I edged the nose of the new Toyota Prius to turn onto the busy thoroughfare. I felt small and insignificant. No one could hear me, quiet as a church mouse with the super silent engine. I prayed no one whizzed by and missed me as I leaped forward into the blind spot. And on a few separate occasions, one of our test car drivers left a quiet hybrid running. He couldn’t hear it. Hence the latest quagmire of new technology — the too silent engine. For years, car companies have thrown money into making quieter luxury cars, and now that hybrid and electric engines have achieved that goal it’s back to the drawing board.
The New York Times reported on a precarious side effect of the hydrogen-hybrid industry — cars that are too quiet. That got me to thinking after chatting with a New York based music producer friend who works for Sirius/XM — why not produce automotive sounds? It could be a sample-based MP3. While you may not have the money or gas guzzler conscious to drive a Shelby GT500 or fully-loaded Dodge Ram, you could sound like one. In fact, tuning could become a whole new form of tune. Or perhaps there’s room for customization here –personalized car tunes. In fact, Henrik Fisker equipped the Fisker Karma with bumper noises quelled from Hollywood sound effect studios.
The article reports that Nissan is also in talks with the film industry on sounds for the Leaf battery-electric vehicle, and Toyota is engaged with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Federation of the Blind and the Society of Automotive Engineers on making faux-sounds. “One possibility is choosing your own noise,” said Nathalie Bauters, a spokeswoman for BMW’s Mini division.
The NY Times article also quoted Toyota spokesman, John Hanson. “I don’t know of any injuries related to this, but it is a concern. We are moving rapidly toward broader use of electrification in vehicles, and it’s a fact that these cars are very quiet and could pose a risk to unsighted people.”
While Hollywood is one avenue, there’s a quite a few Detroit producers who could reproduce sounds. The only question is, will they need to license the sample? Or will it be a new ProTools option? Perhaps someone should call Detroit producer Nick Speed — Speed knows sounds.
When it comes to the hybrid game, Toyota leads the pack, and with its latest intro, continues to set the place. The 2010 Toyota Prius is on the prowl, ready to throw a wrench in everyone else’s hybrid game. Put-putting along at low speeds to achieve maximum fuel economy, the Prius takes the hobby to a whole new interactive level, with technology that is accessible and easy to operate, and endless mpg streaming. (We’ve heard 70 mpg rumors, but unfortunately we don’t have the eco-minded patience to achieve such feats in the Gotryke Garage.) We spent a week in the Prius, being regular, which is at the end of the day what most Prius owners will do, averaging about 50 mpg. That means conducting errands in busy traffic, and making cross-town jaunts to art events and practical stops at grocery stores. We even tested the baby seat and stroller component with our starring backseat 1-yr old evaluator. Truth be told, the baby factor sometimes knocks small cars out of the game, with proportions that cancel out the passenger’s hope of leg room. For a small contender, the Prius survived our gear test. So what do we think about the looks and feel?
It’s a whole new look for the Prius in 2010, but it still looks like, eh, a Prius – a space-age four-door hatchback that seats five people, or three adults and one baby seat. [click to continue…]
I’m all too happy zipping around metro Detroit in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, soaking up the better days of June. The secret of Detroit is late June. June always finds a way to sneak up with its big, gaping blue skies, rising thermometers and the lush rose petals peeking out. For these stalwart Michigan folks that have endured an especially hard winter, June is relief and refuge. June is weddings, graduations, endings. June is when real summer begins and life is best savored.
In many ways, the Fusion Hybrid is the right car for this June — it feels warm, inviting, familiarity mingling with possibility — exactly what this town and the people who drive it’s cars need. I feel it on 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills at the bank, in a sea of big white SUVs at the AMC Livonia on Saturday night and on 7 Mile at Marygrove College. Here is a low key sensation — not too opulent, but with just enough mustard to stand out from the econo-set.
The Fusion Hybrid is not flashy, nor is it polarizing, nor mysterious. Fusion Hybrid is a functional gas engine electric hybrid, which in theory, aligns it with everything a well designed car should be. Form meets function. TheeExterior is low key and refined, no obnoxious bulbous slopes or odd-ball LED headlights. On the inside, Fusion is clean in a way that a hybrid needs to be, starting with the gauges.
Hybrid drivers need to know their fuel economy. When big trucks fly by with big horsepower, the satisfaction of driving a hybrid is dervied by the magic number on the gauge boasting high fuel economy. Without even trying to drive mindfully (slow acceleration, easy on the brakes) I averaged 38 mpg. (The company boasts a range of 41/36 mixing highway and city.) Ford has outfoxed Toyota and Chevy in this class.
To find out where I was at required no switches to flick or Nav system fiddling, just a quick glance near my speedometer serving as a gentle reminder that I was out for the Earth and my pocket, too, in this aggressive driving town.
What counterbalances the fuel economy feeling is a healthy, responsive engine cranking out solid 0 to 60 mph numbers (under 8 seconds), and here lies another Fusion feature that gets high marks. Hybrid driving should not feel like a golf cart. Otherwise, I might as well all jump on a bike and sweat it out to get somewhere on time.
