Archive for February, 2010

China, Meet Detroit: BYD F3DM @ NAIAS

Friday, February 26th, 2010

MORE DETROIT AUTO SHOW COVERAGE:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshows/detroit/2009/bydnews.html

Chinese automaker BYD Auto Company pitched its F3DM plug-in electric hybrid car to U.S. consumers on Monday at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show and said it plans to begin selling its vehicles here in 2011.

BYD also left the door open for building cars in the U.S. BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu said in a statement that the company plans to establish manufacturing facilities in the U.S. “when it is appropriate.”

Wang was backstopped at Monday’s press event by David Sokol, chairman of MidAmerican Energy Holdings, the energy wing of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which last fall acquired a 10 percent stake in BYD Auto’s parent company, BYD Company LTD.

“We are working with BYD on developing charging technologies and infrastructure that would help promote plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles,” Sokol said. “For the electric-vehicle market to mature, the underlying charging infrastructure and technologies must mature at least simultaneously, if not first. Perhaps like no other corporate entity in the world, we are in a position to help make that happen.”

Last month, BYD kicked off sales of its plug-in electric hybrid car in China — at least a year ahead of competitors in the U.S. and Japan. The F3DM plugs into a standard outlet and comes with a small gas engine that can recharge the battery on the go.

The Wall Street Journal on Monday noted that “no startup has grown into a major automaker in at least half a century” and added that “it’s still a bumpy road to a full-blown era of battery cars.” But Wang told the Journal that “with electric vehicles, we’re all at the same starting line.”

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Four Small SUVs Earn Top Safety Pick

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Four Small SUVs Earn Top Safety Pick Good Ratings for Hybrids, but the Jeep Wrangler is Poor in Side Test Automakers are improving the crashworthiness of their vehicles and quickly installing side airbags and electronic stability control, an important crash avoidance feature, on more models. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently completed front, side, and rear crash test evaluations of eight small SUV models. For the first time, every model the Institute tested comes equipped with electronic stability control as standard equipment.

Institute ratings of good, acceptable, marginal or poor are based on results of front and side crash tests – plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against whiplash injury in rear crashes. The best performers, earning the Institute’s TOP SAFETY PICK award, are the 2009 Ford Escape, 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander, 2008 Nissan Rogue, and 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. These four models earn good ratings in all three of the Institute’s evaluations – and all are equipped with standard electronic stability control and side airbags. The Escape’s ratings also apply to the hybrid version – which is sold as the Mercury Mariner and Mazda Tribute, as well as the Escape.

Consumers now have multiple hybrid suvs earning TOP SAFETY PICK to choose from. Others include the midsize Saturn Vue and Toyota Highlander, which the Institute evaluated earlier.

The Institute’s frontal offset crash test, which began in 1995, drove major design changes in vehicles to do a better job of protecting people in the most common kind of serious crash. In the mid-1990s, few vehicles earned the top rating of good in the frontal test. Now, nearly every vehicle is rated good for frontal protection. Since the Institute began its side tests in 2003, manufacturers have been following the same path, changing their vehicles to improve protection in serious side impacts.

An exception is the 2-door 2008 Jeep Wrangler, which was tested without its optional side airbags. The previous version of the Wrangler, in which side airbags weren’t available, earned a rating of marginal for protection in side crashes; and the new model performed even worse, earning the lowest rating of poor. A new problem was that the driver door opened during the impact. This didn’t significantly affect the movement of the dummy during the test, but an open door in a crash could lead to partial or complete ejection of occupants.

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GMC Yukon Hybrid SUV Review

Friday, February 26th, 2010

http://kidguru.info/

http://cnet.com

A review of the yukon hybrid

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Hybrid Cars + What They Do For Our Enviornment

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Created on February 24, 2010 using FlipShare.

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Electric Hydrogen Hybrid

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Rain4Fuelhttp://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/users/rain4fuelTech120mpg, 4×4, Electric, Gas, HHO, HybridElectric Hydrogen Hybrid

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Nissan of Folsom Lake’s mini infomercial for new Palladio theatre!

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Nissan of Folsom Lake infomercial!!”"NissanofFolsom for web” “new Palladio! New Nissan and used car dealer: Sacramento/Folsom/Fairfield/Stockton/Lodi/Manteca/Modesto/Tracy/Davis/Roseville/Shingle Springs/Elk Grove Nissan dealership – Offering new cars, used cars and Nissan Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles to the Sacramento area, the new Nissan of Folsom Lake will help you purchase the best new hybrid sedan, coupe, SUV, truck or minivan for you. Ask us about leasing a new Nissan, used auto sales, auto loans and financing, our new car warranty, purchasing Nissan parts & accessories, or trade ins. We proudly offer vehicle maintenance, great service and fantastic pricing on the sale of used cars, new Nissan hybrid vehicles, trucks and crossover SUVs to the greater Folsom – Rocklin – El Dorado Hills – Placerville – Roseville – Carmichael – Shingle Springs – Sacramento – Davis – Vacaville – Fairfield – Elk Grove – Stockton – Lodi – Manteca – Modesto – Tracy area.

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Peugeot Unveils its 308 CC and RC Hybrid Concept in Paris

Friday, February 26th, 2010

You can only get Press Pass Coverage of the 2008 Paris Motor Show at TheAutoChannel.com.

Peugeot used it’s “home-court advantage” to show off some spectacular new concepts and ready-for-production models. And this one is in English!

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Lexus LF-CH hybrid car

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Lexus hybrid

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What are career fields that relate to the science of the Hybrid car (particularly the Toyota Prius)?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

If possible, can you also provide me information about the career fields?

That would be engineering. In particular the specific fields would be electrical and mechanical engineering. Obviously with mechanical engineering you’d be studying how the various parts of the car work physically, while with electrical you’d be studying the electrical systems.

I would guess that electrical engineering would be the most relevant field if you want to learn about hybrids.

What is your opinion on future car technology? (E85/Flex Fuel, Hybrids, Fuel Efficient Cars)?

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I drive a 2002 Chevy Tracker 4×4 and so the gas mileage isn’t very good. I’m 22 and thinking about what car to buy roughly 5-6 years from now. I know technology could be really different then, but after watching shows like Last Days on Earth or Inconvenient Truth, I am wondering if it’s best to buy the cheaper baseline edition of a car with higher fuel efficiency instead of the nicer loaded car with lower fuel efficiency. E85 seems to be better than hybrids because hybrid batteries can die out.

What is your opinion? Has your view of cars changed over the last couple years because of carbon emissions and climate change?

I’d keep a close eye on Honda, when I used to live in Detroit back in the 80’s-90’s Honda tried implementing hybrid cars to the market without success (consumer wanted no part of it). Since then the market, technology and human factor has changed allowing them to go back to old blueprints. In the last few years Honda alone has introduces some half dozen hybrids to the market and now this Honda Hydrogen car (FCX Clarity).

http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/?ef_id=1097:3:s_187a8df27e4f4fe2e23efed5ffd3265a_1053084642:asUQsNB6B2YAAGLm1u8AAAAe:20080123175430

"The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the entirely-new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the highly compact, efficient and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack."

http://world.honda.com/news/2007/4071114All-New-FCX/

It definitely has potential for "future car technology". In fact Honda just gave the first First Individual Customer from Las Angeles a 2 year lease on the FCX. http://world.honda.com/news/2005/4050629.html

I built my first hydrogen cell about 5 years ago and now currently run 2 trucks, my home hot water heater, home stove and home generator on hydrogen. If you’d like to run your current car safely on hydrogen now i have a step by step DIY guide to walk you threw the process. You can find it at http://www.agua-luna.com/hydrogen.html or you can email me.

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions,

Dan Martin
Retired Boeing Engineer now living 100% Off-the-Grid with my family, using Alternative Energy & loving every minute.
for more info visit www.agua-luna.com