From Forbes.com:
The race drew teams from Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes and Peugeot, but Gordon Murray Designs walked away the winner.
The T.27, an all-electric car with a lightweight composite chassis, won the Future Car Challenge sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) by completing a 57.13 mile course between Brighton and London on less energy than its fellow competitors. Carrying two occupants, the T.27 consumed only 7 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is about equal to 350 miles per gallon, according to the company. The total energy bill came to 64 pence, or about $1.03.
Second place went to an electrified Jaguar E-Type from Germany which consumed 8.5 kilowatt hours. Tesla Roadsters, Nissan Leafs, an electrified Citroen, a Honda Insight and a few diesels also competed.
Murray, a noted race car designer whose cars won world championships at Brabham and McLaren, is on a quest to get cars to lose weight. By swapping out steel components for parts made from structurally strong plastic or composites, car manufacturers can dramatically increase mileage without impacting performance. Less weight, after all, leads directly to better fuel efficiency and/or acceleration.
A T.27, for instance, can go 100 miles on a charge, the same as a Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i. The T.27, however, only sports a 12.5 kilowatt hour battery pack, which is about half the size of the battery in the other two cars. A smaller battery means quicker charging times and, potentially, a lower sticker price. Last year, Murray’s T.25, a T.27 with a gas engine, beat half of the electric cars in the race with an 80 miles per gallon rating.
Bright Automotive in the U.S. is mining similar concepts with a lightweight delivery truck.
Composite cars can also be cheaper to produce. Instead of steel stamping mills and painting stalls needed for applying rust-proofing, manufacturers only need to invest in software and injection molding machinery.
Murray’s company does not plan on producing cars. Instead, it will license its intellectual property. A deal with an established manufacturer may come next year...
Tiny Car Gets 350 MPG, Beats Corporate Competitors In Energy Derby
Michael Kanellos
11/08/2011
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkanellos/2011/11/08/tiny-car-beats-multinationals-in-energy-derby-with-350-mpg
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BMW. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ford Fusion Named Motor Trend Car of the Year
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1167/ford-fusion-named-motor-trend-car-of-the-year/
Ford Fusion Named Motor Trend Car of the Year
Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- The 2010 Ford Fusion was named Motor Trend magazine's car of the year Tuesday, beating out the Toyota Prius, BMW 7-Series, Chevrolet Camaro and others in the closely watched competition.
It was yet another accolade for Ford Motor Co.'s midsize sedan, which got high reliability scores in the most recent rankings from Consumer Reports and was the top-selling car made by a Detroit automaker through October. U.S. Fusion sales were up 15 percent in the first 10 months of this year, to 148,045, despite a 25 percent drop in overall car sales.
Still, the mid-size Fusion continues to lag behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord -- perennial leaders in the competitive U.S. mid-size market.
Motor Trend said the Fusion can compete with the Camry and Accord in performance, comfort and fuel efficiency. It praised Ford for offering several versions of the Fusion, including a fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid and a sporty version with a V-6 engine.
"Ford has proven its resilience in these tough times by delivering to market a car with broad appeal to a broad range of consumers," Motor Trend Editor in Chief Angus MacKenzie said in a statement.
Motor Trend considered 23 new or significantly refreshed vehicles. The Fusion, introduced in the 2006 model year, was redesigned for 2010 with a new lineup of engines and transmissions, new exterior and interior and new options, including the Sync entertainment system and a blind-spot warning system.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said the 2010 Fusion has a sportier look and better fuel economy than previous versions. It gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with a four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The gas-electric hybrid version gets 41 miles per gallon in the city.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, Buick LaCrosse, Lexus HS 250h and Hyundai Genesis coupe were among the cars Motor Trend considered. The Fusion also beat out other Ford models, including the Mustang sports car and Taurus sedan.
It was the first time a Ford car had won since 2003, when the Ford Thunderbird got the honor, Kuzak said. Ford's 2009 F-150 was Motor Trend's truck of the year last fall. The Nissan GT-R was the car of the year for 2009.
"It reinforces the progress that we've made, particularly on the car side of the business," Kuzak told The Associated Press. "When people think of trucks they think Ford, but we needed to put Ford cars and crossovers in people's consideration."
Motor Trend conducts road tests on each vehicle and judges vehicles in six categories: design advancement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value.
Ford Fusion Named Motor Trend Car of the Year
Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- The 2010 Ford Fusion was named Motor Trend magazine's car of the year Tuesday, beating out the Toyota Prius, BMW 7-Series, Chevrolet Camaro and others in the closely watched competition.
It was yet another accolade for Ford Motor Co.'s midsize sedan, which got high reliability scores in the most recent rankings from Consumer Reports and was the top-selling car made by a Detroit automaker through October. U.S. Fusion sales were up 15 percent in the first 10 months of this year, to 148,045, despite a 25 percent drop in overall car sales.
Still, the mid-size Fusion continues to lag behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord -- perennial leaders in the competitive U.S. mid-size market.
Motor Trend said the Fusion can compete with the Camry and Accord in performance, comfort and fuel efficiency. It praised Ford for offering several versions of the Fusion, including a fuel-efficient gas-electric hybrid and a sporty version with a V-6 engine.
"Ford has proven its resilience in these tough times by delivering to market a car with broad appeal to a broad range of consumers," Motor Trend Editor in Chief Angus MacKenzie said in a statement.
Motor Trend considered 23 new or significantly refreshed vehicles. The Fusion, introduced in the 2006 model year, was redesigned for 2010 with a new lineup of engines and transmissions, new exterior and interior and new options, including the Sync entertainment system and a blind-spot warning system.
Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of global product development, said the 2010 Fusion has a sportier look and better fuel economy than previous versions. It gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway when equipped with a four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The gas-electric hybrid version gets 41 miles per gallon in the city.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, Buick LaCrosse, Lexus HS 250h and Hyundai Genesis coupe were among the cars Motor Trend considered. The Fusion also beat out other Ford models, including the Mustang sports car and Taurus sedan.
It was the first time a Ford car had won since 2003, when the Ford Thunderbird got the honor, Kuzak said. Ford's 2009 F-150 was Motor Trend's truck of the year last fall. The Nissan GT-R was the car of the year for 2009.
"It reinforces the progress that we've made, particularly on the car side of the business," Kuzak told The Associated Press. "When people think of trucks they think Ford, but we needed to put Ford cars and crossovers in people's consideration."
Motor Trend conducts road tests on each vehicle and judges vehicles in six categories: design advancement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Bolivia holds key to electric car future
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7707847.stm
Bolivia holds key to electric car future
By Damian Kahya
BBC News, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Bolivia's lithium reserves could bring wealth to the country
High in the Andes, in a remote corner of Bolivia, lies more than half the world's reserves of a mineral that could radically reduce our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels.
Lithium carries a great promise. It could help power the fuel efficient electric or petrol-electric hybrid vehicles of the future.
But, as is the case with fossil fuels, it is a limited resource.
Lithium carbonate is already in the batteries of laptop computers and mobile phones.
It is used because it allows more energy to be stored in a lighter, smaller space than most alternatives.
And as the auto industry rushes to produce new fuel efficient and electric cars, it too is turning to lithium batteries as its first choice to boost the power of their new models.
GM has one in its new hybrid Volt, Toyota is testing one in its next generation hybrid Prius. Mercedes is testing an electric version of its Smart, while BMW is doing the same with its Mini.
And Nissan-Renault, Mitsubishi and VW are all rushing to buy or produce enough of the batteries to power their future models.
The best of the pure electric cars can reach ranges of more than 150 kilometres per charge.
More is needed
But there is a problem.
Mitsubishi, which plans to release its own electric car soon, estimates that the demand for lithium will outstrip supply in less than 10 years unless new sources are found.
And they have ended up in Bolivia.
"The demand for lithium won't double but increase by five times," according to Eichi Maeyama Mitsubishi's general manager in La Paz.
"We will need more lithium sources - and 50% of the world's reserves of lithium exist in Bolivia, in the Salar de Uyuni," he adds, pointing out that without new production, the price of lithium will rise prohibitively.
Locals fear the benefits will not be passed on
But almost all the commercially exploitable reserves are found in the brine under salt flats.
The world's largest reserves lie in Bolivia at the Salar de Uyuni - in the remote southern Andean plane.
But Bolivia is not a country known to be friendly to foreign industry.
Its socialist president, Evo Morales, is keen to expand state control over its natural resources, a task carried out by Bolivia's minister for mining, Luis Alberto Echazu.
"We want to send a message to the industrialized countries and their companies," Mr Echazu says.
"We will not repeat the historical experience since the fifteenth century: raw materials exported for the industrialisation of the west that has left us poor."
Modest ambitions
Gold, silver, tin, oil and gas have all been found and exported from here whilst the country remains the poorest in the region.
For President Morales' supporters, that is reason enough not to allow in foreign mining companies to extract the lithium.
Across the flats, freelance miners work to break up the surface salt selling it to passing trucks for just a few dollars.
Indigenous and poor, they are core supporters of the president.
A grizzled old miner, giving his name only as Alfredo, says he does not believe that lithium will ever be extracted.
"We don't want to see foreign companies here," he says.
"It would be very bad, as the government says."
Alfredo's hopes for the future are modest.
"I just want to work until I die" he says, a smile across his face. It is not an uncommon sentiment here.
Sharing the benefits
In spite of the grinding poverty here, attempts in the 1980's and 1990's by foreign companies to extract the lithium met with resistance from the community.
They say the money would go elsewhere.
Francisco Quisbert is a local activist with President Morales' party who took part in the resistance.
Now he is working with the president to hammer out a new plan for a state-owned pilot plant on the flats.
"We don't want international involvement," he says.
"This plan has raised the hopes of the region.
"Before our grandparents lived on the salt. They arrived from the valleys in caravans of llamas, but the market forced them to leave.
"We want to return to live on the salar [and] improve our living conditions and to participate in the project."
To begin with the pilot plant will produce no more than 1.2 kilotonnes a year.
If an industrial plant is then built it may increase to around 30 kilotonnes by 2012, - thats just under a third of current production.
But most lithium now goes to small batteries for electronic goods.
Car batteries are far larger and Mitsubishi estimates the world will need 500 kilotonnes a year just to service a niche market. For electric cars to become the norm, it could need far more.
Mitsubishi predicts that there will be a supply shortage by 2015.
Pollution nevertheless
Analysts suspect that Bolivia's government can produce this much.
"Governments in South America have had a very successful history of mining," explains Charles Kernot, a mining analyst at Evolution Securities.
But the question is how fast.
"They probably don't have a lot of experience of doing this sort of thing themselves so they'll have to bring in expertise and technology," Mr Kernot adds.
"That whole process may take a lot longer than people are anticipating."
Consequently, he continues, "the car manufacturers will have to strike a balance between how quickly they manufacture with the supply of metal because they don't want to drive the price up to such an extent that the cars get priced out of the market".
Long-term, Bolivia's government is wary of the environmental damage mass extraction could cause.
The mining minister, Mr Eschazu, has a stark message for Western firms.
"The capitalist leaders have to change," he says.
"If all the world had consumers like North America, everyone with a car, it would grind to a halt.
"It is also going to generate pollution, not just from fossil fuels but also from lithium plants, which produce sulphur dioxide. This isn't a magic solution."
It is not a view likely to go down well in the offices of Toyota and General Motors.
Bolivia holds key to electric car future
By Damian Kahya
BBC News, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Bolivia's lithium reserves could bring wealth to the country
High in the Andes, in a remote corner of Bolivia, lies more than half the world's reserves of a mineral that could radically reduce our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels.
Lithium carries a great promise. It could help power the fuel efficient electric or petrol-electric hybrid vehicles of the future.
But, as is the case with fossil fuels, it is a limited resource.
Lithium carbonate is already in the batteries of laptop computers and mobile phones.
It is used because it allows more energy to be stored in a lighter, smaller space than most alternatives.
And as the auto industry rushes to produce new fuel efficient and electric cars, it too is turning to lithium batteries as its first choice to boost the power of their new models.
GM has one in its new hybrid Volt, Toyota is testing one in its next generation hybrid Prius. Mercedes is testing an electric version of its Smart, while BMW is doing the same with its Mini.
And Nissan-Renault, Mitsubishi and VW are all rushing to buy or produce enough of the batteries to power their future models.
The best of the pure electric cars can reach ranges of more than 150 kilometres per charge.
More is needed
But there is a problem.
Mitsubishi, which plans to release its own electric car soon, estimates that the demand for lithium will outstrip supply in less than 10 years unless new sources are found.
And they have ended up in Bolivia.
"The demand for lithium won't double but increase by five times," according to Eichi Maeyama Mitsubishi's general manager in La Paz.
"We will need more lithium sources - and 50% of the world's reserves of lithium exist in Bolivia, in the Salar de Uyuni," he adds, pointing out that without new production, the price of lithium will rise prohibitively.
Locals fear the benefits will not be passed on
But almost all the commercially exploitable reserves are found in the brine under salt flats.
The world's largest reserves lie in Bolivia at the Salar de Uyuni - in the remote southern Andean plane.
But Bolivia is not a country known to be friendly to foreign industry.
Its socialist president, Evo Morales, is keen to expand state control over its natural resources, a task carried out by Bolivia's minister for mining, Luis Alberto Echazu.
