| Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. | |
| Video: Chief TWIT Leo Laporte drives, digs the Chevy Volt
March 16, 2010 at 2:50 AM
|
| Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet  Leo Laporte learns about the Volt mobile app - Click to watch the video after the jump
Over this past weekend, thousands of the most influential geeks in America gathered in the middle of Texas for a huge party conference called South by Southwest Interactive. Being fully aware that most of these people are early adopters of new technology, Chevrolet took advantage of that fact to show off the Volt and offer some test drives. When it comes to selecting new gear and gadgets, few people in America have a louder microphone than Leo Laporte. Laporte is a long time radio and TV host who in recent years has built up one of the most popular podcast networks out there with his TWIT empire. On Saturday, Laporte and über-blogger/twitterer/video podcaster Robert Scoble had a chance to drive the Volt and came away very enthused. Scoble spent time burning rubber until he was asked to slow down by GM officials. Laporte said of the car, "The Chevy Volt is very sweet. Glad to see Detroit embracing the electric car." Laporte now seems intent on buying a Volt and he and Scoble discuss the car on episode #239 of This Week In Tech at about 40 minutes in. Check out video of Leo learning about the mobile app after the jump. [Source: Gimme Gimme My EV] Continue reading Video: Chief TWIT Leo Laporte drives, digs the Chevy Volt Video: Chief TWIT Leo Laporte drives, digs the Chevy Volt originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| Officially Official: Dyson-Mazda-Lola to run biobutanol blend in 2010 ALMS
March 16, 2010 at 2:01 AM
|
| Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, Mazda, Racing 
As expected, the Dyson Racing Team, MazdaSpeed and BP announced today that the Lola-Mazda cars will be running on a new blend of biobutanol and ethanol for the 2010 American Le Mans Series Season. The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), which handles the technical regulations for ALMS, put out a technical bulletin last week announcing that iBE20 had been approved for use in LMP-class cars this year. The Dyson team ran one of its two cars unclassified as a test during the last two races of the 2009 season.
iBE20 was developed by a partnership between BP and Dupont and is a blend of 20 percent biobutanol and 80 percent ethanol. The butanol is currently being produced from corn and sugarcane, but BP is developing processes to produce it from cellulosic feedstocks.
All photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Mazda]Continue reading Officially Official: Dyson-Mazda-Lola to run biobutanol blend in 2010 ALMS Officially Official: Dyson-Mazda-Lola to run biobutanol blend in 2010 ALMS originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| Toyota releases preliminary test results in "runaway Prius" case
March 16, 2010 at 12:57 AM
|
| Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Green Daily 
Second-gen Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res gallery
The latest update in the California 'Runaway Prius' case is the official word from Toyota. As promised, Toyota released the initial findings from its two-day examination of Jim Sikes' Prius and the conclusion is: WTF?
Toyota's full release is available after the jump, but the gist of it is that the things Sikes said happened don't seem to mesh with what the Toyota engineers were able to observe and analyze (earlier, we heard pretty much the same thing from the Department of Transportation). The engineers looked at the components involved and downloaded data from the vehicle, but did not find any diagnostic trouble codes. Then there's this:
Toyota engineers believe that it would be extremely difficult for the Prius to be driven at a continuous high speed with more than light brake-pedal pressure, and that the assertion that the vehicle could not be stopped with the brakes is fundamentally inconsistent with basic vehicle design and the investigation observations. Toyota hedges a bit by noting that a final report is still in process, but does say, "there are strong indications that the driver's account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis." Toyota also said there "should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8." This'll probably be the last we hear of this, don't you think?
[Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.]Continue reading Toyota releases preliminary test results in "runaway Prius" case Toyota releases preliminary test results in "runaway Prius" case originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| Report: Daimler and BYD's new electric vehicle will be sold under a new brand
March 16, 2010 at 12:02 AM
|
| Filed under: EV/Plug-in, China, Daimler, BYD 
BYD e6 electric MPV - Click above for high-res image gallery
The electric vehicle partnership between Daimler and BYD will spawn an electric car sporting a new brand badge in China. The two companies will also set up a research and development center in Shenzhen to work together on this new vehicle. A timeline for the vehicle's introduction remains a secret (if it even exists). A fleet made up of 100 units of BYD's first electric vehicle, the e6, is operating in Shenzhen as taxis.
Earlier this month, Daimler chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz Dieter Zetsche said that Daimler's EV architecture and BYD's battery technology and electric drive systems were "a perfect match." In May, 2009, Daimler entered into a partnership with Tesla Motors. BYD is also eying the U.S. as a potential market for its electric vehicles.
