Dr. Jeffrey Seisler, CEO of Clean Fuels Consulting, delivers his presentation during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Gordon Exel, VP & GM of Cummins Westport, delivers his presentation during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Rolls-Royce has released sketches of their all new car, the RR4.
Set to be powered by a new, yet unannounced engine, the RR4 will be sold alongside the Phantom in the companies model line. The RR4 is smaller than the Phantom and is due to be launched in 2010.
The design of this new car was signed off in 2007, with engineering development now following suit. The Rolls-Royce Goodwood manufacturing facility has been reconfigured to accommodate the RR4, with extended paint, wood and leather shops as well as a second assembly line. The company expects to be working two shifts next year as full production begins.
Chief designer, Ian Cameron, said, “Effortless performance and standard-setting levels of comfort and efficiency, executed with the utmost care and attention, remain fundamentals of Rolls-Royce design. The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions and more organic form, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions. It is a true and uncompromising Rolls-Royce in every sense.”
Rolls-Royce expects to release further design and engineering details sometime in 2009.
Click on the above image for a photo gallery
Whether or not the foam-skinned car based on a Mercedes-Benz got your motor going yesterday, you have to give the artist credit for painstakingly completing not one, but two of these polyurethane-plated projects. Thanks to a reader's tip, we found this BMW 6 Series-based interpretation wearing the same brilliant red paint, flashy 30-inch dubs, and dual triangulated exhaust tips.
While the sculptor has kept much of the Bangle-butt intact, the overall aesthetics on this execution are much more pleasing to the eye. A glance inside indicates this attempt isn't as thorough as the other (the interior appears merely painted, not sculpted). However, as witnessed by the junk in the door-mounted map pocket, this one is getting some use on the streets too. Thanks for the tip Tarakonaz!
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Filed under: Etc., Green Daily
Click on the image above to enlarge
Power from poop. It’s an idea that others have thought of, and it quite possibly holds merit. Especially in developing countries where every source of power can prove vital, and extracting power from waste makes perfect sense. But could poop power our cars? Every once in a while, we read something which just needs to be reprinted as it was initially written. This is one of those times. See below:
“Our addiction to oil has gotten completely out of control, and ethanol and biodiesel require growing things to produce. Hydrogen is good, but we have to use lots of water and energy to produce it, so we should combine it with something else to use it more efficiently. Batteries are nice, but they’re very heavy and expensive, and they’re not as durable as many of us would like.
My proposal is this:
Think about how much raw sewage we waste when it burns so well. Why not power cars with feces? Use a fuel cell to produce water, which can be used to move fecal matter away from the vehicle’s occupants and allow it to sit in a U-bend to keep odors out of the interior of the car. The feces are carried to a burn chamber and incinerated, and the heat produced is used to convert water to steam, which is then run through a turbine and used to generate electricity. The energy lost from the steam when travelling through the turbine cools it and returns it to a liquid state, allowing it to be run through the system again. These are the driving ideas behind the Turdbiodiesel!(R) Hydrogen Sh*t Hybrid†.
†Turdbiodiesel(R) Hydrogen Sh*t Hybrid is a registered trademark of DoubleNaught, Turbiodiesel!, and Entwerfer des Audis.” Note: The seats feature large side bolsters for use in case of constipation.
For once in our lives… we are speechless.
[Source: VW Vortex Forums via CarDomain]
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Pre-fixed auto fare system comes into force
Hindu, India - 1 hour ago MADURAI: In an attempt to facilitate a hassle-free journey for passengers, a pre-fixed auto fare system has been introduced in the city on Saturday. … |
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Inflation set to hit bank, auto stocks
Business Standard, India - 1 hour ago An impending auto fuel price hike along with high inflation will continue to dampen automobile counters next week.The government may hike the auto fuel … |
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Inflation set to hit bank, auto stocks
Business Standard, India - 20 minutes ago An impending auto fuel price hike along with high inflation will continue to dampen automobile counters next week.The government may hike the auto fuel … |
Filed under: Sports/GTs, Lamborghini
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Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, South/Latin America
Up to three percent of the energy needs of Latin America and the Caribbean could be covered by biofuels in 2018. This is the main finding of a report published by the Organizacion Latinoamericana de Energia (Olade, Latin America Energy Organisation) that was presented during the 3rd Biofuel Latinamerican and Caribbean Summit held in the Dominican Republic. Latin America’s main biofuel producer is Brazil (no surprise there), a country that produced 3.25 billion m3 of biofuels last year. Using the most recent figures available (from 2006), the study found that Colombia came in a distant second with 165,000 m3 and then Costa Rica, which produced just 25,000 m3. Paraguay, with 34,000 m3, came in fourth.
