The Auto Prophet

California ZEV Mandate Rolls On as ACC

2012-01-30T11:34:00.001-05:00

Continuing with its previous nonsensical policy, California's ARB (Air Resource Board) has published new regulations which require automakers to sell a certain percentage of vehicles which are BEV, PHEV, hydrogen, or otherwise not just gasoline powered.

This is bad pollicy because the mandate tells the producers what they must sell, without forcing anyone to actually buy the cars.

This puts automakers in a difficult spot. If they can't make the vehicles attractive enough for consumers to buy, they have to dump them into the marketplace somehow. They would have to sell these ZEVs at a substantial loss, and make up for the financial damage by raising prices on traditional vehicles. The result is the same as a tax on gasoline vehicles, but done through a back-door which causes consumers to be angry with the automakers and not the regulators.

A better policy for California would be to encourage consumers to buy ZEVs, through more direct measures. For example, fuel taxes could be used to large fund tax rebates, so that gasoline consumers would subsidize ZEV purchases. Currently, CA offers a $2,500 rebate for a BEV vehicle, but this does not come close to offsetting the cost.

The previous ZEV mandate was watered down significantly because it wasn't a feasible goal. I don't expect this one to be feasible either, based on people's sensitivity to higher up front purchase costs.

Hybrids Losing To Efficient IC Engines

2012-01-26T09:33:00.001-05:00

In today's Detroit News is a well written piece about the struggles of hybrids in the marketplace. Bottom line: most people would rather pay a lot less money for somewhat less efficiency.

A fascinating insight comes from Mike Jackson, CEO of AutoNation, the largest multi-brand car retailer.

Mike Jackson, chief executive of the retail chain AutoNation Inc., said that 75 percent of customers come into his showrooms and want to talk about hybrids. Only about 2.5 percent of AutoNation sales are hybrids.
"What happens from the 75 percent consideration to the 2.5 percent commitment?" Jackson said.
"They look at the price premium for the technology, which is already subsidized and discounted, and say, 'The payback period is too long; not for me.'"

At the point of purchase decision, people notice that the payback time for the hybrid-electric powertrain is on the order of 5 or more years, and the practicality of the vehicle is reduced because of the packaging of the batteries. They also notice that one of the more efficient non-hybrid vehicles, while not as efficient as a hybrid, is pushing 40mpg on the highway.

As a result, hybrid sales are not growing very quickly, even though gasoline prices in the U.S. remain stubbornly near $3.50/gal.

Hybrid sales slowed last year to 2.2 percent of U.S. sales, from 2.4 percent in 2010, according to researcher LMC Automotive.

Without widespread adoption, there is less hope for economies of scale in battery production.

For hybrids to really compete, the cost of batteries, and their energy density, must improve dramatically, or the price of fuel must go so high that the payback time will approach a few years--like $5/gal.

Tornado Helmets!

2012-01-18T13:36:00.001-05:00

Safety Research Strategies (Sean Kane's outfit), the one that has been pushing the claim that unintended acceleration on the part of Toyota was not caused by pedal misapplication, but rather by un-identified electronic gremlins, now brings us this sage advice: if you are in a tornado prone area, you should keep some helmets around to avoid head injuries should the tornado actually hit your house.

I'm not kidding. They are serious.

Really! A whistling monster of a twister is bearing down on your house, and you are expected to remember to don your headgear?

I think a much more sensible (though expensive) approach would be to keep a safe room in the house, a hardened room in the interior of the house which is by design isolated from the rest of the house structurally. FEMA has a page on tornado safe rooms.

Mercedes: Be Like Che

2012-01-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

Mercedes uses a huge photo of Che Guevara and a joke about revolution during a presentation in Las Vegas at CES.

Silly Mercedes. Perhaps you should use revolutionaries from your own cultural background, you know, like this guy.

In seriousness, Che Guevara was a murderer, and should not be glorified.

Obama Campaigns On Insourcing

2012-01-12T09:45:00.001-05:00

Oh, the irony.

President Barack Obama held up Ford Motor Co. as an example of companies that are contributing to the economy by bringing jobs back into the U.S. — and that should be rewarded for their efforts.
"You've heard of outsourcing. Well, these companies are insourcing," Obama said Wednesday in a speech, surrounded by business executives, state and local officials and union leaders.

See, the reason that there is an inflow of jobs into the U.S., and particularly Michigan, is that we are now a low-cost producer. Partly by devaluing the dollar, and partly by forcing unions to take big concessions, it is now more affordable to do business here.

The union leadership is going to pound Romney on his Bain capital experience, but they are going to give Obama a pass, even though his Car Czar rammed a no-strike clause down the UAW's throat.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder: Unibody!

2012-01-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

The demise of the old-school body-on-frame SUV continues. One of the older models on the market, the Nissan Pathfinder, is following in the footsteps of Chrysler, Ford, and GM and going to the lighter, safer (to cars), and better handling unibody architecture.

Will it handle the Rubicon trail? No, but most people won't ever need to do anything nearly so demanding.

More here.

Review: Mexican Coke

2012-01-08T20:19:00.001-05:00

The other day I saw glass bottles of Coke for sale at the local upscale supermarket, for the princely sum or $1/each. I had heard that some Coke lovers swear that Mexican Coke is better than American Coke because it is made with real sugar, not corn syrup. I have also heard this claim regarding Passover Coke.

So I bought a couple of bottles to try.

I'm not a trained taster, and I didn't do a scientific grade double blind study. But to my taste, the Mexican coke tasted sweeter, and felt stickier, than what I was used to. I wouldn't pay extra for it.

However, the glass bottles were a revelation. They feel wonderful in the hand, hefty and cold and perfectly curved and balanced. I wouldn't pay more for Mexican Coke, but I would pay more for American Coke in these retro glass bottles!

Fighting Comment Spam

2011-12-28T12:22:00.003-05:00

Ugh, I am being inundated with comment spam.

I am tightening the policy for comments, from now on, only users with an OpenID or other form that Blogger accepts can comment.

Fisker Suspension

2011-12-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

Edmunds has a very nice photo review of the Fisker Karma suspension.

My takeaway: heavy car, expensive chassis, very complex. But also very impressive, considering the complexity of the machine. Tesla, for its Roadster, let Lotus take care of the chassis and suspension design and had to focus mostly on the powertrain.

I will be amazed if Fisker makes enough money to stay in business with this model.

Cadillac 4 Cylinder

2011-12-15T10:36:00.000-05:00

This is what the world has come to. GM is putting a four-banger in a Cadillac.

But this isn't the I4 of old, this is a modern, direct injected turbo with variable cam timing. The GM 2.0L Ecotech makes 270HP and 260lb-ft of torque. It is a similar engine to the Ford 2.0L Ecoboost which is now the fuel economy option for the Explorer.

By comparison, the FWD versions of the famed Northstar engine family (LD8) made 275HP and 300ft-lbs, out of a whopping 4.6L of displacement.

More at GM's web site.

iDrive Prank Box

2011-12-13T08:14:00.002-05:00

I was sent this prank gift box, which is hilarious.

It is designed to look like a believable (but crazy) product, the iDrive, which is a suction cup and claw mount to mount iPads and other devices on your steering wheel or other unsafe places. Photos on the back show it being used in cars, on a factory runabout and also on a jet ski. I wonder, though, how the box maker gets away with using "iDrive", which is a real trademark for a number of different types of products, including data storage and surgical staplers.

The actual product is the prank box itself, one of many that are sold by Prank Pack.

I am going to use it on a friend, who is both a car nut and a Apple cultist.

Old People Cars

2011-12-08T09:33:00.001-05:00

According to the Detroit News, this is the list of most popular vehicles for senior citizens. I have added additional information: which models are discontinued.

1. Lincoln Town Car, 90%
2. Buick Lucerne, 87%
3. Cadillac DTS, 85%
4. Cadillac CTS, 74%
5. Cadillac STS, 71%
6. Hyundai Azera, 25%
7. Chevrolet Impala, 51%
8. Buick LaCrosse, 59%
9. Lincoln MKZ, 54%
10. Toyota Avalon, 54%

The interesting question to me is, what will the old folks buy now that the softly spring boats have mostly gone extinct?

Remember Pearl Harbor!

2011-12-07T11:47:00.001-05:00

A momentous day in U.S. history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

Bridgestone Airless Tire Concept

2011-12-05T14:38:00.000-05:00

Cool. From PhysOrg.com.

Michelin has also been working on the Tweel airless tire for some time now, but it isn't ready for civilian commercial sale, yet.

Volt Battery Fires NBD

2011-12-05T10:50:00.001-05:00

The blogosphere and news media have become somewhat excited about the Chevy Volt battery fires, and GM has been very defensive, going so far as to offer to buy back Volts from any skittish customers.

I don't see what the big deal is.

There zero cases of Volts having battery thermal issues after getting in an accident in the real world. There have been a couple of cases of garage fires, however the causes are not yet known and it is quite possible that the fault lies in poorly done 240V wiring, and not with the Volt.

There are four cases of Volt batteries having thermal reactions after being first disconnected from their liquid coolant supply, then damaged, and then overturned by NHTSA. This is like sideswiping a pole at high speed, at exactly the point where the battery extends out towards the sides of the car, then rolling over, and then letting the battery sit damaged for several days without being discharged.

