Kiwibloke » Autos

Rod Millen Builds Hill Climb In Backyard (Video)

GregR — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:41:59 +0000

Rod Millen celebrated his 60th birthday with an invite-only hillclimb event at his Coromandel property. It is no time to slow down entering his 6th decade of motor sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81DeYYK8Dtc

Rod has spent a year building a 1 mile long hill climb based in the classic Pikes Peak hill climb in Colorado where he and his sons have for many year plied their cars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I

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Forget Tesla Ultimate Sportscar is Electric Porsche 356

GregR — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:39:20 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6698JkDmroo

Jack Rickard has created what arguably is a more beautiful electric sports car than the press darling, the Tesla. This is a Beck 356 Speedster (replica Porsche 356) mated to a Netgain Warp 9 DC series electric motor.

On Jack’s website (http://www.evtv.me) is an incredibly detailed discussion on electric car conversion including the first project,Â the Beck Speedster and a second more comprehensive project, a 2009 Mini Clubman Sport.

You can actually purchase the Speedster on ebay currently.

You can see Jack’s Youtube Channel here.

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End of the Road For Detroit Car Makers

GregR — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:23:55 +0000

Today was not a good day for General Motors and Chrysler. Rick Waggoner was shown the door by Washington and GM was told in no uncertain terms that bankruptcy was an option for them. Chrysler was told they have 30 days to convince Fiat they have a future or it was curtains for them. However what was worst was the realization that the future of bloated SUVs and mediocre mileage was well and truly over when Berkshire Hathaway announced that the BYD plugin hybrid vehicle will be on display in May at Buffett’s general shareholder meeting in Omaha.

The annual shareholder meeting is no Volvo driving latte drinking San Francisco set. These people represent the core General Motors constituent, middle America. The problem for Detriot is that if Warren Buffet, the true Anti Wall Street hero says it is okay for them to buy an attractive econo-box, then this is big trouble.

The BYD E6 will be a 5 seater with an acceleration of 0 to 100 kph of around 10 seconds. Top speed should be top speed of 160 kph (100 mph), and the battery pack, which is located under the rear passenger seats, will be based on BYD’s own lithium-ion iron phosphate technology. Range per charge is expected to be 300 km (186 miles).

The BYD E6 proves that a decent range electric vehicle is absolutely possible, which means that the Oil companies should take note as well.

Meanwhile in Kiwiland:

Dr Bruce Smith, director of modelling and forecasting at the Electricity Commission, told biofuels and electric vehicles conference in Wellington that electric vehicles have the ability to smooth the peaks and troughs of electricity supply so efficiently they could triple the country’s capacity to use wind power.

He estimates that if 2.5 million of New Zealand’s roughly 4 million registered vehicles were electric, the whole electric fleet could run off 3000MW of wind generation – about three times the amount of wind power that is built or ready for construction today.

New Zealand generates approximately 70% of their power from renewable resources.

Chevy Volt Charging Towards 2010

Lana Hits the Streets with Sheep Eye Delicacy (Video)

GregR — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 11:00:46 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSCUjVacGcc

Lana hits the streets of downtown Wellington with $50 for anyone who will eat sheep eyes.

Flight of the Conchords Honored with Hall of Fame

GregR — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:43:29 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by tinabinaboobops

The New Zealand Fringe Festival topped off an amazing season by naming Jemaine and Bret as members of the inaugural New Zealand Fringe Hall of Fame.

The Fringe Hall of Fame recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the New Zealand Fringe Festival over the years and Bret and Jemaine are shining examples of such individuals who have used Fringe as a platform to create diverse, brave and gob-smacking work,” said Fringe Arts Trust director Mark Westerby.

You can read more here.

Kiwi Golfer Pegged as Next Tiger Woods (Video)

GregR — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:27:46 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbXcXfknrTY

Golfer Amateur Danny Lee turned down a $582K payout from the Johnnie Walker Classic to stay amateur so he can play in the US Masters this year. He was invited to compete because of his win at the US Amateur championship last September. LeeÂ stole Woods’ record as being the youngest US Amateur winner last year in that Championship.

