1st DIAS International Forging Forum in Detroit - March 26th
DIAS announces its first technical symposia highlighting technological experts from Japan. Presentations will be in English, followed by professional networking for automotive attendees and tour of the Auto Salon center 03/18/2008
New Frontier Renewable Energy LLC, Invests In Adura Systems
Barry Jennings, CEO of New Frontier Renewable Energy LLC joins Advisory Board upon investment in Adura Systems, a leading California clean technology provider of fuel efficienct Serial Hybrid solutions for the bus and truck markets 02/11/2008
ACC Extended Warranty Coverage for RV, Limousine, Shuttle, and Bus Conversions
ACC Warranty Services Expands Warranty Consulting in the RV, Motorhome, Bus Conversion and Limousine Markets. Increases in the Used RV Motorhome Extended Warranty market topped 30 percent in 2007 while the industry as a whole is in steep decline. 11/09/2007
The TomTom One 130 and TomTom One 130S mark a new beginning for the company's line of basic GPS. You still get TomTom's hallmark ease of use and community features, but the portable navigation systems now boast more compact designs as well as ...
While some concept cars look as if they come from a future that never will be, others represent cars that will actually go into production. We've gathered the most realistic concept cars from the last auto show season to see how the near ...
What do you get when you decide that a bicycle needs only one main wheel while declaring that the seat and handles are useless? You get the Magic Wheel, which functions like a foot scooter but looks a little like an Andy Warhol installation.
Fiat's massive advertisement shows off the minuscule 500.
(Credit: Fiat)
Last year Fiat built a mammoth version of its new Fiat 500 mini car for the Frankfurt auto show, and now, in a fit of more size-conscious advertising, Fiat put up a mammoth advertising display for the tiny ...
With the Brisbane SD48, Blaupunkt is proving that it can make car stereos for the digital age. As a testament to the migration of mobile music from CDs to digital files, the system features an SD-card slot, a USB ...
CIQ Inc. /Voisys, an 800 and Internet based lead generation system serving the automotive non-prime, prime and lease markets, today announced the release of Voisys Mobile. This instant communication medium allows auto dealers to put a text message into the hands of a customer or prospect within seconds with such information as sales specials, rebate incentives, service offers or purchase incentives. It enables auto dealers to get appropriate information to prospective car shoppers at the correct time to turn them into car buyers. (PRWeb May 12, 2008)
RedNumbat, the company that introduced their groundbreaking pricing software for car dealers in 2007, has announced their newest innovation, The GreenNumbat. Using RedNumbat's proprietary, patented technology The GreenNumbat will allow dealer website shoppers to search and price only those vehicles which are designated EPA SmartWay and SmartWay Elite, or consumers may choose to search by EPA fuel economy. Either way, web visitors can now "Get Your Price in Seconds!" using GreenNumbat. (PRWeb May 12, 2008)
Culligan uses Vehiclepath to set up a state of the art time management system. Employees no longer have to come to the office to clock in or out. They can do it remotely from their truck saving fuel and time. (PRWeb May 12, 2008)
Samsung rose to second position in the global handset market in 2007, selling more than 161 million units, up 42 per cent year on year and more than three times the industry growth rate. The company aims to cross the 200 million mark this year.
RideSearch.com Launches a New Carpool Networking Site for 2008
RideSearch.com, a commuter networking site focused on carpooling, has recently launched. The site serves as a groundbreaking communications platform for users looking to find a carpool and save gas, money and the planet. 01/01/2008
ACC Extended Warranty Coverage for RV, Limousine, Shuttle, and Bus Conversions
ACC Warranty Services Expands Warranty Consulting in the RV, Motorhome, Bus Conversion and Limousine Markets. Increases in the Used RV Motorhome Extended Warranty market topped 30 percent in 2007 while the industry as a whole is in steep decline. 11/09/2007
Anti-Steering Legislation: Will They Get It Straight?
Anti-Steering Legislation. Most drivers have never heard of such a thing. Is this a new law banning Big Macs while driving? This may be a disgusting sight but no, this... Thu, 08 May 2008 11:28:37 +0200
40 year old DIYer
It's never too late to take charge of your auto repair and maintenance. This new DIYer is diving right in:
Hello Matt, I just turned 40 and it seems like my... Fri, 02 May 2008 17:37:52 +0200
Wife Swap a Better Idea Than Diesel
We're all fed up with gas prices. This is old news. Some of us are so fed up we're willing to go to great lengths to ease the pain. This... Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:51:20 +0200
Give Earth Day the Recharge
Today is Earth Day. So here we are, the ones who keep one of the environment's biggest enemies functional, trying to figure out what we can do to recognize this... Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:22:49 +0200
Car Stereo Cut Outs and Other Bad Harmonies
This letter comes from a very frustrated Probe owner who recently installed a new car stereo. Stereos can do weird stuff, as you can see by Jeff's story:
I recently bought... Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:10:41 +0200
President Bush, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the big automakers agree on this much: They love hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology and its promise of a zero-emission, petroleum-free future.
Unfortunately, experts say it will be 40 years or more before hydrogen has any meaningful impact on gasoline consumption or global warming, and we can't afford to wait that long. In the meantime, fuel cells are diverting resources from more immediate solutions.
"As a climate strategy, it's not very good," said Dr. Joseph Romm, executive director of the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions and author of The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate. "We don't have the time."