Here's an experiment: smash a gasoline car in such a way as to rupture the gas tank. Then turn the car over and let the fuel run where it will.

Also, consider the number of gasoline vehicle fires that occur every year. In 1999, there were 288,000 highway vehicle fires, due to all causes (accident and otherwise), according to the NFPA. According to a 1990 study by NHTSA, motor vehicle fires due to accidents occurred at a rate of 2.86/1000 vehicles.

So if Volts had the same rate of accident caused fires as gasoline vehicles, we would expect to see about 14 Volt fires this year. But we haven't, even though Volts do carry gasoline on-board.

Aptera Dead!

2011-12-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

I have been watching with morbid fascination the death spiral of Aptera, the designer of the electric trike that looks like a big spermatozoan, which didn't do well in the Progressive Automotive X-prize competition. To stave off death, Aptera was working on a traditional 4-wheel vehicle concept which they hoped would attract new investors and help them qualify for a DOE AVTM loan. Aptera stated that they needed $150 million in new money to start work on the new vehicle, but investors did not come to the table.

And that was a wise decision. Despite an interesting and aerodynamic design, the Aptera 3-wheel concept was not practical for any large market, and would have been very expensive to produce in small volumes. Like the other X-prize finalists running 3-wheel designs, Aptera was more of a design study than a marketable product.

To date, there are still no production-ready enclosed 3-wheelers for sale in the U.S. and I doubt there will ever be. The inherent safety and comfort trade-offs are too great for more than a few novelty-loving customers.

The question in my mind is, who is next to fold? Up-start auto companies funded by venture capital don't have a shining history (DeLorean, Bricklin...). Will Tesla and Fisker make it, financially, or will they burn through their cash before catching on?

How To Reset Your Garmin

2011-11-30T20:23:00.001-05:00

I needed to reset my Garmin 1390 GPS unit, before giving it to a friend, to erase all of my personal data. I found out there is a nice factory reset function which will clear all user data.

To factory reset your Garmin:

Power off the unit
Press and hold the lower right corner of the screen
Power on the unit.

I also found that if you do the same thing but press and hold the upper left of the touch screen, it will re-calibrate the touchscreen.

NHTSA: Volt Battery Pack Post Crash Risks

2011-11-28T14:36:00.001-05:00

NHTSA posted a press release on its web site which explains its recent test results with Chevy Volt batteries.

In an effort to recreate the May test, NHTSA conducted three tests last week on the Volt's lithium-ion battery packs that intentionally damaged the battery compartment and ruptured the vehicle's coolant line. Following a test on November 16 that did not result in a fire, a temporary increase in temperature was recorded in a test on November 17. During the test conducted on November 18 using similar protocols, the battery pack was rotated within hours after it was impacted and began to smoke and emit sparks shortly after rotation to 180 degrees. NHTSA's forensic analysis of the November 18 fire incident is continuing this week. Yesterday, the battery pack that was tested on November 17 and that had been continually monitored since the test caught fire at the testing facility. The agency is currently working with DOE, DOD, and GM to assess the cause and implications of yesterday's fire. In each of the battery tests conducted in the past two weeks, the Volt's battery was impacted and rotated to simulate a real-world, side-impact collision into a narrow object such as a tree or a pole followed by a rollover.

So in short, NHTSA is crashing Volts with very specific protocol--a narrow pole, which will cause severe deformation/penetration of the body structure, followed by a rotation to simulate a rollover.

The batteries aren't catching on fire right away, rather they seem to take some time to build up heat.

I don't think there is anything to worry about, yet. First, this is a very specific and severe type of crash, and second, it takes hours or days before the battery self-heats to the point of fire. As NHTSA and GM both point out, no on-the-road accidents are known to have caused battery fires.

However, GM apparently was late to the game, by not developing beforehand a procedure to discharge (and render safer) the Volt battery. They are now rolling this procedure out to first responders, who need to know how to neutralize a charged lithium ion battery after a severe accident.

Review: Davis CarChip Pro

2011-11-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

This is a review of the Davis Industires CarChip Pro .

The CarChip is a small device which plugs into your vehicle's OBD-II port, and acts as a datalogger. It can record vehicle speed every second, and up to 4 other items at a slower rate of one sample every 5 seconds. Retail prices are around $80.

The device is simple to configure. Once you install the software (which worked fine on Windows 7), and plug the CarChip in with a mini-USB cable (included), a step-by-step configuration walks you through the initial setup.

For example, you can choose to record 4 parameters at every 5s, from a choice of several standard OBD-II parameters, including engine speed, throttle position, engine coolant temp, engine load, air flow rate, spark timing, air/fuel ratio, battery voltage, and oxygen sensor voltage. You can also set audible alarms, to have the device beep at you if you exceed a top speed, or a max accel/decel rate.

For my testing, I plugged it into my 2007 (which would be using CAN OBD-II), and drove a few trips. I also induced two powertrain diagnostic faults: I loosened my fuel cap, and for a short time, disconnected my intake air temp sensor (IAT).

After removing the device and downloading the data to my PC, I was able to use the software to plot the recorded channels, and the device properly logged two DTCs, one for evaporative emissions (P0456) and one for the IAT circuit test failure (P0113). By clicking on a menu choice, you can tell the CarChip to clear the codes next time you plug it into your vehicle.

Overall, I liked the CarChip, and I would recommended for several use cases. A hobbyist or fleet owner who wants a low-cost way to log mileage, driving style, fuel economy, etc. would do well with a CarChip if they don't mind plugging into it every so often to download the data. It could also be useful to someone who wanted to program it as a "trainer", to teach themselves (or their kids) not to accelerate too hard or brake too abruptly, to teach a high fuel economy driving style.

However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this as a primary diagnosis tool, for example to debug DTCs or do performance tuning, because of its offline nature. Someone who wanted to quickly determine why they have a Check Engine lamp, and perhaps check some of their engine control sensor values as part of the debug would be better off with an interactive scan tool. Also, the relatively slow 5s sampling rate may cause users to miss some aspects of the engine performance, such as sudden lean fuel excursions or speed fluctuations.

My advice to Davis, to improve this product, would be to add a "live mode" which pulls the OBD data in real-time via the USB, and to add some sort of wireless interface so that the data can be monitored and downloaded via bluetooth without having to plug into the unit directly.

Pros:

Simple to use software, easy setup
Ability to set speed/accel/decel alarms
Fault code logging and clearing
Small, unobtrusive
Data can be easily exported

Cons:

Slow sampling rate (5s) on user-configured data channels
No apparent "live mode" to look at data interactively, while connected
No wireless transfer mode (bluetooth or wifi).

* Davis provided me with a sample unit, however I recieved no compensation for this review.

Predatory Lexus Face

2011-11-23T12:22:00.001-05:00

When I saw the new design for the 2013 Lexus GS 350, I was reminded of something...

Or perhaps

You Walk

2011-11-22T09:15:00.001-05:00

Saw this hilarious billboard on the outskirts of Pontiac the other day. Rough neighborhood, I guess.

Coda: Does Anyone Care?

2011-11-18T09:16:00.001-05:00

The Coda is an all electric sedan built on a Chinese copy of a Mitsubishi compact sedan chassis, stuffed with batteries and electric motors. It looks cheap. But it will cost $40,000 like the Focus BEV, Chevrolet Volt, and Nissan Leaf high trim model.

Does anyone really want one at this price?

New Fiat 500 Abarth Commercial

2011-11-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

Awesome.

Translation from a YouTube viewer:

What are you looking at? Uh!?

What are you looking at?! (slap)

Are you undressing me with your eyes?

Poor guy…you can't help it?

Is your heart beating? Is your head spinning?

Do you feel lost thinking that I could be yours forever?

(by the way has a slightly non-italian accent)

Smelly Anarchists Begone!

2011-11-15T18:06:00.000-05:00

NYC has finally had enough of the Occupy Wall Street crowd in Zuccotti park. A judge has denied a lawsuit for a restraining order against NYPD, on the grounds that

To the extent that City law prohibits the erection of structures, the use of gas or other
combustible materials, and the accumulation of garbage and human waste in public places,
enforcement of the law and the owner's rules appears reasonable to permit the owner to maintain its
space in a hygienic, safe, and lawful condition, and to prevent it from being liable by the City or others
for violations of law, or in tort. It also permits public access by those who live and work in the area
who are the intended beneficiaries of this zoning bonus.

The movants have not demonst rated that they have a First Amendment right to remain in
Zuccotti Park, along with their tents, structures, generators, and other installations to the exclusion
of the owner's reasonable rights and duties to maintain Zuccotti Park, or to the rights to public access
of others who might wish to use the space safely. Neither have the applicants shown a right to a
temporary restraining order that would restrict the City's enforcement of law so as to promote public
health and safety.

Presumably, now the NYPD will begin moving the squatters out of Zuccotti park, so that the damage can be repaired.

EVs Should Be Loud

2011-11-10T13:45:00.001-05:00

Today, while crossing a busy grocery store parking lot, I was really startled by a silent Prius driving accross my path. Since I didn't hear a noise, I didn't expect to see it moving near me.