[Source: Agroinformacion]
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Filed under: Time Warp, Coupes, Auction Action, Ford, Motorcycles
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Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, USA
Just when you think you’ve seen it all… Here is an electric vehicle which was built using golf cart parts. The contraption is said to be capable of twenty-two miles per hour. Doesn’t sound all that impressive, huh? Read on. According to its maker, the seat comes from a Marine rescue helicopter, which is kinda cool, and it’s capable of operation on just about any terrain. We’re not really sure what it means when the machine is described as having “several forms of steering,” but we’re willing to go with it. So, what is it that makes this particular machine different than any other electric runabout? Oh, not much, but how about that flame thrower?
According to Lance Greathouse, “It was made for the disabled person looking for something a little different, why drive something that looks like a medical device when you can drive something lethal?” Why indeed? In case you’re not into fire, may we suggest the Segway as an alternative?
Gallery: Flaming Wheel Chair
[Source: RaceGreathouseLabs.com via Gizmag]
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Filed under: Motorsports, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Supercars, Audi
Continue reading Audi R10 TDI using biofuel for the first time
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Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagons/Estates, Cadillac
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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Porsche, Lifestyle
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Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Nissan
Nissan has announced a new range of forklifts that use lithium ion batteries provided by Nissan and NEC’s joint venture AESC. These batteries were first seen powering the Mixim and the Pivo 2 concepts during the Frankfurt Motor Show. Does this move of the batteries to actual production vehicles mean that we’ll get us a Nissan EV as expected? Nissan states that this is part of its Nissan GT 2012 strategy to produce an EV for the U. S. in 2010 and 2012 in the rest of the world. The new forklift models were introduced during Hannover’s Logistics Fair and will be on sale in 2009, if development is ready. The first units for the European market will be probably built at Nissan’s plant in Navarra, Spain.
[Source: Nissan]
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Filed under: Euro, Marketing/Advertising, Crossovers/CUVs, Dodge
Continue reading Belgium: Dodge wants you to steam up the windows in the Journey
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More than 200 journalists from 30 countries had the opportunity to test drive the new Maserait Gran Turismo S on the roads in Northern Italy from May 12th to the 30th. See more video and text reviews of the Maserati at TheAutoChannel.com.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: maserati quattroporte sportscar autos Gran Turismo hot sex
Added: May 31, 2008
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The Advantages of Online Auto Warranty Shopping
Business Wire (press release), CA - 5 hours ago We Are Pleased to Introduce Auto Warranty Research.com as User-Friendly, Informative Guide for Consumers Seeking Objective Warranty Information … |
Dave Bryant, from Frieghtliner Trucks, delivers his presentation during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Brian Daniels, from Sterling/Daimler Trucks, delivers his presentation during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Hybrid, Toyota, Japan
Click above to view more images of Toyota’s Night View technology
Toyota has been offering a large car known as the Crown in Japan for many years, and it often gets flagship-level technology which floats down to lower models in time. Recently, the Crown got the same parallel hybrid drivetrain which is offered in the Lexus LS600h. To go along with the advanced hybrid drive, the Crown Hybrid will now be offered with Toyota’s new Night View technology, which allows drivers to see better under low-light conditions. In normal daylight, the 1280 pixel wide LCD displays what appear to be normal instruments, but at night, the LCD displays an alternate view ahead. While this type of technology isn’t really anything new, Toyota has added an interesting new feature to its system which recognizes humans. Although the system only works at speeds below about 40 miles per hour and doesn’t operate well in the rain, Toyota is working on improving its system to detect animals and bicycles, while also lowering the cost.
