• Category Archives: Transport

    Made-in-China electric cars to zoom off on the streets of Canada

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    Following closely in heels of the post of the F3DM car made specifically by China for China only, today it is time to know that Canadians too can drive electric cars flaunting the made-in-China tag. Changan Automobile has teamed up with Electrovaya to roll out 30 electric cars in Canada before the year 2008 comes to an end. Though the F3DM couldn’t qualify to the standards of North America and also other parts of the globe, once this new green vehicle hit the roads of Canada it will honored as the first Chinese vehicle to enter the North American market.

    Posted in Transport on November 6, 2008
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    Volkswagen unveils CC Eco Performance Concept for a green drive

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    Volkswagen is synonymous to luxury but this time the company is flaunting the ‘Eco’ tag too along with that. Sporting a glossy grey body trimmed with black chrome for the elegant touch, the Performance CC features an upgraded green engine, suspension, and interior under its hood. Tweaked to run in three different modes, the 2.0L TSI engine renders the 311 hp and 313 lbs. ft. torque in Full Power Mode. While the GT gives out 252 hp and 268 lb-ft of torque. The term ‘Eco’ in the title stands for the Eco mode that further brings down the figures to 222 hp and 236 lb-ft. This is eco-friendly setting also gets up to 33 mpg on the highway and 27 mpg in city driving, which is definitely green. Roll over for the rest of the standard auto features…..

    Posted in Transport on November 6, 2008
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    F3DM plug-in hybrid car will soon hit the roads of China

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    Another ‘Made-in-China’ product hits the shelves but this time it’s only for China. Since products labeled with this tag are recently facing a lot of criticism, this one too may face similar welcome in other countries. We are talking about the eco-friendly F3DM car. Made by BYD Auto, this car is based on their popular F3 model while the “DM” stands for Dual Mode. Racing down the red carpet at the 2008 Geneva International Motor Show, this plug-in hybrid vehicle boasts of a 70 mile range per charge before the engine kicks in. However it’s the low safety standards especially with reference to crash tests that will keep this car out of Europe and U.S.A and Canada at least.

    Posted in Transport on November 4, 2008
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    NYC’s yellow cabs are halted from taking the green route

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    The New York City is in news for reasons not so green! The much pursued proposal of turning the signature yellow NYC cabs to green has come to a halt. A federal judge has dared to defy Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s intentions of running eco-friendly yellow cabs on the roads by 2012. Though Bloomberg is fuming with anger and New York with pollution, it is the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade that has filed a lawsuit against this green move. This trade association claims to represent a quarter of the city’s cabs and they justify their stand by stating that the hybrids aren’t safe enough for use as cabs, which take a beating on city streets. However the judge in question, Paul A. Crotty, did not rule on the safety issues. He admitted to agree with the plaintiffs that only the federal government has the authority to enforce fuel efficiency standards.

    Posted in Transport on November 4, 2008
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    Rolls-Royce CEO is talking electric after witnessing the new Mini EV

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    Rolls-Royce is seriously considering building electric versions of its cars, probably as plug-in hybrids, the company’s new CEO, Tom Purvis, says the company needs to prepare itself for much-tougher inner-city CO2 legislation, and believes that the near-silence of electric propulsion, and the fact that full torque is available from a standstill. Having just driven the new electric Mini, Purves was ‘bowled over’, raving about its power delivery and quietude. He now thinks such a powerplant would be perfect for his own brand as well. Purves also envisions a future where traditional combustion-powered cars might be banned outright from city centers – not an unrealistic idea, given London’s current congestion charge and the vehement opposition to larger vehicles in the UK and Europe. When we observe how their owners use cars, you soon see that they do either huge open-road mileages, or relatively small distances in urban areas, Purvis believes that an electric Rolls-Royce would be ideal for the second category.

    Posted in Transport on October 24, 2008
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    GE to soon showcase the Evolution Hybrid locomotive

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    When highways are clogged and fuel reserves are strained, a machine that moves goods by dozens of thousands of tons represents a miracle technology that arrives not a moment too soon. Trains are the cleanest way to move massive amounts of freight long distances. In 2005 General Electric, cut fuel consumption by 5% and emissions by 40% compared to locomotives built just a year earlier with its Evolution diesel engines locomotives. GE will soon display its Evolution Hybrid locomotive prototype at the RSI Railway Technology Exhibition. Following the success of the Evolution Series locomotive, GE Transportation began development of the Evolution Hybrid prototype. The Hybrid features an innovative power-storing device that captures the energy that is dissipated in braking a 207-ton locomotive. The device then uses the energy to generate a 2,000 horsepower boost, which provides a fuel savings of 15 percent and an emissions reduction of 50 percent compared to pre- Evolution Series locomotives.

    Posted in Transport on September 16, 2008
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    Hummer H2 Black Chrome Limited Edition readies for 2009

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    The other day it took me two hours by car to commute a distance that usually takes 30 minutes. With the way traffic snarls and crazy drivers are possessing the streets, do we really need more cars on the road? Especially fuel guzzling ones? The Hummer H2 SUV and SUT line-up called Black Chrome are gearing up for a 2009 release. Other than concentrating on upping the looks, I doubt Hummer has done anything to reduce fuel inefficiency in the series. Looks wise the new lineups feature black chrome detailing that includes the 22-inch chrome-clad wheels, grille, hood latches and handles, fuel filler door, door handles, mirror caps, badges, side air vents, spare tire cover emblem, rocker moldings and hood louver

    Posted in Transport on August 14, 2008
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    Algae reactor steals center stage in international air show

    algae-jet-fuel.jpg The search for a cheaper fuel has left most of the automobile industry in a tizzy; well it’s not just the automobiles that are looking for the holy grail of alternate fuel. Airline fares may be low but unless they find an alternative jet fuel it will be hard not to raise the airfares if they want to stay in the aviation game. The Farnborough International Air Show exhibit was part of a collaboration and ongoing relationship between the researchers and aviation giant Boeing. The show featured the latest in turbine technology for Jet fighters and commercial aircrafts.

    Posted in Transport on August 14, 2008
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    Thermal energy could power your cars air conditioning

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    We already saw the cool jacket and the Dell XPS 710 H2C PC using thermal power to cool itself or power your mobile phone, well how about powering your car’s DVD player and GPS simply by using your car exhausts as the power source while you cruise the mean roads. An average SUV produces 15 kilowatts of energy in normal city driving, when cruising between 50 and 60 mph, the generator can produce about 800 watts of power, more than enough to provide power to most on board electronics and in some cases even the water pumps. Major auto companies are working on integrating the thermo electric system into new vehicles.

    Posted in Transport on August 13, 2008
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    Stricter EU regulations threaten European sports car manufacturers

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    News is that the EU has proposed a 120-grams-per-km emissions standard by 2012. This new regulation could adversely affect the European carmakers, edging them towards closure. Big Daddies of the business like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Aston Martin and Porsche, would find it very difficult to comply with this ruling. LeftLane cites this example: the feather-light and relatively fuel efficient Lotus Elise S emits 196 g/km, whereas the segment average is in the 200 to 500 g/km range. According to Reuters, since exotic sports car are driven very rarely, and their limited production numbers means they only account for 0.3 percent of EU total car emissions. Whatever the case looks like the sports car industry just got a heavy-duty jolt!
    Source

    Posted in Transport on August 7, 2008
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