I'm coming down on the side of noise pollution here. EVs (BEVs or HEVs in electric mode) should make some sort of noise, loud enough for a pedestrian to hear within about 15 feet or so. Silent cars are not as safe.

The End of Saab (Again)?

2011-11-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

This might be the be the end for Saab. GM is stating that it does not support the sale of Saab to two Chinese auto companies. Without financing, Saab is likely to be liquidated by the Swedish courts, a process that was suspended when Saab made a deal to sell itself.

I have friends who own Saabs, and I wonder what will happen to them as far as vehicle service and replacement parts go. Perhaps someone will step up and buy the parts inventory, if there is money to be made in service. Some Saab models are really re-badged GM or Subaru vehicles, so those likely can be serviced at those dealerships.

Prius Smugness Run Amok

2011-11-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

Smug Prius owner goes apesh*t because a guy is idling his diesel pickup in an adjacent parking spot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CVdMySWfAIQ#!

EVs Are Expensive!

2011-11-02T12:57:00.000-05:00

Ford today announced the pricing for the electric Focus, $40,000. Facebook and blogs are howling at the price.

Truth is, the price is not unfair. Li-Ion batteries are running around $600/kWh these days. If the Focus matches the Leaf's 24kWh battery, then it is carrying about $14,000 in batteries. A nicely equipped Focus goes for around $23,000, which gets us to $37,000.

I suspect that Nissan is losing money on the Leaf, and calling it a marketing expense. At a price of $32,000, the Leaf only allows for a base vehicle price of $18,000.

The 53%

2011-10-31T16:15:00.001-05:00

i am also proud to be part of the 53%. This is great.

Review: Drop Stop Car Wedge

2011-10-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

Drop Stop Car Wedge is a simple product that does one thing very well. It blocks the gap between your car seat and the center console, so that you can't drop stuff down into that hard to reach spot.

I have been using one, and It works great. I do notice that I can feel the right side of my seat is button cushion is a little bit firmer due to compression, but it doesn't bother me.

The wedge is a tube made of black neoprene, with a pass-through for the seatbelt latch. It is stuffed with filler. To install it, you slip it over your seatbelt latch and then stuff it down, working it forward and back smooth it out.

At $20/pair plus shipping, it isn't cheap, but isn't outrageously expensive either. It should outlast your vehicle.

Pros:

Simple, effective
Unobtrusive
Seems durable

Cons:

Unknown country of origin (not on packaging)
$20+shipping is a little steep for what is basically a stuffed fabric tube
Limited distribution (Can't buy it on Amazon, etc.)
Adds firmness to right seat cushion side

*Note: DropStop did not provide any payment for this review, other than sending me a test unit.

Sonic Drop Breaks Down?

2011-10-19T15:38:00.001-05:00

Chevy is doing a stunt to promote the new Sonic b-car. They are dropping it off of a huge tower attached to a bungee cord, and using web clicks to move it towards the edge of the leap.

Looks like it broke, though.

I hope those guys are careful.

Minor Fact Check: Volt Charging Handle

2011-10-17T12:05:00.001-05:00

According to Mike Davis at The Detroit Bureau, the Chevy Volt charging cord has a safety feature similar to a certain .45ACP pistol that I know and love.

"To my surprise, I found the In cord had a squeeze-handle like the safety grip on a Model 1911 A1 .45 pistol"

Sorry Mike, this isn't right. The 1911 has a grip safety on the backstrap of the gun, where the web of your thumb rests. The Chevy Volt has a safety lever located under the trigger finger.

Electric Delorean?

2011-10-17T11:55:00.001-05:00

Jalopnik's Kevin McCauley was invited to test drive a Delorean DMCEV, an electric conversion applied to a Delorean chassis by the new Delorean Motor Company. DMC hopes to build these for sale in 2013.

It will be a really cool looking car, but remember that this thing is built on a 1980's design. It wouldn't pass modern handling or crash standards. And chances are, it will be really expensive--because to avoid meeting the modern standards, each one of these will have to be a conversion of an existing Delorean chassis with an existing VIN. In other words, take a rare car, and then apply expensive electronics and batteries.

I have to say, though, the Delorean is still a great looking car.

Electric DeTomaso, Pantera, anyone?

Birmingham Ferrari

2011-10-17T06:29:00.000-05:00

Spotted in downtown Birmingham on Sunday.

Blackwood Sighting

2011-10-16T23:17:00.000-05:00

The Lincoln Blackwood was a white elephant for Lincoln. A car that
did well as a concept but flopped bad in production. I saw this one
the other night.

Ford Quietly Kills Off Hybrid Escape?

2011-10-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Ford has announced that the next Escape, based on the European Kuga, will come with 3 flavors of I4 engines, 1.6L Ecoboost (GTDI), 2.0L Ecboost, and 2.5L NA. No mention was made of the hybrid powertrain currently available, giving Ford bragging rights to "most fuel efficient SUV". So it looks like Ford is quietly killing off the hybrid Escape in favor of the C-Max hybrid and plug-in hybrid.

If I have this wrong, Ford PR is invited to comment.

SUVs Less Dangerous To Others*

2011-09-28T09:24:00.001-05:00

A new study by the IIHS shows that SUVs which strike cars of a similar weight are now not more dangerous than other types of vehicles. This is great news, as it shows that automakers have been taking the interface issue seriously. By adjusting the heights of crash structures, moving towards unibody designs, and improving crumple on light SUVs, automakers have been able to meet or even exceed sedan crash performance.

However.

The study looks at crashes where vehicles collide which are within 500lbs in weight of each other. It does not say much about crashes where the vehicles are farther apart, for example a 5000lb SUV striking a 3500lb car. In cases like those, injuries and deaths are still going to be lopsided, with the occupants of the lighter vehicle suffering more damage.

This chart from IIHS is telling, it shows how heavier vehicles tend to have higher partner death rates than lighter ones.

At the end of the day, a larger, heavier vehicle is still safer, for the people riding in it. But not necessarily for the others on the road.

My Sad HP Tale

2011-09-27T09:53:00.001-05:00

I decided to replace my stuttering old Dell Optiplex desktop (Core 2 circa 2008) with a new desktop. I saw a very good deal on Woot!--an HP Pavilion with a quad core AMD CPU and 1TB HDD for all of $300. It was, of course, refurbished.

That was a mistake.

The HP came loaded down with crapware (trials, useless media players, etc.). The Pavilion case was made of very thin metal, and thing made a lof of an and drive noise compared to my old machine. But the worse part was that it came broken. Despite having 4 RAM slots, the motherboard would not boot if I put more than 2 sticks of memory in it. HP agreed this was an issue, but informed me my machine was out of warranty. After several long phone calls with customer service (in India) I finally got them to extend my warranty to the proper 90 days, and accept the machine for repair.

It came back with a new motherboard, and would accept more memory. But this one would run for a seemingly random amount of time, and then freeze solid. It wouldn't even write the errors into the Windows system log, so I had no way of knowing what was wrong.

The machine went back to Woot for a refund, and I bought a factory refurbished Dell Optiplex 780, with Intel Core 2 Quad CPU.

The Dell Optiplex came with no crapware, other than a a free trial for a virus scanner, which was easily removed. The machine is quiet, and fast, and with a free web coupon, it was cheap too. And, unlike the HP, the Dell came with a 3 year warranty, and an actual restore DVD.

The I3 Is The New I4?

2011-09-19T10:33:00.001-05:00

Ford has unveiled a GTDI (gasoline turbocharged direct injection) 3 cylinder engine, which they brand Ecoboost. The 1.0L inline 3 will power the Fiesta and Focus C-Max in Europe in 2012, and will be competitive in power to the 1.6L I4 Ford currently offers, according to Ford's PR. That means HP and torque numbers around 100-120HP and 110-120 ft-lb of torque. Due to reduced weight and the variable-displacement effect of turbo charging, fuel economy numbers will be big.

Getting 100+ HP out of 1.0L is impressive, and matches the power output of such high-end makers such as Audi, BMW, and Porsche.

The only other automaker that I have heard was working on a 3-cylinder engine, potentially for North America, was BMW (Mini).

Ford hasn't announced North American plans for the 1.0L Ecoboost, but I expect it will show up here eventually in Fiesta and possibly as a base engine for the Focus. People will have to get used to such a small engine, and only 3 cylinders, but thanks to CAFE, very small engines are the way of the future.

HEVs: Make Some Noise

2011-09-15T15:25:00.001-05:00

The industry is busy trying to decide what noise HEVs and BEVs should make when running in electric mode.

My humble proposal is here.

Volvo Kills V8

2011-09-08T09:23:00.001-05:00

So I'm a few months late, but I just now noticed that for 2012, Volvo is no longer offering the Yamaha sourced narrow bank V8 (4.4L, 311HP) on the XC90. It was available in 2011, offering a dismal EPA fuel economy of 16MPG combined.

I never liked the idea of Volvo selling a V8. Volvo has for many years been known for inline engines (I5 and I6), often hopped up with turbos. This allowed them to stretch for performance without giving up too much fuel economy.