And while the extra $3300 is a hard sell in a tough economy, I think it’s like everything else. It takes patience and time to get in the game. Eventually when those gas bills creep up, when Al Gore makes a compelling sequel, or when Obama opts for tax credits that compensate, this sort of expense will make sense. Some of us will be happy enough to sit on seats made out of recycled material, soaking up the June UV rays, quietly cruising the streets.
Come on Detroit haters, got to give the Blue Oval a gold star on product planning. Jerry Garrett from NYTimes.com and I are in agreement on this one.
The electric minivan is the automaker’s first product from its ENVI electric vehicle division that is intended for production as a fleet vehicle. It is a joint product with the U.S. Postal Service, although the two have not yet signed an agreement to produce electric versions of a cargo van for the parcel service company.
ENVI has already produced five prototypes, which have been unveiled on the auto show circuit. The only other all-electric vehicle is the Dodge Circuit sports car with a Lotus Europa body and Dodge styling cues.
The other four have been extended-range electric vehicles, meaning they have gasoline engines to extend the range of the batteries from 40 miles to about 400 miles.
Via DetNews [click to continue…]
General Motors has approved production of the stunning Cadillac Converj, its extended-range electric-powered coupe based on the Chevrolet Volt’s Voltec architecture. GM brass wants the car on the road by 2011, making it a 2012 model. The Converj is going to feature a 16 kW lithium ion battery that will propel it for 40 miles and a 1.4 liter four cylinder engine to recharge whenever needed.
via flylfy [click to continue…]
The $85 million is the final investment that Fisker needs, Henrik Fisker said, to go into the final phase of production for the Karma. The first cars are slated to hit the streets late this year with production going into full swing in 2010.
So with the car receiving high praise publicly, with pre-orders going over a year in advance now, and a new model to come out in 2011, this final round of funding couples with the establishment of nearly 40 national retailers to put Fisker into the driver’s seat.
The Liv Inizio is coming. The super car comes in two version. The more powerful cars has a 240 mph top speed and a whopping 1000 horsepower V-12 that runs off of lithium and ethanol. And, oh yeah, the interior is designed to comfortably squeeze in a driver with Shaquille O’Neal’s frame. The all-electric version has a top speed of 160 mph, a 200 mile range and takes 6 to 8 hours to charge. The body is carbon fiber and the roof is removable. Sound too good to be true? Check out Hybrid Technologies display at the LA Auto Show for the car that will be delivered to customers in 2009.
Hybrid Technologies has a vision for the future — and its building it now. For years the small Mooresville, North Carolina based company has worked with lithium batteries to develop an array of electric vehicles. Cars, choppers, scooters, wheel chairs and military vehicles are developed by the 43 employees at this 40,000 square-foot R & D facility that used to be a NASCAR garage.
The majority of the vehicles are not actual “hybrids,” but are full lithium electric powered. When hybrid power is used the company experiments with lithium combined with solar electricity instead of gasoline engines that are used in current production hybrids. Each vehicle has on-board charges, meaning that you can plug in anywhere. “You don’t have to have a special station installed in your house,” engineer Ron Cerven says. “The dryer outlet will charge your car overnight.”
Last week at malls around the world, shop vendors stood outside their shops on the lookout for potential customers. But there were none. Most people today are finding ways to save their money instead of using it. Dispensable expenses, such as that new bag or mobile phone you wanted, are postponed or abstained from. But there are other, more subtle, yet efficient ways of stopping those bills to fly out of your wallet. One example is how changing your driving style can affect your car’s fuel consumption.
EcoDriving is a way of driving that saves money, lives and the environment. Sounds almost too good to be true, so how does it work?
Omed Hamlan is an certificated EcoDriving teacher at the Traffic School of Heden in Gothenburg, Sweden, (and also the man who successfully coached me to a driver’s license this fall) and spoke to GoTryke.com about his experiences and knowledge about the EcoDriving program.
GT: Omed, you teach EcoDriving at your school, could you tell us more about it?
OH: I teach students how to drive in a more economic way, saving both money and time. On average, my students use 13% less fuel after taking the course, and another positive effect is that they drive more safely, and save time, since they learn how to plan and be more conscious about their driving. My average pupil saves around 3-5 minutes when driving for 25 minutes. In my opinion, there are only advantages to EcoDriving: our nature, health and economy are benefiting from it.
GT: What can you do to decrease your fuel consumption?
OH: To decrease their fuel consumption, I teach students not to have unnecessary luggage in the car, or drive with empty roof boxes or roof racks. Everything that creates extra air resistance costs more money. It is also important to be aware of the tire pressure, and of the tires’ condition. Another word of advice is not to wait too long to overhaul the car for scheduled maintenance, because the car will not last as many years and use fuel less efficiently. The block heater is another great invention for saving money and the environment; you can use it until the temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius.) Your car will last longer and a hot engine consumes less fuel than a cold one. Also, back into a parking lot when you know you will leave the car for a couple of hours. When you back in with a cold engine your car uses an extreme amount of fuel, and all the harmful substances go straight into the air since although you might have a catalytic converter, it doesn’t work on a cold engine.