"We want to send a message to the industrialized countries and their companies," Mr Echazu says.
"We will not repeat the historical experience since the fifteenth century: raw materials exported for the industrialisation of the west that has left us poor."
Modest ambitions
Gold, silver, tin, oil and gas have all been found and exported from here whilst the country remains the poorest in the region.
For President Morales' supporters, that is reason enough not to allow in foreign mining companies to extract the lithium.
Across the flats, freelance miners work to break up the surface salt selling it to passing trucks for just a few dollars.
Indigenous and poor, they are core supporters of the president.
A grizzled old miner, giving his name only as Alfredo, says he does not believe that lithium will ever be extracted.
"We don't want to see foreign companies here," he says.
"It would be very bad, as the government says."
Alfredo's hopes for the future are modest.
"I just want to work until I die" he says, a smile across his face. It is not an uncommon sentiment here.
Sharing the benefits
In spite of the grinding poverty here, attempts in the 1980's and 1990's by foreign companies to extract the lithium met with resistance from the community.
They say the money would go elsewhere.
Francisco Quisbert is a local activist with President Morales' party who took part in the resistance.
Now he is working with the president to hammer out a new plan for a state-owned pilot plant on the flats.
"We don't want international involvement," he says.
"This plan has raised the hopes of the region.
"Before our grandparents lived on the salt. They arrived from the valleys in caravans of llamas, but the market forced them to leave.
"We want to return to live on the salar [and] improve our living conditions and to participate in the project."
To begin with the pilot plant will produce no more than 1.2 kilotonnes a year.
If an industrial plant is then built it may increase to around 30 kilotonnes by 2012, - thats just under a third of current production.
But most lithium now goes to small batteries for electronic goods.
Car batteries are far larger and Mitsubishi estimates the world will need 500 kilotonnes a year just to service a niche market. For electric cars to become the norm, it could need far more.
Mitsubishi predicts that there will be a supply shortage by 2015.
Pollution nevertheless
Analysts suspect that Bolivia's government can produce this much.
"Governments in South America have had a very successful history of mining," explains Charles Kernot, a mining analyst at Evolution Securities.
But the question is how fast.
"They probably don't have a lot of experience of doing this sort of thing themselves so they'll have to bring in expertise and technology," Mr Kernot adds.
"That whole process may take a lot longer than people are anticipating."
Consequently, he continues, "the car manufacturers will have to strike a balance between how quickly they manufacture with the supply of metal because they don't want to drive the price up to such an extent that the cars get priced out of the market".
Long-term, Bolivia's government is wary of the environmental damage mass extraction could cause.
The mining minister, Mr Eschazu, has a stark message for Western firms.
"The capitalist leaders have to change," he says.
"If all the world had consumers like North America, everyone with a car, it would grind to a halt.
"It is also going to generate pollution, not just from fossil fuels but also from lithium plants, which produce sulphur dioxide. This isn't a magic solution."
It is not a view likely to go down well in the offices of Toyota and General Motors.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Chinese Want To Buy the Big 3 Automakers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jane-hamsher/chinese-want-to-buy-the-b_b_144920.html
Chinese Want To Buy the Big 3 Automakers
Jane Hamsher
Huffington Post
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
It appears that the Chinese car makers SAIC and Dongfeng have plans to acquire the Big 3:
A take-over of a large overseas auto maker would fit perfectly into China’s plans. As reported before, China has realized that its export chances are slim without unfettered access to foreign technology. The brand cachet of Chinese cars abroad is, shall we say, challenged. The Chinese could easily export Made-in-China VWs, Toyotas, Buicks. If their joint venture partner would let them. The solution: Buy the joint venture partner. Especially, when he’s in deep trouble.
At current market valuations (GM is worth less than Mattel) the Chinese government can afford to buy GM with petty cash. Even a hundred billion $ would barely dent China’s more than $2t in currency reserves. For nobody in the world would buying GM and (while they are at it) Chrysler make more sense than for the Chinese. Overlap? What overlap? They would gain instant access to the world’s markets with accepted brands, and proven technology.
All the Shock Doctrine fanatics cheering to drive the the Big 3 into bankruptcy “restructuring” (like Mitt Romney, who can kiss future hopes of electoral victory in Michigan goodbye) might want to think about the implications of this.
Of course the same legislators clamouring for bankruptcy could block the sale. (This assumes they have the fortitude to stare down the Chinese, who currently hold a whopping portion of US debt, and deny them something they really want). But in doing so, and at the same time refusing a bridge loan to the automakers, they are basically legislating the destruction of the Big 3. They will be forcing them to stiff all their creditors and stockholders and tear up their union contracts by refusing to let the “free market” they love to bang on about step in and assume the company’s legitimate debts. Or were all those insufferable lectures about “personal responsibility” when the bankruptcy bill was going through just so much claptrap?
Because selling the company would be far preferable to the Big 3 and those who are dependent on them than Chapter 7. But long-term it would not be without peril for the US. As one FDL commener noted:
With no big three making cars what to stop Toyota and Honda from moving the plants to Mexico where costs are really low. Its only the threat of being shut out of the American market that keeps the Japanese building cars here. If we no longer have cars made in America by American companies we will have no choice but to buy their cars no matter where they are made.
I know long-term thinking isn’t his forte. But as Richard Shelby is salivating at the prospect of yet another BMW SUV plant in his right-to-work state, it might be something for him to consider.
Chinese Want To Buy the Big 3 Automakers
Jane Hamsher
Huffington Post
Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
It appears that the Chinese car makers SAIC and Dongfeng have plans to acquire the Big 3:
A take-over of a large overseas auto maker would fit perfectly into China’s plans. As reported before, China has realized that its export chances are slim without unfettered access to foreign technology. The brand cachet of Chinese cars abroad is, shall we say, challenged. The Chinese could easily export Made-in-China VWs, Toyotas, Buicks. If their joint venture partner would let them. The solution: Buy the joint venture partner. Especially, when he’s in deep trouble.
At current market valuations (GM is worth less than Mattel) the Chinese government can afford to buy GM with petty cash. Even a hundred billion $ would barely dent China’s more than $2t in currency reserves. For nobody in the world would buying GM and (while they are at it) Chrysler make more sense than for the Chinese. Overlap? What overlap? They would gain instant access to the world’s markets with accepted brands, and proven technology.
All the Shock Doctrine fanatics cheering to drive the the Big 3 into bankruptcy “restructuring” (like Mitt Romney, who can kiss future hopes of electoral victory in Michigan goodbye) might want to think about the implications of this.