[NZ Herald]

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson Takes on Hong Kong Press

GregR — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:34:58 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by betta design

Top Gear continues it’s march around the pacific, this time turning up this weekend for the Top Gear Live show in Hong Kong.

According to Hong Kong’s The Standard:

Well, not for long. Soon, the engagingly verbose presenter was cracking jokes about copresenter Richard Hammond’s height (or lack of it) and Hong Kong’s taxi drivers. “Why are the taxis here not fitted with rear suspension and why is everyone a Michael Schumacher?” he observed.

Clarkson goes on to explain how he has seen all of Hong Kong in 24 hours and is now tired. Hong Kong is the last stop of the World Tour which commenced on the 30th October last year, passed through Jo burg, Sydney and Auckland. North American viewers are completely out of luck.

The tour has not been without it’s incidents with Jeremy calling Gordon Brown a one eyed git, Ferraris being Toyotas,Â Stig storming out of a press conference and Hammond and Clarkson almost being at the wrong end of a bird strike.

They will be sadly missed at this end of the pacific.

[The Standard]

Saturn Car Company Could Be In Chinese Hands By End of Year

Steve — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:21:53 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by ...-Wink-...

In a cruel twist of fate, Saturn could be in the hands of the Chinese by the end of the year. Saturn is one of the victims of the restructuring of General Motors to satisfy the requirements of the US Government’s TARP Loan program.

General Motors as penned a letter to the existing Saturn Dealers suggesting a restructuring of the brand into a distribution structure. Saturn Distribution would own the brand Saturn and would be free to source vehicles from General Motors as well as other manufacturers including Chinese based vehicles. A structure like this would require an anchor investor and with money in short supply with equity partners (read Cerebus), the Chinese would be the obvious partner to invest and source product from.

The key is to source vehicles that match the “Saturn brand for fuel-efficiency, safety, reliablity and affordablility” according to the letter.

Shanghai Automotive, GM’s partner in China, would be a candidate for selling vehicles through Saturn dealers. So too would some of the smaller Chinese companies, like battery- and automaker BYD, Geely, Chery, all of which have ambitious global aspirations. From India, Tata Motors, which last year introduced what it billed would be the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano, would be a likely possibility as would highly profitable Maruti or Mahindra, which already has plans to come to the U.S. later this year.

In any respect, the Saturn problem must be resolved this year and this gives the Chinese an open invitation to a good Brand, an excellent dealer network and market ripe for competitive 4 cylinder products.

Cuba St Comes Alive for Carnival

GregR — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:46:50 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by jesstherese

On 21 February the Cuba St Carnival will mark its 10th year of celebrating the distinctive culture of Wellingtonâ€™s much loved street. Each year the Carnival continues to grow and this year will be no different, with crowds of 150,000 people expected. The iconic and quirky shopping street will be filled with music and dancing as it celebrates its renaissance from what was formally a shopping back water in Wellington.

â€œThe Cuba Street Carnival is an event that gets the whole city buzzing. Although itâ€™s just 10 years old, the Carnival has already become an iconic Wellington event – celebrating the capitalâ€™s truly vibrant culture.” according to Meridan Sponsor Mel SeyFort

Other highlights to look out for at the Cuba Street Carnival include a display of street art as you have never seen before, to Latin American performances, as well as music from a wide variety of acts including the Wellington International Ukelele Orchestra, and The Tutts.

Uploaded on Flickr by Velvet Android

Above it is photo of the love it or hate it buckets in Cuba St Wellington

There are over 80 bands and DJâ€™s booked to play on 8 stages and four entertainment zones throughout the streets of Wellington. Everything from big main stage acts, to Caribbean style steel drums, and a whole stage devoted to highly excitable Latin performers.

The International Street PerformersÂ include Rubber Band Boy (world record holder for â€œThe Most Rubber bands on a single Faceâ€), plus Canadaâ€™s Magic Brian, Pinkyâ€™s Street Circus from Australia, The Brothers from Nowhere (USA/NZ) and Piper McKenzie (Canada).