The last Volvo I owned was a naturally aspirated I5. It wasn't quick, but it got the job done, and I was able ot average around 26MPG around town.

No Buick Wagon For U.S.

2011-09-08T08:17:00.000-05:00

Jerks.

According to a Buick spokesman who spoke to Edmunds, there won't be a Buick wagon for the U.S.

Won't someone build a fun-to-drive wagon for the U.S. market? Hello?

Ford, Toyota Co-Developing RWD HEV Powertrain

2011-08-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

The new CAFE standards are proving to be a real matchmaker. Ford and Toyota have jointly announced a co-development program to develop a RWD hybrid powertrain.

Ford,of course, is one of the top sellers of light trucks (F150) and body on frame SUVs (Expedition, Navigator). Toyota is not a major player in trucks, but does sell Tundra and a variety of BOF SUVs such as the Sequoia and 4Runner. By working together, the two companies can reduce the high development costs of a new hybrid powertrain, and eventually be able to meet or exceed the CAFE standards for light trucks.

What is odd, to me, about this tie-up is the cooperation between to major rivals. Remember recently the dust-up over IP, when Ford and Toyota agreed to cross-license HEV patents, and the ensuing confusion in the consumers mind, where some people thought Ford was buying Toyota's Prius system. Why not GM? GM/Allison have been doing RWD truck hybrids for a while now. Oh, maybe this is why not.

In general, we are going to see more of these cooperative moves. For example, Chrysler will need to get in bed with someone to develop their own truck hybrid system, as trucks are a big part of Chrysler's business model.

Pre-Cruise: Ferndale Police Cars

2011-08-19T17:56:00.002-05:00

Some of the police cars in Ferndale.

Pe-Cruise: Ferndale Choppers

2011-08-19T17:52:00.004-05:00

I saw this lovely orange chopper in Ferndale.

And this bicycle was neat, too.

Pre-Cruise: Public Safety Fun On Woodward

2011-08-19T17:48:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite places to go at Dreamcruise time is the area in Ferndale near city hall, where many interesting police, fire, and EMT vehicles are displayed.

More Pre-Cruise Photos

2011-08-19T17:43:00.004-05:00

Some stuff I saw in and around Ferndale today.

Woodward Pre-Cruise: The Focus ST

2011-08-19T17:17:00.005-05:00

I took off of work early today and went to Fashionable Ferndale to see if I could find Ford's Focus ST which they were going to show off. Hidden in plain view behind a trailer, and freshly detailed, here it is in its golden glory.

A few observations. I tried to see if I could tell if it has the new REVO knuckle or not, so I took a few undercarriage photos. I'm still not sure, because there wasn't much space to put a camera down there. However, this one is clearly FWD, not AWD as some had hoped.

Some cladding in the way, hard to see the front suspension.

No RWD on this one.

California Clean Cars Confusion

2011-08-17T15:49:00.001-05:00

In California, an umbrella organization called the California Clean Cars Initiative is advocating ever tougher standards. It is a coalition of various organizations, including respectable ones such as American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association, and others which are more pollitlcally radical such as The Center for Auto Safety (trial lawyers) and Union of Concerned Scientists.

And, as usual, Consumers Union joins with the lefties to advocate for unaffordable cars, in opposition to their consumer oriented mission.

One trick that the CCCI pulls is that they conflate "healthy" and "clean" air with "climate change". I think everyone agrees that smog forming compounds such as NOx and ammonia are dangerous. The automakers have met every LEV requirement thrown at them, drastically reducing the amount of air pollution from combustion and fuel evaporation.

However, CO2 is not a carcinogen, and it doesn't form smog or acid rain. It's plant food. Hypothetically, a hydrocarbon fuelled vehicle could be designed which would combust its fuel so cleanly, and apply an effective aftertreatment, so that the exhaust would be composed only of CO2, NO2, and H20--complete combustion, with allowance for nitrogen interactions. However, CCCI would not consider this "clean and healthy" air, because of the global warming lobby.

CCCI would be better off advocating for the removal of dirty-running old cars from California's roads, and going after non-transportation sources such as lawnmowers, boats, and airplanes, if they were serious about the health effects of real pollution.

Yaris Fail

2011-08-17T11:58:00.001-05:00

I have not seen the new Toyota Yaris in person yet. Maybe I'll cross paths with one on Woodward this weekend. Anyway, looking at the photos and early impressions from other reviewers, I think I can sum it up by quoting Toyota's Yaris tagline.

"Yaris. It's A Car."

Or, to quote the ever snarky Car And Driver, "Yep, it's a car. There's not much else to say."

In other words, Toyota is making no effort to build an interesting small car. They are relying on their reputation for safe, comfortable, reliable cars, and a little bit of styling upate, to try to compete against a very hot small car marketplace. Meanwhile, Fiat 500 brings style and cute by the bucket. Ford Fiesta and Mazda2 bring sharp styling and zippy handling. Honda's Fit brings excellent packaging, good handling, and good fuel economy. Chevy Rio brings interesting styling and promises strong performance.

So why the capitulation? The b-car space is going to become more important as fuel economy targets tighten, it seems odd that Toyota would hold back. If I had to guess, I would say that Toyota was saving its powder for its refresh of its key product, the Camry.

Goodyear's AMT Project

2011-08-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

Goodyear is working on an R&D project to design and demonstrate truck tires which maintain their own pressure with some sort of internal pump and valve system.

Goodyear's Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) will enable tires to remain inflated at the optimum pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. All components of the AMT system, including the miniaturized pump, will be fully contained within the tire.

This is an interesting idea, and not totally new, a company called CODA in the Czech Republic has been promoting a design recently which self inflates.

However, the problem with this concept is that it scavenges energy from the tire rotation to pump the air--which will increase rolling resistance. There is huge pressure on tire makers to reduce rolling resistance as part of fuel economy improvements. Unless the government somehow gives credit for the technology to reduce the up-front efficiency hit, I don't see automakers being enthusiastic in replacing their old fashioned tires. That's because fuel economy tests are performed in a lab, and tires are always properly inflated.

Goodyear press release here.

The Steer Safe: Are The Joking?

2011-08-11T23:19:00.004-05:00

There is a hilariously bad invention up on Kickstarter called Steer Safe which is supposed to help people "safely" use their smartphone while driving, by hanging it from the top of the wheel on a cradle.

Why is this so bad that it is funny?

Well, for one thing, it isn't even remotely "safe". It blocks the drivers view of the vehicles instruments. It encourages fiddling with a touch screen while driving. It may interfere with good hand-to-hand steering. And, perhaps most dangerous of all, it is close to the deployment zone of the driver's airbag.

Can you imagine the damage that thing could do, if you are in an accident with airbag activation? As your body moves forward during the crash, the airbag flap opens violently, flinging a glass and metal smartphone up towards your forehead.

Or in a rear-end accident, your iPhone becomes a projectile, snapping out of its holder and flying towards your face.

This thing is so poorly thought out, I have to believe that they guy posting it is joking. Right?

Review: id America Gasket iPhone Case

2011-08-11T22:48:00.004-05:00

id America, a maker of iPhone cases and covers, sent me their Gasket iPhone case to review.

The case is made of brushed aluminum, and is designed to look like an engine block, with cut0uts reminiscent of cylinder bores and cooling passages. In addition to the aluminum shell, the case comes with two clear protectors, for the back and for the front screen. The aluminum shell has a suede inner lining to cushion the phone.

I found the case to fit the phone snugly, and the screen protectors did their job without ruining the usability or feel of the touch screen. Installation was not too hard, though it does take some practice to attach the clear protective film (using the supplied squeegee) without leaving any dreaded air bubbles. Once I had it together, the case felt sturdy and substantial.

Overall, I found the case attractive and effective. I like the automotive inspired design. I would definitely buy one for myself, or as a gift for a fellow gear-head.

The Gasket case can be purchasd from id America here for $30.

CAFE: Rise Of The Turbo

2011-08-03T10:10:00.002-05:00

One way that automakers will meet the new CAFE standards will be to downsize engines and add turbocharging, as a relatively inexpensive and proven way to get variable displacement. And with direct injection and EGR, the ignition charge can be kept cool, allowing the engine to run highly efficiently on regular octane rating gasoline.

This won't be entirely popular, because even today's low mass, twinned turbos do have some power lag, and they do make different and more annoying noises than a traditional big bore motor. Personally, I would drive a 2.0L gasoline or diesel turbo over a 3.0L naturally aspirated engine, if it would save me 20% or more on fuel, whatever noises it makes.

Another concern about turbos is their durability. I think that Audi, Volvo, Saab, and most recently Ford have proven that modern turbos are robust and can last for the design life of the engine. Ford's "torture test" YouTube series is entertaining, if you want to see a turbo engine severely abused.

The reason turbos help fuel economy is that at low engine load, say when you are cruising down the highway, your engine isn't using much of its power, the turbo isn't really running, and the engine is like a 2.0L I4. However, when you are accelerating, or otherwise making a high power demand, the turbo spools up and allows the engine to consume more air (and fuel), temporarily making it more like the 3.0L V6 you used to drive. Because the EPA fuel economy tests have a good bit of steady state driving, and idling, this variable displacement effect of the turbo really helps the MPG rating.

