Monday, April 29, 2013

Five myths about electric cars


The troubles of electric-car-maker Fisker Automotive have fueled another round of debate about whether plug-ins can live up to their promises. The California start-up, which had already halted production and laid off most of its employees, missed a US federal loan payment last week and told a congressional hearing that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. This is probably the end of the road for Fisker. But definitely not for electric cars. Let me dispel some of the myths.
1. The electric car is dead.
This myth is partly my fault, perpetuated by the title of my 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car?
The signs back then weren't promising. Under pressure from car companies and other lobbyists, California rolled back its Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate, which had helped get nearly 5000 electric cars on the road.
The change in the regulation freed carmakers to round up the cars they had leased - and then surreptitiously crush them.
Thankfully, it takes more than a crusher to kill a technology. Today, almost all the major automakers, along with a cast of new players, are investing in and building plug-in cars. California's mandate has also made a comeback, and other states are considering similar rules.
Fisker's struggles can be attributed, in part, to the fact that start-ups in any industry have a high rate of failure, and launching a start-up in the automotive sector is especially expensive.
Tesla Model S
That makes it all the more impressive that Fisker's rival Tesla turned a quarterly profit this year.

A new report from IEE, part of the Edison Foundation, projects that between 5 million and 30 million electric cars will be on US roads by 2035.
''The electrification of the vehicle fleet is a foregone conclusion,'' says former GM vice chairman (and former electric-car-basher) Bob Lutz.
Economics, politics and technology all played a role in the turnaround. Soaring gas prices in 2008 got everyone complaining.
US manufacturers, stuck with large inventories of low-mileage SUVs and facing bankruptcy, watched with envy as Toyota rode the buzz from its Prius hybrid to become the world's No. 1 carmaker.
The chief executives of Detroit's Big Three further reassessed after being chastised for flying corporate jets to congressional bailout hearings in November 2008. When they returned to Washington two weeks later, they arrived in electric hybrids. Since then, partly with the help of government loans (some already repaid), electric-car technology has made big strides.

2. Electric cars can't get people where they need to go.


I've been driving electric cars for 15 years and have yet to run out of power.
But ask people what their biggest hesitation is about electric vehicles, and they're most likely to say something about the cars leaving them stranded. This myth is so pervasive that General Motors applied to trademark the name for it: ''range anxiety.''
A controversial New York Times test drive in February of Tesla's Model S, which ended up needing a tow to a charging station, seemed to confirm the fear.
But that test drive - covering more than 500 miles (800km) in temperatures as low as 10 degrees Farenheit (-12 degrees Celsius) - was not your everyday trip.
The average American drives fewer than 40 miles (64km) a day. That's well within the 75-mile-plus (121km) range of most electric cars. And while batteries do run down faster in extreme cold, on a normal day Tesla's Model S can go as far as 265 miles (426km) on a single charge.The answer to range anxiety for many carmakers is the plug-in hybrid, an electric car with a back-up petrol engine. The Chevrolet Volt, the Toyota Prius Plug-In and the Ford C-Max Energi all use electric power for the first 20 to 50 miles (32km to 80km) and then switch to petrol for longer trips.
3. Charging is a headache.
Charging an electric car can be as simple as plugging it into a wall outlet. But AC outlet charging is slow, taking between eight and 24 hours. So it's not usually the method of first resort.

That's why most plug-ins are sold with charging docks that work in a home garage and can charge a car in four to eight hours, allowing drivers to treat their cars like their cellphones: topping them off periodically or charging them up overnight.
Electric car charging
I didn't have my own garage when I first leased an electric car, so I often used a public charging station within walking distance of my home.
There are now 5734 public stations in the United States, many with multiple charging points. The newest generation will charge your car nearly 10 times faster than home stations and 50 times faster than an AC outlet.
Tesla just installed several of these supercharger stations on the East and West coasts, and Nissan recently announced plans to install 500 in the coming months.


4. Electric cars aren't any better for the environment.
Electric cars have clear environmental benefits: They don't require petrol, they don't pollute from tailpipes, and they operate at 80 per cent efficiency (versus about 20 per cent for internal-combustion engines).