Of course the same legislators clamouring for bankruptcy could block the sale. (This assumes they have the fortitude to stare down the Chinese, who currently hold a whopping portion of US debt, and deny them something they really want). But in doing so, and at the same time refusing a bridge loan to the automakers, they are basically legislating the destruction of the Big 3. They will be forcing them to stiff all their creditors and stockholders and tear up their union contracts by refusing to let the “free market” they love to bang on about step in and assume the company’s legitimate debts. Or were all those insufferable lectures about “personal responsibility” when the bankruptcy bill was going through just so much claptrap?
Because selling the company would be far preferable to the Big 3 and those who are dependent on them than Chapter 7. But long-term it would not be without peril for the US. As one FDL commener noted:
With no big three making cars what to stop Toyota and Honda from moving the plants to Mexico where costs are really low. Its only the threat of being shut out of the American market that keeps the Japanese building cars here. If we no longer have cars made in America by American companies we will have no choice but to buy their cars no matter where they are made.
I know long-term thinking isn’t his forte. But as Richard Shelby is salivating at the prospect of yet another BMW SUV plant in his right-to-work state, it might be something for him to consider.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Top 10 Bond cars
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/specials/for_your_eyes_only/article3552927.ece
April 1, 2008
Top 10 Bond cars
Brendan Plant
Fast cars and improbable chases have been key ingredients in the James Bond films since the series began in 1962. From modest beginnings in Dr No, when 007 outran his pursuers in a rented Sunbeam Alpine, the Bond car has grown in speed, sophistication and sex appeal. With each new model, James Bond has been able to impress us with his impeccable driving and unflappable demeanour and, more importantly, to transport us to a place where our fantasies and envy collide like so many henchmen in a car chase.
Here’s a list of the ten most impressive Bond cars in the 21 films to date.
10. Venetian Gondola (Moonraker, 1979)
Over 21 films, 007 has commandeered many unlikely vehicles: from a moonbuggy, to an old routemaster bus, to the odd fake alligator submersible. But the most memorable was the gondola which transformed into a faux-Venetian hovercraft in Moonraker. In that one surprising moment when Roger Moore drove off through the crowds in Piazza San Marco, he fired the imaginations of motorway commuters everywhere who’ve been longing ever since for their own hovercraft to escape the daily gridlock. Not even Q has come up for a solution to that yet.
9. Citroën 2CV (For Your Eyes Only, 1981)
Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘race to the bottom’, Roger Moore outran two decidedly unthreatening Peugeot 504s in an even more sluggish Citroën 2CV during a precipitous chase down a Spanish mountainside in For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Despite its unprepossessing appearance, the 2CV was one of the most heavily modified of all Bond cars, as just about every part of the original vehicle was replaced with high-performance components. But even with a few more cheveux under the bonnet, the little 2CV struggled just to keep pace with the humble Peugeots, leaving 007 to make-up for the lack of horsepower with some tricky driving and, as always, the best of British luck.
8. Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day, 2002)
When Aston Martin returned to the Bond series after the brief BMW interlude in the late Nineties, it was in the muscular form of the 2002 Vantage, equipped with familiar gadgets like an ejector seat, rocket launchers, machine guns and ice-spike tyres, but also, somewhat absurdly, with a cloaking device which rendered the car invisible. The Bond films’ car chases were rightly famous for the fact that they involved real-live stunts, and this turn to computerised special-effects undermined one of the franchise’s key selling points. And who wants James Bond to have an invisibility device anyway, if it keeps us from watching him dally in the back seat with his latest lady?
7. BMW 750iL (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997)
The BMW 750iL may have seemed more sedate than the sports cars Bond had driven previously, but it was no less spectacular during a chase around a parking garage in Tomorrow Never Dies. While this car featured a number of predictable enhancements like rocket launchers, reinflating tyres and wire cutters, Q added to it another surprise in the form of a remote control which allowed 007 to steer the car via his mobile phone: the ultimate in back-seat driving. More surprising still was the fact that Q engineered the car’s talking onboard computer with a fake German accent. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service indeed!
6. Ford Mustang Mach-1 (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)
Having already conquered evil masterminds, the Soviet Union, and a temptress or two in the first three Bond films, it was only a matter of time before 007 tamed an American muscle car too. In 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, Sean Connery took a massive Ford Mustang Mach-1 on a wild spin around the Sunset Strip in Las Vegas, with a few scrambling police cars for company. In one of the more spectacular Bond car stunts, he flipped the Mustang up onto two wheels to squeeze it through a narrow alleyway. Unfortunately the film’s editors weren’t so skilful: in a famous continuity error, the car was filmed entering the alleyway on one set of wheels, but emerged on the other side driving on the opposite pair.
5. Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice, 1967)
For filming in You Only Live Twice, Toyota cut the roof off two of its high-performance sports cars, the 1967 2000 GT. Rumour has it that the roof had to be removed because Sean Connery couldn’t fit inside the coupé, even though the car was only driven by Bond’s colleague Aki. The car included a TV, a cordless telephone and a voice-controlled stereo system: electronic gadgets which are virtually standard features on Japanese cars today.
4. Bentley Mark IV (From Russia With Love, 1963)
As James Bond’s car of choice in Ian Fleming’s novels, the Bentley Mark IV is almost as legendary as the DB5. It is legendary also in the sense that Bentley never produced a car under this name. What we see instead in From Russia With Love is a Derby Bentley convertible, which Sean Connery uses only briefly for the purpose of seducing Miss Sylvia Trench.
3. BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough, 1999)
The BMW Z8 driven by Pierce Brosnan in The World is Not Enough was designed in homage to the famous BMW 507 roadster from 1956 (which, curiously, the first Bond girl Ursula Andress received as a gift from its first owner, Elvis Presley, in 1963). 007’s version was fitted with surface-to-air missiles and a remote control device and, as John Cleese’s character proudly boasted, no fewer than six cup-holders. The Z8 was still in prototype form when the film was being shot, so the car seen onscreen is in fact a Shelby Cobra kit car with specially-built replica body panels. Fortunately the facsimile bodywork was only made of plastic, as the car was ultimately cut in two by a giant aerial buzzsaw during a dockside battle. That voids the warranty, apparently.
2. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)
Second in the Bond car hall of fame is “Wet Nellie”, the sleek white Lotus Esprit with the hidden talent of transforming into a submarine at the flick of a switch. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore escapes his hunters by driving the Esprit off a pier into the sea, where it transforms into a fully functioning submarine. Armed with surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, underwater sight screens and torpedoes, Bond was able to despatch a team of underwater attackers and an airborne helicopter before surfacing, with all the calm and camp which Roger Moore could muster, at a nearby holiday beach. So popular was the Lotus Esprit that it was brought back for the next film, For Your Eyes Only, only for its self-destruction mechanism to be triggered by thieves early in the film. It was later replaced by a red Lotus Esprit Turbo, at which point Lotus’s involvement in the Bond films ended.
1. Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964)
It started with an ejector seat. Without doubt the most famous of the Bond cars, and one of the most iconic cars in cinema history, is the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger. This car started the trend for gadgetry which has become a hallmark of the Bond series of films, as it was fitted with an innovative array of extras, including machine guns, an oil slick deployer, bullet-proof glass, rotating licence plates, and an ejector seat. That these devices have become staples of spy films ever since is a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of this charismatic car.
Sean Connery apparently opposed the inclusion of these technological gimmicks in the DB5 because he feared that the technology would overshadow the character and his remarkable driving prowess. But he needn’t have worried: the DB5 has become so synonymous with James Bond that the prestige of each reinforces the other. The producers have played on this association over the years, and have used the DB5 in later Bond films, including GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the latest Casino Royale. (Scenes featuring the car were cut from the final version of The World is Not Enough.) The DB5 also made a cameo appearance, driven by Roger Moore, in the 1980s film Cannonball Run.
But despite its illustrious reputation, the DB5 retains to this day the dubious distinction of recording the slowest time on Top Gear’s Power Laps feature. Maybe if James Bond had been behind the wheel rather than The Stig, the result might have been different?
April 1, 2008
Top 10 Bond cars
Brendan Plant
Fast cars and improbable chases have been key ingredients in the James Bond films since the series began in 1962. From modest beginnings in Dr No, when 007 outran his pursuers in a rented Sunbeam Alpine, the Bond car has grown in speed, sophistication and sex appeal. With each new model, James Bond has been able to impress us with his impeccable driving and unflappable demeanour and, more importantly, to transport us to a place where our fantasies and envy collide like so many henchmen in a car chase.
Here’s a list of the ten most impressive Bond cars in the 21 films to date.
10. Venetian Gondola (Moonraker, 1979)
Over 21 films, 007 has commandeered many unlikely vehicles: from a moonbuggy, to an old routemaster bus, to the odd fake alligator submersible. But the most memorable was the gondola which transformed into a faux-Venetian hovercraft in Moonraker. In that one surprising moment when Roger Moore drove off through the crowds in Piazza San Marco, he fired the imaginations of motorway commuters everywhere who’ve been longing ever since for their own hovercraft to escape the daily gridlock. Not even Q has come up for a solution to that yet.
9. Citroën 2CV (For Your Eyes Only, 1981)
Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘race to the bottom’, Roger Moore outran two decidedly unthreatening Peugeot 504s in an even more sluggish Citroën 2CV during a precipitous chase down a Spanish mountainside in For Your Eyes Only in 1981. Despite its unprepossessing appearance, the 2CV was one of the most heavily modified of all Bond cars, as just about every part of the original vehicle was replaced with high-performance components. But even with a few more cheveux under the bonnet, the little 2CV struggled just to keep pace with the humble Peugeots, leaving 007 to make-up for the lack of horsepower with some tricky driving and, as always, the best of British luck.
8. Aston Martin Vanquish (Die Another Day, 2002)
When Aston Martin returned to the Bond series after the brief BMW interlude in the late Nineties, it was in the muscular form of the 2002 Vantage, equipped with familiar gadgets like an ejector seat, rocket launchers, machine guns and ice-spike tyres, but also, somewhat absurdly, with a cloaking device which rendered the car invisible. The Bond films’ car chases were rightly famous for the fact that they involved real-live stunts, and this turn to computerised special-effects undermined one of the franchise’s key selling points. And who wants James Bond to have an invisibility device anyway, if it keeps us from watching him dally in the back seat with his latest lady?
7. BMW 750iL (Tomorrow Never Dies, 1997)
The BMW 750iL may have seemed more sedate than the sports cars Bond had driven previously, but it was no less spectacular during a chase around a parking garage in Tomorrow Never Dies. While this car featured a number of predictable enhancements like rocket launchers, reinflating tyres and wire cutters, Q added to it another surprise in the form of a remote control which allowed 007 to steer the car via his mobile phone: the ultimate in back-seat driving. More surprising still was the fact that Q engineered the car’s talking onboard computer with a fake German accent. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service indeed!
6. Ford Mustang Mach-1 (Diamonds Are Forever, 1971)
Having already conquered evil masterminds, the Soviet Union, and a temptress or two in the first three Bond films, it was only a matter of time before 007 tamed an American muscle car too. In 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, Sean Connery took a massive Ford Mustang Mach-1 on a wild spin around the Sunset Strip in Las Vegas, with a few scrambling police cars for company. In one of the more spectacular Bond car stunts, he flipped the Mustang up onto two wheels to squeeze it through a narrow alleyway. Unfortunately the film’s editors weren’t so skilful: in a famous continuity error, the car was filmed entering the alleyway on one set of wheels, but emerged on the other side driving on the opposite pair.
5. Toyota 2000GT (You Only Live Twice, 1967)
For filming in You Only Live Twice, Toyota cut the roof off two of its high-performance sports cars, the 1967 2000 GT. Rumour has it that the roof had to be removed because Sean Connery couldn’t fit inside the coupé, even though the car was only driven by Bond’s colleague Aki. The car included a TV, a cordless telephone and a voice-controlled stereo system: electronic gadgets which are virtually standard features on Japanese cars today.
4. Bentley Mark IV (From Russia With Love, 1963)
As James Bond’s car of choice in Ian Fleming’s novels, the Bentley Mark IV is almost as legendary as the DB5. It is legendary also in the sense that Bentley never produced a car under this name. What we see instead in From Russia With Love is a Derby Bentley convertible, which Sean Connery uses only briefly for the purpose of seducing Miss Sylvia Trench.
3. BMW Z8 (The World is Not Enough, 1999)
The BMW Z8 driven by Pierce Brosnan in The World is Not Enough was designed in homage to the famous BMW 507 roadster from 1956 (which, curiously, the first Bond girl Ursula Andress received as a gift from its first owner, Elvis Presley, in 1963). 007’s version was fitted with surface-to-air missiles and a remote control device and, as John Cleese’s character proudly boasted, no fewer than six cup-holders. The Z8 was still in prototype form when the film was being shot, so the car seen onscreen is in fact a Shelby Cobra kit car with specially-built replica body panels. Fortunately the facsimile bodywork was only made of plastic, as the car was ultimately cut in two by a giant aerial buzzsaw during a dockside battle. That voids the warranty, apparently.
2. Lotus Esprit (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977)
Second in the Bond car hall of fame is “Wet Nellie”, the sleek white Lotus Esprit with the hidden talent of transforming into a submarine at the flick of a switch. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore escapes his hunters by driving the Esprit off a pier into the sea, where it transforms into a fully functioning submarine. Armed with surface-to-air missiles, depth charges, underwater sight screens and torpedoes, Bond was able to despatch a team of underwater attackers and an airborne helicopter before surfacing, with all the calm and camp which Roger Moore could muster, at a nearby holiday beach. So popular was the Lotus Esprit that it was brought back for the next film, For Your Eyes Only, only for its self-destruction mechanism to be triggered by thieves early in the film. It was later replaced by a red Lotus Esprit Turbo, at which point Lotus’s involvement in the Bond films ended.
1. Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1964)
It started with an ejector seat. Without doubt the most famous of the Bond cars, and one of the most iconic cars in cinema history, is the Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger. This car started the trend for gadgetry which has become a hallmark of the Bond series of films, as it was fitted with an innovative array of extras, including machine guns, an oil slick deployer, bullet-proof glass, rotating licence plates, and an ejector seat. That these devices have become staples of spy films ever since is a testament to the enduring popularity and influence of this charismatic car.
Sean Connery apparently opposed the inclusion of these technological gimmicks in the DB5 because he feared that the technology would overshadow the character and his remarkable driving prowess. But he needn’t have worried: the DB5 has become so synonymous with James Bond that the prestige of each reinforces the other. The producers have played on this association over the years, and have used the DB5 in later Bond films, including GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and the latest Casino Royale. (Scenes featuring the car were cut from the final version of The World is Not Enough.) The DB5 also made a cameo appearance, driven by Roger Moore, in the 1980s film Cannonball Run.
But despite its illustrious reputation, the DB5 retains to this day the dubious distinction of recording the slowest time on Top Gear’s Power Laps feature. Maybe if James Bond had been behind the wheel rather than The Stig, the result might have been different?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Photographer accused of helping MI6 found dead
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23436233-details/Photographer+accused+of+helping+MI6+kill+Diana+was+found+dead+in+burnt-out+BMW+with+a+hole+in+his+head/article.do
Photographer accused of helping MI6 kill Diana was found dead in burnt-out BMW with a hole in his head
09.02.08
James Andanson: The photographer was found dead in a burnt out BMW with a hole in his head
The photographer accused of helping MI6 to murder Princess Diana was found in a burnt-out BMW with a hole in his head, a court heard today.
James Andanson died after boasting to friends of having secretly taken "explosive" photos of the Paris crash scene, the Diana inquest was told.
The Frenchman owned a white Fiat Uno, which Mohamed Al Fayed claims he used to cause the fatal collision that killed the princess and his son Dodi.
The Harrods boss believes the photographer was planning to go public with his "involvement" in the alleged British secret service plot when his charred body was found in a forest near his home in the South of France in May 2000.
French Investigating officer Jean-Michel Lauzun told the London hearing that he arrived while the vehicle was still ablaze and saw the corpse alight at the steering wheel with a two inch hole in his left temple.
But police concluded that it was a suicide after a pathologist said the hole was due to the intense heat of the fire after he set alight to himself.
High levels of carbon monoxide was also found in his blood, suggesting Andanson was alive inside the fireball long enough to inhale fumes, rather than being killed beforehand.
But Mr Al Fayed's barrister Michael Mansfield QC suggested he may have been attacked before the car was set on fire.
He said: "We just don't know whether it is a case of a man consigning himself to a bizarre and painful death or whether in fact some violence had been meted out to him first."
Four months after the August 1997 crash, Andanson had bragged to friends that he had trailed Diana's Mercedes into the Alma Tunnel where it smashed into a pillar.
Unlike other paparazzi in the chase, he claimed to have been too "cunning" to get rounded up by the police afterwards and escaped arrest.
His photos from the scene were kept hidden in a safe and would cause a furore when they were published, he insisted.
French police were later tipped off about Andanson's claims, but when they interviewed him he produced receipts to show that on the night of the crash he had been in Lignieres, 170 miles to the south of Paris.
And while he had owned a white Fiat Uno, tests showed that paint flecks on the Mercedes could not have come from it.
Mr Al Fayed claims Diana and Dodi were killed on the orders of Prince Philip because she was pregnant with his child and they were planning to marry.
Photographer accused of helping MI6 kill Diana was found dead in burnt-out BMW with a hole in his head
09.02.08
James Andanson: The photographer was found dead in a burnt out BMW with a hole in his head
The photographer accused of helping MI6 to murder Princess Diana was found in a burnt-out BMW with a hole in his head, a court heard today.
James Andanson died after boasting to friends of having secretly taken "explosive" photos of the Paris crash scene, the Diana inquest was told.
The Frenchman owned a white Fiat Uno, which Mohamed Al Fayed claims he used to cause the fatal collision that killed the princess and his son Dodi.
The Harrods boss believes the photographer was planning to go public with his "involvement" in the alleged British secret service plot when his charred body was found in a forest near his home in the South of France in May 2000.
French Investigating officer Jean-Michel Lauzun told the London hearing that he arrived while the vehicle was still ablaze and saw the corpse alight at the steering wheel with a two inch hole in his left temple.
But police concluded that it was a suicide after a pathologist said the hole was due to the intense heat of the fire after he set alight to himself.
High levels of carbon monoxide was also found in his blood, suggesting Andanson was alive inside the fireball long enough to inhale fumes, rather than being killed beforehand.
But Mr Al Fayed's barrister Michael Mansfield QC suggested he may have been attacked before the car was set on fire.
He said: "We just don't know whether it is a case of a man consigning himself to a bizarre and painful death or whether in fact some violence had been meted out to him first."
Four months after the August 1997 crash, Andanson had bragged to friends that he had trailed Diana's Mercedes into the Alma Tunnel where it smashed into a pillar.
Unlike other paparazzi in the chase, he claimed to have been too "cunning" to get rounded up by the police afterwards and escaped arrest.
His photos from the scene were kept hidden in a safe and would cause a furore when they were published, he insisted.
French police were later tipped off about Andanson's claims, but when they interviewed him he produced receipts to show that on the night of the crash he had been in Lignieres, 170 miles to the south of Paris.
And while he had owned a white Fiat Uno, tests showed that paint flecks on the Mercedes could not have come from it.
Mr Al Fayed claims Diana and Dodi were killed on the orders of Prince Philip because she was pregnant with his child and they were planning to marry.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
White Hot
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/412/white-hot;_ylc=X3oDMTE2MDVocjJhBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEc2VjA2ZwLXRvZGF5BHNsawNob3QtY29sb3Jz
White Hot
Silver loses its long-held top spot as the most popular car color.
by Althea Chang
After seven years wearing the color crown, silver has been dethroned.
For the first time this century, more white cars were manufactured in 2007 than those in any other color, according to DuPont’s most recent color study.
In North America, 19 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 were either white or "pearl white," which is white with an iridescent or metallic sheen. Eighteen percent of 2007 vehicles were silver, and 16 percent were black, including black with metallic effects.
