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Filed under: Gadgets , Green , Tech , Supercars , Nissan What are the best innovations that the global automotive industry debuted in 2008? Popular Science has just picked its favorites and revealed the Best of What's New awards for the year that just was; um, is. The grand prize goes to the Nissan GT-R for its technical brilliance, astonishing performance and relatively attractive pricing. No real complaints there, though we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention that the new Corvette ZR1 in the same breathe, which PopSci fails to do. Green technology holds down three of the 11 positions, with two coming from Ford for its capless fuel fillers and EcoBoost engine tech, though the latter won't arrive until 2009 and Ford can't be credited with pioneering the combination of turbocharging and direct-injection on small displacement engines. Honda takes up a slot with its largely unobtainable hydrogen fuel cell-powered FCX Clarity. Also winning awards from the techy Mag...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech If you read the headline and thought, "Well, that's nothing new," you're partly right. Using microorganisms to turn plants into something you can run through your fuel injectors is otherwise known as fermentation. But the microscopic bugs used in moonshine stills and distilleries are pretty picky eaters. They like corn, wheat, rice, etc., but throw a corn stalk or a few tree branches in the mix and they just turn up their little noses. A group of researchers now say they have found a fungus living inside the Ulmo trees of the Patagonian rain forest that happily turns any part of a plant into fuel. It's called Gliocladium roseum (that's it in the photo) , and researchers at Yale University are trying to find a way to put it to work churning out gallons of diesel. They're quick to point out, though, that's a long way off. But there's another twist in the discovery. The researchers bring up an interesting...
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Filed under: Audio , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Chevrolet , Humor One of the concerns about today's electric and hybrid vehicles is that they don't make the same noises as internal-combustion-propelled conveyances. It seems customers have come to expect a certain sound when a vehicle starts or is put into motion, and electric motors just can't compare to ICEs. GM has decided to add a soundtrack to its upcoming Chevy Volt to remedy that situation. Rather than plugging in the melodic symphony of the ZR1's LS9 , however, they think the car deserves something a bit more space-age to go along with its high-tech hardware, and apparently there are some Trekkies at GM HQ. While we doubt they'll actually license the sound effects from the the Kirk and Spock franchise, E-Flex vehicle line executive, Frank Weber thinks the Volt should make sounds similar to when "you hear the doors close, or use the transporter," on the USS Enterprise. So it's official....
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Filed under: Gadgets , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Ford , Mercury You drive like crap and you know it. Stop the burnouts, late braking and 100-mph freeway sprint and you just might make a tank of gas last longer than a day. Sure, automakers like Ford could spend a few million on lectures to teach car buyers a thing or two about better driving. But if you didn't get it in Driver's Ed, you're not likely to get it now. Instead, Ford's new Smart Gauge will teach better driving through rewards. Do a better job controlling your right foot, and Smart Guage adds a green leaf to a display next to the speedo. The better you do, the more leaves you get. Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of hybrid-vehicle programs, tells The Wall Street Journal , "You don't have to count the leaves. But if you're in a forest of leaves, you'll know you're doing well." You can also grow your Virtual Dash Tree[TM] for a chance to defeat the boss monster on the final level...
