Filed under: MPG, Green Daily, Lightweight
Is it possible to make a car that carries 4 people comfortably, meets modern safety standards, provides decent performance and gets 80 mpg for barely more than $10,000? Even more impressive would be to do it without electric or hybrid drive. If it's at all possible, Gordon Murray may well be the man to do it. Murray is one of the most innovative engineers of the past three decades. Like Colin Chapman before him, he believes weight is the enemy. Murray has created plenty of lightweight, high performance road and race cars but his latest project, called T25, is designed to also be practical and affordable. Shorter and narrower but taller than an original MINI, it will have to be a triumph of packaging to meet the stated objectives.
Making superlight cars is nothing new. Doing it with materials that don't cost a fortune is the problem. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Murray drops a few hints about the construction. It's a body on frame design with plastic upper end and steel chassis. Murray is keeping most of the car under wraps until they get all the patents lined up. Hopefully the T25 will be unveiled in early 2010.
[Source: Daily Mail]
Gordon Murray talks about his 80 mpg T25 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Toyota
While the main storyline for Consumer Reports' February issue revolves around the new Hyundai Genesis and its toppling of the mighty Lexus ES350 as the mag's top-rated entry-level luxury sedan, another tidbit of information regarding next month's rag caught our attention. Apparently, CR purchased a Hymotion L5 plug-in Prius conversion kit from A123 Systems, and testing proved to be a mixed bag. We don't have full details to share regarding the kit's installation or full fuel mileage statistics, but CR's press release indicates that the PHEV managed to increase its mpg rating from 42 to 67 over the first 35 miles of driving. Perhaps this will be an ongoing series from the consumer-oriented publication. While that kind of mileage increase is meaningful, it would take a very long time to recoup the $11,000 purchase price of Hymotion's kit. Still, "the technology itself proved viable," according to CR.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
Continue reading Consumer Reports tests plug-in Prius conversion, finds it lacking
Consumer Reports tests plug-in Prius conversion, finds it lacking originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Etc., Legislation and Policy, GEM
Since the beginning of the year, all 2009 model year vehicles (and anything newer, once they're available) sold in California will be sporting a new sticker. No, not the kind that makes your car worth $4,000 more but the kind that describes the vehicle's global warming and smog scores. Just look under the hood of that new car (if you're the unusual kind of person who's still out there car shopping) and you'll see it, courtesy of the California Air Resources Board. As some of you pointed out in the summer when we first got word of these new stickers, the 1-10 rating scale is somewhat counter-intuitive. A higher score means the car is cleaner/better. An average car, CARB says, will get a five. The best of the best, right now, is the GEM, which gets two 10s. That "perfect" rating means that the vehicle emits less than 200 grams of CO2-equivalent per mile. A score of one means the car spits out more than 520 grams over the same distance. Cars like the Honda Civic hybrid and the Prius score nines.
[Source: Environment News Service]
All new cars in California now carry smog, global warming scores originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Transportation Alternatives, Green Daily
The Ohio State University like a few alt-fuel cars: the Buckeye Bullet 2, hydrogen-powered golf carts and Zipcar/Flexcar. Well, scratch that last one. OSU has decided to give the campus car-sharing contract to Connect by Hertz instead of Zipcar. The exact reason for the switch was not disclosed, with OSU saying only that Zipcar was "not the successful bidder." The Columbus Dispatch reports that Zipcar, with at first 20 but then seven vehicles on campus, did not provide enough cars to suit employee needs. OSU did not provide details on how Connect will work at OSU, but in other places, Hertz offers rate plans that range from $50 a year to $125 per month (depending on the plan) that includes gas, insurance and maintenance. Then you have hourly rental fees that start at $8.50. The Dispatch says that Hertz will have a dozen cars on campus and charge between $9 and $11 an hour for them. OSU uses car-sharing in an attempt to reduce the number of state vehicles - most of which sit unused during the day - needed on campus. Thanks to a buckeye for the tip!
[Source: Ohio State University, Columbus Dispatch]
Hertz puts the hurt on Zipcar at OSU originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: China
One of the most well-known Chinese clones, the Chery QQ3, has been often been the target of retirement rumors. However, just like practically everywhere else, the Chinese auto market is getting help from the government, help that might help the QQ3 survive. One of the measures the Chinese government is applying is a tax reduction on certain vehicle niches, including vehicles mated to sequential gearboxes. Well, for the Chinese New Year, Chery is launching a new QQ3 model that, hey, uses a sequential gearbox. Mated to either a 0.8-liter or 1.1-liter engine, the gearbox manages to save 0.2 to 0.8 liters per 100 km. With the tax benefit, the prices for these QQ3 models have dropped 3,000 and 4,200 Yuan below the manual versions, respectively.
[Source: Sohu via Le Blog Auto]
Chery QQ gets sequential gearbox and a boost from the government originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Hybrid, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, USA
With 4 of the worlds top brands now boasting mid-size sedan hybrids in their line ups, the chaps over at Car and Driver decided it was time to rustle them all together and see how they stack up. If you've been torn over whether to buy a hybrid in the shape of a Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima or Chevy Malibu, this is the comparo that can save you days of visiting dealerships and conducting your own set of test drives. To save you even more time, we break down their observations into a handful of bit-sized chunks, from worst to first.
The Chevrolet Malibu hybrid was the "mild hybrid" of the bunch. While its appearance has been praised by some, its engineering earned few accolades from the C&D crew. They found the start/stop system rudely abrupt and the electric assist seemed to surge off and on with a mind of its own while under way. It not only came last in mileage (19.8 mpg city! Dude!), it also came last in acceleration. The can of tire inflation product in lieu of an actual spare only adds insult to injury. Let's hope GM puts more effort into the Volt. A lot more. Hit the jump to see how the others contestants fared.
[Source: Car and Driver]
Continue reading Car and Driver hosts hybrid hoedown, hearts Ford Fusion heaps
Car and Driver hosts hybrid hoedown, hearts Ford Fusion heaps originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Cadillac, Detroit Auto Show
click above for more a high-res gallery of the 2010 Cadillac SRX
Next week at the Detroit Auto Show Cadillac will be taking the wraps off an all-new version of the SRX crossover. The SRX is getting smaller and moving to a new platform that is mix of the Epsilon II car platform and the Theta CUV. For 2010, the SRX will have two engines available, a 300 hp turbocharged 2.8L V6 based on the Saab Turbo-x engine and a new 3.0L direct injected V6. Both engines are part of GM's high-feature V6 family along with the 3.6L that's used in a wide variety of GM vehicles.
Contrary to some reports, the 3.0L SRX will not be a flex-fuel vehicle when it launches this summer. The spec sheet that was published by GM lists the engine as E85 capable. However, this is an error based on copy data over from the standard specs for the engine. GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read confirmed to ABG that the engine has probably been engineered to be compatible with E85 with items such as high flow fuel injectors and corrosion resistant fuel lines. Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell confirmed that the SRX will run only at gasoline at launch and there are no current planst to make it flex-fuel capable. The only flex-fuel Cadillac currently available is the Escalade. For the full details on the SRX, head on over to Autoblog.
[Source: GM, Domestic Fuel]
Continue reading Detroit preview: Cadillac SRX is direct injected but not flex-fuel
Detroit preview: Cadillac SRX is direct injected but not flex-fuel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For the engineering crew at Lotus, building transportation devices that are not sports cars is nothing new. Back in the early 90s they put their knowledge of lightweight materials and aerodynamics together to create a race bicycle that tore up the velodrome at the Olympics, not to mention wild soap box racers. The latest project is a three ski snow speeder that will be used in an Antarctic expedition next November to raise awareness of climate change. The Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV) is powered by a two cylinder BMW bike engine converted to E85 operation and turning a propeller that pushes the vehicle across the ice and snow at up to 84 mph. The CIV will be used to scout for crevasses in the ice. When the voids are found the GPS coordinates will be sent back to the rest of the team to warn them before anyone falls in.
[Source: Wired]
Bond would kill for this Lotus-developed biofueled Antarctic speeder originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Emerging Technologies, EV/Plug-in, Green Daily
click above and scroll down to watch the video
When he's not taunting Tesla, Dale Vince is pretty focused on building his wind-powered car. The Zero Carbonista project (previous post) is moving along and the fourth (of six) video about the project is new ready for your viewing pleasure. The front of the car is taking shape and now it needs a name. On the shortlist are: The Zero, The Storm and The Nemesis. I think the Zero Storm would be a good compromise, and I think it'll sound good with a British accent.
In the video, the biggest problem the team is facing seems to be figuring out the fingerprint entry and startup system. What's more exciting is the torque potential the designers and engineers discuss towards the end of the video. Check it out after the jump and see what the (indirectly) wind-powered Exige is up to these days.
[Source: Zero Carbonista via Treehugger]
Continue reading Dale Vince's wind-powered car could be the Storm, the Zero or the Nemesis
Dale Vince's wind-powered car could be the Storm, the Zero or the Nemesis originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 13:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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