Top Gear’s Race Winning Polo For Sale (Video)

GregR — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:28:57 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by Jan the manson

The VW Polo Blue Motion that Richard Hammond raced from Basel to Blackpool in last years season of Top Gear is now up for sale in the UK Auto Trader (via Blackpool Gazette)

Now the car, which has just 5,500 miles on the clock â€“ is for sale on the Auto Trader website with a price ticket of Â£11,990.

In the advert for the car, Autotrader said: “The Polo is not a powerful car, but it was chosen because it boasts an average fuel economy of 74.3mpg and a tank range of 736 miles.”

One of the most economical, if not fast, car’s on the European market today, the VW Polo has the distinction of being what Jeremy Clarkson describes as being the satan of all that is automotive evil, an Oil Burner.

Here is the actual race in You Tube Goodness (after the jump)

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILw9IwXaURQ

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1htyR8FiGWs

Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ZOUcEl5p4

Top Gear’s Richard Hammond Talks about his Life (Video)

Kiwi Bloke — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:54:11 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy1yHUzUcbs

While in Auckland New Zealand, Top Gear’s Richard Hammond speaks his mind this week about Top Gear and it’s cultural phenomenon in a 1965 Lincoln Town Car Continental.

Top Gear Ferraris Not Real Using Toyota MR2

Kiwi Bloke — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 17:06:29 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by jaywood_uk

The Ferraris used in the Australian Top Gear Live shows recently were not real. According to Drive Magazine in Australia, they where Ferrari shells on top of Toyota MR2s:

Underneath their exotic red panel work, the â€œFerrarisâ€ wereÂ believed to beÂ infinitely less glamorous Toyotas.

The replica Ferraris, reportedly based on Toyota MR2 underpinnings, were produced at a fraction of the cost of the real McCoy. The Ferrari 360, which was discontinued in 2005, sold for almostÂ $400,000, while the MR2 cost less than $50,000 new.

Closer inspection of the slightly blurry image of the â€œFerrarisâ€ in action shows they appear to be missing an air intake above the rear wheels. Other details, such as the windscreen surround, appear out of proportion with the genuine Ferrari 360 Spider.

Apparently they used the sound of the loud music to drown out the fact that it was a 4 cylinder engine, rather than the 8 cylinder powerhouse.

This comes on top of Stig storming out of the Auckland press conference this week.

Top Gear Live – arrives in New Zealand (Video)

Kiwi Bloke — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:57:15 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mHCL3ofDVA

The top car show in the world, Top Gear,Â has brought it’s live action production to Auckland, Jeremy Clarkson and his crew has enlisted top Kiwi driver Greg Murphy as the 3rd Wheel.

Top Gear Press Conference Ends In Stig Storming Out (Video)

Kiwi Bloke — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:21:45 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjy6r-FSEMA

Six Million Dollar Car To be Sold This Weekend (Video)

Kiwi Bloke — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:38:20 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp-dhYT5AwA

A rare pre-war sports car, left in a British garage for the past 50 years, is likely to be sold for as much as $6 million this weekend. The 1937 Bugatti Type 57S vehicle retains many of its original features.

Update: Sold for $4.4 Million

Opshop – Jason Kerrison and Brendon Hartley racing at the A1GP

Kiwi Bloke — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:56:47 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvxzYDGIMh4

Jason Kerrison from the Kiwi band Opshop was the guest drive of New Zealand’s next motoracing hope Brendon Hartley during the A1GP in Taupo over the weekend.

Piranha Cause Death and Destruction in Wellington

GregR — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:15:13 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by lcrf

At Wellington’s Great India Restaurant today, 14 Piranhas died when the aquarium sprung a leak and dumped 1000 litres of water onto the restaurant floor.

Restaurateur Champaklal Tailor arrived to open up the restaurant yesterday to find it flooded and just one fish still clinging to life amid a heap of its dead family members.

Piranhas are found only in the Amazon basin, in the Orinoco, in rivers of the Guyanas, in the Paraguay-ParanÃ¡, and in the SÃ£o Francisco River systems. Piranhas are normally about 15 to 25 cm long (6 to 10 inches), although reportedly individuals have been found up to 43 cm (18.0 inches) in length.