A smaller turbo engine, all else being equal, will also tend to be lighter weight than a comparable larger engine, which is another source of fuel economy gain.

Since turbos are cheaper than batteries and electric motors, the early CAFE gains are likely to happen through engine downsizing rather than hybridization. The next steps will probably be mild hybrids (start/stop, launch torque) coupled with downsized turbocharged engines.

Engineers: CAFE Won't Be Easy

2011-08-03T09:09:00.001-05:00

Wards has published a survey of 1,100 automotive engineers (I am sure I was one respondent) which highlights the trade-offs required to meet the new high CAFE standards.

The best part of the article is some of the comments left in the open ended comment box:

In all, survey respondents left 100 pages worth of comments.

"Consumers don't understand what this will cost, and environmental groups don't care," is a typical comment.
"Aerodynamic blobs on the way," another quips.

The Mighty Have Fallen

2011-08-01T15:56:00.001-05:00

Wow.

Consumer Reports, formerly certified fanboys of Honda, have utterly dogged the 2012 Civic.

It isn't recommended. Too boring, too plasticky.

Honda had better be careful.. if they stray too far from their zippy heritage, they are going to get eaten by the very aggressive new up and comers such as Elantra and Focus.

The Truth About 60MPG

2011-07-27T13:17:00.001-05:00

There is furious lobbying going on, as the automakers and the greens try to sway the Obama administration on future CAFE standards. The greens, including Consumer Reports, NRDC, and others are claiming that not only is 60MPG feasible, but it will be good for us. Here are some of their main claims.

1) 60MPG will increase jobs and profitability of the Big 3. Apparently, Citibank looked into a crystal ball and decided that the Big 3 market share and margins would increase with higher fuel economy vehicles. But the Big 3 rely on large vehicles, even today, for a lot of their profits. And jobs? That depends. If free trade with China continues, I see batteries and other components coming from China, which is a powerhouse in rare earth mining and raw materials processing. Look at it this way--in the rise of Li-Ion batteries for tools and laptop computers, where are all the parts coming from? China and Korea.

2) 60MPG will not cost much, and will pay for itself. True, at $4/gal, a 60MPG car will pay back a sizeable premium in 3-4 years. However, the cost estimates of some the technology are pie-in-the-sky. What happens to li-ion battery costs if we start making millions of relatively huge car batteries? Are the greens ready to strip-mine China for lithium? What about the supply of rare earth metals for the powerful magnets needed by the motor/generators?

3) Americans want 60MPG cars. Sure they do--but they don't want to pay much for them. As many surveys have shown, when you attach costs to highly efficient cars, interest drops off rapidly. Today, there are numerous highly efficient small and medium cars available. However, trucks and SUVs are still hot sellers. What Americans really want is free efficiency. They want large cars and cheap gas. They want fat free french fries.

4) 60MPG is within easy reach, with off the shelf tech. Sure, for small and mid-sized cars. Give me a B/C platform and let me add a couple of thousand dollars in engine upgrades, more transmission gears, aluminum and high strength steel components. You'll have a 60MPG small car that costs $25,000. Great. Now, how do you do it for a mid-sized SUV or minivan? Or the Texas workhorse, the 1-ton pickup? Not so easy.

Here are some of my thoughts about CAFE standards.

A) Reducing vehicle weight will reduce overall safety, or add cost due to expensive countermeasures like additional airbags. It's physics. In a two car crash, the heavier car does better. Until all the old heavy vehicles are off of the road, about 10 years after the lightweight ones are introduced, the new vehicles will be at a disadvantage.

B) High CAFE standards will increase up-front costs, and reduce sales. Suppose CAFE adds $4,000 in today's money to a typical family vehicle. Some people will respond by buying used, some will buy smaller or cheaper, and some will defer their purchase. Yes, you will save money down the road. But you have to pay the down payment and the taxes now. I agree with the AAM that sales volumes will be decreased. Fewer new car sales means fewer jobs in sales and manufacturing. However, there may be a renaissance in the old car repair industry, as people keep their old beaters longer.

C) High CAFE standards will reduce consumer choice. How do you make a pickup truck which can pull a 10,000lb trailer, or haul 2,000lbs of bricks in its bed, which gets close to 60MPG? I don't think it is possible. Batteries are heavy and reduce payload. Beefy suspensions and large engines all work against efficiency. Even with efficiency improvements, in order to be able to sell pickup trucks, the automakers will have to get people to buy smaller cars to offset them. That's how CAFE works. The only way to do this is through price manipulation--either lose money on small cars, or jack up margins in large trucks. Since method one nearly killed the Big 3 once already, I suspect the answer is going to be method two. People who want muscle cars or pickup trucks will have to pay a lot more for them or do without. Instead, there will be strong pressure on consumers to pick small cars and range limited EVs. Products like high-performance sports cars may be very different under a 60MPG regime--slower, more expensive.

So what is the answer?

If you want to influence consumers directly, and do it in a transparent way, you need to tax fossil fuel. Don't specify a fleet efficiency standard, rather, increase gas taxes slowly until consumers start to respond. You can make it revenue neutral by rebating the taxes, or offsetting somewhere else. But there isn't political will to do that. It's easier to hide behind CAFE.

Eventually, though, people will notice that CAFE is just another tax, just applied in a more complicated, hidden way. Unfortunately, it may be too late, after the industry has changed in drastic ways.

Increase performance and gas mileage with a performance chip. Performance Chips Direct sells ECU chips for trucks and cars.

Tuesday Night Cruisers

2011-07-26T21:09:00.002-05:00

A few pics from Woodward Ave as the sun was setting.

The Ritchie Boys At Holocaust Memorial Center

2011-07-24T23:37:00.011-05:00

One of the Detroit area's hidden gems (well, it isn't that hidden) is the Holocaust Memorial Center. A fascinating, if grim, museum of Holocaust history with stunning architecture.

The HMC debuted a new exhibit this last weekend, about the Ritchie Boys, a unit of soldiers who were trained in intelligence gathering and interrogation techniques at the Army's Fort Ritchie, before being sent to Europe to help with the invasion. Many of the Ritchie Boys were Jews who had German language skills.

I went to the opening and shot a few photos.

Out front, a pair of (Brits!) WWII reenactors set up a very nice mini-camp, featuring a lovingly restored Jeep, as well as some excellent replica Browning machine guns, real Garands, and some token barbed wire.

Some old timers

A member of the Jewish War Veterans honor guard

One of the Ritchie Boys, Si Lewen, was an artist and sketched what he saw during the invasion

One of the Ritchie Boys tells his story

One of their misions was propoganda. The would drive around in a truck with a huge amplifier to broadcast German language de-motivation. This was dangerous work, as the Germans would often shoot towards the sound, and they eventually learned to run wires to the speaker some distance away, to draw the fire from the truck.

Paratooper uniform

My favorite part of the exhibit... they should have had more guns. They should have had a Colt 1911 and a Garand, at least.

Infantry uniform

Guy Stern, one of the Ritchie Boys, and also a director of the HMC, speaks about his experience

Class notes from Fort Ritchie, about identifying German weapons and units.

Tools of the trade.

Memorial Flame

A few more Jeep photos

If you haven't gone to the Holocaust Memorial Center, I suggest you take half a day and visit. It is pretty heavy, depressing stuff, but it is a good experience.

The MONOTYPE Car

2011-07-24T10:32:00.007-05:00

Designer Fernando Ocana has published a Master's of Art project for an urban vehicle he calls MONOFORM. A 3-person compact city car, his design focuses on how the exterior of the vehicle interacts with the view of the city around it, by using various glass planes to reflect images.

As a pure design project, it is pretty neat. As a vehicle, it is of course unworkable. Rear stearing has inherent stability problems at high speed. Driver visibility in this vehicle doesn't look to be good. There doesn't appear to be any suspension travel. And, probably the most severe issue, the aerodynamics of this shape are probably unworkable.

Would anyone want to drive around in something that looks like a phone booth designed by Lockheed Martin stealth engineers having a bad day?

Green Vehicles RIP

2011-07-24T10:18:00.002-05:00

Another one gone, another one gone, another one bites the dust.

Green Vehicles of Salinas CA has closed its doors. They were trying to develop an electric 3-wheeler, the Triac, but after burning through nearly $700,000 in state and local taxpayer funds.

The Triac was supposed to be another one of those rule-dodging vehicles which was considered by regulators to be a motorcycle and not a passenger car, because of its 3 wheel design.

According to the article here, the president of Green Vehicles notified the city of his company's failure via email. Nice.

So whey did the fail? The same reason that Aptera failed, and the same reason that most of the electric start-ups are going to fail. Building a safe, comfortable, reliable, affordable vehicle is not easy, and people are not as willing to experiment with such an expensive purchase as you might think.

When the dust settles, in a few years, I am convinced that the electric vehicles which are successful in the marketplace will come from the established automotive companies, with perhaps a niche player like Fisker or Tesla hanging on.

Despite the arrogant "we can do better" attitude of the start-ups, they are learning that the "old dinosaurs" do know a thing or two about product development and marketing.

