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jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,154
15,230
Portland, OR
i've gone on several trips with the girl or the parents in their respective cars, but have been doing just fine around town on my own, what with the bikes and bus system locally, and amtrak for trips further out.
Once I have a more bus friendly bike, I will cut down on the moto even more. I haven't touched my truck since I bought it and I need to get started. I might be buying a place soon, so I don't want it in pieces until I know where it will go.

I am often spoiled by the bus system here. My folks even said it was almost as nice as Australia.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
a new offering from Hungary. projected chances it'll make it to the US in current form: 0. safety regs will kill it before it rolls a foot, as it looks to be a four wheel design...

Antro Solo. http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/38144/113/





solar panels atop charge batteries good for "10-15 miles". pedals inside to charge a generator! and a combustion engine running gas or ethanol to make it a series hybrid when pedaling is not in the cards.

right now it's just a (non-running?) prototype, but claimed construction of carbon fiber, weight of <600 lbs, and seating for three are interesting.
wake me up if it's actually in production and available in 2012. yet again: Aptera seems much more reasonable than this shuttlecraft...
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
sell it! i've used all of $87 worth of Zipcar since i sold my RX-8 in may, and that was one day's worth of minivan rental to move my bedframe, mattress, 150 lb electric piano (which is 17 years old, and which i sold on craigslist for $200!), etc.

i've gone on several trips with the girl or the parents in their respective cars, but have been doing just fine around town on my own, what with the bikes and bus system locally, and amtrak for trips further out.
Goddammit, someone just offered me an S50 (M3 engine) swapped e36 318ti (you know, the hatchbacks) for my Golf...must resist temptation.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
VW's "1 liter" (as in 1 liter fuel per 100 km traveled, or 235 mpg via Google) concept from a few years back may actually see production!

next up in the vaporware wars: Tesla's Whitestar is now the Model S, and the buzz is that it'll be built in the Bay Area. $60 grand, all electric, and 225 mile range are the goals. we shall see.

source: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/06/tesla-motors-model-s-bay-area-electric-car.php
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
crash standards are why Aptera is using a 3 wheeled layout for their beast. 3 wheels = motorcycle = less regulations.

www.aptera.com

Aptera said:
Based on our wheel layout and our weight,
the Aptera Typ-1 is registered as a motorcycle
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In fact, Aptera is a motorcycle manufacturer registered with DOT and CA DMV. This means, among other things, that we are able to issue VIN's. Our 'world identifier number' is '5WT', so all of our VIN's begin with '5WT'. Knowing the public perception of motorcycle safety, we made the decision to make safety a fundamental part of the design of our vehicles. For example, the Typ-1 roof is designed to EXCEED rollover strength requirements spelled out in FMVSS 216 for passenger vehicles. The doors EXCEED the strength requirement spelled out in FMVSS 214. We decided not just to meet many of the specs for passenger vehicles, which are set above and beyond the requirements for motorcycles, but we chose to exceed them whenever possible. Just a few of the many parts of the safety systems on the Typ-1 are airbag-in seatbelt technology, a front subframe and a firewall that redirect energy around the occupants.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
Nice, but now most people need a bike lisence [I've got mine]
nope, not true: enclosed top, 3 wheels, and in that weight category means no license. again from www.aptera.com

aptera.com said:
Since the Aptera is classified as a motorcycle, do you have to wear a helmet or get an endorsement on my license?

You are not required to wear a helmet to drive the Aptera, nor is an endorsement on your drivers license required. Anything in the state of CA with three wheels does not require a motorcycle license and enclosed vehicles with three wheels do not require the use of a helmet. All this and you also get to drive in the HOV lanes!
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
I'm finally back on the (electrical) road. Picked up the ebikes.ca package from the post office today, and was pleasantly surprised to find a different controller in the box than the one I thought I ordered! I ordered C3620PF from http://ebikes.ca/store/#Controllers and received one with a metal case (a la the one I'm selling - it looks the same, only 2/3rds scale roughly and without a reverse switch), an on-off switch, and a 24-72V rating on its identification sticker!

Thanks ebikes.ca! I'm not sure if the one I received has the 4110 FETs as on the store page, but it's definitely not the plastic 36V one, either. Sweet. They also upgraded my shipping to expedited for free. I am very, very happy with their customer service at this point.

