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Reducing Energy Consumption and the cost of transportation
Matt Damon Caught Test Driving Tesla Prototype:
Wants One?
click to see lucky photographer's article; June 2, 2008
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CONSUMER REPORTS listing of the Most and Least Fuel Efficient Vehicles:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/ratings/... the US gov's listing of the Most and Least Fuel Efficient Vehicles: www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworst.shtml |
EPA Updates Fuel Economy FiguresConsumer Reports - New Car Preview 2008The government's new test is more accurate, but numbers are still off The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating its methods for estimating the fuel economy of new vehicles. Starting with 2008 models, the window stickers that all new cars carry showing the estiimated mpg will reflect the new ratings. The good news is that the numbers on the sticker should be closer to what you should expect to get in normal driving. The bad news is that while the new EPA figures are a downward adjustment and not as high as before, in many cases their numbers are still optimistic in comparison to the results from the CONSUMER REPORTS real-world fuel economy tests. |
the Smart car
DaimlerBenzover 700,000 sold world-wide
This one was seen by the editor in the Bahamas (on a Nov. 2006 4 day cruise)
The new model made its debut in at European auto shows in November 2006. "Even the base 'pure' coupe gets ABS, ESP, and 4 airbags. ... The `fortwo's` high-strength steel safety cell can effectively dissipate energy from impacts with much larger vehicles."
Hybrid Technologies plans to sell an electric version of the smart vehicle in the U.S. starting at US$35,000.
It is being called a hybrid car even though the vehicle is all-electric. The electric smart car will have a range of 120 miles (190 km) to 150 miles (240 km), a top speed of 80 mi/h (129 km/h), and charge in 5 to 6 hours using a standard 110V AC outlet. An electric smart is currently undergoing testing in the UK and will only be offered to commercial clients as a trial for the time being.
For the history of the smart car, see Wikipedia.
Smart Roadster
The Smart Roadster went through several variations.
from 2003 to 2006. See wikipedia
Perhaps working elbow-to-elbow with Tesla Motors
is beginning to rub off. Lotus
has just unveiled its Exige 265E, a research and development
car that runs on E85.
Lotus has also designed an electric car for ZAP. (see below)
ZAPSANTA ROSA, Calif. (February 8, 2005) - California automaker and distributor ZAP announced today that it has received more purchase orders for the Smart Car Americanized by ZAP, with orders in-hand totaling over $55 million. Zap is also taking reservations for this sports car, the ALIAS 
ZAP says that the initial concept phase for the new vehicle is
complete. The targeted price is $30,000, top speed in excess of
100 mph and range of 100 miles per charge. Many of the technologies
already specified for the ZAP-X electric car concept will be applied
to the new vehicle, but delivery is expected to be sooner than the
ZAP-X. CEO Steve Schneider said more details of the new vehicle will
be presented at the annual shareholder meeting, July 29, 2007 in
Santa Rosa, California.
ZAP-X
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June 11, 2007
New Li-Ion batteries in DeWalt power toolsIt recharges in minutes (rather than Hours) and lasts a decade (instead of a couple years) [and has twice the charge]. A123Systems batteries will be evaluated in prototype Saturn Green Line Vue plug-in hybrid SUVs later this year. see article June 6, 2007 Accord hybrid being replaced with 60mpg Dieselsee articleMay 24, 2007 Europe may restrict their oil imports to the USThursday, 24 May 2007Large US imports of gasoline, mainly from Europe, are starting to raise questions. Last weekend gasoline in Germany went over $7 per gallon and analysts are talking about the possibility of $8 gasoline later this summer. The Europeans note that the US is now importing roughly 1 out of every 8 gallons of gasoline consumed and that there is no end to this imbalance in sight. Some Europeans are beginning to ask whether their governments should be taking action to slow the exports to the US.
Peak Oil Has Arrived!