Kiwi Supercar Driven at Taupo

Kiwi Bloke — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:22:36 +0000

The hand built Hulme Canam car was driven last weekend at the Taupo A1GP event. Named after Kiwi Formula One driver Denny Hulme, the Hulme CanAm is scheduled for limited production build in 2010, with a provisional price of Euro 295,000. The development of further model derivatives is planned, including a Coupe version.

Designed and hand-built by the Hulme technology team in New Zealand – including members responsible for the nationâ€™s Americaâ€™s Cup triumph – in co-operation with Massey University, the road-legal CanAm features an ultra-lightweight carbon composite tub and bodywork and race-orientated chassis, suspension and braking, and is powered by a hand-built 7-litre (427cu.in) Chevrolet V8 developing 600bhp and 600Nm torque, fed through a close-ratio, six-speed CIMA gearbox.

Chris Amon drove the orange-and-black Hulme CanAm roadster on the Taupo racetrack 24 hours ago, during a break in the A1GP schedule.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A3kJmarUA0

The Problem with Ford Sync

Kiwi Bloke — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:20:23 +0000

There is an old adage in the tech industry “innovation is good, but not at the cost of functionality”. This means that you need to do what your customer bought the product for really well, first, then you can make the experience unique and innovative.

This is true for Google and Search and Apple and the iPod. This is also true for Bose and consumer audio but the same cannot be said for Ford Sync. Although the product has some innovative features, when it comes to being a luxury audio system it is an poor alternative to Bose or Harmon Kardon systems you see in European luxury vehicles. Indeed the Ford Sync audio system is symbolic of Lincoln cars in general, poor substitutes to the real luxury car product from BMW, Mercedes Benz, Landrover, Lexus and others.

I currently have the Lincoln MKX and have the onerous task of driving round Vancouver. The car/SUV/crossover is Lincoln’s latest effort to make itself relevant to the luxury car market however like all previous Lincoln products it misses the mark.

The problem with Lincoln can be summed up thus: From the outside it looks like a Lincoln and from the inside it looks like a Ford. The MKS is a derivative of the Ford Edge (and probably Mercury Something). Unlike Cadillac who felt strongly in order to compete with the Japanese and Europeans they needed to haveÂ unique platforms, interiors and importantly feel, Ford and Lincoln still feel that Fords with leather can pass as luxury cars.

However what is most troubling is the Microsoft enabled audio system dubbed the Sync. Like the MKX itself, it feels and looks like a mainstream product that you would expect with the standard Delphi/Chevy audio system in a Chevy Cobalt. The look is average and the layout is standard. When it comes to the more sophisticated features of the system, they are shrouded in mystery. I found it almost impossible to figure out the speech system worked, where the sat radio system was and what exactly we were listening too. I found the screen too small for the functionality at hand.

Quite simply the Ford/Microsoft Sync system does not measure up to the likes of Harmon Kardon, Bose or Infinity. It is a competent mainstream audio product that has some fancy features to support iPods, speech recognition and Satelite radio. In other words the Sync Audio system would be at home in a Hyundai Accent or Pontiac Sunfire, which means it does not belong in a car that competes with BMW, Mercedes Benz or even Cadillac.

The Lincoln deserves the Ford Sync audio package, they both pretend to be luxury products in a market that demands more from their cars.

Is There an EV in your Life?

Kiwi Bloke — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:09:57 +0000

Uploaded on February 16, 2008 by geognerd

By the end of 2010 we could have five different electric vehicles to choose from. From the ubiquitous plug-in Prius Hybrid, to the Tesla, to the Mini EV and the Chevy Volt. Indeed within the next 7 years there will be numerous zero emission options to choose from without suffering the ignominity of the Geo Whiz.

With the Mini EV:

Leasing the Mini-E is little more than a real-world R&D program for BMW, which says it will use real-world drivers to further develop the EV with an eye toward production. Even at $850 a month, “they’ll probably lease every one they offer,” Aaron Bragman, an industry analyst with IHS Global Insight, told Wired.com. “It’s as much about real-world testing as it is showing off. It’s probably got a production future, simply because BMW needs it to meet the more stringent CAFE and emissions standards.”

and the Toyota Prius and City EV products:

there’s little doubt Toyota is embracing the electrification of the automobile. The company’s ambitious “low carbon” agenda calls for cranking out one million hybrids a year within the first half of the next decade and accelerating the development of small electric vehicles for mass production. “Our view is that oil production will peak in the near future. We need to develop power train(s) for alternative energy sources,” company president Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters when he announced the agenda in October.