:monkey:

And the best thing is that it works. I just came back from a spin of a few blocks, and have regained that EV grin. Pedaling first isn't an issue really, as I was already doing it for efficiency's sake, and I even got the bike started on quite a steep grade (7 or 8%, I'd guess) with not too much effort. I dialed down the CA's current limit to 20A to match the controller but otherwise didn't change much. I'm still able to climb the steep hill up to my current apartment, grinding along at 8 mph in the lowest gear with full (inefficient at that speed) assist.

I asked Justin@ebikes about higher amperages through pedal-first controllers, and he reported that the 24-72V 4110-MOSFET controller might be able to take 25 or 30A with some extra solder in strategic locations but he didn't recommend more than 20A for the other pedal-first models.

Cliffs Notes: Toshi's e-bike works again albeit with him pedaling first to ~5 mph, and the electrical gear vendor in Canadia apparently upgraded the replacement controller that he ordered with a higher spec model in addition to upgrading the shipping, gratis.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
great piece of journalism.

It gets 110 mpg and goes 0-60 in 3 seconds, but I won't tell you how.
the one worthwhile bit in that video piece was showing the sticker over the gas filler flap: official entrant in the automotive X prize. that'll separate the wheat from the chaff with objective testing, not just fluff journalism.

(go Aptera!)

here's more on the Automotive X Prize and the leading contenders per popular mechanics from a post much earlier in this very thread: http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2919554&highlight=prize#post2919554
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
two things:

1) i finally got the contract from the city of seattle for their One Less Car program. $200 at REI and free bike club memberships for confirming that i've sold my car and that i'll not replace it for a year. score. http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/olc_incentives.htm

2) I hurt my knee today, but nevertheless logged just over 17 miles on the e-bike. For those of you in Seattle following along I headed from Capitol Hill (Denny/Olive area) to 1st via the steep downhill on Denny and then Stewart, down 1st to Spokane, then along Spokane and on the lower W Seattle Bridge to Harbor, then along Alki up the point to California, and finally up the long, steep California hill to Admiral. The return trip was the same in reverse, only heading along 1st to Pike and up Pike to Capitol Hill.

Lots of hills, and remember that about my knee? I had to pedal on the hills but often was coasting on the flats. Not the best ride for efficiency, especially since I was all out most of the time: 24 mph if not pedaling on the flats, 26-27 with my effort added in. Pedaling first with this new controller did not prove to be much of an issue -- again, I'd been doing that anyway just for efficiency's sake.

Stats: 30A limit in the CA yet I drew 42A max on the way out, 50A max on the way back in. 42.1 Vmin on the way out, 41.5 Vmin on the way in. Averaged 18.9 mph on the way out there including many a stop light, not bad, eh? On both the trip out and back Wh/mi usage was a touch over 28. Ouch.

Here's the route with elevation profile at bottom:

 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
bah, since my car was registered in oregon (as was i) i don't qualify for the $200 from seattle. fair enough.

here's a prefab electric bike that panasonic is releasing:

Panasonic Vivi RX 10-S http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/07/07/panasonic-presents-electric-bike-recharging-its-battery-via-the-braking-system/




clearly backwards captions

$1400 in japan. 26V 10Ah Li-ion (what actual chemistry, however?). big deal is that it has regeneration.
this thing has 260Wh worth of battery. i have 576Wh. they claim 90-125km in "normal mode" and 182km in "automatic mode". i get maybe 40km.

something doesn't jive, and that something is most likely that their speed figures are at 12 mph or so, as that motor can't be putting out more than 200W (and by law in europe should not). i tend to cruise at 40 km/h...
 

MMike

A fowl peckerwood.
Sep 5, 2001
18,207
105
just sittin' here drinkin' scotch
Damn.....that's a pretty decent trek.....But that's only 17 miles? I would have thought that to be much longer. I guess it has been a while since I was in that neck of the woods.

I hope all of this e-Bike foolishness has not cut into your Gran Turismo time...
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/07/report-mitsubis.html#more

Report: Mitsubishi to Begin i MiEV Retail Sales In Japan A Year Early
9 July 2008

The Nikkei reports that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. begin retail sales in Japan of its i MiEV electric vehicle next summer, a year ahead of schedule. The automaker had planned to start leasing the i MiEV to businesses and municipalities next summer and to wait until 2010 for the retail launch.

However, it is advancing the retail release in light of smoother-than-expected preparations for mass production and the favorable sales conditions created by runaway gasoline prices, according to the report.

Mitsubishi Motors intends to set the price for the i MiEV at around 4 million yen. But government subsidies for low-emission vehicles are likely to reduce the actual retail price to an estimated 3 million yen [US$28,000].