Climate experts and alternative-fuel researchers, including some hydrogen proponents, agree that hydrogen is at best a long-term solution. In the short and medium term, however, other technologies offer far greater benefit at far less cost: Cleaner internal combustion engines, hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Some worry that these near-term solutions are being short-changed. But hydrogen advocates counter that the answer isn't cutting hydrogen funding, but increasing funding for research into a wide variety of alternatives to oil.
"The few million we're spending to change our energy policy is like sending one platoon to Normandy," said Paul Williamson, director of the Hydrogen and Alternative Energy Research and Development program at the University of Montana. "It's just not going to happen."
Many hurdles remain to be cleared before hydrogen is a viable source of energy -- not the least of which are making, storing and distributing it on a large scale. Meeting these challenges will require, in the words of several hydrogen proponents, a "Manhattan Project"-level of research and funding. And we're a long way from the hydrogen economy President Bush envisioned in his 2003 State of the Union.
The transition has begun though, and California is leading the way even as it keeps relaxing the rule dictating how many electric and hydrogen vehicles automakers must build. There are 175 fuel cell vehicles in California and more coming. Honda will begin leasing its hydrogen-powered Clarity FCX this summer and General Motors will put its Equinox fuel cell vehicles in 100 driveways this year. Hyundai plans to begin mass-producing fuel cells cars in 2012, and GM -- which has invested more than $1 billion in hydrogen -- says it will have 1,000 vehicles on the road in California by 2014.
But few people expect to see fuel cell vehicles in showrooms before 2020, and we won't see any large-scale benefit from them until 30 years after that.
"2050 is when hydrogen might -- might -- have a significant impact," said John Heywood, director of the Sloan Automotive Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The timeline has more to do with economics than science. There are roughly 240 million vehicles in America and about 16 million new vehicles sold each year. That means it takes about 15 years to turn over the fleet. But it takes even longer for new technologies to penetrate the market.
Heywood cites hybrids as an example. They may seem ubiquitous, but after 10 years, hybrids accounted for just 2.2 percent of domestic auto sales last year. Run the numbers and Heywood estimates fuel cell vehicles will need 25 years to make up 35 percent of new vehicle sales and 20 years beyond that to get to 35 percent of the U.S. fleet.
We can't wait that long. Scientists increasingly agree that industrialized nations must cut greenhouse gas emissions as much as 80 percent by 2050 if we are to curb global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency says fuel economy may have to rise to 75 mpg within 30 years to hit that target. California law requires easing emissions even further than that by 2050. Hitting these targets will require putting 379,000 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2020 and 7.6 million by 2050, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Hydrogen critics argue that plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are the answer. But electricity brings its own challenges. Plug-in technology can cut fuel consumption by up to 62 percent, but it adds $8,000 to $11,000 to the cost of the car, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (.pdf). EVs like the Subaru R1e and Mitsubishi's MiEV have a range of no more than 100 miles. The Tesla Roadster gets 220 miles and charges in about 3½ hours, but it costs $98,000 and its lithium-ion battery pack which weighs 1,000 pounds.
"The reality is, as much as everyone in the industry has hoped for affordable, high energy batteries, they don't exist yet," said Ron Cogan, editor of GreenCar.com and Green Car Journal. "We're not there yet with battery electric vehicles or hydrogen. We're on a path to both."
And we'll need both if we're to address global warming and our dependence on oil, climate experts say. Even critics like Romm aren't suggesting we scrap hydrogen entirely. For all its challenges, hydrogen still presents the opportunity, however distant, for a sustainable source of energy that can displace petroleum.
For now, the issue isn't electrics or hydrogen but electrics and hydrogen.
"Given that timeline and the number of vehicles we're talking about, we have to keep working on battery electric vehicle and fuel cell vehicles at the same time," said Spencer Quong of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Both of them have huge challenges, and if we don't work on both of them, we won't meet our objectives."
Mon, 12 May 2008 01:00:00 GMT
The Car of the Future Will Know You Can't Drive
A Stanford University professor wants to make cars that know what you're up to. The technology will make it easier for your car to protect you -- and for insurers and advertisers to hassle you.
Toilet Busted, Biodiesel Everywhere, But Eco-Boat Sails On
The eco-geeks aboard the carbon-neutral, biodiesel-powered Earthrace trimaran have completed the first leg of their trip around the world. And they're on pace to do it in record time.
Now GPS Can Tell You Where the Cops Are
Thanks to the wonders of Web 2.0 and Google Maps, your navigation system can tell you where Johnny Law and those infernal traffic cameras are hiding.
Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.3
Table of contents for Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.2Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.3 Then the block is lifted and turned around, so that the hole is finalized to the perfect size from the other side.
This is the [...] Wed, 07 May 2008 12:25:31 +0000
Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.2
Table of contents for Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.2Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.3 In the line hole of main bearing saddle in one the blocks came first. The main cap will be removed, in couple of thousands [...] Mon, 05 May 2008 12:09:58 +0000
Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building
Table of contents for Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine BuildingCylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.2Cylinder Block Machining Video - Engine Building Pt.3 Hello speedsters. Have you ever been wonder what kind of material is used to make your cars engine? Or how the engines are made, [...] Sat, 03 May 2008 12:48:58 +0000
Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.3
Table of contents for Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel DepositsCar Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel DepositsCar Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.2Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.3 You have the feeling of pooping the accelerator and getting no acceleration. Of course fuel and air are inseparably linked [...] Fri, 02 May 2008 11:13:24 +0000
Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.2
Table of contents for Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel DepositsCar Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel DepositsCar Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.2Car Doctor Shares Inside Information on Fuel Deposits Pt.3 Today engine do have a tendency to get congested with the deposits.
And the source of those deposits is actually, a [...] Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:17 +0000