Sceptics will cite a 2012 report from the Union of Concerned Scientists as evidence that electric cars aren't as green as some people make them out to be. That study correctly notes that cars powered by coal-generated electricity are little better for the environment than small petrol-powered cars. But the same report concludes that ''consumers should feel confident that driving an electric vehicle yields lower global warming emissions than the average new compact petrol-powered vehicle.'' That's because only 39 per cent of US electricity comes from coal.
With the retirement of old power plants and the addition of cleaner energy sources, electric cars will have even greater advantages for the environment.
Another environmental concern is about batteries. Won't they end up in landfills like billions of disposable batteries do? The answer is no. Even petrol-car batteries avoid that fate when they are exchanged and recycled. And electric-car batteries are valuable as energy-storage devices after life on the road. Backup power systems for utilities, businesses and homes create a secondary market for these batteries before their elements are recycled.


5. Most people will never be able to afford an electric car.
At US$102,000, the base price of a 2012 Fisker Karma was clearly beyond the reach of most drivers. Tesla, too, was critiqued for the assumptions built into its recent claim that a Model S could be leased for $500 a month. (The Washington Post calculated that the monthly cost would be closer to US$1000.)
Electric Mercedes SLS
 But these two luxury cars have targeted the high-end market. By contrast, the cost of leasing a Nissan Leaf (US$199 a month with US$1999 down) is equivalent to leasing a compact petrol car such as the Mazda3 - except you don't have to pay for petrol.
Keeping electric car sticker prices from dropping right now are low production volumes and the cost of batteries. But a 2012 McKinsey report estimates that the price of lithium-ion batteries could fall dramatically by 2020.
As the cost of electric-car technology trends downward and the price of oil trends upward, electric cars should prove the more affordable and, based on my experience, more enjoyable choice.

*Chris Paine is a filmmaker whose documentaries include Who Killed the Electric Car?, Charge and Revenge of the Electric Car.
-Washington Post



Taken from:

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Volskwagen & Apple work together for incorporating an iPhone to the Beetle


The emblematic Volkswagen Beetle now integrates all functions of the Apple iPhone. This application will be installed as standard on coupe and convertible versions from 2014.


Time after the death of Steve Jobs, a company executive confirmed that Apple´s genius had among his projects, the creation of a smart car that could be called iCar, an idea that Jobs could not even sketch.
Approaching the realization of this vision, Apple in association with Volkswagen Beetle model, reflected in a car with new support for the iPhone, which also integrated the functions of the device in the vehicle by applying Volkswagen 'The Beetle Car Net'. This way, your smartphone is connected to iBeetle functions through the implementation and its docking station, making it the first VW Group model to use the iPhone as an integral component. 

Beetle-iPhone interface will be offered as an accessory or two future series for coupe and convertible Beetle. Both the device and its connector 'docking station' are located in the center of the dashboard and according to the German designers,all iPhone functions are accessible from a single call or voice commands to navigate and listen to music, among others.

Applying The Beetle Volkswagen Car Net can be used with the phone attached to the base or not, and the main menu will offer features such as Spotify, Coach, Reader, Photos, or Post, among others, so that passengers also are part of experience listening playlists, accessing Facebook or Twitter messages, taking pictures or send the location to your contacts.

FACT:
The iBeetle will be the first vehicle with a device integration for iPhone to be presented in early 2014 and will be available in coupe and convertible versions.

From:

Thursday, April 25, 2013

STOP DREAMING, THE SPORT SUV YOU WANTED IS HERE


The redesigned 2013 Ford Escape impresses test drivers with its engaging performance and overall refinement. Some even say it’s the best compact crossover on the market because it does so many things well.
According to test drivers, the difference between the all-new 2013 Ford Escape and the previous generation is pretty dramatic. Gone is the boxy Escape, and in its place is a curvy crossover that many critics say is a top choice in the class for being practical, high-tech and fun to drive. Inside, the 2013 Escape has good cargo space, though it doesn’t have as much as family-focused rivals like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Test drivers also say the cabin has a quality look and feel, and report that there’s comfortable seating for all but the tallest passengers.