Gallery: Crown Hybrid Night View
[Source: Nikkei]
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Andy Douglas, Sales manager of Kenworth Trucks, delivers his presentation during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Charlie Vogelheim of J.D. Power & Assoc. moderates the Question & Answer period during the "If You Build It They Will Come" session at the 2008 AFVi Conference in Las Vegas on May 11th. This video covers the light duty vehicles portion of the seminar.
Author: TheAutoChannel
Keywords: alternate fuels electric hybrid fuel cell CNG wind power
Added: May 31, 2008
Filed under: Spy Photos, Euro, BMW
For those fond of delving deep into E90 minutiae, these are the best shots yet showing off the subtle changes coming to the BMW 3-series. For the rest of us, the tweaks are largely inconsequential. World Car Fans has unearthed some of the clearest shots yet, and the change that most people will notice are the taillamps, which look to get a slightly different shape. It even appears that the cutlines between the taillamp pieces on the trunklid won't line up with the rest of the cluster mounted in the quarter panel - asymmetry. The mirrors look to gain large repeaters for the blinkers, possibly just a camouflage ruse, and minor updates likely go on inside and underhood, too. Also likely to be quite noticeable once the wraps come off is a reshaped front fascia, which appears to place foglamps next to the license plate. Overall, a mild refreshing until a new 3-series can be whipped up. In the meantime, the new 7 will set the template for BMWs to come.
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Filed under: MPG, Honda, Japan
Although it doesn’t look as we are going to see it Stateside, Honda has launched a Japanese minivan based on the Honda Fit platform. It’s called Freed and in just 4.2 meters (165 inches) we can carry a complete family using a 1.5-liter unit mated to a CVT transmission that manages to get fuel consumption levels of about 6 l/100 km (39 mpg U. S.). The Freed got the fuel tank moved to the vehicle floor to give the interior as much room as possible and the rear doors are electric. Honda expects to sell about 4,000 units per month at a price between ¥1,639,000 and ¥2,215,000. The name comes as an abbreviation of “Freedom to create the perfect lifestyle.” But of course.
Gallery: Honda Freed 2008
[Source: Honda]
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 The Gazette (Montreal) |
Otto's on auto
The Gazette (Montreal), Canada - 44 minutes ago Time hasn't been kind to the W Hotel restaurant that started out so boldly three years ago. The menu has shifted, and though prices have dropped, … |
Filed under: Economy, Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford, UK
The Ford Ka has been a prime example that the Blue Oval can be successful at making make little cars, even if they kind of look like basketball shoes. After 12 years of service, it's time to shake things up a bit. The next Ka shares mechanicals with the stylish Fiat 500, and after scoping the first unofficial pics from Auto Express, the Ford will be just as cute as its Italian sibling. Designers did manage to heavily differentiate the Ka from the 500, skipping the rounded lines in favor of edgier lines and details that reinforce Ford of Europe's styling language. Think micro-Fiesta, and you've got the picture.
Since it's for European consumption, it'll have no less than three powertrains from the get-go, with a 68 hp 1.2L, a 100 hp 1.4L, and a 1.3L, 50 mpg diesel. Rumor has it that a hotter Ka ST is on its way as well, with 150 hp coming from a turbocharged 1.4L engine. Interior refinement over the outgoing model comes courtesy of better materials and improved ergonomics.
We're still a few months away from the Ka's official unveiling at the Paris Auto Show in September, but we like what we see so far. Besides, if it's good enough for Bond, it'll be good enough for us. The Ka will be produced in Poland and it'll go on sale in Europe by the end of the year.
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Source : The Straits Times, July 24, 2008 Lexus and Toyota vandalised in the latest attacks in Laguna Park HUNGER for en-bloc dollars looks to have turned vicious at a quiet private estate in East Coast. On Tuesday night, two residents of the 530-unit Laguna Park estate discovered that their cars had been doused with a corrosive liquid, possibly paint thinner. UGLY ACT: Corrosive liquid was thrown...
Source : Property Highlights of Singapore (subscribe)