And of course the much hyped saviour of General Motors, the Volt:

The production Volt has a rounded front end. Every surface has been sculpted in the wind tunnel to maximize aerodynamic efficiency and deliver the 40-mile all-electric range.

GM says that range will allow 80% of American drivers to use the Volt every day without ever using the generator’s 1.4-liter gasoline engine. In other parts of the world, where commuting distances are generally shorter, an even higher proportion of drivers will be able to power the car solely with electricity, Weber said.

All these new plug in products present an interesting question, namely where are we going to get all the extra electricity to support the additional demand. Granted a lot of this demand can be shifted to off peak night production, but consumers are consumers, so we don’t really know where the demand is coming from.

“Consumers’ inclination will be to plug in when convenient, rather than when utilities would prefer. Utilities will need to create incentives to encourage people to wait. There are also technologies such as ‘smart’ chargers that know the price of power, the demands on the system and the time when the car will be needed next to optimize charging for both the owner and the utility that can help too.”

Science Daily continues:

The best-case scenario occurs when vehicles are plugged in after 10 p.m., when the electric load on the system is at a minimum and the wholesale price for energy is least expensive. Depending on the power demand per household, charging vehicles after 10 p.m. would require, at lower demand levels, no additional power generation or, in higher-demand projections, just eight additional power plants nationwide.

Source:

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2008, March 14). Hybrid Cars May Require Hundreds Of New Power Plants To Be Built, If Owners Charge Up During Peak Hours. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 25, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.comÂ /releases/2008/03/080312140123.htm

Also to consider when pricing power consumption is in the not too distant future, Carbon trading will appear. This will penalize fossil fuel based electricity over hydro and nuclear energy production.

This new source of electric consumption will have a significant impact on the production and distribution of electricity in the future.

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General Tsao’s Motors

Kiwi Bloke — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:44:20 +0000

Uploaded on Flickr by stephen_woolverton
The popular Chinese Buick

A considerable amount of trees (and bytes for that matter) have been soaked up debating the merits of an automobile bailout. From what I have read there has been an almost unanimous animosity towards the US automobile industry and the executives in particular. The only defense I have seen is that the collapse of the industry will certainly result in a ripple effect that will destroy millions of down stream jobs and a vicious ripple effect mirroring the demise of the steel industry in the 20th Century.

It is certainly hard to gather sympathy for the car manufacturers themselves who in most people eyes (writer included) are mostly responsible for the situation they now face. It is hard to deny their near universal intransigence to any sort of regulation, from obsessive determination to ignore the CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Consumption) by driving a truck literally through the exemptions, to pouring millions into lobbyists and lawyers to defeat any meaningful emissions control either from the EPA or from the State of California, to watering down of safety regulations and any meaningful investment in alternative fuel vehicles.

[Photo: Plug in America]

However the seeds of their destruction was in their burying of the Saturn EV1. With the destruction of the vehicle in crushing machines on the West Coast they also crushed their only legitimate claim to the future. The EV1 is symbolic of Detroit’s contempt for a future that was to be shaped by alternative fuel vehicles. Although General Motors made what they thought were legitimate arguments as to the demise of the vehicle, the success of the Toyota Prius has rendered these moot, and ultimately painted General Motors as disingenuous no matter how much they point to the Chevy Volt. The face of General Motors and Detroit is now a face of an old flaying drunk who promises that this time he will go to rehab.

However the biggest amount of vitriole should be for Congress and their failure to create a stable and reliable market for new vehicles. As we have seen in the last 8 years, the price of gasoline is a major determinate of the fleet mix in the United States. Most other industrialized countries use a mix of consumption taxes on fuels to keep the prices relatively stable with a floor to keep prices level and sustainable in normal times. The reason the floor is there is no only to promote stability of pump prices but also to reflect the enormous externalities that exist in extracting and processing petroleum products. The most obvious is environmental but less obvious is the significant cost of securing access to oil and oil production. This alone accounts for tens of billions of dollars each year.

