[Toshi]

Attn jimmydean:

I do not condone the poor riding form of the presenter, for the record. He's the one not in full gear, with big workboot toes hanging off the pegs, and static on the bike in the turns. The racer in full gear dragging knee isn't him, of course.

 

[jimmydean]

6 speed...

<edit> racing gas bikes this year, bad ass. I need to make another trip down to see the R now.

 

[Toshi]

The National Academies of Science recently released a report entitled "Transitions to Alternative Vehicles and Fuels". (It just came to my attention via a Ars Technica summary.)

Here's the real meat of it, with the red bars representing the low-GHG track (ie, a carbon tax, smart land use for biofuels, and low emissions electricity/H2 production):

Remind me to check back on this thread in 2030 (or 2050!) and see whether legislators took the report's message to heart and enacted policies to encourage the combination of technologies needed to hit the 80% GHG reduction goal (PHEVs + BEVs + fuel cell vehicles + use of biofuels).

I predict that we'll get nothing more than a bunch of rhetoric about supporting R&D and another watered down CAFE increase floated around 2020, to be effective in 2035&#8230;

Whining aside, here are a few of the report's predictions regarding specific technologies:

1. They expect conventional gas vehicles to skyrocket in efficiency, with hybrids maintaining a further efficiency advantage:

The average of all conventional LDVs sold in 2050 might achieve CAFE test values of 74 mpg for the midrange case. Hybrid LDVs might reach 94 mpg by 2050.

2. They expect BEVs to be cheaper but still used mainly for around-town travel due to charging limitations:

attery pack costs in 2050 for a 100-mile real-world travel range are expected to drop by a factor of about 5. However, even these costs are unlikely to create a mass market for BEVs, because a battery large enough for a 300-mile real-world range would still present significant weight and volume penalties and probably could not be recharged in much less than 30 minutes.

3. They expect PHEVs, a la the Volt, to have decreasing utility as non-plugin cars increase in efficiency, already an issue for long travel with the 32 mpg Volt vs. 50 mpg Prius:

PHEV['s &#8230;] larger battery will always entail a significant cost premium over similar HEVs, and their incremental fuel savings will decrease as the efficiency of HEVs improves.

4. They think hydrogen fuel cell EVs are the technological way to go, but their adoption is hindered by policy issues:

The technical hurdles that must be surmounted to develop an all-purpose vehicle acceptable to consumers appear lower for FCEVs than for BEVs. However, the infrastructure and policy barriers appear larger. Well before 2050 the cost of FCEVs could actually be lower than the cost of an equivalent ICEV, and operating costs should also be lower. FCEVs are expected to be equivalent in range and refueling time to ICEVs.

5. Finally, relevant to my own interests (see my ride pics thread for more than you ever wanted to know about CNG vehicle conversions), they laud CNG vehicles for their short term petroleum reduction abilities but note that their use wouldn't lead to substantial long term GHG reductions. They also note that their cost is prohibitive at the moment ($12k conversion cost is typical).

If CNGVs can be made competitive (with respect to both vehicle cost and refueling opportunities), they will offer a quick and economical way to reduce petroleum use, but as shown in Figure S.2, the reductions in GHG emissions are insufficient for CNGVs to be a large part of a fleet that meets the 2050 GHG goal.

 

[syadasti]

NASA has said the most effective reductions will come from focusing on methane and black carbon emissions.

 

[Toshi]

AAA launches roadside charging service for electric vehicles in WA

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Electric vehicle drivers who run out of juice on the road can now get a roadside charge from AAA in Washington.

The roadside service company launched its first mobile charging truck in the state Wednesday, as an alternative to towing electric vehicles to a charging station. The truck can provide members with all-electric vehicles 10-to-15 minutes of charge time. That wil allow the vehicle to drive three to 15 miles to a charging station.

Similar to existing AAA trucks, the new unit can also provide light-duty emergency road services, such as jump starts and tire changes.

The truck is the fourth in AAA&#8217;s fleet on the West Coast, but the first in Washington. It's also the first to provide a charge from the truck&#8217;s engine. The other three vehicles in Oregon and California create the power using gasoline or alternative fuels.

I'm not really sure what the last two lines of the writeup are getting at, but welcome this development nonetheless.