The i MiEV is powered by a compact 47 kW motor that develops 180 Nm (133 lb-ft) of torque and a 330V, 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack from Lithium Energy Japan (LEJ). LEJ is a joint venture of GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC). Top speed of the i MiEV is 130 kph (81 mph), with a range of up to 160 km (100 miles) under Japanese 10-15 cycle driving conditions.

The report said that Mitsubishi Motors hopes to sell 2,000 i MiEVs in the first year and to boost the figure to 10,000 units by fiscal 2011.

$28k after govt subsidies. 130 kph. 160 km range. "favorable sales conditions created by runaway gasoline prices" indeed...

i would so rock it.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
?????
What the hell are
http://www.dieselnet.com/standards/cycles/jp_10-15mode.html

The entire cycle includes a sequence of a 15 minute warm-up at 60 km/h, idle test, 5 minute warm-up at 60 km/h, and one 15-mode segment, followed by three repetitions of 10-mode segments and one 15-mode segment. Emissions are measured over the last four segments (3×10-mode + 1×15-mode, Figure 1).


Figure 1. 10-15 Mode Cycle

The distance of the cycle is 4.16 km, average speed 22.7 km/h, duration 660 s (or 6.34 km, 25.6 km/h, 892 s, respectively, including the initial 15 mode segment).
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
here's a useful tool for those interested in improving their vehicle's aerodynamics:

Flow Illustrator - a simple windtunnel simulator. it's only in 2D and is clearly very crude, but it's a lot better than nothing!

when i get a chance i'm going to plug in a rough outline of the Aptera and BugE for kicks, using their profile along the centerline best as i can estimate it (ie, no wheels).

here are a few profiles that the OP in the linked thread did using his Festiva...







maybe those ricer wings might do good ;)
 

STPIZZAY

Chimp
Nov 22, 2007
57
0
Sacramento
I ride my KTM 400 Dual sport to school, and it works really well. it gets something like 85 Mpg with a top speed of 95 [ From personal Experience ]
Nobody here had mentioned dual sports, i love it because it gives me the freedom to ride trails and fire roads on my way home if i want to chill out after a long day. Its fully street legal, and in California its legal to split traffic so crowded stoplights are never an issue.
If you ride dirtbikes, it might be economical to invest in a dual sport, if not for commuting then for shorter distances where a car isnt needed, and then you would still be able to shred trails or do the occasional enduro or XC race.
-E
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793


http://www.nextautos.com/carbon-neutral-flying-car-make-unlikely-voyage

Rarely does a day pass that we don&#8217;t catch wind of some new &#8220;green&#8221; vehicle, in concept or production form that has a goal of reducing the environmental impact of transportation. News about the long-held dream of a practical flying car however, seems increasingly difficult to come by. Thank god then for the Parajet Skycar, which proposes to serve both of these vehicular masters, and look like a totally sweet dune buggy in the process.

Calling itself the &#8220;first carbon neutral flying car&#8221;, the Skycar is a bio-fuel powered, lightweight sports car, which happens to allow a driver to take to the skies when things get a little too congested curbside. Using &#8220;the latest ram-air wing&#8221; the Skycar claims to be able to take-off from a field or runway of less than 200 meters, while still being safe for beginners to control and fly.

Making use of a 1.0-liter Yamaha R1 motorcycle engine modified to run on biodiesel, the buggy will supposedly be good for a 0 to 62 mph blast in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of around 112 mph. Conversion between the two modes is said to take only three minutes or so.

Fly-by-night (sorry) flying car concepts have come and gone, but the Skycar team is preparing to put up or shut up in the spring of 2009, by planning a massive journey in the bi-mode vehicle from the U.K. to Mali in Africa. Consider us to be unconvinced about the expedition until we see further proof of it getting off the ground&#8230;as it were
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
13,182
5,092
Copenhagen, Denmark
Good little article in the New York Times about the different companies working on electric cars and plug in hybrids. The conclusion was that the GM Volt acutally could be the best solution at the moment.

I think the US has the brain power and money to become the leader in fuel efficient cars/technology and it would be the a way for the US car manufacturers to once again get a lead on the competition. Just like JFK put us on the moon I hope Obama would support such a path. I am sure we can cut down on weapon research just a little.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
43,154
15,230
Portland, OR
Someone here at work converted an old (late 70's, I think) VW based kit car to electric. He plugs it in out back where the make-shift motorcycle parking is. I don't know who's it is, but it looks kinda cool. The body is outdated and the cheesy gull-wing doors suck, but I bet it's light as hell being fiberglass.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
speaking of awesome I just read this thread on busted spoke. Looks similar to what toshi did. Would be awesome if he sold it as a kit.

http://bustedspoke.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=44905
head on over to http://ebikes.ca and browse the store! you'd be interested in the eZee kit, but everything i used is available separately... the guy in the linked thread is running a 24V 12Ah setup it looks like. my e-penis is weighted with twice the Watt-hours, at 48V 12Ah flowing at 30A max.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
the future looks bright: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/07/toray-nissan-ho.html#more

Toray, Nissan, Honda Partner on Carbon Fiber for Cars
26 July 2008

The Nikkei reported that Toray Industries Inc., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. will work together to develop a new carbon fiber material for use in auto bodies, with the goal of developing mass-market carbon fiber cars.

The group aims to establish mass production technology for the new material by the mid-2010s. By replacing most of the steel used in cars, they hope to develop vehicles up to 40% lighter than their steel counterparts.

Carbon fiber boasts one-quarter the weight of iron, but is 10 times as strong. High prices have been a major obstacle to the widespread use of carbon fiber in cars: 1 kg of carbon fiber costs several thousand yen, compared with slightly more than 100 yen for steel and 300-400 yen for aluminum. As steel prices will likely continue rising, in part because of increasing market dominance by the three top iron ore mining companies, the price gap between steel and carbon fiber is expected to narrow over time. Unlike steel, carbon fiber has significant room for increases in production.

Steel accounts for about three-quarters of the average car weight in Japan of around 1,350 kg (2,976 lbs). Using carbon fiber to replace steel in key parts could cut vehicle weight by up to 40%, to slightly above an average 800 kg (1,800 lbs). This could improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide by approximately 30% per car.

Today, steel accounts for three-quarters of the average car weight of around 1,350 kg. By replacing most of the steel used in key parts with carbon fiber, the weight can be reduced by up to 40% to slightly above 800 kg (1,800 lbs). This is expected to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30%, or 0.7 ton, per car a year.

Textile firms Mitsubishi Rayon Co. and Toyobo Co., plastic parts maker Takagi Seiko Corp., and researchers from the University of Tokyo will also participate in the joint effort. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is providing ¥2 billion (US$18.5 million) in funding for the project over 5 years.
note japanese govt support for initiatives such as this. contrast to republicans shilling for shale oil.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
http://mobile.nytimes.com/article;jsessionid=F9A6AA2DD0EEE4BC3F10DDC8062C59A2.w6?a=210143&f=23&single=1

nytimes editorial said:


A Modest Proposal: Eco-Friendly Stimulus

David G. Klein
By ALAN S. BLINDER
Published: July 27, 2008
ECONOMISTS and members of Congress are now on the prowl for new ways to stimulate spending in our dreary economy. Here's my humble suggestion: "Cash for Clunkers," the best stimulus idea you've never heard of.

Cash for Clunkers is a generic name for a variety of programs under which the government buys up some of the oldest, most polluting vehicles and scraps them. If done successfully, it holds the promise of performing a remarkable public policy trifecta - stimulating the economy, improving the environment and reducing income inequality all at the same time. Here's how.

A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT The oldest cars, especially those in poor condition, pollute far more per mile driven than newer cars with better emission controls. A California study estimated that cars 13 years old and older accounted for 25 percent of the miles driven but 75 percent of all pollution from cars. So we can reduce pollution by pulling some of these wrecks off the road. Several pilot programs have found that doing so is a cost-effective way to reduce emissions.

MORE EQUAL INCOME DISTRIBUTION It won't surprise you to learn that the well-to-do own relatively few clunkers. Most are owned, instead, by low-income people. So if the government bought some of these vehicles at above-market prices, it would transfer a little purchasing power to the poor.

AN EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC STIMULUS With almost all the income tax rebates paid out, and the economy weakening, Cash for Clunkers would be a timely stimulus in 2009. As was made clear during the Congressional debate last winter, prompt spending is critical to an effective stimulus program. And the quickest, surest way to get more consumer spending is to put more cash into the hands of people who live hand-to-mouth.

Here's an example of how a Cash for Clunkers program might work. The government would post buying prices, perhaps set at a 20 percent premium over something like Kelley Blue Book prices, for cars and trucks above a certain age (say, 15 years) and below a certain maximum value (perhaps $5,000). A special premium might even be offered for the worst gas guzzlers and the worst polluters. An income ceiling for sellers might also be imposed - say, family income below $60,000 a year - to make sure the money goes to lower-income households.