In Detroit News they discuss how difficult it is for car companies to predict the future:

But there’s no guarantee that the new business model would be any more viable than the current one. Automobile experts estimate that the battery in a plug-in vehicle could add at least $8,000 to the cost of a car, maybe considerably more. Most Americans will be unwilling to pay the extra price, especially if gasoline prices languish around $2 a gallon.

That’s why one of the mysteries about GM’s plans to introduce the Volt in 2010 is how much it will cost to buy one. “What’s the Volt going to cost? I would be happy to answer that if you can tell me the price of oil in 2010,” said Robert A. Kruse, GM’s executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries. “I can tell you to the penny what it will cost GM, but pricing is much more related to market conditions.”

What the car companies crave most is stability and predictability. While congress is asleep at the wheel and incapable of understanding their role in the failure of the industry and their inability to create a stable and (somewhat) predictable environment for car companies to work under, it will indeed be a bridge loan to nowhere.

However despite John Dingell being ousted, the future of the car industry in North America has largely been painted. Over the next 20 years, the big three will leave the United States (and Canada) and the epicenter of car manufacturing will move to Asia. Like the television industry, the cars will have familiar brands but they will be made in Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur or even Hanoi.

What is truely over is the concept of the American car. Cars that are not able to be sold on a global basis and reflect the needs of a global market will be relegated to museums and enthusiasts. Cars that can’t sell equally well in Sedalia Missouri, Mumbai and Wagga Wagga will simply be memories of the golden days of push rold V8s.

Perhaps most significantly is that the big three will cease to be well the big three. Ford, the closest to homogeneous global car production will survive with it’s continued Europeanization of it’s fleet, Chrysler will be sacrificed by the hedge fund billionaires that have little appetite for hard work and even lesser for sustained losses.

The General Motors that we have known for the last 80 years will end up having to abandon it’s multi band strategy. GM will be relegated to Chevrolet and Cadillac and will sell the rest of the brands or close them down.

What we do know is that the Detroit we have known is dead. They are as cooked as General Tsao’s chicken……

Chevy Volt Charging Towards 2010

Kiwi Bloke — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:33:19 +0000

The Chevy Volt’s PR campaign continues with ABC taking a look under the literal covers. My question is why did GM have to put themselves into this position that they need to make an electric hybrid in 4 short years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZk4A7lUlD4

Solar Powered Prius

Kiwi Bloke — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:54:54 +0000

[Uploaded on March 5, 2007 by harpseal]

Toyota is rumored to announce that it will power the air conditioning using solar panels on the next Prius. According to Marketwatch:

The move will make Toyota the first major automaker to install a popular model with solar panels. The redesigned Prius will have solar panels on the roof, which will supply part of the two to five kilowatts needed to power the air-conditioning unit, the Nikkei business daily reported.

The above car is the Kyocera Solar Car Vehicle (SCV) which was a proof of concept developed 10 years ago. Solar has many uses for vehicles however it was only recently that the cost and profile of the panels made them possible to be placed on conventional cars.

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Hamilton 400 Race Two Highlights

Kiwi Bloke — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:40:08 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CQn-smCfCg

technorati tags: NASCAR , Hamilton 400 , v8 supercars , car , racing , sport
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New York Limo Makeover

Kiwi Bloke — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:27:34 +0000

The Lincoln Towncar has never been known for it’s greenness, it has been a quasi luxury vehicle of choice for limo drivers for years despite only being a leathered version of the Ford Crown Vic. The primary advantage to limo owners is that it was very cheap in comparison with true luxury vehicles and it was easy to maintain. However it’s time is over.

New York’s black suite of limousines, mostly Lincoln Town Cars are set to go green by 2010 according to a new plan by mayor Michael Bloomberg:

Under the plan, the entire fleet of roughly 10,000 limousines, mostly black, that are used by businesses ranging from Lehman Brothers to CondÃ© Nast, would be required to meet fuel-efficiency standards, attainable only with hybrid vehicles, of 25 miles a gallon in 2009 and 30 miles a gallon in 2010.