White has also taken a decisive lead in other countries, including Japan and Mexico. In Europe, however, black was far and away the top color.
White had an even stronger showing among luxury cars, where it made up 22 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 (5 percent of those were pearl white) and tied with the color black. Silver was the next most common color for luxury cars in 2007, at 20 percent. "Our report is based on quantities of paint sold to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], production data they share with us, and other sources,” says DuPont spokesperson Rick Straitman.
The color white is increasingly dominant, not just in the auto industry, but in home furnishings, fashion, consumer products, and industrial design, says Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute.
White was the most popular color among Chevrolet and Ford buyers, according to J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network, which tracks consumers’ buying habits. Dodge buyers preferred red, while BMW, Cadillac, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz buyers gravitated toward black.
White is also a popular color for so-called fleet vehicles, which are cars and trucks used commercially, such as by power companies and rental agencies, says Global Insight analyst John Wolkonowicz.
Despite white's victory in 2007, silver will still likely be the dominant color on the roads for some time. "Given silver's popularity over the past seven years and the fact that it is still a popular color choice, you should expect to see a high number of silver vehicles on the road for the coming years," says Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager at DuPont.
Considering that the average vehicle is on the road for 13 years, according to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates, it could take a decade or more for silver cars to start thinning out, and that’s only if the color decreases in popularity. "When silver first came on the scene [in the mid to late 1990s], it was a high-tech color that corresponded with people's interest in technology and the future," Surcina says. Then the tech bubble burst and the economy started to suffer. As time went on, silver became a “safe” color that consumers could opt for and not worry about it standing out too much, or turning off potential buyers when it came time to resell their vehicles.
Even if white continues to swell in popularity and sparkling particles give the color new life, the trends may not be seen on highways and in driveways for some time. "While palate-cleansing white is expected to usher in a new era in car colors and iridescent paints, and sparkling mica particles and unusual effects are gaining popularity among more adventurous types, most car buyers are still sticking with safe colors like silver and black,” says Christopher Li, industry analyst at the Power Information Network.
White Hot
Silver loses its long-held top spot as the most popular car color.
by Althea Chang
After seven years wearing the color crown, silver has been dethroned.
For the first time this century, more white cars were manufactured in 2007 than those in any other color, according to DuPont’s most recent color study.
In North America, 19 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 were either white or "pearl white," which is white with an iridescent or metallic sheen. Eighteen percent of 2007 vehicles were silver, and 16 percent were black, including black with metallic effects.
White has also taken a decisive lead in other countries, including Japan and Mexico. In Europe, however, black was far and away the top color.
White had an even stronger showing among luxury cars, where it made up 22 percent of vehicles manufactured in 2007 (5 percent of those were pearl white) and tied with the color black. Silver was the next most common color for luxury cars in 2007, at 20 percent. "Our report is based on quantities of paint sold to OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], production data they share with us, and other sources,” says DuPont spokesperson Rick Straitman.
The color white is increasingly dominant, not just in the auto industry, but in home furnishings, fashion, consumer products, and industrial design, says Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute.
White was the most popular color among Chevrolet and Ford buyers, according to J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network, which tracks consumers’ buying habits. Dodge buyers preferred red, while BMW, Cadillac, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz buyers gravitated toward black.
White is also a popular color for so-called fleet vehicles, which are cars and trucks used commercially, such as by power companies and rental agencies, says Global Insight analyst John Wolkonowicz.
Despite white's victory in 2007, silver will still likely be the dominant color on the roads for some time. "Given silver's popularity over the past seven years and the fact that it is still a popular color choice, you should expect to see a high number of silver vehicles on the road for the coming years," says Karen Surcina, color marketing and technology manager at DuPont.
Considering that the average vehicle is on the road for 13 years, according to U.S. Department of Transportation estimates, it could take a decade or more for silver cars to start thinning out, and that’s only if the color decreases in popularity. "When silver first came on the scene [in the mid to late 1990s], it was a high-tech color that corresponded with people's interest in technology and the future," Surcina says. Then the tech bubble burst and the economy started to suffer. As time went on, silver became a “safe” color that consumers could opt for and not worry about it standing out too much, or turning off potential buyers when it came time to resell their vehicles.
Even if white continues to swell in popularity and sparkling particles give the color new life, the trends may not be seen on highways and in driveways for some time. "While palate-cleansing white is expected to usher in a new era in car colors and iridescent paints, and sparkling mica particles and unusual effects are gaining popularity among more adventurous types, most car buyers are still sticking with safe colors like silver and black,” says Christopher Li, industry analyst at the Power Information Network.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Concept Green Cars
http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-article_130/
Concept Green Cars
Toyota first demonstrated a futuristic hybrid concept vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1995. The car, which consisted of an electric motor connected to a regular gasoline engine, was called the Toyota Prius. Hybrid skeptics —both at the show and afterward—are now silent, as cumulative global sales continue to surpass all expectations. Which of today's wild and wacky hi-tech enviro car concepts will become tomorrow's practical fuel-efficient vehicles? Let's take a look at some contenders.
Toyota Volta
The Volta's 3.3-liter V-6 gas engine is located behind the rear axle and isn't connected directly to the wheels. Instead, movement is provided by two electric engines, one per axle, offering the safety benefits of all-wheel drive. But the real gain of packaging a large internal-combustion engine with two electric motors is rip-roaring speed: The 408-horsepower hybrid drive can go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds.
GM Saab Aero X
The two-seat Saab Aero X doesn't have doors or a fixed windshield. Instead, the entire face of the vehicle opens up. Inside, the Saab Aero X's cockpit completely eliminating conventional dials and buttons. Instead, Saab displays data on glass-like acrylic "clear zones" in graphic 3-D images. The drivetrain is just as innovative as the body design. The Aero X combines turbo-charging and the use of bio-fuel to deliver 400-horsepower performance without burning a drop of petroluem. The V6 engine is fueled entirely by 100% ethanol. This reduces the tank-to-wheel carbon emissions of the vehicle to exactly zero. Can't find pure ethanol? No problem for the Aero X. The engine management system will make adjustments for any gasoline-ethanol blend.
The Volkswagen Chameleon
On the outside, the Volkswagen Chameleon Microbus looks like it rolled right out of the set of a 1960s surfer movie. But times have changed in the world of energy and technology. Volkswagen retrofitted the 1964 Deluxe Microbus for a new generation by installing an all-electric drive powered by lithium polymer batteries. Ten 30-volt batteries under the van’s floor provide a range of about 100 miles. A recharge takes about 6 hours. Surfboards mounted on the roof are lined with flexible solar panels that provide an additional source of energy. The vehicle needs all the energy it can find to power an arsenal of interactive digital cabin features, including imbedded touch-pads and speech activated controls. Don't expect to ever see this vehicle on the road. Volkswagen is using the Chameleon strictly as a marketing tool to showcase a movie-fantasy future of automotive electronics.