[Source: Ali Baba]Report: Daimler and BYD's new electric vehicle will be sold under a new brand originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| 2011 Infiniti M56 V8 returns 28.2 mpg in recent testing
March 15, 2010 at 11:04 PM
|
| Filed under: MPG, Infiniti 
2011 Infiniti M - Click above for high-res image gallery
If someone claimed that you could take a two-ton vehicle and stuff it with a 420 horsepower V8 yet still get over 28 miles per gallon, you may consider calling their bluff. But what if it turned out to be true?
Meet, again, the 2011 Infiniti M56 is rated at 420 hp and 417 pound-feet of torque. The 5.6-liter V8 resides within the 4,000-plus pound vehicle. Through the use of direct injection, as well as a driver-selectable Eco mode, this Intiniti can go from drag strip warrior to fuel economy champ thanks to a little button. Technically, the M56 fits into the sports sedan class but Infiniti saw an opportunity to offer something that few of its competitors do, an eco mode that boosts gas mileage to four cylinder levels. At the push of a button, the M56 becomes a fuel sipper. Eco mode is one of four driver-selectable modes: sport, standard, snow and eco. In eco mode, the throttle response is dampened considerably via the eco pedal. The eco pedal offers considerable resistance to driver input and encourages you to refrain from pushing on the accelerator with any amount of force. During a recent test drive, Ward's Auto noted that the pedal, though annoying, helped them achieve a remarkable 28.2 miles per gallon. For comparison purposes, Ward's also tested the lesser Infiniti M37 with eco mode engaged and only managed 26.8 mpg over the same loop. Engaging eco mode means sacrificing some of the vehicle's amazing power in return for efficiency untouched by comparable V8s, it also means that a Prius or two may pass you on the highway, but combining performance with the frugality of a Honda Civic into one single package is worth the sacrifice. [Source: Ward's Auto - sub. req.] 2011 Infiniti M56 V8 returns 28.2 mpg in recent testing originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| e-miglia to take electric rally through the Alps, €10,000 up for grabs
March 15, 2010 at 9:02 PM
|
| Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, On Two Wheels, Europe/EU, Racing 
During the the first half of the 20th century, automobile rallies such as the Mille Miglia, brought brand awareness and prestige to grand tourers bearing now-famous marques like Porsche, Ferrari and Bugatti. Beginning August 3rd, the e-miglia will attempt to do the same for electric transport with a rally that will see two, three and four-wheeled vehicles make their way through the picturesque Alps between Munich, Germany and Riva del Garda, Italy. Organized by the same folks behind the admittedly antithetical Transsyberia Rally, this new event will not be a mad dash through a continents-length of mud but rather maintain a focus on consistency and other objectives as participants make their way along public road! s. Well, mostly. There will be some "athletic challenges" during some stages on closed-off terrain.
The pursuit of the €10,000 purse ($13,738 at today's rate) over 660 kilometers (410 miles) is open to anyone with a licensed vehicle that falls into one of four classes (which include serial hybrids) capable of traveling 200 km (124 miles) a day. Registration for the 50 starting places starts now, with all the necessary information available at their website (albeit in German at the moment). We'll keep track of how this develops but for now you can check out the promotional video waiting after the jump.
[Source: e-miglia | Source Image: Earth explorer - C.C. License 2.0]
Continue reading e-miglia to take electric rally through the Alps, €10,000 up for grabs e-miglia to take electric rally through the Alps, €10,000 up for grabs originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments | | |
| Audi focuses on efficiency while updating R15 for Le Mans 2010
March 15, 2010 at 8:01 PM
|
| Filed under: Diesel, Audi, Racing  2010 Audi R15+ TDI - Click above for high-res image gallery
After being soundly defeated at Le Mans in 2009 for the first time in a decade, Audi went back to work on improving its then-still-fresh R15 TDI prototype. Race cars need to be able to run reliably and run long distances between fill-ups. For the 2010 edition of the 24 hours of Le Mans the team has produced what it is calling the R15+ with a focus on efficiency and not breaking. Reductions to boost limits and air restrictor sizes mean Audi had to re-calibrate its 5.5-liter diesel V10. In the process, they've managed to maintain its 590+ horsepower output while using less fuel.
For race cars that run at speeds of well over 200 miles per hour on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, aerodynamic efficiency is paramount. Race cars need down-force, but that typically comes at the cost of increased drag. Audi engineers have spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel over the past nine months and have devised a whole new front end for the R15+ that gives better down-force and a lower coefficient of drag. It should make for some interesting competition in France this June.
[Source: Audi]Continue reading Audi focuses on efficiency while updating R15 for Le Mans 2010 Audi focuses on efficiency while updating R15 for Le Mans 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments | | | | 
| This email was sent to jenniferpaulgossips.auto@blogger.com. Account Login
Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here
This email was carefully delivered by Feed My Inbox. 230 Franklin Road Suite 814 Franklin, TN 37064 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment