looks. I think the 2012 Focus Electric looks better than the Nissan Leaf, but not quite as good as the Chevy Volt. How does it stack up for you?

Source: Ford

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric Ford Focus Electric


HondaJet, A Lighter Kind of Airplane, Makes Maiden Voyage

Posted: 07 Jan 2011 11:46 AM PST

While we all know Honda makes cars and motorcycles, did you know they also make garden equipment, power generators, and even robots? Apparently they now make planes too, and their first aircraft, the HondaJet, uses 20% less fuel than competitors.

The super-light plane is made from composite materials, a combination of carbon fiber (often used in sports cars) and resin that is found in kit-planes, but not larger craft like the HondaJet. The use of this composite material also allows for a unique shape that reduces drag, increases speed, saves fuel, and makes the plane quieter. It's a win-win-win-win situation…if you can afford a plane in the first place. The use of these materials jacks the price of automobiles up by tens of thousands of dollars, so I can only imagine how much it adds to the price of an airplane.

With the price of jet fuel though, using 20% less fuel-per-flight could add up to substantial savings over the life of the plane. It also means less of that heavy fuel  to lug over long distances, saving even more weight. Jet planes require a lot of jet fuel, and it can add a huge amount of weight. Larger aircraft can carry upwards of 30 tons of fuel for a cross-country flight. The HondaJet doesn’t carry close to that much, but carry less fuel makes the plane even more efficient. Many air travel companies have taken to cutting back on extra fuel to save weight, and thus save on the extra weight. Sure, it saves weight and uses less fuel, but you can’t exactly pull over mid-flight to refuel if you suddenly need to go somewhere else.

So all this fuel efficiency comes at the price of speed, right? Wrong. By mounting the engines on the top of the wing rather than the bottom, the plane produces less drag, allowing for a higher top speed. The HondaJet can fly about 50 mph faster than comparable jets, with a top speed of about 485 mph. Another benefit of this unique design is less noise, making the plane about 20 dB quieter. To the human ear, that would sound about four times quieter than your standard jet. Not too shabby, eh?

The plane has just completed its maiden flight, and goes on sale sometime next year. If Honda can prove this plane to be financially viable, I wouldn't be surprised to see other companies following suit. Will we all be flying in carbon fiber planes in the future?

Source: Technology Review

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Toyota Prius: Cleaner than Sheep Flatulence?

Posted: 07 Jan 2011 06:38 AM PST

There are a lot of ways to sell a car. You can highlight its speed, luxury, comfort, or fuel efficiency. In Israel, Toyota's marketing campaign decided to highlight the lack of emissions by comparing the Prius with a sheep's butt.

Say what? Yes, sheep's butt. This advertisement places both the Prius, and a sheep (representing livestock, I suppose) on an emissions scale. The Prius lands a "2" on the scale, whereas the sheep's butt scores a "5." Now usually, I am very skeptical of advertising using scales such as this, as I was taught just how easy it is to manipulate such information. I'm also no big fan of the Toyota Prius, but in this case, all I can do is smile and nod.

Why, you ask? I'm a car lover, and I feel like automobiles, as a whole, get a bad rap for emissions when there are so many other forms of emissions, from the air we exhale to, well, sheep's butts. In fact, as much as 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from cattle. So even as we clean up emissions from our automobiles, we still have to do something about the cattle farts (actually, it's mostly burps. Who knew?)

My solution? Eat more meat.

Source:  Toyota via CopyRanter

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Gas 2.0

Gas 2.0

Has Peak Travel Come and Gone?

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 05:47 PM PST

There's no doubt that Americans travel often, and travel far. However, a new study suggests that back in 2003, we hit "peak travel," and since then much of the developed world has cut back on commuting. Wonder why?

You’ve surely heard of peak oil, which is when the maximum extraction of oil is reached and oil production declines from there. Peak travel is the same idea; we have traveled as much as we’re going to travel, and from here on, people will supposedly travel less in developed countries. The study didn't just take a look at America, but Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Sweden. The researchers wanted to compare miles traveled per-person a year with GDP growth. As expected, from 1970 to 2003, miles traveled rose with an increase in GDP. But something happened in 2003 in America, and other nations. The GDP continued to rise (at least for a few more years…) but miles traveled leveled off, or in some cases even dropped.

There is no simple answer, although the researchers offer a few reasons as to why this is happening. In America, there are more vehicles than licensed drivers, and there are 700 cars for every 1,000 people. How is that possible? Small businesses often have fleets of vehicles, and some people (like me) own more than one vehicle. This also contributes to the average of 16,155 miles of motorized traveled by Americans every year.

