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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: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Mercedes Benz Mercedes-Benz has laid out a long Road to the Future, detailing its efforts to create "fuel-efficient and environmentally-sustainable premium automobiles without the need to forgo the characteristic brand features." That's fancy talk for having your German chocolate cake and eating it, too. The three areas on which the tri-pointed star wants to focus are fitting vehicles with the latest internal combustion engine technology, including smaller engines, gasoline direct injection, turbocharging, and BlueTEC; improving vehicle aerodynamics, weight, and energy management (BlueEFFICIENCY); adding more "hybrid" technologies like start/stop functions and a fully-electric-capable 2-mode hybrid drive; and creating zero-emissions vehicles. Mercedes wants diesels as clean as gas engines, gas engines as efficient as diesels, diesel hybrids, lighter cars, better gas mileage, leprechauns, unicorns, and rainbows for...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Green , Tech , BMW Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW Hydrogen 7 The BMW Hydrogen 7 arrived in late 2006 boasting the unique ability to run its V12 powerplant on both hydrogen and gasoline. This was a smart idea, as the on-board 30-gallon tank of -253° Centigrade liquid hydrogen was only good for a range of about 125 miles. The other fuel tank, filled with 19.5 gallons of good old-fashioned gasoline, extended the range another 310 miles. It didn't offer any environmental advantage, but it did allow you to get home. BMW is following up the original Hydrogen 7 with a new version - this time minus the gasoline tank. While official performance specifications, including emissions data, have not been released, BMW is claiming both performance and range have been increased. It will debut at the 2008 National Hydrogen Association Conference and the 2008 SAE World Congress in mid-April, when BMW is expected to release emissions...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , Toyota Much has been made of the fact that Toyota is seemingly behind General Motors and other manufacturers in the race to adopt lithium-ion batteries as the future battery of the hybrid and electric vehicle market. Lithium-ion batteries pack more energy into less space than nickel metal hydride batteries, which are the current industry standard in hybrids. Could this delay in the adoption of lithium ion technology be because they have something better up their corporate sleeves for the next-next Prius? According to reports from Japan, Toyota may be investing in zinc-air batteries , which are currently popular only in your grandpa's hearing-aid. If the rumors are true, these new batteries would make up a big chunk of Toyota's plan on offering a hybrid version of every car it sells by 2020 . In the meantime, expect to see lithium-ion batteries in future Toyota hybrid models until it's ready to unveil its newest battery technology...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Tech , BMW With Cameron Diaz now officially set to ride in the BMW Hydrogen 7 to the 2008 Oscar Awards, more unofficial details are coming out that BMW is planning to launch a Hybrid 7 Series in the next 2-3 years. We have blogged about hybrid BMW models before. In fact, just last April, we spoke about a Hybrid 5 Series model possibly in the works. Now, rumor has it that the flagship 7 Series will get the eco-friendly powerplant first. Likely a joint venture between BMW, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz, the new powerplant will be a "mild" hybrid system. This type of hybrid recovers energy from braking (aka "regenerative braking") to be stored and used to supplement the internal combustion engine. The Hybrid 7 Series will have to ultimately rely on gasoline for propulsion, as this type of hybrid is not able to run in pure electric mode like the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid . With the news of BMW's twin-turbo diesel...
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Filed under: Trends , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Tech , Audi , GM It's that time of year where everyone's prognosticating like Nostradamus about what the coming year will hold. The authoritative ink slingers at Automobile magazine have decided that Audi's R8 deserves the dual honors of 2008 Automobile Of The Year and Design Of The Year, as well. While infused with the generous spirit, Automobile named General Motor's Two-Mode Hybrid rig Technology Of The Year. The R8 is Audi's sports/GT that looks like a supercar and radiates a glow across the entire Audi model line. Not only does it have neck-snapping visual presence, with a 420 horsepower V8 between the axles, there's a deep well of accelerative force to go along with a finely-tuned AWD chassis that doesn't scramble the occupants. Park the R8 next to some rosso italiano , and the lithe German with its metal side blades, straked vents front and rear, and muscular stance might just steal all the thunder. Big trucks...
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Filed under: Etc. , Tech , Audi It seems like every carmaker has set themselves the goal of world domination. Toyota's internal master-plan memos leaked out, and then there's BMW nipping right along with lofty goals, too. Here comes Audi, deciding that they'd really like to sell 200,000 vehicles in the US market by 2010. While BMW is the current premium brand champ, Audi thinks it's got the moxie to claim that spot. Audi's perhaps got a case of inflated self-esteem if they think they're going to come out on top, especially considering that competitors are also projecting gains. Taken together, automakers have set out goals for growth that are more ambitious than what the market's likely to do. Nobody will argue that Audi makes high-performing cars packed with high levels of technology and class-leading appointments. When the conversation takes on a green tinge, however, Ingolstadt seemingly falls short. Audis have been packing on the muscle and the weight, while...
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Filed under: Green , Tech , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Cerberus has opened up the corporate wallet, and Chrysler is spending the cash to infuse their lineup with alternative powertrains. New Chrysler product boss Jim Press told the Detroit News that diesels...
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