 

[DaveW]

An interesting take on the future of urban cars.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21882453

 

[Toshi]

An interesting take on the future of urban cars.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21882453

I like the exit via front aspect. It's a modern day Isetta! I also agree with the basic premise that car sharing makes a lot of sense for urban dwellers.

With regard to the bright eyed idea of nose-in parking, that'll never fly in the US. Way too many old rules prohibiting such things in parallel spots, which came to the forefront back around when the smart fortwo arrived on our shores.

Example: http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f4/oregon-cites-smart-owners-parking-nose-18408/

 

[eric strt6]

here ya go

 

[Nick]

I rode one of these last night.

http://turbo.specialized.com/

Holy crap was it fun. I don't equate it to biking, yet you pedal, and it's definitely more appealing than a gas powered bike and just as expensive if not moreso. Cost aside it seems like a great commuting solution.

 

[CBJ]

Every delivery guys dream.

 

[Toshi]

I rode one of these last night.

Holy crap was it fun. I don't equate it to biking, yet you pedal, and it's definitely more appealing than a gas powered bike and just as expensive if not moreso. Cost aside it seems like a great commuting solution.

Now imagine that with about 6x as much power (and a whole lot more ugliness, admittedly) and you have my commuter-special e-bike:

 

[Toshi]

The EV Price Wars have begun.

• $259/mo three year lease for the Honda Fit EV
• $0 down
• Unlimited miles per year
• Free EVSE (worth about $800, not turned back to Honda at end of lease term)
• Both collision insurance and scheduled maintenance included at that price

 

[DaveW]

Insanely dangerous (gas hose draped across glowing hot jet exhaust?!?!) but it looks oh so fun.

pulse jet bike FTW!!

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/06/12/pulse-jet-powered-bicycle-insanity/

 

[DaveW]

Brraaaap!

Just without the "Brraap" noise.
Production ones probably won't look as hot as the one in the pic tho.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8801767/Electric-Benzs-silent-speed-record

 

[IH8Rice]

id hate to be stuck behind someone hypermilling

Volkswagen has announced the company's Passat TDI has set a new world record for the category of "lowest fuel consumption-48 US states for a non-hybrid car." Drivers Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger managed an impressive 77.99 miles per gallon over 8,122 miles, trouncing the previous record of 67.9 mpg. The duo also sailed past the hybrid record of 64.5 mpg, another record set by Gerdes. As the founder of CleanMPG.com, Gerdes spends his time squeezing the best fuel economy possible out of passenger cars and trucks, and he's personally set records in over 100 vehicles.

For this particular world record, Gerdes and Winger visited all 48 contiguous states in 17 days, and Guinness World Records has certified the endeavor.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/24/vw-passat-tdi-sets-77-9-mpg-fuel-economy-record-through-lower-48/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016&ts=1372173615

 

[stevew]

id hate to be stuck behind someone hypermilling


http://www.autoblog.com/2013/06/24/vw-passat-tdi-sets-77-9-mpg-fuel-economy-record-through-lower-48/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016&ts=1372173615

two friends of my brother routinely get over 50 mpg in their TDi jetta wagons....i'd be happy with that.

 

[IH8Rice]

two friends of my brother routinely get over 50 mpg in their TDi jetta wagons....i'd be happy with that.

yeah, most of the people i know with TDi's get around 45-48ish. getting that extra 50% out of it like the guy above is pretty crazy. im glad to see one of the Big Three finally offering a oil burner in the US.
if the A4 came in a diesel here, we would have bought that....but we got the 2.0.

 

[stevew]

yeah, most of the people i know with TDi's get around 45-48ish.

and for some reason neither car has broken down.

 

[IH8Rice]

and for some reason neither car has broken down.

they should be playing the lottery. every day that it doesnt break down

 

[jimmydean]

Brraaaap!

Just without the "Brraap" noise.
Production ones probably won't look as hot as the one in the pic tho.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/8801767/Electric-Benzs-silent-speed-record

The youtube video of that thing was impressive (at least to me). Looked like more fun than I would normally have in an EV outside of the Redshift.

 

[stevew]

they should be playing the lottery. every day that it doesnt break down

neither rides a bike......i think that's the reason.