May 28, 2007
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March 2007
Last month, Toyota finally began marketing the Prius like a regular car. The company increased availability, launched an advertising campaign, and implemented incentives in some markets. The results were impressive: February Prius sales hit 12,227 units, the highest monthly tally ever. That moved the Prius to the number nine slot in the list of top ten bestselling cars in the U.S. in February. Those who still view the Prius as a niche vehicle with limited appeal may want to reconsider. Ditto for those who insist that fuel savings or government incentives are the only reasons people buy hybrids. Last month's record Prius sales occurred in a period of moderate gas prices, and after the reduction in federal tax credits for Toyota hybrid vehicles as well as elimination of HOV privileges for new hybrids in California. May 2007 sales went over 24,000 units! Almost 2% of the US vehicle market! High Prius sales lifted hybrids to 1.89% of the U.S. vehicle market, their highest penetration yet. When compared with a month earlier, nearly every model posted gains. In general, the hybrid market looks healthy, showing 36% growth in an overall light vehicle market that is contracting slightly. But year-to-year sales trends reveal more mixed performance. Comparing the first two months of 2006 with the first two months of 2007, sales of both Toyota’s hybrid SUVs are off almost 25%, as are sales of the Honda Civic Hybrid. The Highlander Hybrid and Lexus 400h boast the highest take rates among hybrid vehicles (17.5% and 19%, respectively), but their sales have fallen to roughly half of their past peak levels. We're eager to see whether Toyota can transfer the success of the Prius in its other hybrid offerings during the coming months. |
X Prize Foundation:
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No. 159 - July 2005
Threats of Peak Oil to the Global Food SupplyA paper presented at the FEASTA Conference,
"What Will We Eat as the Oil Runs Out?",
The scale of our dependency on fossil fuels has grown to enormous proportions. Trucks move most of the world's food, even though trucking is ten times more energy-intensive than moving food by train or barge. Refrigerated jets move a small but growing proportion of food, almost entirely to wealthy industrial nations, at 60 times the energy cost of sea transport. But the single most telling gauge of our dependency is the size of the global population. Without fossil fuels, the stupendous growth in human numbers that has occurred over the past century would have been impossible. Grain production per capita: A total of 2,029 million tons of grain were produced globally in 2004; this was a record in absolute numbers. But for the past two decades population has grown faster than grain production, so there is actually less available on a per-head basis. In addition, grain stocks are being drawn down: According to Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute, "in each of the last four . . . years production fell short of consumption. The shortfalls of nearly 100 million tons in 2002 and again in 2003 were the largest on record." 3 This trend suggests that the strategy of boosting food production by the use of fossil fuels is already yielding diminishing returns. Global climate: This is being increasingly destabilized as a result of the famous greenhouse effect, resulting in problems for farmers that are relatively minor now but that are likely to grow to catastrophic proportions within the next decade or two. Global warming is now almost universally acknowledged as resulting from CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Available fresh water: In the US, 85 percent of fresh water use goes toward agricultural production, requiring the drawing down of ancient aquifers at far above their recharge rates. Globally, as water tables fall, ever more powerful pumps must be used to lift irrigation water, requiring ever more energy usage. By 2020, according to the Worldwatch Institute and the UN, virtually every country will face shortages of fresh water. The effectiveness of pesticides and herbicides: In the US, over the past two decades pesticide use has increased 33-fold, yet, each year a greater amount of crops is lost to pests, which are evolving immunities faster than chemists can invent new poisons. Like falling grain production per capita, this trend suggests a declining return from injecting the process of agricultural production with still more fossil fuels. http://321energy.com/editorials/heinberg/heinberg091605.html |
Action to Declassify Secret Energy Patents
Contact your representatives.