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Filed under: Green , Tech , Chevrolet , GM At a press conference on Thursday, shortly after announcing plans for a new engine plant in Flint, Michigan, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner said his employer, "should be able to put to good use its portion of a $25 billion government loan package ." Wagoner goes on to say he's concerned about the details of the plan but hopes the package is expanded to include all gas-saving technologies, not just electric cars. Which is understandable, considering GM has already invested a great deal of money into the Volt and would logically welcome financial assistance in investigating other fuel-saving methods. Then again, the Volt may just yet turn out to be classified as an electric car by the EPA, as the California Air Resources Board just did. Wagoner was also pleased to hear about the Senate's approval of a $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles. The tax break is something the company has been lobbying for since May, and would...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Green , Tech , Special/Limited Editions Click above for more shots of this home-built Ariel Atom replica We can think of few better ways to spend our evenings than bending, welding and beating metal into submission to produce our own car and it seems that we are not alone. MAKE reader, Utah resident and Flickr user proximacentuari took the design of the Ariel Atom -- currently one of the most desirable track cars in existence -- and replicated it in his home garage. What's more, he documented the entire process with pictures and uploaded the whole thing to the internet. This is the coolest show-and-tell ever. Powering the beast, known by its builder as z59, is a Honda K-Series four-cylinder engine from a wrecked Acura RSX. It's an impressive build, taking "15 months and at least 800 hours of work in the garage," all done without any official Ariel schematics. "The frame is completely custom. I didn't make a single measurement off the...
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Filed under: Euro , Green , Tech , Audi Audi's stoplight detection system, called Travolution, has been given the go-ahead for expansion in the company's hometown of Ingostadt, Germany. Travolution establishes a connection between a red light and a vehicle, so that as a specially equipped car moves toward a red light at an intersection, stop light gantries fitted with communications modules can let the car know when the light will turn green. The car then lets the driver know what speed he should maintain in order to pass through the intersection without having to brake for the light and then accelerate again. The system's promise is in streamlining traffic flow, increasing gas mileage, and reducing emissions. An additional twenty A5 and A6 Avant models are being added to the fleet of cars with the technology, and fifty more stop lights will be fitted with modules. If you're in Inglostadt and you want to save time and money on your commute, follow the Audis. [Source: Audi...
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Filed under: Green , Tech , Ford Ford has yet to release its first EcoBoost engines but is reportedly already hard at work on the technology's next phase. Rumors indicate that the new engine technology is codenamed Bobcat and uses small amounts of ethanol injection to improve power and reduce emissions. Ethanol carries a very high octane rating, which allows an engine to be tuned for more power. An engine with ethanol injection can run a much higher compression ratio along with a small turbocharger as the ethanol would be injected directly into the engine's combustion chamber, thereby eliminating precompression, which is more commonly referred to as knock and can be extremely hazardous to your engine's health. The alcohol injection would be performed on an entirely different fuel injection system as the gasoline, complete with its own fuel tank. It would have to be closely metered, but should only need refilled once every few months since the amount used would be so small. Early...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Gadgets , Tuners , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Toyota , Lifestyle Click above to view video after the jump We truly do appreciate the custom-car scene, in all of its various guises. There is, however, a problem with the custom Prius you see above and in the video embedded after the break . Generally speaking, the goal of modifying a car is to either A) make it go faster or B) make it look better. When Classe Gustafson, Elvis Häggbom and Kenny Kyrk from Sweden had finished spending $184,000 customizing a Toyota Prius, they had accomplished neither. This Prius-trocity, which was modified for a television show, is anything but subtle. It lost two doors during its transformation from mild-mannered hybrid eco-mobile to whacked out sport compact that just happens to get good fuel economy, though it did get scissor-style portals that are nearly impossible to open in the process. And it also gained a huge honkin' stereo and the body-kit from a Volvo...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Green , Japan , Tech , Honda , Nissan Honda and Nissan are looking for ways to make cars lighter, better, and more recyclable, both for their own benefits and their customers. We've heard about the increased use of aluminum to save weight; next on the heavy R&D frontier could be carbon fiber. Both companies have teamed up with Japanese carbon fiber company Toray, and Mitsubishi Rayon -- a Japanese version of DuPont -- to research new, less expensive carbon fiber for cars. Their efforts will be helped by the government, which is injecting two billion yen into the project over five years. The plan is that by the middle of the next decade, they'll be able to mass produce a cost effective carbon fiber and use it to reduce the weight of cars by 40-percent. And when they're finished with it, they will also be able to recycle it to reduce production costs. The current price of carbon fiber makes its use prohibitive except for ornamentation or for use on...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Green , Tech If anyone were to come along and do an updated version of Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing," the could change the background vocal from "I want my MTV" to "I want my MPG" or "I want my low Cd." Coefficient of drag, that is. Carmakers are taking every step they can, starting with aerodynamics, to give cars better gas mileage right now while they wait for more substantial technologies to come online in the near future. But the tweaks don't stop with aero finessing. The 2009 Dodge Ram spent 200 hours in the wind tunnel, and it also received tweaks to its ECU, which means it spends more time in its cylinder cutoff mode. That, plus eighty pounds of weight savings, adds up to one more MPG on the EPA sheet. Said Ford's Derek Kuzak, "We need to treat every joule of energy in a vehicle like a precious commodity." In fact, that song hook could also be "I want my XFE." The Cobalt...