GT: Which cars do you recommend?
OH: It is difficult to say which cars are the best, but most manufacturers are producing more environmentally friendly cars. However, today we have electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and flex-fuel cars, which use both ethanol and gasoline. Those cars are clearly discharging less greenhouse gas emissions. My car is a flex-fuel car that holds 50 liters. If I use only gas, I can drive 700-800 kilometers ,while if I use ethanol I can drive 500-550 kilometers. Driving on gas is a bit cheaper and the use of ethanol is also a political question partly because of the food versus fuel debate. So it is a difficult question, and a political choice.
GT: Those are useful things to have in mind. So what are the most common mistakes people do when driving?
OH: They drive in a low gear in high speeds. They accelerate too much, although the car can handle a lower gear than they think. The lowest gear is the most expensive and least environmentally friendly gear. Don’t use it for more than 1-2 car lengths. It is also common for people to start their car 5 minutes before leaving in the morning. They think it is better for the car but on the contrary it only wears it out. Just start the car and drive.
In general, following this advice will result in lowered fuel consumption and a car that holds for more miles on the road. That’s a lot of money you can save there.
Thank you Omed for sharing your advices with us. If you want to find out more about EcoDriving, there are useful websites with more tips and information: EcoDriving USA.com ECODRIVE.org Driving Change.
Woosh! Like a jet engine the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell comes to the life with a gentle push of a button. If I close my eyes, I can imagine that my spaceship is ascending into the skies above. Feet on the ground (and wheels too!) here I am safely in Brooklyn, driving what looks to be the average family-size small SUV, but in some ways this is space-aged stuff. It could be the next way we get in our cars and go.
As the race to make cleaner, leaner and greener vehicles consumes automakers, legislators and earth-minded citizens, the rare treat of test driving a hydrogen crossover is a good way to put theory to test. Are we ready for a vehicle with zero emissions and all the space a family of four could hope for? The answer depends on how much time and planning a driver is willing to invest while the future catches up to the present.
The Equinox driving experience was fascinating if not a bit freaky — all those noises and the silent creep as hydrogen fueled my takeoff. When the small green light gave me the go ahead after a few seconds, I was ready to roll. I gingerly pulled out as this new technology took some adjusting as the Equinox started to feel more like a car.
The biggest deterrent to driving hydrogen is — and most likely will continue to be — a lack of availability. While the Equinox drove smoothly, my range was limited to 150 miles. My GM driving relationship manager informed me that when I reached less than 50 miles, I would have to trek up to Westchester County to refuel. The painstaking customer service of the GM group responsible for such loans made this task accommodating. But of course this helpful service would not be possible if I were one of thousands rather than one of 100 in the world driving and fueling a fuel cell vehicle. And, while I was in possession of the test Equinox one of the two area stations was down in service.
While, it seems like the obvious answer for more stations to open, the likelihood of that happening has cost barriers and supply issues. But wouldn’t it be great if we could all have a personal driving relationship manager? Sounds like the next step after life coach. I’ll settle for a bridge to somewhere – the electric Chevy Volt — coming soon in 2010 with the promise of a new sustenance.
Here’s me trying to look wealthy and nonchalant. While, this act might not work so well on me, that’s what’s required to invade the psyche of the 2009 Lexus 600h L buyer. The super lux Lex is akin to a private jet that operates on bio-fuel. Who buys a $115,000 plus car and tauts conservation? (That was the price tag on my tester) anyway? Those that can, silly. And in these days while the good money crowd is dwindling, the superior luxury riders stand out. Think of this driver as those that roam on the next level of social elitism, or else are oil tycoons (with a guilty conscious.)
Hence, here’s a sedan that makes virtually no sense. But then again who are righteous environmentalists to judge anyways? And if approached from the assumption that this car is about the possibilities and potentials, and has nothing to do with logic, reality or reducing conspicuous consumption, 600h introduces an interesting inflection to the conversation on greener luxury. It weighs a hefty 5219 pounds and chokes down a 438 hp V8 and moves around at a measly 20 mpg. Even the big ole’ Cadillac Escalade hybrid gets better numbers. And yes, a smaller gasoline engine car can almost double these epa stats. While all of this has been pointed out, it’s not like the release of this sexy beast is singlehandedly blasting the market. Think of this car as a diamond-studded stepping stone to a perfect planet.
While only 2000 were built of the 2008, 2009 ventures into ultra exclusive editions with the recent run of 50 limited edition Pebble Beach rides.
The Pebble Beach LS 600h is made with truffle mica exterior paint, two-tone alabaster, black leather and maple wood trim. Also included are Pebble Beach accents and illuminated blue scuff plates. All logic set aside, let’s discuss driving the 600h. It’s damn fun, roaring down the street making passerbys money mean green with envy. I probably had more fun in this Lexus than any other in their model lineup, savoring the silence of the still hybrid and all that brash power as I sunk in sumptuous leather. And it felt like the needle on the gas tank never budged. While the 600h is undeniably enchanting to drive, the work is in itself a statement, of how the trend-conscious wealthy aspire toward high-end greenery.
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