The numbers in this example are purely illustrative. By raising the 20 percent premium, lowering the 15-year minimum age, or raising the $5,000 maximum price or the $60,000 income ceiling, you make the program broader and costlier - and create a bigger stimulus. By moving any of these in the opposite direction, you make the program narrower, cheaper and smaller.

People who sell their clunkers would receive government checks, perhaps paid to them at the motor vehicle bureau office where they turn in their old vehicles. They would be free to spend this money as they see fit, whether on a new car or truck or some other form of transportation - or anything else. To ensure that the program really pulls clunkers off the roads, only vehicles that had been registered and driven for, say, the past year would be eligible.

The government can either sell the cars it buys to licensed recyclers for scrap, or refit them with new emissions controls and resell them. But the government must not ship the cars to poor countries, where they would continue to belch pollutants.

Cash for Clunkers is not the pipe dream of some academic scribblers. Local variants are either now in operation or have been tested in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Texas, Virginia and several Canadian provinces. So there is no need for a "proof of concept." Rather, a national Cash for Clunkers program could learn from all this experience in building a better system.

THE big need to date has been money, which is why the scope of Cash for Clunkers programs has been limited. And that, of course, is where the need for stimulus comes in. We now want intelligent ways for the federal government to spend money.

Here's a high-end cost calculation for a national program. Suppose we took two million cars off the road a year, at an average purchase price of $3,500 (the top price in the Texas program today). Including all the administrative costs of running the program, that would probably cost about $8 billion. Compared with other nationwide income-transfer or environmental policies, that's a pretty small bill. For stimulus purposes, it would, of course, be better to run the program on a larger scale, if possible. There are over 250 million cars and light trucks on American roads, and some 30 percent are 15 years old or older. That's at least 75 million clunkers. At five million cars a year - an ambitious target, to be sure - the program would cost less than $20 billion, still cheap compared with the $168 billion stimulus enacted in February.

And what would all this money buy? First, less pollution. The Texas program estimated that clunkers spew 10 to 30 times as much pollution as newer cars. Second, the subsidy value (the 20 percent premium in my example) is a direct income transfer to the owners of clunkers, who are mostly low-income people. Third, these folks would almost certainly spend the cash they receive - not just the subsidy, but the entire payment, giving the economy a much-needed boost.

Oh, and I left out a fourth possible goal. By pulling millions of old cars off the road, Cash for Clunkers would stimulate the demand for new cars as people trade up. It need hardly be pointed out that our ailing auto industry, like our ailing economy, could use a shot in the arm right now. Scrapping two million or more clunkers a year should help.

With today's concerns over stimulus, inequality and greenhouse gases, as well as an aging vehicle fleet, Cash for Clunkers is an idea whose time may finally have come. Write your congressman.

Alan S. Blinder is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve. He has advised many Democratic politicians.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793
http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2008/07/gms_other_plug-in_the_saturn_vue.html



With all of the excitement created by Bob Lutz&#8217;s first drive of the Chevrolet Volt test mule vehicle recently, some may have forgotten GM has another plug-in vehicle that is approved for production and progressing through early program development stages.

As I revealed to the audience today at the Plug-in 2008 Conference in San Jose, CA, we currently are testing 11 Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEV) at the GM proving grounds in Michigan and Arizona. In fact, we brought one with us to San Jose.

We initially started testing with two early development vehicles using nickel-metal hydride battery technology. But now we&#8217;re using lithium-ion batteries. We&#8217;ve done extensive battery thermal management work in the lab and on the road, and plug-in charge integration is fully operational and undergoing refinement.

The Vue Plug-in Hybrid is expected to be one of the first commercially availably plug-in hybrids produced by a major automaker. So in many ways, we&#8217;re pioneers.
However, we do have an advantage over others working to develop a plug-in hybrid.



The Vue Plug-in uses a modified version of the GM Two-mode Hybrid system, which was introduced in transit buses in 2003. As you may know, we scaled down the Two-mode Hybrid system for use in passenger vehicles, and began offering the fuel-saving technology in our 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon &#8211; the world&#8217;s first full-size hybrid SUVs.

Later this year, we&#8217;ll begin offering the third iteration: a front-wheel-drive version in the new 2009 Vue 2 Mode hybrid, which will set the standard in the compact crossover segment for its combination of fuel economy and performance.