CR (Still) Hates American Cars

2011-07-20T10:39:00.001-05:00

Consumer Reports, which claims to be an impartial advocate for the consumer, to my mind is really a left-leaning organization of dubious intent. CR frequently tells consumers what CR thinks is best for them, rather than primarily taking their interests into account. Witness their love for socialized medicine and CFL bulbs.

Today's example, this blog posting from CR on "Best Used Cars Under $20,000"

Several CR staffers submit their choices, and all of them pick Honda or Toyota vehicles, except for two. There is 1/2 a vote for a Ford Fusion, and 1 vote for a VW.

Really guys? You have $20,000 to spend, which is plenty, and you don't even consider some of the better American used vehicles, such as the Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox/Saturn Vue, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Taurus, Chrysler 300?

Consider: you can get a late model used Malibu or Taurus for under $20,000 which has all the trimmings, including leather heated seats, automatic lights, back up sensors, automatic climate control, etc.

Space Shuttle Joke

2011-07-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

Saw this suggestion for a practical joke making the rounds.

"When the Space Shuttle lands, everyone wear ape suits!"

Heh.

Nissan Leaf vs Chevy Volt Pricing

2011-07-19T09:15:00.001-05:00

Nissan has announced that it is increasing the price on the 2012 Leaf, by $2,400 over the 2011 model, to $36,000. Compare that to the price of the Volt, at $40,000. Nissan also is capped at 20,000 units/year for the U.S. market, while GM has said it plans to produce 60,000 Volts in 2012.

If the Leaf is scarce, dealer markups may continue, reducing the price advantage further.

Personally, if I was in the market for a plug-in car, I would probably choose the Volt over the Leaf, buying the gasoline hybrid capability for an extra $4,000 or less.

Auto Alliance CAFE Web Site

2011-07-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has launched a web site to promote the automaker's side of the CAFE debate. You can find it here.

Toyota: No Electric RAV4 For You!

2011-07-18T08:12:00.001-05:00

According to this source, Toyota will reserve its plug-in RAV4 product (co-produced with Tesla) for fleets and government entities, and won't sell them to the general public.

The Toyota RAV4 EV will make its comeback after first being sold 15 years ago. The vehicle won't be made available to consumers, Yoza said, instead they are focusing on "very strategic applications" such as fleets and car sharing programs. Despite being a BEV that could benefit from fast charging, the RAV4 EV will not include a CHAdeMO charging port. Yoza said Toyota will not offer fast charging on any vehicles until the SAE determines a standard.

I can hear the shrieking of the BEV boosters all the way from my perch here in Detroit. "Toyota thinks it's the 1990's!" Several are probably loading up their super-8 movie cameras in preparation for "Who Killed The Electric Car 2".

Why would Toyota do it this way? Simple. Cost. Chances are the RAV4 EV will be so expensive that Toyota doesn't want to lose a ton of money on them. Think about the overhead for a new small volume vehicle--dealer training, special service tools, parts distribution. Instead, by keeping it fleet only, Toyota can keep costs down by centralizing service and support.

The RAV4 EV is mostly a product for CARB and the "green states" who follow California mandates. It helps get Toyota the EV points it needs in California, so it can keep selling Tundras (13/17MPG) Sequoias (13/18MPG), FJ Cruisers (15/20MPG) and 4Runners (17/22MPG).

CNG Civic: Cheap Running But Slow

2011-07-13T09:41:00.001-05:00

The Honda Civic GX is slated to be sold to retail customers nationally in 2012 (it was only available in four states, previously). Since it runs on compressed natural gas, it is relatively cheap to run, with CNG fuel economy in the range of 28mpg (EPA estimate) and CNG costing around $1.70/gal.

However, there are some big trade-offs involved in driving a Civic GX. Acceleration is poor, with 0-60mph times coming in at 12.6s according to Edmunds. The range is limited compared to a gasoline powered car, or a Chevy Volt, typically around 200 miles. And if you want to fuel at home, which is likely because CNG stations are not common, you need to install a CNG compressor which will cost you around $5000, installed.

Does the Civic GX make more sense than a Chevrolet Volt? It's a tough call. The Volt's price (after subsidy) is around $33,000. The GX price is about $30,000 if you include the cost of the CNG compressor. For the extra $3,000 you gain the ability to fuel anywhere (if you run it on gasoline or charge at 110v). CNG miles cost about $.07, while all-electric miles will cost you about $0.06 per mile.

But the Volt gets to 60mph in about 8.5s, and in range sustaining (gas) mode has a range of over 300 miles. I think while the government tax credit is in place, I'd take the Volt.

A Couple Evening Car Photos

2011-07-11T23:17:00.002-05:00

I went to Woodward to get some ice cream today before sunset. Spotted a few neat cars.

This one appears to be a GM guy driving a late pre-production Chevrolet Caprice.

And this is a tail light of a new Cadillac SRX crossover. It surprised me, the shape of it, I had not noticed it before. It's like a little throwback fin, back to the 1970's.

Carbon Motors, Aptera, VPG, etc.

2011-07-11T16:33:00.001-05:00

For a while, it looked like all of the smart kids knew how to make a better car, and how to run the business better than the big boys. There was a "gold rush" of sorts, as electric car and other niche producers scrambled to set up shop and grab venture capital funding.

Then the hard economic reality kicked in. Making cars is hard. It takes a huge amount of money, people, and time. And the regulatory hurdles are enormous.

Look at the up-start graveyard. Bricklin's Visionary Vehicles? Nowhere. Mahindra USA? Limbo at best.

Aptera is waiting for a federal loan which will probably never come.

So apparently is Carbon Motors, the purpose-built BMW diesel powered police vehicle. Carbon requested $310,000,000, but is still waiting a year later.

VPG, maker of a purpose built wheelchair accessible taxi vehicle, apparently got a $50,000,000 loan from DOE to produce a CNG version.

Survey: U.S. Consumers Unwilling To Pay For CAFE

2011-07-11T13:24:00.001-05:00

The Boston Consulting Group, a business consultancy, has issued an interesting report about how automakers can achieve the stringent 2020 fuel economy and CO2 emissions standards without having to resort to electric vehicles. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there, and as I digest it I'll probably post more about it.

One thing that jumped out at me is this table. In it, a majority 56% of survey respondents in the U.S. are not willing to pay any premium for an "environmentally friendly car".

And also, consider the odd result for the people who would, if they vehicle would pay for itself. They are willing to pay up to $3,900 premium, but expect it to pay back in 3 years. That implies an expected fuel savings of 325 gal/year at $4/gal. A 27mpg car uses 444 gal/year with a typical 12,000 mile/year driver. This means people expect the equivalent of going from 27mpg to 100mpg, for $3,900! Clearly, this is not going to be realistic in any short term time scale.

The closest vehicle we have now to 100mpg is the Volt, which carries a premium of about $15,000 (compared to a well equipped Cruze).

So, basically, American consumers are saying, "we'd love fuel efficient cars--as long as they don't cost much (or anything) extra".

CAFE May Cramp High End Luxury Market

2011-07-08T17:23:00.003-05:00

An interesting piece in the WSJ, here, expains that luxury car makers such as Porsche and Mercedes may be severely impacted by future CAFE rules.

Future U.S. government fuel economy regulations could saddle auto makers with steep fines or even bar the sale of certain models. Violations of proposed government standards could cost auto makers up to $25,000 a vehicle beginning in 2016, up from current levels of $5 to hundreds of dollars per vehicle.

The issue for the luxury automakers is that CAFE is a fleet average, not a per-car requirement. Large full line carmakers like GM can produce lots of Cruzes to offset a few Cadillac V8's. However, Mercedes doesn't sell enough high MPG vehicles to avoid paying today's fine. And when CAFE marches north of 50mpg average, Mercedes only option is to find some hybrid electric powertrains schnell.

I am not a fan of CAFE because of the way it hides regulation from the consumer, and distorts the car market. However, I don't see why luxury car makers such as Mercedes should be exempt. If CAFE is the regulatory regime, and the goal is to reduce fuel consumption, the luxury car makers should not be allowed to skate.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that powerful cars should be banned. But I think the wealthy folks who love European luxury cars can afford a "CO2 premium" for their sins. I also admit, bad economic policy aside, that I like the competitive advantage that CAFE gives the full-line automakers such as the Detroit 3.

The Tablet Race?

2011-07-01T19:16:00.000-05:00

Somehow, the wizards at Apple figured out that the next big thing in
personal computing was going to be the tablet. Apple's iPad wasn't
even that great of a computer when it first went on sale. They are
great for consuming media (as long as it isn't Flash) but not great
for any sort of intense productive or creative work.

What amazes me is that the very smart people at companies like HP,
Dell, Motorola, and Microsoft were apparently unready to compete.
Only now are credible iPad alternatives appearing, like the Galaxy and
Xoom, but even these are closer to oversized smart phones than general
purpose computers.

Where is Microsoft? Why isn't there a useable Windows edition
optimized for fingertips and not mice?

Now here comes HP, with another tablet OS, based on its (dying) Palm
sourced WebOS.

I think people will settle on two or three systems at most. One may
be Windows, I think, when Microsoft is finally ready. The other will
be Android which has a huge head start over WebOS and RIM's QNX. And
Apples iOS of course is too big to go away.