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Filed under: Green , Safety , Tech The car-buying public has put its collective foot down and demanded fuel-efficient vehicles, and automakers are likely to do anything to answer customer demand. That may include reinventing the wheel, as more automakers look into incorporating low rolling resistance tires into non-hybrid vehicles. The high-pressure rubber can return fuel economy improvements of 1-2 mpg in most instances, giving automakers that use them a leg up on the competition when comparing EPA data. The new four-cylinder 2009 Ford Escape eked out an additional 1 mpg with the new tires, giving the CUV 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Michelin estimates that low rolling resistance tires can save $300 in fuel costs at $4 per gallon over the life of tire, which is fairly substantial. There are drawbacks to low-rolling resistance tires, too. They're more expensive than standard rubber, the ride isn't quite as comfortable, and the tires cause longer braking distances...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Mercedes-Benz Mercedes -- like a lot of other folks -- believes oil is going to run out eventually. But instead of waiting until the "Low on Oil" light comes on, the brand behind the three-pointed-star has set a goal to convert its entire fleet to run on alternative fuels by 2015. That's seven years to get off the drink we've all been addicted to for well over a century. In the pipeline first are fuel-efficient technologies such as Stop/Start on the marque's next A- and B-Class models sold in Europe. Then come the BlueEfficiency vehicles with Mercedes' supremely parsimonious diesel engines, and eventually the Diesotto first shown in the F700 . And then come the real showstoppers: ethanol, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. There are electric smarts running trials in London right now, and the F600 Hygenius is expected to eventually spawn some sort of production variant. On the face of it, seven years to go diesel...
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Filed under: Gadgets , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Safety , Tech , Carsumer Advocacy J.D. Power and Associates asked 1,900 potential car buyers what they want and what they're willing to pay for. Safety is apparently on the minds of many, with blind spot detection and backup assist taking the top two spots. But once consumers were told blind spot detectors would cost as much as $500, the device fell to No. 4 on the list, while a $300 backup assist jumped to No. 1. And a majority (73%) put in-dash navigation as No. 3 in popularity, but when told they'd have to pay an estimated $1,800 for it, it falls way down to No. 18. Hear that OEMs? Cheap nav is on a bunch of people's wish list. With gas prices at record highs, 72% of the respondents said they were "probably interested" in a hybrid powertrain and 23% were "definitely interested." When told the system would add $5,000 to the cost of their ride, though, hybrids fall from fifth place to No. 8. Disappointingly...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Government/Legal , Green , Tech Petroleum prices are making electric vehicles and engines which run on biofuels look more and more attractive with each passing day. That's why its likely to be a hot topic this election season as each presidential candidate sets out his own unique proposals to ease the country into a new era of lower fuel consumption. Biofuels may be the quickest path to lower petroleum usage, but it's electric vehicles which present the biggest step forward in clean auto technology looking forward. Both biofuels and battery technology are getting some love from Senator John McCain, who's set to propose a prize of $300 million for the first company who can build a better battery. That's a large sum of money, but it won't be easy to tap considering that the goal is for a battery with "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." Oh yeah, and do...
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