Recent Comments:
"Hypermiling" named New Oxford dictionary's Word of the Year {Autoblog Green}
Nov 12th 2008 5:25PM Don't forget the secondary definitions...
hypermiling
2. -v (in.) the method with which an individual or individuals' drive that subsequently causes the wanton destruction of other vehicles and/or other drivers' sanity due to incredibly low acceleration curves, especially during rush hour.
hypermiler
2. -n the negative connotation, most often spoken in great force with high levels of disdain and exasperation for the subject at which it is directed. Often observed when the subject target has just recently caused a multi-car pile-up in the middle of a busy intersection due to inadequate force being placed on the vehicle's accelerator pedal, thus disrupting the normal flow of traffic and ultimately adversely affecting the environment due to considerably increased periods of internal combustion engine idling.
Just the other side of the coin...
Officially, official: Chrysler's late 2010 electric vehicle lineup! {Autoblog Green}
Sep 23rd 2008 2:06PM Oh my... we do need to speak of costs, but a potential 'Tesla Killer' all electric AND an ER-EV Jeep?
Both are green-mirror replacements for my current vehicles.
Chrysler has just thrown a very very large hat into the ring... now can they wear it?
Gas panic rumor prompts Nashville to run out of gas {Autoblog Green}
Sep 23rd 2008 1:40PM Oftentimes it's a good idea to pay attention to some peoples' first-hand experience in the comments before displaying your complete ignorance of the subject matter.
Just a suggestion.
Gas panic rumor prompts Nashville to run out of gas {Autoblog Green}
Sep 22nd 2008 6:11PM Wow, did that go off topic. I was going to regale you with a little ground-zero story but maybe I need to interpret the constitution first...
Anyway, the general populace in Nashville pretty much despises the media and the gas companies for their shenanigans when it comes to Gulf-related natural disasters ever since Katrina. The day after the levees broke, we saw gouging in the range of 6+ dollars a gallon for no damn good reason other than there was some disaster somewhere. Ergo, Nashville has a great deal of disdain for high fuel costs because we *have* to drive everywhere. The whole region is fairly spread out, with a large number of people making long commutes from surrounding suburban areas. Mass transportation is virtually nonexistent and far too problematic.
Now then: here comes Ike... Ike is heading straight for Houston, where supposedly there are some refineries or something, I guess. EVERYONE PANIC!?!? Oh wait, no... no they didn't. No one panicked at all. There were a great deal of people that decided they would top off their tanks because they knew damn well that gas would SKYROCKET in price because of news reports and a natural disaster, gulf or no. So then you get a mild run on gas stations (not including myself) to top off before prices jump through the roof again. That mild run is interpreted as a panic, and what do you know? They raise fuel prices IMMEDIATELY, generating thousands of price-gouging reports and in response, a number of gas stations decide to shut down, saying they're out of gas. Half of the city's supply is essentially cut off by late afternoon Friday, which THEN creates hysteria for all the people who just really need to fill their tanks for everyday use. A snowball or three later and you have mile-long lines at the few stations that have decided they'll sell gas along with (supposedly) the occasional fist-fight. Meanwhile, people such as myself are stuck running on fumes, practically unable to leave the house (or unwilling because of the mess) wondering how they'll get to work on Monday.
If I didn't have a second vehicle ready to go with half of a tank, I wouldn't have made it to work myself.
Sad state of affairs, and somehow it's still all the consumers' fault.
Lutz gives Colbert a Volt in return for a jolt {Autoblog Green}
Sep 19th 2008 10:34AM Hey there, just a couple points for you:
Ever hear of a car called the EV1? Yeah, GM lost a ton of money on it.
Do you know what corporations do? Make money for their stockholders by making products that people will buy. Shockingly, the Volt will be in high demand!
Have a nice day!
Toyota still considering Prius sub-brand {Autoblog Green}
Sep 17th 2008 2:30PM I don't see why they would consider a Prius brand rather than an expanded Prius line with the Toyota badge. If they started a Prius brand, what then happens to their other hybrids under Toyota? Do they go back to all gasoline?
Why spend the extra money and resources on a separate brand when they sell just fine and have a green enough image as it is? Considering the way the market is moving, wouldn't they rather keep the green streak on the Toyota brand rather than making the company relation more obscure?