The Ford Escape is the 2013 Best Compact SUV for the Money because it has the best combination of ownership costs and positive reviews in its class.
The 2013 Escape earns a strong safety score, and comes with a class-competitive list of technology and safety features. It can be equipped with interior tech like Ford Sync and Sync with MyFord Touch, as well as a class-exclusive, motion-activated liftgate. While these features make the Escape one of the most high-tech models in the class, more than one reviewer notes that they can be hard to use. The Escape’s standard safety features now bring it up to par with its classmates, and it also offers optional features like rear parking assist and blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert.  
After taking the 2013 Escape on the road, reviewers say it handles a lot like a small car, but that shoppers should skip the base engine and head straight for the optional Ecoboost engines, which are both powerful and fuel-efficient.
Overall, the automotive press likes the 2013 Ford Escape a lot because it’s so well-rounded. It has car-like handling, a quality interior, refined Ecoboost engines and high-tech offerings.




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Volvo S60

Volvo´s premium sport sedan S60 last facelift make this car and excellent option for those wanting comfort, luxury, safety and technology together in one vehicle. Volvo is internationally recognized for fine cars, full of safety and technological advances. Here are some pictures of the S60:









Tuesday, April 23, 2013

2014 Mazda 6: Sexiest Midsize Sedan... Ever.

Just take a look... Definitely a head turner!










Some Specs:

Engine & Drivetrain choices
All-new, 184-hp, SKYACTIV-G 2.5L engine with a choice of SKYACTIV-MT 6-speed manual or SKYACTIV-Drive 6-speed Sport automatic transmission
            
EPA-Estimated Fuel Efficiency
  • - 25/37 city/HWY mpg (2.5L with MT)
  • - 26/38 city/HWY mpg (2.5L with AT) 
 
Available Technology Package
For Touring models, add the Technology Package and enjoy premium Bose® Centerpoint Surround Sound with AudioPilot®, integrated Mazda TomTom navigation, Advanced Keyless Entry and extra safety features such as rain-sensing windshield wipers and Smart City Brake Support. Additional features include auto on/off headlights, an auto-dimming driver's side mirror, heated side mirrors and an auto-dimming rear view mirror with Homelink. Or upgrade to Grand Touring to get these features standard. 
 
Safety Features
Standard safety features include advanced front air bags, front side-impact air bags, side-impact air curtains††, and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)‡‡ with Traction Control. A Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) System is also available.
 

Audi R8 Videos


Audi R8 is one of the best high performance sports car today. Its rivals:  Porsche 911 Carrera 4SAston Martin V8 Vantage, and BMW M6. It has received a lot of awards for its stunning and detailed design and excellent performance. Here are some ad videos I'd like to share:



Sunday, April 21, 2013

2013 Chevrolet Spark: Will It Have Success in the USA Market?


The 2013 Chevrolet Spark is one of the smallest cars you that you can buy in America today. At just 144.7 inches long, it is 2 inches shorter than a MINI Cooper.
 
It is in fact the smallest four door car sold in America and it directly competes with cars like the Scion IQ, the Mazda 2, the Fiat 500 and even the Smart car.
 
Because the Chevy Spark is actually taller than all of these cars, it feels airy and roomy inside. In fact four adults will fit into the Spark, but just don’t except any race car performance because the Spark comes with a little 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine that’s rated at 84 horsepower and produces only 83 pound-feet of torque.
 
The 2013 Chevrolet Spark will be the cheapest, smallest vehicle General Motors offers in the United States. This is a cheap car to begin with and, in order to keep prices low, Chevrolet has kept everything simple. An old-school four-speed automatic transmission is optional while a long-throw five-speed manual comes standard. If
you want to get the most out of the 84 hp hamster-wheel, stick with the five-speed manual.