Me, I about to pull the trigger on an Eee Pad Transformer or maybe an
Iconia, if I can find a nice deal. I want Flash support and a
credible app store.

Consumer Reports Pushing 62 MPG

2011-06-30T16:33:00.001-05:00

One of the reasons I dropped my personal Consumer Reports subscription is that they have become consistently liberal in their outlook, taking the sides of intrusive regulation by the government.

Today CR issues a statement supporting a high (62 MPG) fuel economy. One of their arguments is that vehicles can be reduced in mass without necessarily becoming less safe. For small differences in mass, this is probably true.

Importantly, reducing vehicle mass will be essential in improving fuel economy. Consumer Reports is confident that lighter vehicles will not necessarily compromise vehicle safety. For example, a contemporary family sedan such as the Hyundai Sonata weighs 3,210 pounds and still achieves a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. It weighs 7.5% less than its previous generation and about 6% less than the average family sedan. By contrast, a Chrysler 200 weighs 3,590 pounds (also a Top-Safety Pick) but with no performance or interior room advantage. The new Honda Civic at 2,810 pounds also received a Top Safety Pick and weighs 400 pounds less (about 9%) than the Chevrolet Cruze, a direct competitor.

However, they make a big mistake here--they refer to IIHS test results between vehicles that are about 400# different. It is critically important to remember that crash test results such as IIHS and NHTSA, when they are intended to mimic front crashes, simulate a car hitting another car of the same weight.

What happens when a heavier car hits a lighter car is not pretty. Here are some great videos by IIHS which make this very point. Here is the report.

Everything else being equal, heavier cars tend to be safer than lighter cars, and forcing people into lighter cars will, on average, reduce their safety.

Buick Wagon Lust

2011-06-27T23:33:00.001-05:00

I can't remember the last time I felt open, unguarded lust about a Buick. But now GM comes out with a Buick turbo wagon, as if breathing the ghost of Saab back into Buick. Please tell us, GM, that this lovely piece of rolling practical sculpture will come with manual transmission.

Autoblog has photos.

Obama Leaks Some Oil

2011-06-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

Obama's energy department yesterday announced it would release 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which holds a total of about 726 million barrels, or about 160 days supply at the maximum withdraw rate of 4.4 million barrels/day. For reference, U.S. consumption is currently about 20 million barrels/day total, of which about 10 million barrels/day is imported.

So Obama just spent $12.5 billion (at market prices) to temporarily lower oil prices. In theory, this will soften the effect of lost Libyan production.

The problem is, the energy department will have to refill the reserves, buy purchasing the 30 million barrels, or waiting to paid in royalties from oil producers.

I am not sure if this was a valid use of the SPR, as we should be careful not to blow our oil reserves whenever the price gets high--it should truly be reserved for emergencies. Loss of production from Libya is not an emergency--it was a foolish policy decision by the U.S. and NATO to go to war with wily Col. Gaddafi.

Senate Votes To End Ethanol Tariff

2011-06-22T08:22:00.001-05:00

About damn time.

The ethanol tariff and subsidy were essentially welfare for corn farmers, and perversely, most of the subsidy goes to agricultural giants like Archer Daniels Midland.

Link To Story

Natural Gas to Ethanol

2011-06-15T10:06:00.001-05:00

Now here is a form of ethanol production I have no problem with. Dallas TX based Celanese says it has a process to make ethanol relatively cheaply from natural gas.

However, because the ethanol is produced from a fossil fuel, it doesn't qualify as a renewable fuel, and therefore can't be used to satisfy the renewable fuel mandates that are driving corn based ethanol. So unless the law is changed, corn ethanol will continue to drive up food prices and eat tax money.

Romney And Ethanol

2011-06-14T08:52:00.001-05:00

Mitt Romney, pandering to Iowans, has come out in support of ethanol subsidies.

I'm going to have a hard time supporting the guy in the primary.

Ethanol subsidies, like other agricultural price supports, are reverse-robin-hood: they take from the poor (us) and give to the mostly rich (large farms and Big Ag).

Here's an idea: how about we let ethanol follow market forces. If no one wants the stuff, there will be less produced, and farmers can plant wheat and barley instead, to make proper methanol.

GM CEO: Raise The Gas Tax

2011-06-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

GM's CEO, Dan "plain speaker" Akerson said in an interview with Detroit News:

"There ought to be a discussion on the cost versus the benefits," he said. "What we are going to do is tax production here, and that will cost us jobs." For the years 2017-25, federal officials are considering 3 percent to 6 percent annual fuel efficiency increases, or 47 mpg to 62 mpg. That could boost the cost of vehicles by up to 3,500. "You know what I'd rather have them do — this will make my Republican friends puke — as gas is going to go down here now, we ought to just slap a 50-cent or a dollar tax on a gallon of gas," Akerson said. "People will start buying more Cruzes and they will start buying less Suburbans."

He is of course, correct: it would be easier to push the market towards buying efficient cars by keeping gas expensive... easier for the carmakers, not for the consumer. The consumer wants the pain hidden--we want cheap gas and efficient cars (but not too expensive, thank you). However, the last part of his quote, "People will start buying more Cruzes..." is not what the CEO should really want--GM probably makes a much nicer margin on Suburbans than on Cruzes. GM's top selling product is still the Silverado/Sierra.

Also, a gas tax now would hurt consumer spending, now, and slow economic recovery--hurting GM's sales.

Akerson should be careful, he isn't going to win any friends among his customers, or on Wall Street, with so much plain speaking.

GM's Akerson Eulogizes LIncoln

2011-06-06T16:30:00.001-05:00

In an uncharacteristically (for GM) blunt statement, GM's CEO said

"They are trying like hell to resurrect Lincoln. Well, I might as well tell you, you might as well sprinkle holy water. It's over," he said about Cadillac's historical competitor."

He's right, of course, that Lincoln is struggling.

But, he shouldn't be too proud of Cadillac--at 11,600 sales in May of this year, Cadillac is still well behind BMW (20,600) and Mercedes (20,300), and even Lexus (12,300).

Mazda Manufacturing To Leave US?

2011-06-03T08:29:00.001-05:00

According to The Detroit News, an unnamed source is saying that Mazda plans to leave the AAI plant in Flat Rock, MI, which would make Mazda a true import brand once again, with models coming from Japan and Mexico.

I understand that Mazda has a business to run, and that the Mazda6 (a good car) is not a great seller, but I am a little disappointed. I once owned one of AAI's previous products, the Mazda 626, which was a good handling but cramped mid-sized sedan. It was fun to point to my "foreign" Mazda and tell people it was assembled in Michigan by UAW labor.

The Dangerous Old Days

2011-06-01T22:36:00.001-05:00

Wow. Racing has become a LOT safer than it used to be.

Killed Myself When I Was Young from The Jalopy Journal on Vimeo.

Nissan Mocks GM's Volt

2011-05-31T15:20:00.002-05:00

Nissan throws down this funny smack-down of the Chevrolet Volt.

Link

Memorial Day Video

2011-05-27T10:14:00.001-05:00

This video is very moving. Thanks to our veterans and our fallen warriors.

The New EPA Label

2011-05-25T12:26:00.001-05:00

The new EPA fuel economy label, thankfully, won't have the highly subjective letter grades.

What is interesting, is that it will clearly show the decrease in vehicle range (and fuel economy) caused by running on E85, in the example given of a flex-fuel F150.

Edmunds $1,000,000 Contest: No Winner

2011-05-24T10:47:00.001-05:00

As I expected, no winner in the Edmunds $1,000,000 Unintended Acceleration contest.

Les Jackson re-stated Edmund's conclusion that most cases of UA were caused by driver error.

Sean Kane and Joan Claybrook didn't like the conclusion, and in the Q&A period attempted to dismiss Edmunds. This is not surprising, as Kane and Claybrook are solidly on the side of the trial lawyers, and have an interest in showing that driver error is not the root cause. Kane mentioned tin whiskers as a possible explanation, despite the fact that NASA's analysis did not find tin whiskers as a failure mode that would cause un-detected unintended acceleration. Joan Claybrook stated that she finds it impossible that all those people, with their detailed letters to NHTSA, didn't press the right pedal.

Edmunds $1,000,000 Challenge Prediction: No Winner

2011-05-23T12:03:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Edmunds will announce the results of its $1,000,000 Unintended Acceleration challenge, the contest they set up to see if anyone could demonstrate a hardware or software error state that could cause unintended acceleration in a Toyota with electronic throttle control.

My prediction: no millionaires. No winner.

Because the problem was explained by floor mats and some sticky pedal assemblies, compounded by user error.

Sprinter With Vortex Generators

2011-05-22T09:35:00.001-05:00

Spotted this Sprinter van on Southfield road. The owner has stuck on
Y-shaped vortex generators (Airtabs?) in hopes of improving fuel
economy. The theory is that these break up the air flow behind the
vehicle, reducing the drag from the low pressure area behind the
vehicle.

Dunkin Aston

2011-05-22T09:26:00.001-05:00

Saw this Aston Martin at a lowly Dunkin Donuts the other day.