Current dealerships would either be left out in the cold or forced to chop Toyota inventory to carry the new brand as well; I don't see that being a very popular move as dealerships are having a hard enough time moving inventory as it is (unless your name is Mini).
Sounds like a great plan to me! ... for GM.
It's official, Flint engine plant to build Volt range extender {Autoblog Green}
Jul 31st 2008 9:35AM Though it helps when the guy making a rebuttal can type '40 mile range' instead of '20 mile range'.
No idea where 20 came from...
It's official, Flint engine plant to build Volt range extender {Autoblog Green}
Jul 30th 2008 6:10PM Where are you getting all of this?
1. The first paragraph just completely incorrect.
You are apparently assuming that battery technology has not been evolving since its commercial inception and is no longer continuing to evolve now. This cannot be further from the truth. Viable vehicles are made today that require no generator for a decent range. Please see: "Tesla Motors"
Capacitors can, are and will be used for peak bursts to an electric motor, even assuming they would be needed as battery technology progresses. Even now, batteries are handling high-current requirements for massive acceleration. No, you can't push 800 ft/lb of torque *continuously* and expect a long range, but this is no different than a gasoline engine in power vs. endurance. HOWEVER, an electric motor will be *capable* of sipping electrons or opening the flood gates as needed, where an internal combustion engine will need to be tailor-made (to a greater extent, anyway) for either application. Please see: "Killacycle" and "Bugatti Veyron"
An EV need not be all/four-wheel drive to benefit from 'effective' regenerative breaking. Granted, hub motors are more efficient for the effect, but are by no means a necessity. Please see: "Tesla Motors"
2. This is all misguided opinion. First, you fail to understand that the reason the 'masses' aren't all over the EV scene is because the EV must be practical. The Average Jane/Joe wants to be able to accommodate more than two people while having enough room in the trunk for a few bodies. They don't want to sacrifice what has become everyday amenities for great fuel efficiency. GM understands this and Toyota obviously understands this. On the technical speculation, the RE ICE in the Volt *will be* running in its power band to give its best power/consumption ratio since it will not directly power the vehicle. This is common sense! Also, lets say for the moment that the 4-cylinder's output would also push 50 horsepower. Four cylinders can more efficiently produce 50 horsepower than two larger ones as you'll have less of a gap in the stroke, require less fuel for each combustion cycle and have to push less-massive pistons. Concerning the batteries, this drive train has been built from the ground up as an EV with a range extender. It will be *made* to handle sudden peak currents. Further, from the very beginning of GM's Volt PR campaign, they have promised a 20 mile range without any generator usage. That will be well over five minutes.
The Volt power train is ALREADY being tested in Malibu-based mules. This is old news (that you can find right here on ABG!) They had two battery suppliers working in parallel and last I remember, have all but signed the dotted line with one of the manufacturers.
You either have some bad sources of information or else completely non-existent ones.
Shed a tear. Tesla Roadster crashed in San Francisco {Autoblog Green}
Jul 29th 2008 6:21PM Speed does not factor into the equation.
~3300 lb. Camry -> 2,700 lb. Tesla -> 3200 lb. Mercedes
Camry rear-ends Tesla because they're NOT PAYING ATTENTION regardless of speed, and easily pushes the low-riding, light-weight Tesla under the relatively high-bumpered Mercedes. The front-end of the Tesla acts like a ramp.
Inattentive, distracted, impaired and unskilled drivers are the cause of 99% of 'speed-related' crashes. If people would *drive* instead of talking, eating, applying makeup, reading newspapers, messing with their radios, shaving, turning around to mouth at children and generally just spacing out while driving, we wouldn't have to worry about speed limits because people would be able to anticipate potentially hazardous situations by actually paying attention to their surroundings and god forbid, using proper discretion.
New GM ads focus on fuel economy {Autoblog Green}
Jul 10th 2008 5:13PM Let me add my personal GM mileage...
'07 Solstice GXP (2.0L Turbo, 5-speed)
EPA rated the GXP it at 19/28
I do ALL city driving; no highway/interstate at all.
I am lead-footed and completely insane behind the wheel. (But I'm good at it and I make rush-hour fun!)
Average over the last two fill-ups: 25 mpg. This is by manual calculation, which matches the on-board meter.
If I was driving a relatively constant speed on the interstate or a highway, I would be in the mid-to-upper 30s. If I drove like the other Slowskies around town, probably 27-29.
Looks like the EPA hates GM too.