One noteworthy (optional) idea that skirts brilliance for the Spark is the MyLink system. Simply put, this system takes your cellphone/smartphone and can put many of its apps on its seven-inch screen. So, download the right navigation app on your phone and you’ll can use it through the seven-inch screen. It’s that simple and it works with many music, navigation and entertainment apps.
 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Bugatti Veyron - Top model, high tech, and a hole in your wallet


Does it worth it to buy a baby like this? Is something out of thinking if you're not in the top 10 of wealthiest people of the world, this gentleman costs no more no less that the sum of €1,225,000 (GB£1,065,000/US$1,700,000) and the Super Sport version€1,912,500 (GB£1,665,000/US$2,700,000), a little bit hard to effort. Next now, lets see some information about this gentleman: 
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engined grand touring car, designed and developed by theVolkswagen Group and manufactured in Molsheim, France by Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.
The Super Sport version of the Veyron is the fastest street-legal production car in the world, with a top speed of 431.072 km/h (267.856 mph). The original version has a top speed of 408.47 km/h (253.81 mph). It was named Car of the Decade (2000–2009) by the BBC television programme Top Gear. The standard Veyron won Top Gear's Best Car Driven All Year award in 2005.
On 6 April 2013, Bugatti set the record for the fastest roadster in the world with the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, reaching on average a top speed of 408.84 km/h (254.04 mph).
The Veyron's chief designer was Hartmut Warkuss, and the exterior was designed by Jozef Kabaň of Volkswagen, with much of the engineering work being conducted under the guidance of engineering chief Wolfgang Schreiber.
A number of special variants have been produced. In December 2010, Bugatti began offering prospective buyers the ability to customize exterior and interiors colours by using the Veyron 16.4 Configurator application on the marque's official website.




Monday, April 8, 2013

Citroen DS5


Citroen DS5

In recent decades French big cars have taken a position of crazy passive-aggressive opposition to the dominant German saloons. They oscillate wildly between rubbish impersonation (Peugeot 607) and theatrical contrariness (Renault Avantime). Whatever - they always bombed in the showrooms.
Now it's Citroen's turn again, topping off the successful DS line with this £23k-£33k machine. In line with their historical brand values they've decided to go all sci-fi on us. The DS5 is the sort of spaceship-silhouetted capsule we dreamed of riding in when we saw all those Giugiaro concept wagons of the 1980s.
It's tall, but broad-shouldered and tapers to the back, so it looks far more road-hugging than a crossover or MPV. It has a proper bonnet so it isn't drearily egg-shaped in profile.
It's a sort of high-riding estate really, but a whole load of oddball visual details contrive to put onlookers off the scent. Look at that crazy chromed scythe running back from the headlamps along the wing.
Indoors too, pretty much everything is STYLED, in capital letters. The switches and clocks and furniture are all part of a visual feast. I love it, but I'm not sure why, because usually I like simplicity. Maybe it's the sheer daring of it. Whatever, it's certainly done with conviction and quality.
Part of the reason it's high is so you have the commanding view that crossover buyers love. Partly it's to give it the space of a Mondeo-sized car even though it's about 25cm shorter, so it's comparatively light (80kg less than a Citroen C5) and manageable in a tight spot.
So it's a clever enough idea. And as far as I'm concerned it's attractive - YMMV, of course. But it isn't going to pick up any buyers from German metal if it isn't any good to drive.
We're in the 1.6-litre turbo, which is the most urgent engine available. Doesn't sound much, but it's the excellent little high-tech BMW/PSA engine and it makes 200bhp, so there's enough power. But you can hear that you've got a panting little dog under the bonnet rather than a lazy big one. There's a fair bit of spin-cycle hum. That's OK in a DS3 Racing, but it's not the right atmosphere in what's supposed to be more of a big luxo-cruiser.
By the same token, this version is set up for agility and sportiness. And yes it's got high-geared steering and it jinks through a bend with a flatness and quickness you'd get from other ‘sporty' tallish vehicles - say an Audi Q5. But sorry, this is the wrong approach. You're sitting up in this glassy capsule, remote from the action. It doesn't feel very natural. And the ride's stiff and jiggly.
I also tried the diesel hybrid, which mostly doesn't feel like a hybrid at all. That's good. It's simply a decent fast diesel that happens to get staggering economy, plus urban silence and a bit of snowbound 4WD ability, thanks to its electrically driven rear wheels. But it too has the firm chassis.
There's a softer set-up on the plain diesel versions and that must surely be the way to go. There's a lot to like: a good gearbox, progressive steering, good stability, well-engineered controls. The DS5's design and morphology is a deliberately different approach from a German saloon or estate. So let it drive differently too please - the soft chassis is the right idea.
The DS5 is a lovely place to be, and from which to watch the world pass beneath your windows. It's about travel not tyre-smoke.
After all, anyone who chooses a DS5 over say a 3-series Touring is already being different to the point of bloody-mindedness. History says there won't be many takers, but we'll applaud on the rare occasions we see one.
Paul Horrell

Taken from: http://www.topgear.com/uk/citroen/ds5/road-test/driven

Burnout in a Beast.