 

[Toshi]

Finally put my money where my mouth is, er, has been. 2013 Nissan LEAF SL, leased for the next 2 years. Our two gasoline cars are either sold or in the process of being sold, so we're going LEAF + borrowed cars + Zipcar.

(My commute will remain non-car based: e-bike or bus +/- a water taxi thrown in since this is Seattle and all.)

 

[CBJ]

It will be interesting to see how often you have to use something else besides the Leaf. Looking forward to the update.

 

[syadasti]

A hybrid smashes the track record by 14 seconds:

 

[Toshi]

Goofy alternative means of transportation spotted today around Seattle:

1) Dude cruising along at maybe 10 mph on an electric powered razor-type scooter:

http://www.razor.com/products/electric-scooters/

2) Another dude, in board shorts and flip flops, of course, rolling down the sidewalk near the UW campus on a longboard, pushing himself along stand up-paddling-style with a Kahuna Stick. Ridiculous.

http://www.kahunacreations.com/bigstick

3, updated) An obese woman riding a Piaggio MP3 on the West Seattle Bridge... with a chihuahua wearing a pink bandana sitting on her lap.

 

[syadasti]

Atom beaten in 0-60 time by student built EV - 2.15 seconds:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/09/dut12/

 

[jimmydean]

Atom beaten in 0-60 time by student built EV - 2.15 seconds:

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/09/dut12/

135hp @ 320lbs is a scary power:weight. My R1 was 167hp @392 but the best I could do was 2.7 0-60. I was also not the lightest rider at the time, either. But that is bad ass.

Still one of my favorite measures is 0-100-0. I think the Shelby Cobra did it in 11 seconds and is crazy fast for a car that old. The Ultima GTR set a record of 0-100-0 in 9.4 but only got a 2.6 0-60 time.

 

[syadasti]

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/11/08/vw-diesel-electric-twin-up-tokyo/

We've received multiple reports that Volkswagen will be bringing a diesel-electric concept to the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, set to take place later this month. The car, called the Twin-Up!, is based on the Up! city car, with some sources claiming this is a thinly veiled concept that will eventually enter production.

According to Automotive News Europe, the Twin-Up! will reportedly return 214 miles per gallon on the US cycle by combining an 800-cc, two-cylinder diesel and an electric motor. It will also boast plug-in capabilities, and will be able to cover 30 miles on electric power alone.

Autocar has a more complete picture of the Twin-Up!'s powertrain, though, claiming it's a modified version of the hybrid system found in the Volkswagen XL1. The Twin-Up! will get a more potent, 47-horsepower electric motor to the XL1's 27-hp unit, but will retain that car's 47-hp turbodiesel. The battery pack will also grow, from 5.5 kilowatt hours to 8.6 kWh. Both of these increases are necessary due to the increased weight of the Twin-Up! &#8211; it's some 900 pounds heavier than an XL1.

Despite the weight gain, the Twin-Up! should still feel spritely in dense, urban settings. It'll hit 62 mph in a leisurely 15.7 seconds, but will reach 37 mph &#8211; a reasonable city speed &#8211; in 8.8 seconds. The top speed is 99 mph.

We'll have much more on the Twin-Up! when it makes its debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show on November 20. Until then, be sure to check back as more info leaks out in the coming weeks.

 

[Toshi]

That 214 mpg claim makes no sense at all, unless it's like the purported Chevy Volt "230 mpg" figure that didn't account for electricity usage over some arbitrary distance, like 50 miles.

Current efficient electrics manage about 100-120 MPGe (my LEAF does 115 MPGe combined, for instance), and I'll be damned if even an Up! does better than 60 mpg combined on liquid fuel. Blend those together and 214 does not result. Does not compute.

 

[syadasti]

But XL1 based drivetrain which does just fine in the real world under novice journalists. It makes sense.

http://transportevolved.com/2013/10/23/volkswagen-xl1-plug-in-hybrid-driven-the-future-or-just-an-expensive-toy/

When driven correctly &#8212; and by that we mean switching between operational modes as best suits the road conditions rather than driving overly slowly &#8212; the XL1 returns an astonishing 313 miles per imperial gallon (261 miles per U.S. gallon, or 0.9 litres per 100 km.) Although we were unfamiliar with the car, played around with operational modes a fair bit, and tested the acceleration numerous times, we still managed a respectable 256 miles per imperial gallon (213 mpg U.S., 1.1 l/100km) over our short, 30 mile (48km) test-route. Under normal circumstances, a fully-charged XL1 would make that same route easily in electric-only mode.