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google: TDI diesel engines
2004 Volkswagen Passat TDIDate posted: 07-22-2004 Thanks to a new fuel-injection technology codeveloped by Bosch, the new 2.0L TDI is the cleanest-burning and most environmentally sound diesel engine ever built by VW. Called "Pumpe Duse," which roughly translates to "Unit Injector," the new fuel delivery system utilizes cam-driven injectors to spray diesel into each cylinder multiple times per engine revolution and at such high pressure that it instantly atomizes, thereby creating a cleaner and more efficient burn. Adapted to work with VW's outstanding Motronic sequential multipoint direct injection, the Pumpe Duse system was initially designed to help meet stricter European emissions standards (!). A by-product of the more efficient fuel burn is that power has increased as well. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=102425 Date Posted 05-17-2006 http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/93338/article.html |
Audi (TDI) DIESEL engine wins the
54th Annual Mobil 1® Twelve Hours of Sebring
March 15-18, 2006
Sebring, Fla. - Audi Sport North America made history Saturday as the diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI of Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello won the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. The new prototype is the first diesel car in the world to win a major sports car race.
It was the type of debut Audi was hoping for in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The German manufacturer used Sebring as a test for the most prestigious sports car race in the world, set for June 17-18
The new Audi R10 TDI is powered by a completely new 5.5-litre, twelve-cylinder bi-turbo TDI engine which is extremely economical and quiet.
The Le Mans Prototype, with over 650 hp and more than 1100 Newton metres of torque, significantly exceeds the power produced by the majority of previous Audi racing cars – including that of its victorious R8 predecessor.
The main target of the Audi technicians is to reach the reliability level of the R8, which never recorded a single engine failure in the 77 races it has contested to date.
Audi ventures into previously unexplored diesel-engine terrain with the V12 power plant manufactured completely from aluminium. The enormous torque of over 1100 Newton metres not only makes extreme demands of the R10 TDI transmission system – as even the Formula 1 specification engine dynamometers at Audi Sport had to be reequipped with special gearboxes capable of withstanding the unusual forces.
TDI (Turbo Direct Injection Diesel)
While TDI's are available in many countries around the world, Volkswagen (and Audi) has been the only manufacturer selling diesels cars in Canada or the US since 1999.
The VE engine found in the A3 Jettas and B4 Passats were rated at 90hp and 149ft.lbs of torque (1.9 liter and 50 mpg). The A4 Jetta, New Beetle, and A4 Golf were rated at 90hp and 155ft.lbs.
The B5 Passat with it's 2.0l TDI pumped out 134 hp and 247 ft.lbs of torque. The king of power is the 5.0l 310HP V10 Touareg (until the Audi R10 came out) that puts out 553 ft.lbs of torque.
The high-pressure pump-injection system achieves the highest injection pressures currently available in any direct-injection process. The associated fine atomisation of the fuel ensures that a high degree of thermodynamic efficiency is attained and the highest specific torque per litre is at the driver's disposal. This system also permits controlled pilot injection as a means of ensuring low engine noise levels and minimum emissions.
Ethanol
1933 Corn-alcohol fuel pump, (in Nebraska) Make it today at about $1.oo/gal. Ethanol, which can be produced with corn, soy, mustard seed, and even some grasses, is considered a renewable resource. Mixtures of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, called E85, can be used in many vehicles currently available. Biodiesel, which may be used in regular diesel engines, can be made from recycled cooking grease or vegetable oil. |
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, for each gallon of gasoline burned in a vehicle, 20 pounds of CO2 are emmitted.
Feb. 03, 2004 Chevy
Underscorring the extreme [if not backward] attempts being made to gain just a little in fuel economy:
"To improve fuel efficiency, Chevy has integrated technology that automatically shuts off four of the truck's eight cylinders when not required, reducing fuel consumption by 8 percent, said Chevy spokeswoman Jolie Jackson."
"Gear Splitting performance and overdrive economy"
Focusing on performance but admitting an increase in fuel economy, Gear Vendors has announced a new model gear splitter for the C5 Corvette. Their focus is on trucks, RVs, and high performance cars but, the clear message is not only that higher gears save gas but, high performance people can appreciate fuel economy also. (www.GearVendors.com)
Electricity vs. Hydrogen
"Fuel cells are not used in any of the most expensive phones or laptop computers. Even satellites which might cost $100m to build use lithium ion [Li-ion] batteries. Now surely you'd use the best option in a $100m satellite wouldn't you? There are also some basic energy equations that show that [using fuel cells] is quite stupid."
says Elan Musk, billionaire co-founder of Pay-Pal, who also funded the start-up of SpaceX (a low-cost space craft manufacturer that's now selling ships to NASA) and a solar power company, SolarCity.
Date: Fri Jul 30, 2004 12:12 pm
Subject: Electricity Beats Hydrogen Fuel, New Study Indicates
From:
"Patrick Mazza"
patrick@ ilea.org
Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment
P.O. Box 22437 Seattle, WA 98122-0437
http://www.ilea.org
ELECTRICITY BEATS HYDROGEN FOR FUELING CARS AND
FOR STORING AND DELIVERING ENERGY, NEW STUDY FINDS
"In key roles envisioned for Hydrogen as an energy carrier, transmission of remote renewable resources, storage of intermittent renewables and vehicle fuel, electricity offers more energy efficient options that might preclude mass-scale emergence of H2 technologies," concludes the study issued by the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment and funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The study compares the actual energy available when hydrogen and electricity carriers are employed ... Electrical transmission provides roughly twice the end use energy.
Hydrogen as clean vehicle fuel, as projected in President Bush's hydrogen car initiative, leads to a dead-end. Using electricity to charge electric vehicles (EVs) provides twice the miles per kilowatt hour than employing electricity to make hydrogen fuel. It is a gift to the oil co.'s with no return on the "investment".
Plug-in electricity eliminates 2.6 times more CO2 than if it is used to displace gasoline by making hydrogen fuel for cars. Charging EVs removes twice the CO2 of making hydrogen fuel. The study calculates similar results for use of natural gas, which also has been proposed as a source of hydrogen energy.
"In the conversion of electricity to hydrogen and back again, we are forced to admit a loss of more than HALF (55%) of the original electricity that we started with (some estimates put this loss considerably higher). Bearing this in mind, we are confronted with a very sobering fact: Of the number of generators needed to supply energy to this conversion process, less than half as many would be necessary if we never made the conversion to hydrogen in the first place!"
"... the stark reality is that an existing hybrid car seating 4 passengers gets twice the mileage of an existing fuel cell car holding the same number of people - this is a fact, not a prediction. In all fairness, when the dust finally settles [after x years of development], fuel cell and hybrids cars will probably come out in a tie; this is a fair (and probably safer) assumption upon which to base all future arguments." "Twenty Hydrogen Myths": A physicist's review
By Dominic Crea
From one who worked on developing the necessary hydrogen fuel tanks:
Hydrogen is a sad misdirection. I worked a number of years in the alternative fuels industry, with an enphasis in hydrogen.
The problems with hydrogen keep it from being a reasonable alternative for so long that interim solutions would be far better for our planet.
Hydrogen infrastructure will take many years to erect.
Hydrogen can either be "cracked" from water, using vast amounts of energy that must be gotten from some other source, or it can be extracted from fossil fuels (so what is the point?)
In order to store hydrogen onboard a vehicle it must be compressed to about 15,000 lbs per sq inch (this produces an energy density close to that of gasoline). Imagine the difficulty and expense inherent in these sorts of pressures. (this is what I worked on - carbon fiber fuel tanks) Or we could find more efficient metal "foam" or "sponge" in which to store large amounts of hydrogen - the technology is not anywhere near mature.
Or we could simply cool the stuff. Now the temperature of liquid hydrogen is −423.17 °F. Cryogenic bottles can maintain these temperatures for a relatively short while. Handling these sorts of liquids is not for the average consumer and significant amounts of energy is needed to maintain these temperatures.
Perhaps, some day, hydrogen will be our dream fuel, but there is a fuel that works TODAY:
Electricity drawn from batteries.
Tow Mater from the movie Cars
Lightning and Tow Mater
Hydrogen Generators
Electric Cars 
Super Carburetors 
Future Denied,
Hydraulic cars & info 
I.V.T. / C.V.T. 
