- New Lamborghini featured at swanky Beverly Hills gala
http://t.co/DMOjzVZ92011/12/01 13:52 by HootSuite - Honda's natural gas Civic named Green Car of the Year
http://t.co/NNCNiTsf2011/11/30 13:55 by HootSuite - Amazing ICON redesign of the classic Ford Bronco.
http://t.co/kkvQcwpW2011/11/30 08:10 by HootSuite
Archive for the ‘Eco Friendly Driving’ Category
Audi cars are well known for solid performance, but not necessarily for futuristic or innovative design. That’s changed with the all-new Urban Concept. A fully electric car scheduled for sale in the UK in 2013. It features a go-kart style design, lithium battery powered engines, and a single speed transmission with top speeds of 60 mph.
The obvious target is European city dwellers. With incredibly high gas prices in Europe, I’m sure the Urban Concept with its battery powered engines and low ticket price will be very popular. The Urban Concept will cost £8,800 or $13,600.
Read more about the Audi Urban Concept by clicking here.
Images via The Fox is Black and Car Magazine (UK).
—
For those of you questioning the staying power and effectiveness of car sharing programs in North America, I have two numbers for you: 10,252 and 513,698. The first is the number of vehicles added to car sharing programs in the last ten years. The second is the number of members who have opened a membership in a car sharing program in the same time period.
The information comes from the Collaborative Fund, and makes a fantastically designed and compelling argument for car sharing programs worldwide. Including data on how car sharing programs reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Go visit their website and spend a few minutes learning about car sharing programs worldwide.
Good news for Carhelp readers that live in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Knoxville, and Tampa Bay. AAA now offers emergency roadside assistance for electric vehicle drivers. The trucks will be available only in those metro areas starting next summer.
From the press release:
There are three charging levels for electric vehicles:
o Level 1 is a standard 120-volt household outlet, which would take roughly 20 hours to fully charge a Nissan Leaf.
o Level 2 is 240 volts AC (alternating current). This is commonly found in household electric clothes dryers and can charge a Nissan Leaf in approximately six hours.
o Level 3 is DC (direct current) charging at high voltage—up to 500 volts DC. This allows a large amount of energy to be delivered to an electric vehicle in a very short period of time. A “depleted” Nissan Leaf could go to 80 percent state-of-charge in roughly 30 minutes with Level 3 charging.
All AAA mobile EV charging roadside assistance vehicles can provide Level 3 (DC Fast Charging) and Level 2 (AC Quick Charging) to electric vehicles.
You can read the full press release on the AAA website.
—
via LA Times
Several of the largest automakers have pledged to work towards a universal charging station for electric cars. It would also be fast charging, drastically cutting the time needed to charge a car.
The system will use a common vehicle inlet/charging connector and will have a standard electronic method for the vehicle to communicate with the charging station. This will allow electric vehicles from Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen to share the same fast charging stations.
The seven auto manufacturers said “the development of a common charging approach is good for customers, the industry and charging infrastructure providers. Standardization will reduce build complexity for manufacturers, accelerate the installation of common systems internationally and most importantly, improve the ownership experience for EV drivers.” LA Times, 12 Oct 2011.
According to the article, Nissan has also announced price cuts for home charging stations.
—
Autolib Concept
An eco-friendly car rental service spearheaded by Bertrand Delanoe, the mayor of Paris, will launch next week with hopes to “clear the traffic-clogged arteries of the French capital.”
The electrically powered Autolib cars will be available for hire in a two-month trial starting October 2 at 4 to 8 euros per half hour to motorists prepared to pay a membership fee starting at 10 euros for a day of driving.
The 235 million euro ($321 million) project is the brainchild of Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who hopes to duplicate the success of Velib, the bicycle-sharing scheme he launched in 2007 and which has been copied by several cities in France and abroad.
It’s also a potential showcase for Bollore’s eponymous industrial conglomerate, which is making the BlueCar vehicles involved in the scheme and which are based on a lithium-metal-polymer battery, a different technology from the lithium-ion batteries other car makers are using. MSNBC, 30 Sep 2011.
The service will debut with 66 cars at 33 stations with an end of 2012 expansion plan of 3,000 vehicles and 1,000 stations.
Image courtesy of Cadillac
When you think of Hybrid, the carmaker Cadillac doesn’t come to mind. But this new hybrid concept might just change that with this oh-so-cool open air cruiser that Mr. Gatsby himself would drive if he were alive today. With suicide doors, rear pul out scarves, and hidden LCD displays, the car is, quite frankly, both beautiful and elegant.
Audi released details of its Urban Concept electric car that will debut at the 2011 Frankfort Auto Show in September. Audi aims to combine “elements of a racing car, a fun car and an urban car into one radical new concept.” The car seats a driver and passenger, and features a lithium-ion battery, carbon fiber reinforced polymer construction and 21-inch wheels. For more information, see the Audi USA news release.
For all you city drivers, would you drive this around town?
—-
Cylindrical. Prismatic. Cathode. Anode. Separator. Cell Case. Hyprid. Ion.
No, this isn’t a science class. Just a link to a complicated but interesting article that will tell you everything you need to know about car batteries. For all you science fans out there.
Click here to read, “The Current Condition and Future Potential of Automotive Batteries” from Car and Driver.
—
“Whether it’s getting to work, running errands around town, or visiting Grandma, Americans are always on the move. And lucky for us, we’ve got a lot of options to get from Point A to Point B, from motorcycles to buses to planes. Take a look at the most common forms of transportation to see how much energy it really takes to get around.”
Click here to see the full size graphic from Good Magazine.
—
via CarandDriver.com
I’ve long thought the Ford Fiesta is the answer to our global car crisis. It’s the anti-SUV, low in power, high on mileage, and perfect for most Americans who have a love/hate relationship with their long commutes. When they brought the car back to the States in 2011, I was excited to see it resurrected, reminding me of those long gone days learning to drive in my sister’s early 90′s model.
So, they’re making it even better with the EcoBoost hybrid engine. It’s the smallest engine yet from Ford, and measures in at 1.0 liter.
Engineers at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the U.K. began designing the new EcoBoost 1.0-liter engine long before the current spike in fuel prices pushed the cost of a gallon of gas over $4. Their goal: To design a technically advanced, super-efficient three-cylinder engine that delivers the same performance as a four-cylinder, but with much higher fuel economy and lower emissions.
To do that, engineers at Dunton, Ford’s global center of excellence for small-capacity engines, focused on improving thermal efficiency and reducing friction of the engine’s internal moving parts, especially during warm-up. That’s when an engine emits higher levels of CO2 and other pollutants. The new engine introduces many new technologies that could someday be part of the DNA of future Ford engines, said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president of Global Powertrain Engineering.
The new three-cylinder engine will be available globally in the company’s small cars. It will also play an important role in North America. [Source]
It will be interesting to see how this affects mileage and power.
—-