Neat Old Truck

2011-05-12T23:02:00.000-05:00

I spotted this old truck on Woodward the other day. It is an old
Dodge pickup, which was a rail inspection truck -- you can see the
rail wheels folded up under the rear bumper. The truck had the phrase
"Born in Detroit, Raised in Montana" painted on the bed box.

Sorry for the crummy cell phone pic it's the best I could do.

Is Saab Smoking Something?

2011-05-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

According to Automotive News, Saab is considering the possibility of selling cheap Chinese SUVs through their dealer network as part of a Chinese partnership.

If they do, they're dead.

Saab's cachet, if it has much left, is that they are an offbeat, "sensible luxury" brand. Saab is not cheap.

Selling junky Chinese trucks alongside Saab's aerospace influenced Scandinavian cars will muddy their brand and alienate buyers. It's like going to Saks and finding they have a WalMart mini-store inside.

Old Chevy, Royal Oak

2011-05-11T11:03:00.003-05:00

This is a neat photo from a friend of mine. You can check out her photoblog here.

Obama Considering Mileage Based Taxes

2011-05-06T10:55:00.001-05:00

According to this Detroit News article, the Obama administration is considering funding roads through a tax on miles driven, as opposed to gasoline taxes as they are now.

This is a reasonable approach, and it should be studied.

As gasoline consumption decreases due to more efficient vehicles, and different forms of propulsion, the amount of tax revenue from gasoline taxes will decline. A sensible approach would be to tax the common denominator--miles driven--rather than the fuel type. Electric cars should not free-load on highway taxes.

The devil is in the details, of course. Americans will not put up with an intrusive enforcement system, such as mandatory monthly mileage checks. In states which have annual emissions tests, they are roundly hated, and removed whenever the voters have a chance. A less frequent annual or quarterly mileage check would result in higher tax bills, as opposed to the gradual leeching we get from gasoline taxes or toll roads. I would support an electronic system which allows cars to report mileage wirelessly to road-side sensor, or RFID based toll gathering sensors, however privacy hawks will howl that Big Brother is going to know where we drive.

Another detail is the amount of tax--people who pay a mileage tax should not have to also pay an equivalent gasoline tax. It should be one or the other.

Taxing miles has another side effect, which is to put direct pressure on the number of miles driven. As fuel economy increases, each mile driven will become less expensive. By keeping miles expensive, the government is encouraging less driving, which will lead to less wear on the roads and less damage to the environment.

NYC Picks Nissan Minivan Taxi

2011-05-03T13:04:00.001-05:00

New York City has chosen, somewhat surprisingly, Nissan as the supplier for the "Taxi Of Tomorrow". I had expected them to choose the Ford Transit, because it is the only vehicle that actually is in production, and has some quality history behind it. The Karsan taxi was a complete unknown, while the Nissan NV200 is for sale in Japan, has not been modified to meet U.S. regulations, and is not currently street legal in the U.S.

Interestingly, the "American" Ford would be imported from Turkey, while the Turkish Karsan was promised to be assembled in New York. Nissan's NV200 will be built in Mexico.

My Syma S107 Helicopter Video Hack

2011-04-28T00:34:00.011-05:00

Some time ago I got one of those awesome little IR controlled helicopters, a Syma S107.

Then, I saw a guy on eBay selling keychain video recorders, similar to this one. Of course, I thought I maybe could mount the guts of the micro video camera under the helicopter, and record my flights.

First, I dis-assembled the video camera. It isn't hard, there are 4 screws, 2 on the outside and 2 on the inside. Then the board pops out of the shell.

I also partly disassembled the helicopter, to get to the power wires.

Next, I cut the original battery leads on the video camera. Both batteries are 3.7V, so the helicopter battery will run the camera.

I soldered the power wires together, red to red and black to black, to form a parallel circuit. I wrapped the joints with a little electrical tape, to make sure there wouldn't be any short circuits.

Then, I put the helicopter back together. I slung the camera pod under the body, slightly forward of center, and used a rubber band to hold it.

One problem I found was that the camera vibrated wildly on its ribbon, and needed support. I glued a short bit of coated wire to the board, bent the end, and glued that to the back of the camera.

Here's a short sample movie, of me flying it around my small laundry room. The camera gives reasonably good video (cell phone quality) in bright light. The sound is interesting, you can gear the whir of the helicopter gears and the wind noise from the rotor wash.

The toy still flies reasonably well, though the added weight does make the helicopter noticeably slower to react. The weight bias is slightly too far forward, the way I have it, so copter tends to drift forward, and I need to add some weight to the rear to balance it better. You can't mount the camera pod too far to the rear, because if it blocks the view of the IR sensor (which is located between the rear tail struts) your helicopter will lose touch with your controller frequently.

The effect on runtime is significant... my stock helicopter would fly for around 5 minutes or so (I never really timed it carefully). The modded helicopter will fly for around 3:00 or so. I blame two factors: the weight of the camera causes you to use more throttle (and more main rotor), and the drain from the camera recording.

My next step is to locate a small, easy to detach power connector, and install it, so I can easily remove the camera pod if I don't want to record.

Free Motor Oil Coupon: G-Oil

2011-04-27T22:24:00.003-05:00

I was offered a chance to give away a free mail-in rebate good for a 5 qt. jug of G-Oil motor oil, so here it is.

Link.

G-Oil is an interesting new product from Green Earth Technologies. It is billed as a superior motor oil, as good as any synthetic or crude based product, however G-Oil is made from cattle. It comes in 5w-30 weight or racing formula.

Yes, beef.

G-Oil "recycles" beef tallow into motor oil, which is also bio-degradable. It is made in the USA.

Politics: Gas Pump Activism

2011-04-25T11:48:00.001-05:00

A bit if gas-pump pinup activism, a blogger is advocating pasting up these fliers at gas pumps, to blame Obama for rising gas prices.

http://disruptthenarrative.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/gas-pump-activism/

To be fair, Obama was talking about his hypothetical (and never enacted) cap and trade plan, and I think he was talking about electricity, not oil. See http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/06/27/flashback_obama_says_cap_and_trade_makes_electricity_rates_skyrocket.html

The current run-up in oil prices has a combination of causes, which include war in the middle east, speculation, cheap dollars, and reduced exploration due to Obama environmental policy.

CU burned by Leaf

2011-04-14T08:49:00.001-05:00

Consumer Reports bought a Leaf.

Thinking that a range estimate of 30 miles meant close to 30 miles, Jon Linkov left home with a kid to drop off at daycare and a commute to the office.

17 miles later, he was in turtle mode.

About 17 miles from startup, the potential range indicator had become three blinking dashes. I realized I was not going to make it to work, and decided to get off the highway. As I exited the Leaf entered "Turtle" mode, complete with a small, green turtle indicator light. I proceeded to limp the next 1.3 miles into town. The final humiliation came when a highway department mower passed me.

I can hear the true believers yelling at me already, since I didn't charge the car overnight. The thing is, we're charging all the plug-in cars at our facility, on 220-volt chargers that can log exactly how much just our cars are using. Planning a 46-mile round trip when the car suggested I had 60 miles available didn't seem too much to ask.

Range anxiety isn't a bugbear invented by the oil lobby. It's real. And Nissan really needs to refine their range estimation algorithm, because this is the sort of thing that fuels consumer backlash.

Best Performance Values

2011-04-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

Over at Forbes, there is a post listing the ten fastest vehicles under $30,000. The results are interesting, but they are sorted by 0-60 times.

What if we resort the list based on "value"? I'll define value as the number of dollars it takes to get incrementally better from 10s 0-60 (in other words, price/(10-T60))?

Here is the value ranking:

1.) Ford Mustang V6 5.6 $22,145 $5,032.95

2.) Subaru Impreza WRX 5.2 $25,495 $5,311.46

3.) Ford Mustang GT 4.8 $29,145 $5,604.81

4.) Hyundai Genesis 3.8 R-Spec Coupe 5.9 $26,750 $6,524.39

5.) Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 6.4 $23,700 $6,583.33

6.) Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart 5.8 $27,695 $6,594.05

7.) Hyundai Sonata SE 6.6 $24,345 $7,160.29

8.) Kia Optima SX 6.5 $25,995 $7,427.14

9.) Honda Accord Coupe EX-L 6.3 $29,730 $8,035.14

10.) Mazda6 s Grand Touring 6.4 $29,320 $8,144.44

The top 3 don't really change, but the Mazdaspeed 3 improves relative to its previous ranking, while the Lancer Ralliart falls.

As before, if you want bang-for-the-buck, it's Mustang or Impreza. And Camaro? Where is Camaro V6 is too slow, V8 is >$30k.

Chevy HD Video Fishiness

2011-04-07T11:44:00.001-05:00

A guy at work pointed this out to me. If you watch closely, in video #5 of Chevrolet's HD truck HD2HD video series, the Ram truck changes from a single mirror model to a dual mirror model. Which means that Chevrolet isn't showing just vidoe of the official test, but is also showing video of another vehicle.

The single mirror shot can be seen at around 3:30, the dual mirror can be seen in a few shots, this one is at 3:52

In general, I think the whole "passing the truck before hitting the slowpoke" thing was pretty lame, as in contrived.

Also, for some reason, videos #1, and #2 are now missing from YouTube.