In other countries, car ownership is closer to 500 cars per 1,000 people, but even that's quite a few vehicles. Most other countries travel between 6,000 and 10,000 miles in motorized vehicles, to give you an idea of how much America outpaces the rest of the world in getting around. Automobiles have been being built en masse for over 100 years, and while many are scrapped and recycled, a lot of cars get passed down, stored away, or are just driven relentlessly for decades. I know more a guy who has driven the same Pinto for more than three decades without exploding. Crazy, I know.

Other reasons are an aging, less-mobile population (damn Baby Boomers), traffic congestion, and rising fuel costs. I'm sure the recent economic crunch has put a dent in miles traveled too. This is good news if you like to breathe, because it could mean that with fewer cars on the road, a large source of emissions are getting less use.

Of course, this study left both metaphorical elephants in the room; India and China. I know the Chinese have taken to cars like flies to honey, and they're already experiencing the unenviable hell that is traffic congestion. I've also seen video of India's roads, and I can't see how they could cram one more car on those roads, so maybe they'll find a better way to get around.

Take what you will from this study; it does give me a slight slice o' hope that maybe things are changing for the better, no matter how crappy things may be feeling.

Source: Wired

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

GM Invests in Wireless Charging Technology

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 01:04 PM PST

One of the newest crazes sweeping techno-nerds are wireless charging devices like the PowerNat. At the all-things-geek Consumer Electronics Show, GM announced it is investing $5 million in PowerMat to bring this technology to its cards.

PowerMat uses inductive charging, which transmits electricity via magnets without any actual, physical connection. As the world comes to rely more and more on pocket computers (I just bought a Droid 2 yesterday and I'm already obsessed), we find ourselves overcome by cords. I've got cords to phones I don't even own anymore. But if you just plop your device down on a PowerMat (after installing a small "receiver" on your phone), it will automatically start charging.

Pretty neat, right? GM seems to think so, and is investing $5 million through GM Ventures to bring the PowerMat technology inside its vehicles exclusively for the first year, probably starting in 2012. The PowerMat will be placed on the center console in the front and there will be a mat placed for the rear passengers too. No more cluttering up the interior with different cords. While I was driving across country, I was constantly charging my phone, computer, and even camera through a power inverter connected to the cigarette lighter. A PowerMat would've come in handy, but instead I was often draped with cords.

Still, I'm thinking that maybe there's more to this than just PowerMats for the Volt (and other GM vehicles).

This might be a stretch, but perhaps GM is interested in "scaling up" the PowerMat technology to charge, say, an entire car? That'd be a huge bragging point, as well as selling point, to would-be EV buyers. Never use a cord again! Just parking your car and it charges itself!  The idea isn't new, but with a company as big as GM behind it, it could become very real. For now though, we'll have to settle for wirelessly charging our phones, which is still pretty damn neat.

Source: GM

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.

Renault Managers Suspended Over Electric Vehicle Espionage

Posted: 06 Jan 2011 09:48 AM PST

Corporate espionage isn’t just something invented by Hollywood, as news from Renault demonstrates. The French automaker suspended three managers over accusations that they were leaking information regarding electric vehicles.

How high up the managers were, and what information specifically was leaked, Renault will not say. The information apparently pertained to electric cars, in all likelihood either the batteries or control systems, as this is primarily what’s holding electric cars back. Batteries are heavy, expensive, and still capable of only deliver between 100 and 200 miles on a charge. That wouldn't be so bad, if they didn't take, on average, four to eight hours (depending on the outlet voltage) to fully charge.

The first automaker that can develop relatively inexpensive, fast charging, long lasting batteries will have a huge advantage over the competitors. Nissan-Renault wants to be that automaker. To give you an idea of the kind of money at stake, the Japanese-French alliance has thus far sunk over $5.5 billion into electric vehicle technology, and has only just started selling electric cars to the public (the Nissan Leaf).

What specifically was leaked, and who the suspended managers were, Renault did not say. But the leak "threatened strategic assets" of the company, and Nissan is apparently none-too-pleased either. An unnamed Nissan executive told the Wall Street Journal "Whatever they leaked, it's ours. They don't have their own lithium-ion battery technology. We serve all of their battery technology needs, and we are their supplier of battery cells and packs."

Ouch. This leaves me with more than a few questions. What was leaked, who leaked it, and who was it leaked to? The  I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this story, friends.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)