So a majority of the Two-mode components that will be used in the Vue Plug-in Hybrid have been proven. They have undergone more than 800,000 miles of dynamometer testing (think of it as a treadmill for automobiles).

We clearly still have a lot of work to do before the Vue Plug-in is ready for production, but we continue to make progress. When the Vue Plug-in Hybrid arrives in a couple of years, we expect it to set the standard for its combination of fuel economy and performance. And that&#8217;s really what the Two-mode technology is all about &#8211; significantly improving efficiency while maintaining the capability our customers expect from an SUV or crossover.

This is possible because the Two-mode system uses a powerful battery, gas engine and an all new hybrid transmission to move the vehicle.

The Saturn Vue Plug-in Hybrid compliments our efforts with the Chevy Volt, in providing a range of electrified solutions for customers&#8230; from gas friendly, to a variety of hybrids - including plug-ins - to the all-electric Volt. The Vue Plug-in Hybrid will hit a market segment of crossover owners with the promise of potentially doubling the fuel efficiency of any current SUV, which is how most of these customers use their vehicles every day.

It&#8217;s an exciting time at GM, and we are working hard to expand our portfolio of electrified vehicles to give consumers an even broader range of fuel-efficient alternatives (as we approach the next decade).
it's propaganda, yes, but key points are revealed: the Vue PHEV lives, and it will use Li-ion. cool.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793



http://www.themotorreport.com.au/6092/nissan-sets-new-nurburgring-record-in-an-x-trail/

Nissan is no stranger to the Nurburgring Nordschliefe, having used it to hone the suspension and powertrains of some of its more recent sports cars, so recently it headed out to the track to try and claim another Nurburgring record for the big N. This time though, it wasn&#8217;t about recording the fastest time or speed - it was about lapping the famous Nordschliefe without emitting a single puff of carbon dioxide.

Frank Eickholt, a member of Nissan&#8217;s 24 Hours Nürburgring race team, was the man behind the tiller of the 1.3 million Euro X-Trail FCV prototype and managed to extract an eleven minute, 58 second lap from the zero-emission wagon. While it pales in comparison to the Nissan GT-R&#8217;s epic lap of 7:29, the X-Trail FCV did amazingly well for a vehicle with only 90kW and 280Nm of torque and Eickholt said there was the potential to do even better:
Although some of the uphill sections were challenging, the speed was still very impressive. If the course hadn&#8217;t been so wet, I could have gotten more momentum out of the curves. Thirty to 40 seconds could have been shaved off for sure,
The X-Trail FCV derives its power from a tank of liquified hydrogen, the contents of which are then sent to a fuel cell stack and combined with oxygen, releasing electrical energy. This powers an electric motor which in turn drives the front wheels, thereby allowing the mid-sized crossover to launch from apex to apex.
and from autoblog green (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/07/29/2009-honda-hybrid-system-cost-to-be-cut-in-half/) comes rumor that the upcoming honda prius-like hybrid, Kamm back and all, will start at $18995. hot.

 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,810
8,793

Toyota Winglet. Segway-esque.

http://gizmodo.com/5031895/winglet-personal-transport-to-keep-increasing-j+los-ass-size





6 km/hr? boo.

Tokyo &#8212; TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today development of the "Winglet", a personal transport assistance robot ridden in a standing position.

The Winglet&#8212;still being refined&#8212;is one of TMC's people-assisting Toyota Partner Robots. Designed to contribute to society by helping people enjoy a safe and fully mobile life, the Winglet is a compact next-generation everyday transport tool that offers advanced ease of use and expands the user's range of mobility.

The Winglet consists of a body (with a projected area the size of an A3 sheet of paper) that houses an electric motor, two wheels and internal sensors that constantly monitor the user's position and make adjustments in power to ensure stability. Meanwhile, a unique parallel link mechanism allows the rider to go forward, backward and turn simply by shifting body weight, making the vehicle safe and useful even in tight spaces or crowded environments.

TMC has created three models, the "L", "M" and "S", each having different handling features that allow consumers to select a model appropriate to their needs&#8212;from "practical" to "hands-free sporty".

TMC plans various technical and consumer trials to gain feedback during the Winglet's lead-up to practical use. Practical tests of its utility as a mobility tool are planned to begin in Autumn 2008 at Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) near Nagoya, and Laguna Gamagori, a seaside marine resort complex in Aichi Prefecture. Testing of its usefulness in crowded and other conditions, and how non-users react to the device, is to be carried out in 2009 at the Tressa Yokohama shopping complex in Yokohama City.
 
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