 

[Toshi]

I'm pretty sure that writeup is ignoring the electricity usage, and would therefore report infinite MPG if no diesel and only electrons were expended over a given distance.

 

[Toshi]

Mitsubishi i-MiEV price dropped to under $24k, pre-tax credit: http://wot.motortrend.com/1312_2014_mitsubishi_i_miev_price_slashed_6130_to_23845_before_rebates.html

Still a tiny, ****ty car from all reports, but now a really cheap one. I have no role for one in my life, as our LEAF lease has 18 months left on it, but for someone just looking for something with a warranty to use on a relatively short commute (EPA range of 62 miles as opposed to my LEAF's 84 miles on 100% charge) it is now quite a deal.

This is especially true in states with added incentives such as California, Colorado, and Washington (money back and sales tax exemption, respectively).

 

[jackalope]

Probably a poop deck, but anybody hear anything about this?

http://senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel/wheel.html

 

[Toshi]

It runs just on regenerated energy. My electric bike also regenerates, but said regeneration only accounts for about 6% of my typical energy usage. Therefore, a bike with a Copenhagen wheel is 15x closer to a non-electric bike than mine is, for whatever that's worth.

Of all things, I've never wished my e-bike put 15x less energy to the ground than it does.

 

[jdcamb]

A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It&#8217;s where the rich use public transport...

 

[CBJ]

It runs just on regenerated energy. My electric bike also regenerates, but said regeneration only accounts for about 6% of my typical energy usage. Therefore, a bike with a Copenhagen wheel is 15x closer to a non-electric bike than mine is, for whatever that's worth.

Of all things, I've never wished my e-bike put 15x less energy to the ground than it does.

Just speculation - Denmark is pretty flat but windy. So it could help balance out the wind. Regenerate with tail wind and then help with a push when heading into the wind.

Anyway I am with you Tosh its seems like a wast especially with the extra weight for so little help. Then rather get a full blown e bike if you pedaling on your own is not working out.

 

[Toshi]

I used car2go for the first time today. For context, I've been a Zipcar member for several years and have used several dozen hours worth of Zipcar service.

www.car2go.com if you're confused at this point.

Thoughts on car2go's base smart fortwo, their sole offering:

- worst transmission ever: clunky, slow, and unreliable power delivery
- when shifting manually to minimize the transmission-related pain the lever is then uncomfortably close to one's right thigh
- power is adequate, legroom is great as is absolute headroom, but the sun visors block my view of traffic lights
- rear engine design means a low cowl and fabulous downward and side window visibility
- ride feels firm yet pitch and roll are ample, paradoxically--no anti-roll bars?

So it's not a very good car. That's ok, though, as they're selling a transportation solution, not a driving experience.

All these faults are forgiven due to their pay by the minute, park anywhere in 2 hour-or-greater spots policy, which made my trip to the Amtrak station from West Seattle a 20 minute affair instead of a 50+ minute slog on public transit.

Verdict: I shall use them again, especially on occasions such as these where I'm going to get reimbursed for the expense anyway. I'd rather be driving a ****ty smart car than waiting for a cab.

 

[CBJ]

Why only stop with the car - zero emission house and integrated solar power EV charging

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/04/22/kb-home-and-ford-team-on-net-zero-home-with-ev-charging/

 

[jdcamb]

I read an article about restoring urban streetcar lines as a vehicle to restore local economies. The thought being that most Urban areas were designed for streetcars. Seeing as the infrastructure of most North American cities is aging and either in disrepair or woefully in disrepair to the point of needing replacement. The thought is that adding a rail component to most of the repairs and or replacement would serve local economies just as it did during the depressions of the late 19th century. My addition to this would be to have personal vehicles that could use the rail power to compliment it. Look at the economies of cities that have streetcars and see how resistant to economic downturns they are.

 

[CBJ]

I think in a city like New York where there is always a lot of Subway they should promote bike riding even more with safer bike lanes, better security and parking for bikes at subway stations and more Citi rental bikes. Less cars and get people off their fat asses and exercise.