The big challenge with this is to still provide a level of luxury and space (including the big trunk space) that ex Bear Sterns employees are used to whilst traveling to the unemployment office.

The taxis and limo commission has picked up on a couple of choices being used in the main cab fleet:

the TLC have identified several efficient vehicle models that will have widespread acceptance, including: Toyota Camry Hybrid, 33mpg (city); Toyota Highlander Hybrid, 27mpg (city); Nissan Altima Hybrid, 35 mpg (city); and Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD, 34 mpg (city) ….Lexus Rx400h AWD, Ford Escape Hybrid AWD, and Toyota Prius

Although these cars can meet the standard, a side from the Lexus they are not cars that you will see Donald Trump or his troupe of Miss Americas in. The question is then, is there a true luxury vehicle that meets these standards for New York?.

The problem is in North America there is no vehicle in the luxury car segment that comes even close. The Mercedes Benz E 320 Diesel weights in at 23mpg in the city, not even close. To get a car that meets both the luxury specification, space and mileage requirements we need to go to Europe where there are two vehicles that meet all the requirements and Donald and Marla can feel happy with:

Note: US 30 Mpg = 7.84 L/100Km = 12.7 Km per litre = 36 Imperial MPG

BMW 520d SE

This car has some really amazing fuel consumption figures. It is a 2.0 4 cylinder diesel engine that achieves 43.5 imperial MPG urban (city) or 35MPG US. The 525d came close but fell short of the mark. Of course there are some 3 series that also met the requirement, but they are too small.

Mercedes Benz E220 CDI

The Mercedes Benz E220 CDI squeaks under the wire with a 31MPG (US) however it is not available in the USA, only in Europe. Just like the 3 series BMW, there are C series that get over the bar but are too small for a comfortable ride in the back.

Of course diesels have a similar CO2 footprint to petroleum when compared to Hybrid vehicles. This is especially true if the car idles for long periods of time such as limos or cabs, hence the argument that hybrids make better sense carbon wise in New York’s cabs and limos. However the rule is City MPG not CO2 emissions so both of these cars will meet the requirement and provide a level of luxury for the Trumpetes of this world. Both of these vehicles are common in Government executive vehicle fleets (including New Zealand which just chose the 530d for it’s executive fleet).

As Europe keeps pushing up both it’s CO2 and MPG requirements you are going to see more luxury vehicles fall into this category including the long awaited Diesel Hybrid vehicles.

Things that Make You Go Hmmm

Kiwi Bloke — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:10:09 +0000

I was scanning the web and I noticed this:

In reality, itâ€™s not that hard to get better mileage: drive slower, reduce weight, and increase aerodynamics. None of this seems to particularly interest Detroit, since better mileage tends to increase the amount of time people own their cars before upgrading.

This is the stuff that tweeks the interest of the Freakonomics people myself included. This of course it terribly interesting to the marketing/economics people at automobile companies, after all it is not in their interest to have new cars with a lifecycle beyond three years, but it also explains a lot.

Perhaps people with smaller vehicles travel less hence are less likely to change their vehicles regularly, or they are simply less inclined to view a vehicle personally, but rather as simply a tool, much like a microwave. I dont replace a microwave after 3 years regardless, I replace it when it collapses.

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Landrover LRX Concept

Kiwi Bloke — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:38:08 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8SJkkkyj84

Landrover Italiano

Kiwi Bloke — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 14:34:51 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_3e-0AY7YI

Things that Make You Go Duh!

Kiwi Bloke — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:21:35 +0000

GM has confirmed that it intends to release the first mass produced electric car (since the EV) in 2010. Based on the Volt platform it will be a short range (40mile) commuter vehicle with a small gasoline engine on board to extend its range:

The duh moment:

“We have since realized that letting Toyota gain that mantle of green respectability and technology leadership has really cost us dearly in the marketplace,” [Bob] Lutz said.

Homogenous Charged Compression Ignition

Kiwi Bloke — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:03:59 +0000

Direct Link to YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMpQ9VvjLlU]

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