The Honda FCX Concept
The Honda FCX Concept uses a secret weapon to deliver more power than its predecessor fuel cell vehicles: gravity. Honda calls it a "3V" system: "Vertical gas flow, vertebral layout, and volume-efficient packaging." In the 3V schema, oxygen and hydrogen flow from the top to the bottom of the fuel cell stack and the fuel cells are arranged vertically in the center tunnel for more efficient packaging of the fuel cells. With these improvements, the FCX fuel-cell car now has a driving range of 354 miles—a 30 percent improvement from the 2005 model—and a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour. The vehicle can driven in temperatures as low as minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The super-slick Honda FCX Concept has a long and ultra-low profile that is anything but vertical.
GM Sequel
The Sequel is based on a design that puts all propulsion systems, steering, braking and chassis components packed into the car's 11-inch underbelly. By packing all the functionality into what the company calls a "skateboard" chassis, GM claims they'll have greater freedom for the car's interior and exterior design. GM has been working on the skateboard approach for a number of years, and the Sequel is apparently their breakthrough. With the company's advances in fuel cells, by-wire technology, and wheel hub motors, GM has doubled the range to 300 miles—on its hydrogen supply—and halved the 0-60 times to under ten seconds.
Concept Green Cars
Toyota first demonstrated a futuristic hybrid concept vehicle at the Tokyo Auto Show in 1995. The car, which consisted of an electric motor connected to a regular gasoline engine, was called the Toyota Prius. Hybrid skeptics —both at the show and afterward—are now silent, as cumulative global sales continue to surpass all expectations. Which of today's wild and wacky hi-tech enviro car concepts will become tomorrow's practical fuel-efficient vehicles? Let's take a look at some contenders.
Volvo 3CC
The Volvo 3CC concept car, a rocket-shaped three-seater, can accommodate the full range of power systems, from traditional gasoline and alternative fuels such as ethanol, to hybrid and all electric. Three thousand lithium-ion batteries, just like those used in laptop computers, give it the equivalent of 105 horsepower. The 3CC has the aerodynamics of a two-seat sports car, but can slip a third passenger, or perhaps two children, in a single seat in the back.
Ford Mercury Meta One
The Mercury Meta One combines a hybrid transmission with a twin-turbocharged V-6 diesel engine calibrated to run on a bio-diesel blend (fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils). The combination is designed to produce the power of a V-10, with emission levels clean enough to meet California's Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) requirement.
Daihatsu UFE III
Daihatsu, the Japanese car company known for compacts, is on the third generation of the UFE (which stand for Ultra Fuel Economy). This mini-hybrid vehicle can transport three people—one upfront, and two in the back. The hybrid system comprises a 660-cubic centimeter direct-injection gasoline engine, two motors, and a nickel-metal hydride battery. Its estimated fuel economy is 169 miles per gallon.
Nissan Pivo
Nissan has developed a bubble-shaped, three-seater electric car called the Pivo—short for pivot. It runs exclusively on electricity. The cabin sits atop a wheeled platform that can swivel 360 degrees, doing away with the need to reverse when emerging from narrow spaces.
BMW X3
The X3 combines a next-generation direct-injection inline six-cylinder engine with an electric motor—and a supercapacitor instead of the rechargeable batteries most hybrids use. A supercapacitor discharges all of its energy in a quick burst of power. Then, the gasoline engine takes over until the regenerative braking can recharge the supercapacitor for another quick burst. The system provides a modest 20% improvement in fuel economy over current models.
Toyota VoltaThe Volta's 3.3-liter V-6 gas engine is located behind the rear axle and isn't connected directly to the wheels. Instead, movement is provided by two electric engines, one per axle, offering the safety benefits of all-wheel drive. But the real gain of packaging a large internal-combustion engine with two electric motors is rip-roaring speed: The 408-horsepower hybrid drive can go from 0 to 60 in 4 seconds.
GM Saab Aero XThe two-seat Saab Aero X doesn't have doors or a fixed windshield. Instead, the entire face of the vehicle opens up. Inside, the Saab Aero X's cockpit completely eliminating conventional dials and buttons. Instead, Saab displays data on glass-like acrylic "clear zones" in graphic 3-D images. The drivetrain is just as innovative as the body design. The Aero X combines turbo-charging and the use of bio-fuel to deliver 400-horsepower performance without burning a drop of petroluem. The V6 engine is fueled entirely by 100% ethanol. This reduces the tank-to-wheel carbon emissions of the vehicle to exactly zero. Can't find pure ethanol? No problem for the Aero X. The engine management system will make adjustments for any gasoline-ethanol blend.
The Volkswagen ChameleonOn the outside, the Volkswagen Chameleon Microbus looks like it rolled right out of the set of a 1960s surfer movie. But times have changed in the world of energy and technology. Volkswagen retrofitted the 1964 Deluxe Microbus for a new generation by installing an all-electric drive powered by lithium polymer batteries. Ten 30-volt batteries under the van’s floor provide a range of about 100 miles. A recharge takes about 6 hours. Surfboards mounted on the roof are lined with flexible solar panels that provide an additional source of energy. The vehicle needs all the energy it can find to power an arsenal of interactive digital cabin features, including imbedded touch-pads and speech activated controls. Don't expect to ever see this vehicle on the road. Volkswagen is using the Chameleon strictly as a marketing tool to showcase a movie-fantasy future of automotive electronics.
The Honda FCX ConceptThe Honda FCX Concept uses a secret weapon to deliver more power than its predecessor fuel cell vehicles: gravity. Honda calls it a "3V" system: "Vertical gas flow, vertebral layout, and volume-efficient packaging." In the 3V schema, oxygen and hydrogen flow from the top to the bottom of the fuel cell stack and the fuel cells are arranged vertically in the center tunnel for more efficient packaging of the fuel cells. With these improvements, the FCX fuel-cell car now has a driving range of 354 miles—a 30 percent improvement from the 2005 model—and a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour. The vehicle can driven in temperatures as low as minus 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The super-slick Honda FCX Concept has a long and ultra-low profile that is anything but vertical.
GM SequelThe Sequel is based on a design that puts all propulsion systems, steering, braking and chassis components packed into the car's 11-inch underbelly. By packing all the functionality into what the company calls a "skateboard" chassis, GM claims they'll have greater freedom for the car's interior and exterior design. GM has been working on the skateboard approach for a number of years, and the Sequel is apparently their breakthrough. With the company's advances in fuel cells, by-wire technology, and wheel hub motors, GM has doubled the range to 300 miles—on its hydrogen supply—and halved the 0-60 times to under ten seconds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
