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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green , I.C.E. , Tech The uncertain future of the alternative-powered and alternative-fueled vehicle is being decided by a confluence of old and new technology, big business and start-ups, marketing, vested interests, and public perception. It is no surprise, then, that when it comes to government regulation, we are bound to end up with some conflicting decisions. A company in California that converts regular hybrids to plug-in hybrids has found itself smack in the middle of one of those conflicts. Last year, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) cut its mandated amount of electric vehicle sales in California by 70%. Some thought that might leave an exploitable opening for plug-in hybrids to gain serious market share. A number of start-ups have been established that install additional batteries into cars like the Toyota Prius, rendering them all electric below 34 mph, and allowing them to be recharged in 4 hours from a standard 3...
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Filed under: Time Warp , I.C.E. , Bentley Click on the image above for a small high-res gallery of Bentley's V8 engine When the conversation turns to classic V8 engines from a bygone era, the discussion often starts and ends with the small block Chevy that was introduced way back in 1955 and continues to terrorize the overhead-cam masses from Ford all the way to Ferrari. Bentley would like to remind you that it, too, has an iconic engine born back in the '50s that still deserves to be feted, and it still has pushrods. And celebrated it shall be at the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation lecture on January 22nd. This year will mark the 6¾-liter Bentley V8 engine's 50th anniversary, with the motor having seen its first installation in the 1959 Bentley S2. The mill was enlarged back in 1968 to its current displacement and has seen the addition of turbochargers and intercoolers on the way to its current position under the hoods of the 530-horsepower Bentley Brooklands...
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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups , Tech , Ford PickupTrucks.com is reporting that by the end of 2010, Ford will alter the three engine options that currently make up the engine choices in the F-150. What is coming in time for the 2011 model year will be a new 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 code-named "Coyote." Subbing the V6 EcoBoost for the V8 is about providing the same power with more efficiency. Said to be the premium engine for light-duty trucks, the direct-injection gas engine will offer something like 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque while carrying an EPA rating of "at least 23 miles-per-gallon on the highway." Those power numbers handily beat what you'll get from any of the current engines on offer, even though it's down two cylinders. The "Coyote" 5.0-liter, modular, four-valve V8 will have "huge heads," and will return the same numbers as the V6: 400 hp and 400 lb-ft. This engine will become the standard F-150 lump...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Green , I.C.E. , Tech , Mercedes-Benz Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series That's the way it goes with fashion: it's on the runway in Paris in March and in a bucket at Big Lots by September. Mercedes-Benz' in-house tuning arm, AMG, has decided to turn with the popular tide and call time on horsepower brinkmanship, with the division boss saying, "We are going to use other ways to extract better performance, including weight saving, engine optimization and alternative technologies." What's the new fashion? Getting the most out of the least. AMG is going to do that by losing weight, installing tech like the SL63 AMG's wet clutch gearbox on the coming E63 AMG, and possibly re-engineering Mercedes' diesel, hybrid, and four-cylinder engines for AMG duty. Not too long ago, imagining an A-Class AMG would have been beyond comprehension, but this is the future. We...
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Filed under: SUVs , I.C.E. , Jaguar , Land Rover When the facelifted Range Rover Sport and Land Rover Discovery 3 (LR3 in the U.S.) take their bows later this year, in addition to the new faces they'll also be showing off new engines. The 2.7-liter TDV6 currently used is good for 190 hp and 324 lb-ft. The new engine will be Jaguar's 3.0-liter twin turbocharged V6 diesel and will come in two flavors: one with 237 hp for the Discovery 3, and one with 272 hp and 420 lb-ft for the Range Rover Sport. Those numbers are down on the figures achieved by the same lump in the Jaguar, at 275 hp and 443 lb-ft, but even the 237 hp variant should give the 190 hp 2.7-liter a proper shellacking. Even though the 2.7-liter, might remain as an option, the same engine swap yielded a 12% increase in gas mileage in the Jaguar. With the 3.0-liter providing more power on less fuel, it makes us think the 2.7-liter will be shown the door either by Land Rover or its customers. [Source: Autocar ] Land Rover...
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