What's a Burnout?

A burnout (also known as a peel out or power brake) is the practice of keeping a vehicle stationary (or close to) and spinning its wheels, causing the tires to heat up and smoke due to friction. Technically the tire is not burning and the smoke is primarily a vapor (similar to steam). A tire that is set on fire will burn with a thick black smoke but that is rarely the result of a "burnout".

The Beast...


The 2013 BMW M6 Coupe is an interesting beast.  It does its best to comply with its owner’s mood.  If needed, it can be a quiet, sophisticated, and comfortable highway or boulevard cruiser.  But, if the driver is in a naughty mood, the M6 is happy to oblige.  This was just the case on this sunny but chilly February day in Colorado.  With air temperature hovering around 35F the mighty 560 horsepower twin turbo in this BMW was struggling to put al of its power to the ground effectively.
 
It’s difficult not to have fun with the BMW M6.  When life gives you this car on a cold day, make a burnout? Here is what happens when traction control is turned off and you simply push the accelerator.
Some specs:
Power is delivered by a 560-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 engine, mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This allows the M6 Coupe to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.2 seconds. The V-8 is also more tractable and more powerful than the high-revving V-10 used in the previous M6—no wonder this potent powerplant can also be found under the hood of the latest M5 sports sedan.
The new model has trimmed carbon-dioxide emissions and its overall appetite for fuel by approximately 30 percent, according to BMW. That improvement is relative, especially when you consider the last M6 could only muster 18 mpg on the highway. Still, credit BMW for pushing engine performance as much as economy gains.

Watch the M6 Burnout

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Drifting Lessons

Lessons about some drifting styles by Keiichi Tsuchiya, the drift king.


Part 1/6


Part 2/6


Part 3/6


Part 4/6


Part 5/6


Part 6/6


Motorcycle vs. Car Drift Battle


What about a video now? 
A stretched 05 Kawasaki ZX10 piloted by Nick "Apex" Brocha vs. a Corvette-Powered RX7 driven by Jim Guthrie in a high speed drifting battle.



Beginnings



About Drifting

Don’t know what drifting is? You’re not the only one. Most people never even heard about it. Still though, bit-by-bit it’s becoming more and more mainstream every day now.
It doesn’t matter how big of a petrolhead you are, we’ve all seen the car chases on TV where cars overspeed in corners and go sideways.

They lose the back-end and spectacularly manage to speed through the corner with the car completely sideways.


Remember those car chases on TV? Drifting is just that! The term refers to the car being in a condition of oversteer.


Rather than just simply losing the back end and correcting it to save yourself from crashing, like on TV, it's all about trying to remain in a state of oversteer, sliding the car throughout the whole corner. By taking the most exciting elements from motorsports a complete new type of sport took off!


After the history of drifting of 30 years or so, it has become tremendously popular across the whole world.

It’s most definitely the most exciting way to express yourself in motorsports, because it demands just so much car control from the driver. Going through a corner sideways just fills you with adrenaline and gives you an incredibly rewarded feeling.

                                                                                        Origin 
Drifting started out as a racing technique popular in the All Japan Touring Car Championship races. Motorcycling legend turned driver, Kunimitsu Takahashi, was the foremost creator of drifting techniques in the 1970s. He is noted for hitting the apex (the point where the car is closest to the inside of a turn) at high speed and then drifting through the corner, preserving a high exit speed. This earned him several championships and a legion of fans who enjoyed the spectacle of smoking tires. The bias ply racing tires of the 1960s-1980s lent themselves to driving styles with a high slip angle. As professional racers in Japan drove this way, so did the street racers.